“I’ve made up the sofa in the study for now.”

“I can’t believe she’s staying with us. How long for?”

“I don’t know.” Forever. No, surely Nicole had been kidding about that. On the other hand if her presence was going to make Zoe this happy, then as far as Milly was concerned Nicole could move in for good. “You can’t say anything to anyone.”

“I won’t. But why is she hiding? She shouldn’t be the one hiding. He should be hiding. He’s so fake. And weak.” Zoe injected the last word with all the disdain of her thirteen years. “Also a cheat. Nicole can do so much better.”

Milly hadn’t expected that reaction. She hadn’t expected her daughter to have an opinion on the subject at all. She still thought of her as a child most of the time. “The news reports are calling her a home-wrecker.”

“Ugh,” Zoe said disparagingly. “They always blame the woman. Have you noticed that? Cally says it’s a sign the patriarchy is alive and well. Aunt Nicole is single,” she said. “She didn’t cheat, lie or break promises did she? He’s the one who is married. He made a choice, and now he’s been caught out he’s like making out he’s some sort of victim because he’s too much of a coward to own his decision.”

This conversation wasn’t going the way Milly had expected it to. “You’ve talked about it with your friends?”

“Aunt Nicole is our favorite actor. She’s Amara, Mum. She saved the world, remember? You saw the movie.”

One minute they were grown-up and talking about the patriarchy and the next they were children talking about a character as if they were real.

“Right. Well, Nicole/Amara is staying with us, and we can’t tell anyone. I probably should have checked you were okay with it before agreeing, but it all happened quickly, and she was desperate, and I felt I should offer support.” And she still didn’t know if that made her a good friend or a total pushover.

“Of course you had to help. She’s your closest friend.”

And for Zoe that was all it took. It seemed simple to her, just as it would have seemed simple to Milly at the same age. You helped your closest friend. You dropped everything for your closest friend. Sisterhood was real.

Until it wasn’t.

“So you won’t mind her being there?”

“Mind? Are you kidding?” Zoe grinned. “I mean, she’s like the biggest actor in the world. So hot right now. I really liked her as that archaeologist in the dinosaur movie, but Amara was her best part. I have seen that movie at least nine times. She doesn’t take any crap from anyone.”

“Language.”

“Sorry, but it’s true. She’s so strong. She meets every obstacle head-on.”