‘Yes. He’s not like the papers say, is he? He makes a lovely granddad. And those tunes he’s written for the kids are great. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t get hits out of them.’ She looked at her mother. ‘You’re crying? Is something wrong?’

‘No. I’m just so happy.’

‘Me, too,’ Andi said in tones of surprise, blinking her eyes furiously.

And then Sophie knew that her daughter really had turned the corner. There would be days when Andi felt down but she was finding herself at last, even though the police had been unable to prove who had attacked her.

Andi shoved a tissue at her. ‘Wipe your face and stop crying, Mum. We’re happy, remember?’

In the cottage that same evening, Tom sat staring at the TV, not seeing anything. His ex had been committed to a secure institution for violent offenders and had been deemed to be unfit to plead. That made him feel very sad. He hoped they could sort her out. She was still the children’s mother, after all.

The phone rang and he hesitated, then picked it up. ‘Hi, Mum.’

‘How are you?’

‘I’m all right. So are the children.’

‘And Gail?’

He explained.

‘That’s sad.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Brian and I were wondering if we could come down to visit you and the children this weekend?’

‘Of course you can. And look, you can have my bedroom and I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s too far to drive here and back in one day.’

‘Well, I’ll see what Brian says. I’ll get him to ring you with the details in a day or two.’

He was glad she was no longer badgering him about Gail, glad she was coming to see the children. He’d have to make sure she didn’t bump into Jez, though. He turned to see Jane standing there.

‘Not bad news?’

‘No. How about a cup of tea?’

‘Lovely. I’ll make it.’

‘You’re looking a lot better.’

‘Oh, I’m back to normal now. I’m just glad it’s all over.’

It’d never quite be over, with Gail locked away, he thought, because she’d always be the children’s mother. But you had to get on with your life, and he had Hayley and Ryan, who didn’t seem to have suffered any harm from the incident. He had a job too, and Jez, as well as Mum and Brian. That was enough for now.

Jane came back with two steaming mugs and a plate of biscuits on a tray. It felt comfortable. He needed some peace and quiet, and was grateful to his father for providing it.

Well, in the evenings he had peace and quiet. In the daytime he and Jez were spending a lot of time in the studio. He was learning so much.

Epilogue

Two weeks later, Jez invited everyone to take tea with him.

‘It’s a special occasion,’ he said, but refused to tell them why.

He waited till everyone was gathered then picked up his guitar and struck a loud chord. They looked at him expectantly but it was a moment or two before he could speak, because he’d suddenly realised that these people were more than employees or acquaintances. They were friends, every single one of them.