Lynda continued as if Zara hadn’t spoken. ‘At night I go into his room and watch him. I just want to see his chest rising and falling. He woke up one night. Asked me what I was doing. I couldn’t answer him, so I just got up and went back to bed.’

The three kelpies who had been lying at the front door suddenly set off a round of barking and Zara heard the crunch of tyres on gravel. She gave her mum’s arm another squeeze and got up to look out the window. ‘Who do you know drives a white Toyota?’ she asked.

Lynda had stood up and was now at the kitchen sink, splashing water on her face. ‘Everyone in the country has a white Toyota. It’s probably Karl. He rang this morning to see if he could do anything. Or maybe Mick. He sometimes turns up about now.’

‘I met Karl today. He seemed nice. And he offered to help then, too.’

‘Karl is a lovely bloke. Your father would’ve called him a larrikin. He loves a good time.’ She peered out the window. ‘But that’s not Karl’s car. Actually, I don’t know who that is.’

Whoever was driving pulled up right next to the garden fence but didn’t get out. Zara wondered how they’d got through the front gate without Will opening it from inside the house, but then she remembered that it could also be opened manually.

Finally, the car door opened and a large woman with long curly hair got out and went to the boot.

‘It’s Kim,’ Zara said.

‘Kim who? Oh, that’s Kim Burrows. Hmm, I wonder what she’s doing here.’

Zara opened the door and went out onto the verandah. ‘Hi,’ she called. ‘Get down!’ she said to the dogs, who were jumping around Kim’s feet.

Kim bent down to pat one of them. ‘You can smell my old dog, can’t you? Hi, Zara! I thought I’d pop out with some food, so no one has to cook.’ She was holding a large basket and started walking towards the verandah with a large smile on her face.

‘Oh!’ Zara was taken aback. ‘That’s really kind of you. Do you do this for everyone?’ she asked, thinking of her dinner last night. ‘And thank you for the curry. It was beautiful and I appreciated not having to cook.’

‘This is how we do things in the country. When people have hard times, the neighbours come out in force with food and help. But I also run a business catering for people who can’t cook for themselves. A little like Meals on Wheels.’ Kim stopped to drop a kiss on Zara’s cheek then continued, ‘I’m sure none of you really feel like eating, let alone cooking. I thought bringing a few meals might help make sure you do eat. Hi, Lynda.’ Kim’s gaze slid past Zara.

‘Hello, Kim. It’s been a long time.’

‘You’ve had a lot to deal with. How are you?’ Kim’s voice was full of compassion as she put the basket down and hugged her.