The email she left till last was from the elusive Alice Nettles herself.

Hey, Clancy, it’s weeks since I heard from you!

Are you seriously living in poky little Nelson’s Bar??? Can’t believe it. London’s much more you, surely? Anyway, it’s fine by me about the caretaker job if you really want it. Maybe you should begin advertising for your replacement straight away though because I can’t see you in the sticks for more than a week. LOL

I LOVE America! There’s always so much to do.

She went on chattering about road trips to iconic places like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the Strip in Las Vegas, finishing with, I hope you get on OK with Aaron. Maybe he’s improved with age. (Haha.)

Alice x

In view of Las Vegas being seven hours behind the UK, Clancy gave up her impulse to ring and hear Alice’s voice. She was just thinking of composing a jokey reply that at least by taking the caretaker job she was getting paid for some of the help she gave her cousin, when her phone beeped to announce a text.

It was from Aaron. Are you busy? Thought we might meet for lunch.

It catapulted her back to the present. She glanced at the time on her phone – nearly quarter to one. The café had filled up with chattering customers while she’d been busy mooning over the past and composing emails and now she noticed an empty feeling where her stomach should be. She’d so far occupied a table for half the morning at the Honeybee Café for the price of only two cups of coffee. She replied: Yes, why not? and gave him her location.

While she waited, she found the tourism website used by Roundhouse Row and studied its entry. Aaron arrived ten minutes later, running because summer rain was falling through sunrays struggling between the clouds. He fell in through the door, shaking raindrops from his hair and grinning when he saw her, attracting several looks from women as he crossed the room. ‘Flaming June,’ he said cheerfully, pulling out the other chair. ‘They should be doing good business at the craft fair.’

They chatted desultorily as they made their choices from the menu and a girl in her late teens came to take their order. Then Clancy decided to tell him about hearing from Alice, without passing on the negative comment about Aaron.

As if to demonstrate feeling no more warmly about Alice, he raised his dark eyebrows. ‘Did she ask anything about Lee?’

‘No,’ Clancy was able to say truthfully. ‘I’ve only seen him once anyway, so I wouldn’t have much to tell her.’ She waited for him to try and give her a steer on what she should/shouldn’t say to Alice concerning his brother.

Instead, he said idly, ‘It’s funny to think you’re close. I see a family likeness appearance-wise, but not in personality.’

Clancy sat back to let the waitress lay their table with clean cutlery and cream napkins. Every table was full now and people were coming in out of the rain and looking disappointed. ‘I don’t suppose we are,’ she agreed. ‘But I miss her.’