‘But wouldn’t it be more trouble than it’s worth, with me not always being able to turn up? It could get messy for you.’

‘Life is messy,’ she laughed. ‘And I can handle a little more uncertainty in mine. I’ve always coped before and the locals are a good bunch. They’re generally happy to hang on if there’s a queue and I’ve got Lizzie and her team next door if I get desperate for an hour or so.’

I imagined myself sporting one of the café’s trademark aprons and chatting with the locals as I took their orders. It wasn’t a job I had done before, but it would be busy and Jemma and Dolly were right, it probably would be a relief to get out for a while, assuming my friend was well enough to be left.

‘Don’t decide now,’ said Jemma, standing up.

‘No,’ I said, smiling, ‘it’s all right. I have decided. I would love to come and work here.’

‘That’s fantastic!’ she grinned, placing a hand lightly on my shoulder. ‘Come back and see me on the first Saturday of the new year and we’ll talk about shift patterns and perks.’

‘All right,’ I nodded, ‘but you have to promise not to ply me with too much confectionery.’

‘Nope,’ she laughed. ‘I can’t do that I’m afraid.’

I sat and contentedly ate my cinnamon and ginger laced bun. Working as a Saturday waitress in a small-town cafe might not have been a whole new career, but it was a start and the café was the best for miles around. I would be proud to be a part of the Cherry Tree team, even if it was only a small part.

When I arrived back at the cottage there were a couple of cars parked outside. One I recognised as belonging to the doctor.

‘Doctor Harris,’ I said as he came out of the door and closed it quietly behind him. ‘How’s the patient?’

‘In excellent humour, as always,’ he smiled. ‘She’s been holding court this morning, so she’s in her element.’

‘And what about her health?’ I stole myself to ask. ‘Not quite as excellent, I would imagine.’

You would never know by just looking at and talking to Dolly what was going on inside her. I think that’s what made it all the more difficult to comprehend. She looked and sounded so well it was hard to marry that with the idea that she wouldn’t be around to celebrate another Christmas.

‘She’s holding her own,’ he said, ‘and to be honest, Hattie, at this stage, that’s as much as we can hope for. The fact that you’re staying has been a huge psychological boost. She seems far more settled in her mind now that she knows she won’t have to leave here.’