“Well, it feels that way.” Zoe finished her pancake. “Anyway, whatever. Don’t mention it to Mum, will you? She has enough to think about. I’ll figure it out.”

“Everything you say to us stays with us,” Peggy said briskly. “Including everything you tell us about your mother’s date.”

They heard the sound of the front door opening, and all froze.

“That’s her now.” Connie made a fresh cup of coffee and raised her voice. “We’re in the kitchen, Milly.”

Milly appeared in the doorway, and Connie felt a rush of love closely followed by concern.

She looked so tired. As if she hadn’t slept at all.

“You look tired,” said Peggy, who didn’t believe in holding back. “I hope that means you had fun last night. If you’d like to share, we’re here to listen.”

Milly gave her daughter a hug before sitting down at the table. “Nothing to tell. Thank you for having Zoe at such short notice.”

“You don’t have to thank me for having my own granddaughter to stay,” Connie said. “It’s a treat for me.”

“And for me,” Peggy added. “I learn a lot from her. Last night she gave me a lesson on emojis. I messaged my hiking group this morning and added two flowers and a cupcake and received some very confused responses. I should have joined a younger group. The conversation would be more interesting. More about sex and less about varicose veins and hip replacements.”

Peggy had always been an active part of the local community, but still Connie couldn’t believe her eighty-two-year-old mother had joined a hiking group.

Milly smiled at Zoe. “Are you ready for school?”

“Almost.” Zoe finished her breakfast and stood up. “Give me two minutes to brush my teeth and grab my stuff.” She vanished from the room, and Connie put a mug of coffee in front of her daughter.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“No. I’m trying to be good.”

What was good about starving yourself? Was that because of Avery? Connie was acutely aware of how humiliated Milly felt that her husband had left her for a much younger woman.

“You can’t head into a busy day with an empty stomach.” Connie slid one of the pancakes onto a plate, added some fresh blueberries and put it in front of her daughter. “Eat.”

“How was your evening?” Peggy caught Connie’s glare. “What? At my age you can’t blame me for wanting to hear about other people’s sex lives.”

“Talking of sex lives, I see poor Nicole has been hitting the headlines again.” Connie made a desperate attempt to change the subject, and Milly paused with her fork halfway to her mouth.

“Nicole?”