Perhaps reading something of his thoughts in his hesitation, she flushed. ‘I’m not asking out of some misplaced feeling of ownership of you. I was just thinking … I must be in the way?’

Her voice held a forlorn note that touched his heart. Bad enough she had cancer that required invasive surgery, worse the only person able to look after her was her ex-boyfriend, now she was feeling in the way as well. With a smile he took her hands and tried to frame the truth in a palatable way. ‘The most important thing here is that you get well. This situation won’t continue and I think we’re both doing an OK job of making the best of it. Lily and I, yeah, we did start something in Switzerland but we’ve hit pause. Don’t worry about it.’

Hayley blinked hard. ‘But I am spoiling whatever you started.’

He tried hard with the diplomacy. ‘If it doesn’t survive then it wasn’t meant to.’

She frowned. ‘You could go to her house for a couple of hours here and there. Or tell me when she’s coming here and I’ll make sure to give you space.’

Gently, Isaac shook his head. ‘This isn’t something you can control, Hayley. Lily, she has her own rule book and it’s not up to you to rewrite it.’

Miserably, she flushed. ‘I don’t know what to do.’

‘Just concentrate on getting well.’

Nodding, she freed her hands. As she turned to head back to the kitchen she murmured bleakly, ‘I’m sorry.’ Tears were thick in her voice.

Reluctantly, Isaac went after her, searching for something to say that might soothe her feelings. ‘I wouldn’t normally discuss this with you before I have the vital conversation with her but I have plans, and those plans include Lily. I’m not giving up on my career change but I’m going to rejig things – do my training in this country and have Middledip as my base, at least until I see where it’s going with Lily. I have plans to talk to her on Christmas Day, after lunch – only four days away. I have a special present for her. It arrived today.’ The moment he’d chosen to execute the plan was about wanting to know Hayley’s results and how much support she’d need rather than about the special present, but Hayley didn’t have to know that.