‘No.’ Maya looked out towards the sea; it seemed as clean and sparkling today as Liv had ever seen it. ‘It’s Dad.’ She shook her head. ‘Look they don’t want to worry you, but it didn’t seem fair. He wanted you to have a nice Christmas without anything hanging over you, but I know that it makes a difference. I know you’d never forgive me if anything happened…’

‘Oh, God.’ Liv felt her chest constrict. ‘You’re scaring me, Maya; just say it, whatever it is.’

‘You know he’s been on cholesterol and blood pressure tablets?’

‘Yeah, but I thought everything was under control?’

‘We all did, but two weeks ago, he woke with a terrible pain in his chest – of course, being Dad, he didn’t tell anyone. He just drove himself to the doctor and she – you know Lucy Nolan took over at the surgery last year?’ Maya nodded her approval, because old Dr O’Shea would have probably given him a packet of indigestion tablets and sent him on his way. Lucy Nolan was a different breed. They were lucky to have her, even if the likes of Barbara Quirke wanted to dream up things to moan about. If Barbara won the lottery, she would still moan, even if the winning ticket was a gift. ‘Anyway, she packed him off to hospital straight away and they confirmed that he wasn’t having a heart attack, at least, but he’s been booked in for an angiogram as soon as the Christmas break is over.’

‘I can’t believe it. He seems so…’ Liv shook her head. Perhaps if she could be cross with her parents for keeping it from her it might quell the terror she felt at the thought of anything happening to either of them. But it was no good. How could she be cross with them, when all they wanted was to have a happy Christmas with her? After all, she knew, they worried about her as much as they worried about anything. Since Rachel died, they never really stopped worrying about her – it was unnecessary. She had managed to get her life back together again. It wasn’t the same, but she knew she was lucky.