I wiped my eyes and looked up at Sam but he’d broken eye contact and was staring into space, a wistful expression on his face. Had he just used the past tense when talking about Nikki or was it just a turn of phrase? Oh no! Had they split up? Was that why he’d moved to London? Maybe she’d met someone else. I decided to broach the subject carefully, aware that it was none of my business, but I really liked Sam. The connection to Whitsborough Bay probably helped, but he genuinely felt like a friend I’d known for years instead of a work colleague of my housemate, who I’d only just met.

‘That’s very generous but that’s a hell of a long journey, especially at those speeds. It’s late so you could fall asleep at the wheel, you’ve got work tomorrow, and we’ve been to the pub.’

‘I wouldn’t normally drive after having a drink but I barely touched that second pint and it’s hours since the first. As for falling asleep, I doubt it. I hardly sleep these days. Work’s a little trickier but I honestly don’t mind.’

‘You might not mind, but I bet Nikki would. I’m not sure I’d like my fiancé disappearing on a road trip with another woman he’s only just met or throwing a sickie for her.’

‘Nikki wouldn’t have minded. She wasn’t the jealous type.’ He was still staring into space, but I noticed his jaw tighten and that was definitely two uses of the past tense. Crap. They had split up.

‘Wasn’t?’ I asked, tentatively.

He swallowed a couple of times then turned to face me again. ‘Nikki… erm… she…’

‘Go on…’ I readied myself for a tale of infidelity, knowing from personal experience exactly what that felt like.

‘Nikki’s not around anymore.’

‘You split up?’

He shook his head slowly, biting on his lip.

I gasped. ‘No! She’s…?’

‘It was meant to be our wedding in June. It would have been her thirtieth birthday that day too but she never made it out of her twenties. Aneurism. Last November.’

My eyes filled with tears. ‘Oh my God, Sam! I had no idea. Tiff never said.’

‘She doesn’t know. Nobody at work knows except my manager and I asked him to keep it confidential. The plan was to start afresh, you know, away from the sympathetic looks, colleagues treading on eggshells, and all the memories.’

‘I’m so sorry, Sam. That must have been horrendous.’

‘It’s been pretty tough.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Sorry, Jemma, this wasn’t meant to be about me.’

‘I’m listening…’

‘We were on North Bay beach. It was an icy cold day with a biting wind. The sort of day that takes your breath away but it’s so exhilarating being out in it.’