“This is my home now.” Milly slowed down as they reached a sharp bend in the road. “Richard insisted on selling the cottage.” She didn’t look at Nicole, not even a glance, which could have been because it was dark and she was concentrating on the driving or, more likely, because she didn’t want to talk about it. It was a delivery of facts and no more.

Hurt hovered around Milly like an aura. Nicole could feel it, and she understood it.

Milly hadn’t just lost her husband, she’d lost her home and Nicole hadn’t been there to support her. That lapse, that total dereliction of her responsibilities as best friend, had formed a huge chasm between them. The only way of breaching that chasm was to tell the truth, try to explain, but given that there was a good chance the truth would make things worse, Nicole was delaying the moment. Did that make her a coward? Probably, but Milly had an idealistic view of relationships. Despite the fact her father had walked out when she was twelve, or maybe because of it, she expected a lot from people.

Nicole had let her down.

She wished she could put the clock back and do things differently, but it was too late for that. You made one bad decision and suddenly you were trapped on a path and there was no turning back. All she could do now was keep moving forward and make the best of things.

The divorce had shocked Nicole. She’d thought that Milly and Richard were the perfect couple. Yes, he was twelve years older than Milly, but he was handsome, charming and kind. He was also sure of himself, which was a draw to someone like Milly, who was rarely sure of anything. Being with Richard had given her more confidence. She’d blossomed. Richard had discovered what Nicole had always known: that Milly was one in a million. She was generous and genuine and had a quick sense of humor. Kindness shone from every pore in her body (although, the look she’d given Nicole when she’d described herself as a home-wrecker hadn’t been that kind, so maybe the last eighteen months had knocked that out of her). Milly listened carefully when you talked and paid attention, rather than treating conversation as a game of tennis where someone was always trying to win a point.

If Nicole was casting her in a role (something she did without thinking when she met people), it would have been Girl Next Door. Freckles. Warm smile. Always there to offer a cup of tea and a hug in times of trouble.

She’d originally cast Richard in the role of Romantic Lead, but then he’d had an affair and left Milly, so now she had him placed firmly in Bad Guy territory. The one to avoid. The guy guaranteed to let you down.