‘Oh, Ness,’ Billy covered her hand with his. ‘I’ll go and grab the bed from Mom’s house. I reckon any furniture you take is good for me – she was kind of a hoarder. I think I’ll be living there sorting for about a year at this rate.’ He bit into a muffin. ‘God, this is good,’ he said through his mouthful. ‘I haven’t had home-cooked anything in a long time.’

Being appreciated wasn’t something that she was used to, and she blushed again. She had never blushed so much in her life. What could she say? Billy brought the girl out in her.

Wren came back into the room. ‘Want a muffin, honey?’ Vanessa asked.

Wren said yes and grabbed a muffin off a proffered plate, taking a small bite. ‘Billy is taking us round to his mom’s place to pick out some furniture. Do you want to come, or do you want me to drop you off with Ty at Nannie’s?’

‘I want to come too,’ Wren said eagerly. It was obvious that he liked Billy a lot. He was bonding with him quickly. It was nice to see him look up to someone. Vanessa hadn’t realized how much Wren was craving a role model, a man who showed interest in him. It was lovely to see.

‘Are you sure this is OK, Billy?’ she asked again.

‘I’d do anything for a… friend.’

He was flirting with her, but she couldn’t remember how to flirt back. It had been so long since a man had shown any interest in her. She was used to cutting words and brutal fists, nothing more.

After tidying away the plates, they set off, Vanessa dropping Ty at her mother’s house before meeting Wren and Billy at his place. They were already inside when Vanessa arrived, Wren taking a tour of the house.

Vanessa couldn’t shake an anxious feeling as she kept expecting to see Mark around every corner, but when she looked, he was never there. There was so much that she needed, and here was Billy offering to give her anything she could want. She was so grateful. And she kept saying it.

‘Vanessa, you don’t need to keep thanking me – I’m happy to help.’ He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Truly.’

An hour later, Billy started loading the trailer with Wren’s help. When everything was packed up, they drove back to their home and started unloading.

‘Billy? Want a cold drink?’ Vanessa called from the house.

‘Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.’ He came over sat down on the porch next to Vanessa, and she slid the cold water in front of him. ‘It’s so nice to see Mom’s furniture in your house. She always had a soft spot for you and Maggie.’

At the mention of Maggie’s name, Vanessa’s stomach twisted.