“Oh, it’s just that we’re at the cabin. The hunting cabin, I mean. There is no other room.” Jules did her best to hide her surprise; her best friend and her brother were literally shacked up. “Unless you think I should go outside,” added Lucy. Jules scrutinised her friend’s face and saw the smile tugging at the corner of Lucy’s mouth. She was kidding.

Jules loved Lucy even more for the lifeline—joking with her instead of telling her off, which she was completely entitled to do.

“Look, if Will hasn’t woken up yet, he probably won’t. That guy could sleep through anything. It’s one of the things I hate about him.” Lucy sniggered and the two friends shared a smile. “Look, Lucy—”

“I know what you’re going to say, and you don’t have to say it.”

“I do. I do have to, Lucy. I was a total asshole to you, and you didn’t deserve that. I’m so sorry.”

Lucy pressed her lips together and nodded. Jules saw in that small gesture that she had hurt Lucy with her harsh words on Christmas Day. How was an apology over FaceTime ever going to be enough? “Luce, please forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

“Really? I mean, you can tell me off if you want to. Will did.” Lucy’s eyes widened, then narrowed as her brows furrowed and Jules could see her chewing on her thoughts.

“All right, then. You were hurtful.”

“Yes.”

“You acted like I wasn’t good enough for Will.” Jules nodded, the tightening in her throat preventing her from speaking. “You made me feel small, Jules,” Lucy whispered.

Anguish tore through Jules’s heart. “Oh, Lucy, I’m so, so¸ sorry. You are good enough for Will, of course you are. And you are not small. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. I wish I could take back everything I said, but please know that it wasn’t about you. It was my own fucked-up way of seeing the world and not because of you, okay?”

Lucy was crying now, tears streaming down her face, and Jules’s heart lurched. “I wish more than anything that I was there to apologise in person—well, I mean, not right now, in the cabin with you and Will, but …”

“Hah!” exclaimed Lucy. Was that laughter or crying? Wondered Jules. Lucy ran her fingertips under each eye and, as her whole body started to shake, Jules watched anxiously. “Oh, my god,” said Lucy, her face erupting into a broad smile. “Can you imagine?” She laughed again, shaking her head and Jules blew out a long sigh of relief.

Lucy had forgiven her.

“Are we good, Luce?” asked Jules, just to be sure.

Lucy’s laughter subsided. “We’re good, Jules.” Lucy blew out her own sigh. “So, tell me all about Australia. Where are you right now?”

“At Matt’s … Chloe’s friend. He’s …” Jules wasn’t quite ready to articulate what Matt was to her. “It’s beautiful here, Luce. Look.” She swivelled the camera on her phone and panned slowly across Matt’s property, then turned the camera back on her.