‘Sorry,’ she snivelled, blowing her nose. ‘I’m such a crybaby these days but it’s just the relief! I could have kissed the consultant when she said there were clear surgical margins and no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes, that I shouldn’t require further treatment apart from oestrogen blockers! I didn’t think I could bear it when they moved the appointment from yesterday to today and I had to wait yet another twenty-four hours to find out if I had a future. I even convinced myself that they’d done it because they were getting things in place to give me awful news.’

‘Me, too,’ Isaac admitted candidly. He’d tried to remain positive but the prospect of supporting Hayley through news of further surgery and worse had kept him awake last night. It had been great of his parents to turn up with flowers for Hayley but they’d stayed later than his dad could usually manage. The moment they’d left Hayley had collapsed, weeping that they were only being so kind to her because they thought her future bleak. They hadn’t been so supportive when she’d been his girlfriend. Between patting her shoulder and Doggo’s head as he circled anxiously, Isaac had run around checking deliveries and that Tina had everything in hand to open the pub. He’d never found the opportunity to talk to Lily.

Lily. Why had she called him yesterday? It was inconsistent with the distance she’d created between them. It burned that she’d reached out to him right when they were awaiting a call back from the hospital scheduling the new appointment, but missing that had been unthinkable. In the past couple of weeks he’d come to realise his mother had been right when she declared serious illness took over lives. It was appointments, appointments, appointments. Rescheduling even one of those appointments caused seismic shifts in the lives of all concerned.

Slowing the car for a junction he glanced at the clock on the dash. Tina had seemed to think she could cover for him this afternoon without asking an off-duty member of staff to give up part of their Christmas Eve, especially as so many wanted to be with their kids. If he could get Hayley settled, take Doggo for a run, get himself and Hayley a meal, shower and change he could get behind what was bound to be a crazily busy bar by six. The dining area was fully booked and Chef was prone to explosions if skilfully prepared food wasn’t instantly ferried to the diner awaiting it.

As he drove into the village, home after home twinkled with lights. The winter afternoon was already darkening but he spotted Lily’s purple hatchback coming towards him and slowed, flashing his lights, catching a glimpse of her waving before she swept by.