She waved Milly off, watching nervously as her friend wobbled her way down the path in the shoes. On reflection maybe the shoes had been a mistake—or maybe they’d turn out to be an icebreaker when she lost her balance and landed in Brendan Scott’s arms.

Once Milly was out of sight, Nicole turned the key in the lock.

She took a deep breath.

She’d so nearly told her. In that moment when Milly had assured her that they’d always be friends, a small part of her had wanted to test that. She’d wanted to say There’s something I have to tell you, but she hadn’t been able to bring herself to say the words, and now she was relieved that she hadn’t. If she’d said them, she probably would have ruined the friendship, and she definitely would have ruined Milly’s evening. She didn’t want to do that. This was a huge step for Milly, and Nicole was delighted she was going out, and not just because it made her feel a tiny bit less guilty about everything.

The silence enveloped her, and she glanced around, feeling a little lost.

If she was honest, she would have loved an evening in her pajamas watching movies together, but having been the worst friend possible she was determined not to put a foot wrong from now on.

And having helped Milly get ready, she felt as if she was part of it. She was invested. She wanted it to go well. She felt nervous thinking about it and hoped Brendan was as nice as she remembered and didn’t do anything to make Milly back off.

It had felt good sorting through clothes and searching for things to wear. Like old times.

Not knowing what to do with herself now she was alone, she went back to Milly’s bedroom, tidied all the clothes away and then wandered into the kitchen and made herself a cup of herbal tea.

Despite the breeze it was a warm evening, so she took her tea onto the balcony and settled herself on the porch swing overlooking the water.

A family of ducks bobbed into the reeds close to the water’s edge, and she watched as they dipped under the water and emerged with a shake of feathers.

She felt comfortable and relaxed, which was surprising. What was also surprising was how quickly the place had started to feel like home.