‘They can’t do that,’ Maddy says, and Claire is touched that she’s just as indignant.

‘Well, they’re doing it.’

‘Right now?’

‘Yes, right now. I’m glad you texted. I couldn’t bear to watch.’

Maddy takes out her phone and squints at the screen and dials. ‘Let me see if I can help?’

‘Help? But how?’ Claire asks.

‘Matteo.’

‘Matteo the sexy neighbour?’

Maddy laughs and holds up a finger.

‘Matteo, it’s me. Can you do me a favour?’ she asks. She walks a few steps up the pavement and then back again to the car. Claire hears her explain the situation to him.

‘I know! Exactly.’ She smiles and Claire sees Maddy’s whole demeanour change when she listens to him. ‘You would? Seriously? Oh, Matteo. That’s great. Thank you. I owe you.’

She rings off, her eyes bright. A second later, a text pings up. ‘Here we go,’ she says, but Claire still doesn’t understand.

‘What are you doing?’ Claire asks.

She presses a number on her phone and raises her eyebrows at Claire and then nods as she gets through to someone on the other end. And Claire sees why it is that Maddy has been able to build a home from scratch. She’s rather formidable.

‘Hi,’ she says brightly. ‘You don’t know me, but I’m Maddy Wolfe. Matteo, my next-door neighbour, gave me your number.’ There’s a pause and her eyes shine. ‘Oh, did he?’ She laughs. ‘Well, he said you’d help.’ She turns away and Claire hears her explaining about Jenna and Rob’s property and the tree on the boundary wall.

‘Yes, they’re there now,’ Maddy says. ‘What’s the address?’ she mouths to Claire, who tells her. ‘Fourteen Waterloo Drive,’ she repeats. ‘Yes, that’s right. You’ll go right away? Oh, that’s great. Thank you.’

Claire stares at her in amazement as Maddy explains that Matteo’s colleague from the council will be paying a visit with an order to stop the destruction of the tree.

‘I cannot believe you just did that,’ Claire says. ‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. You got time for a quick coffee?’ she asks.

Claire nods and locks the car and they go up the stairs a few flights to Maddy’s floor. Only a few months ago, Claire would have been completely out of breath, but to her surprise, she keeps up with Maddy who takes the stairs two at a time. She’s wearing old faded Levi jeans that make her bum look great. She hasn’t got any make-up on and, in her baggy jumper, she looks effortlessly cool. Even with everything going on, she looks a lot more relaxed than she did when Claire first met her.

They get to the apartment and Luna comes over from her bed in the corner.

‘Oh, hello you.’

‘I said I’d watch her whilst Matteo is at the office.’

‘So what’s the deal with you and Matteo? If you can just call in a favour like that?’

‘He’s still just a friend,’ Maddy says, smoothing the hair behind her ear.