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‘Will she get them, Mia? Will she read them?’

‘I think so, Izzy, I really do.’

‘Is she lonely up there?’

‘Well, she has baby Ben with her and Granny Penny, and she has all of our love going up to her in the sky, so I think she’s OK.’

Izzy turned to Charlie. ‘Granddad, I talked to Mummy last night and she answered me.’

‘Isn’t that wonderful?’ Charlie smiled down at her.

‘She said, “I will always love you, Sweet-pea.”’

‘Did it make you feel a little bit better?’ Charlie asked.

Izzy nodded. ‘Yes. But I still miss her.’

They lined up. Mia watched Zach slip his hand into Riley’s and her daughter leaned close to him. He was a good kid. Mia could tell the good from the bad after years of teaching. Zach was a good one.

Don’t interfere, Mia could almost hear her sister saying. I won’t, Sarah, I’ll trust her.

Izzy was holding Adam’s hand. ‘Are you ready, sweetie?’ he asked.

‘Yes, Daddy.’

‘Let’s show Mummy how much we love her, then. One, two, three!’ Adam shouted.

They all let go of their balloons. Eight white balloons sailed up into the sky. They bobbed among the clouds. Up and away. Floating towards the sky, Heaven and Sarah.

‘We love you, Mummy,’ Izzy shouted, as she chased the balloons down to the water’s edge.

Adam mouthed up at the sky, ‘I love you.’

Mia’s heart ached for him. He had lost so much.

‘You OK?’ Johnny asked.

‘Yes, thanks. I think the ashes will be harder,’ Mia said.

Adam walked over to where the urn was sitting carefully in a box. He took it out, kissed it and walked down to the water’s edge. He called Izzy over.

Slowly Adam removed the top of the urn and held it out. Everyone took a handful of ashes.

‘This is my first time scattering ashes. What do we do?’ Zach whispered to Riley.

‘Mum said we throw them into the sea,’ Riley told him.

Izzy took a handful of the ashes. ‘Is this really Mummy?’

‘No. Mummy is up in Heaven. This is like a kind of symbol of her,’ Adam said – fudging it well, Mia thought.

‘Thank you, Sarah. Thank you for being my best friend and for being my guiding light, even in death,’ Mia whispered, as she let her sister go, out to sea, out into the other world.

Mia saw Johnny wiping away tears. She went over to him and put her arms around his waist. ‘I love you, Johnny Hegarty,’ she said. ‘Thanks for being my rock these past few weeks. I know you loved her too.’

Johnny held her hand and squeezed. ‘She was one of my favourite people in the world.’

‘Me too,’ Mia said.