‘Goodnight, Granda,’ he said, and he headed back into the caravan. Jack took off down the road before it started to rock again. His grandson had given him a lot to think about. Grace didn’t want to put the kids through cancer. Of course that made sense, but . . . He still didn’t like it.

He parked outside his house and made his way inside. It was quiet, not a mouse was stirring. He looked in on Kyle sleeping soundly on the sofa and went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea before bed. He pulled his phone from his pocket and noticed a new message. He dialled his voicemail.

‘Hello, Jack, it’s Derek here. Good news – the contract’s finally arrived, so if you have time this week, maybe we could meet in my office. The publishers tell me they plan to release the book within the year . . . Oh, and we have a name: Never Let Go. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Call me.’

Over the course of the year that had passed, Molly had made it clear she wanted nothing to do with the book. She especially didn’t like the idea of Rabbit being opened up to criticism without being here to defend herself.

‘But it’s what she wanted,’ Jack had argued.

‘And if she’s right about the afterlife, she wants nothing now,’ she said. But Derek only required his signature on the contracts; Molly couldn’t stop them unless she sued, and even the mighty Molly Hayes wouldn’t do that. She knew deep down, whether she liked it or not, it was Rabbit’s wish. Why can’t she just accept it and support us? he thought.

And it was then the penny dropped. Oh, God Almighty, I’m such an idiot. I’m so sorry, Grace.

With no sofa to sleep on he headed upstairs, avoiding the creaking third step from the top. He looked in on Juliet, who was sound asleep with her computer opened on a YouTube channel with the video paused: Top Ten Best Kisses. God Almighty, they’re all at it. He undressed in the hall and crept into the bedroom; thankfully Molly was asleep. He put on his pyjamas and slipped into bed, ever so gently. He resolved to visit Grace the very next day, with flowers and chocolates and the biggest card he could find. He needed to forgive and be forgiven, and he also needed allies; there was another much bigger fight brewing. Molly wanted to protect her daughter’s memory and hold it close, and he wanted to share it with the world. In all their years together Jack and Molly had fought many battles, but this would be their great war and he wasn’t sure their marriage would survive it. It was a terrible thing to think at his age that his marriage could fail, that he could lose the love of his life entirely.