The blue

Nicky and Brad, with Stan’s help, were constructing a cubby house and didn’t seem to need her at all.

She thought back to last night. Diane had come up to her room with her and, after Irene had taken a shower, she’d brought her a cup of Milo.

Whether Diane had formed her own conclusions about why she was in the state she was, Irene didn’t know, but, beyond reassuring herself it wasn’t a health issue, Diane had probed no further.

She probably guessed, Irene thought as she sipped her tea and curled her feet up under her in the basket chair. It had to have been fairly obvious. She’d not only been weeping, she’d probably been looking shell-shocked and she had just been comprehensively kissed.

What she’d managed to hide from Diane this morning was the fact that she still felt shell-shocked. She could never forget that kiss. Just thinking about it made her pulses hammer and reminded her of how she’d felt during it, and not only the physical thrills, but the reaching-for-the-stars joy it had