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knowing it wasn’t real but wanting it so badly she didn’t care. Slowly, it died away and she sniffed back the aching sense of loss as emptiness flooded in. Danny wasn’t here, yet in so many other ways, he was.
    She stared down the empty hallway that stretched out before her. The 1970s wallpaper was faded, the floors devoid of carpet. Family photographs lined the walls – generations of Morris’s had holidayed here. Everything was exactly as it had always been. It was comforting, taking into account how quickly things could change. Lately, even his presence – previously so strong – in the house they shared, was fading. She felt like she was losing him and it scared her.
    Directly opposite her was their bedroom, the one she and Danny used to always sleep in when they came here. She gravitated towards it, stopping in the doorway. Lacking in personal touches, the room contained a double bed and large, 1970s Formica dressing table, complete with mirror, and matching bedside tables. The French doors were open and the slight breeze carried the chorus of cicadas into the house. The sea was calm, as usual, and sunlight glinted off the water. The mountains on the opposite shoreline loomed in the distance. Reaching upwards into the sky, dense and green, they formed part of the Queen Charlotte Track, which she and Danny had always said they would walk, one day.
    One day. She had tried so hard to strike that phrase from her vocabulary over the past year. It was either now or never. One single day – twenty-four short hours – had the power to change your life forever.
    She turned away from the room, her heart heavy, and made her way out to the kitchen. From the doorway to the living area, the outlook was even more beautiful, the wall of windows framing the bay like a living piece of art. 
    “Hey chickie.” Lacey was standing at the kitchen sink, smiling at her.
    Kate wrapped her arms around her carefully, afraid of hurting her. “Hey yourself.”
    As they drew apart, Kate rubbed her arm, smiling. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed our email chats this past week. How was the road trip?”
    “I’ve missed you, too. It’s been nice, getting out of Auckland for a bit. It’s so much quieter down here.”
    “How are you? You feeling okay? I told the boys off – said they should be running around after you, not the other way around.”
    “It’s fine, really. I’m okay. I’m working through it – we both are.” She nodded towards the doorway. “Gav’s been amazing.”
    The instant sting of jealousy bit hard. Gavin and Lacey made such a good team, always there for each other, always honest with each other. She had thought she had that same relationship with Danny. How wrong she was.
    Voices, accompanied by a loud belch, preceded the arrival of Gavin, Max and Finn, laden with her small overnight bag, two bags of groceries and a box of beer. 
    “Where do you want all this stuff?” Finn asked, dumping the beer and groceries on the kitchen counter.
    “I asked for bread, milk and cheese – not the whole supermarket,” Lacey chuckled, shaking her head.
    Finn pointed to the beer. “Au contraire, missy – I believe what you actually said was that you wanted ‘the basics’. Voila – basics.”

Chapter Five
    The house was like a sun-trap. The breeze that had cooled things down earlier had all but disappeared, leaving them at the mercy of the sun, now sitting just above the hills opposite. Rivulets of sweat ran down the back of Finn’s neck and he reached for his can of beer, placing it at the nape of his neck to combat the heat. The chill that ran through him was heavenly.
    They lounged on the deck chairs, letting the peace and solitude of the bay wash over them.
    “Is the boat still in the shed?” Gavin pointed with his can to the boat shed on the shore to the right of them.
    “Yeah, I had a look earlier.”
    “Miracle it’s still standing. Every year, I think I’m gonna find it’s been reduced to