“I haven’t told them about that. They don’t know we haven’t been in touch.” They would have been upset for her. Angry with Nicole. And Milly didn’t want that. She’d kept hoping it would come right, and by the time she’d realized that wasn’t going to happen, there didn’t seem any point in telling them. “Are you sure you’re comfortable with me telling them you’re here? It would make things easier.”

“Yes. Having me here is an imposition. I don’t want to make this harder for you.” Nicole sounded almost humble, and Milly stood up and cleared the plates.

“I have to get to work.”

“Now? I thought we could talk. Like we used to.”

Like we used to.

There was a wistful, apologetic note in Nicole’s voice, and for a moment Milly felt a yearning so strong that she almost flung her arms around her friend just for the comfort.

She was tempted to blurt out how frustrated she was with Richard, how tough life was and how much she was struggling. That’s what she would have done in the past, and somehow just sharing it with Nicole would have made it all the more bearable. The old Nicole would have hugged her tightly, shared her disgust at Richard’s behavior and then somehow managed to say something that made her laugh, despite everything that was happening. She’d often thought that a really true friend beat comfort-eating, drugs or alcohol every time. But that was then and this was now.

Nicole hadn’t been there for Milly at her lowest point. She hadn’t cared enough, and Milly couldn’t get past the hurt she felt about that. Her pride and her sense of self-preservation wouldn’t let her get past it. The trust between them had been damaged. If Nicole didn’t need her, then she’d make sure she didn’t need Nicole. She’d offer sanctuary and whatever practical help was needed because she liked to think she was the sort of person who would help anyone who was desperate, but that was all she was offering.

And she needed to accept that in life people disappointed you and let you down. That was a fact. But she’d be fine. She’d been forced to manage without Nicole in the wings cheering her on, and she’d survived, hadn’t she?

Maybe it hadn’t been fun, but she’d survived. And she was proud of that.