Saffy shouldn’t have to be dealing with this alone. Lorna knows how close she is to her gran. They share a bond that Lorna never had with her mother. She loves her, of course, but they’ve always been so different. Her mum kept herself to herself, never wanting to socialize or get involved, and as a result Lorna found herself rebelling at a young age. Drinking and partying at fourteen, pregnant at fifteen. Her mum had called her a wild child, resignedly, sadly. Saffy was the greatest gift Lorna could have bestowed upon her to make up for it. A quiet, studious daughter, who preferred staying in on a Saturday night to going out partying. It had warmed her heart to see how much they loved each other. And it had broken it, mostly for Saffy, when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

‘I’ll come to England,’ Lorna says suddenly. ‘Can I stay with you at the cottage? I’d love to see it.’

‘Coming over? But . . . you don’t have to. There’s no need.’

Lorna swallows her disappointment. ‘I want to see you. I miss you. And I haven’t seen Mum for a while either. And I can help you sort things out.’

‘Mum . . . I don’t think it’s as easy as that.’

‘I know. But I’d like to be there. Especially if the police are sniffing around, asking questions and disrupting you. I’m happy to stay in a hotel . . .’

‘No, it’s not that. Of course you can stay here. We have a futon.’ A pause. ‘Will you be bringing Alberto?’

Lorna thinks about the two wine glasses in the sink and leans back against the chair’s soft cushions. ‘No. We could do with some time apart, to be honest.’

‘Oh, Mum.’

‘It’s okay. Things are fine. We’re off out tonight. But he’s busy, with the bar . . .’ She lets her words hang in the air. Her daughter is smart and more sensible than she ever was at that age. She won’t be fooled. When had their roles reversed? It should be Saffy ringing her about boyfriend troubles. Instead she’s been with Tom for four years when Lorna can barely keep a relationship with a man for four minutes.

‘What are you up to tonight?’

Her daughter laughs totally unselfconsciously. ‘The usual. Staying in with a takeaway and watching Netflix.’

Lorna smiles into the phone. She suddenly longs to be there. With her daughter, eating fish and chips off plates on their laps and watching a box set. ‘I’ll fly home Saturday morning. Is that okay?’

‘I’ll pick you up at Bristol airport. Just text me when you know times.’