A moment later, I hear light footsteps on the stairs. Alannah appears on the curve of the staircase in a pale yellow dress, her hand trailing along the banister as she comes down the last few steps. I offer her the flowers. “Alannah.”

Her gaze drops to the bouquet, and surprise flickers in her eyes before she takes it from me. “For me?”

“For you.”

A grin spreads across her face as she looks down at them, then back up at me. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

I open my mouth, but before I can say anything, her mother comes back down the stairs. “I’ll put those in water,” Siobhán says, taking the flowers from Alannah. “You two go on and sit.”