Deirdre shut her eyes and thought about it for a while before she fell asleep. She put on a jacket and headed downstairs after she got up the next morning and discovered that Brendan was already at the dining table.

Deirdre sat beside her and lowered her head to eat her oats. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders, so strands of her hair almost dipped into the oats. Brendan wanted to help her push away her hair subconsciously, yet he pulled back his extended hand.

“Deirdre, don’t g