‘I know. Look, why don’t you give Jasper a call? He’ll reassure you about the psychiatric ward.’ Jen picks up a clipboard and scans it. Then she peers up at Amber, holding her gaze. ‘Chat to him. I think he’d like that.’

That night, Amber sits nursing a glass of wine, thinking of Lumin … of Jasper too. I think he’d like that, Jen had said. She looks at her white walls, taking in the silence.

She quickly picks up her phone and stares at the screen. Then she calls the number she’s avoided calling for years.

‘Amber?’ Jasper says when he answers, a hint of surprise in his voice.

‘Hi. Jen suggested I call you. About Lumin?’

‘Is she okay?’

‘She’s fine. They’re definitely moving her to the psych ward tomorrow.’

‘Ah.’

Amber sits up straight. ‘You say that like it’s a bad thing. You’re supposed to be reassuring me!’

‘No, no, it’s good. They’ll know what they’re doing there.’

‘But …?’ Amber always knew when a ‘but’ was coming from Jasper.

‘But I do wonder if it’ll just make her feel out of sorts. You never know from one day to the next the kind of people who might be in there.’

‘Great, now you’re making me feel worse about it.’

‘How about I arrange for you to visit in the morning? One of the staff owes me.’

‘Really?’

‘Sure. I can pick you up, eight?’

‘Thanks, that’d be good.’ Amber curls her feet under her. She doesn’t want the conversation to end. ‘So when’s your next shift start?’

‘I have a few days off actually,’ Jasper replies. ‘For Christmas.’

They’re silent as they imagine the Christmases that could have been with Katy.

‘Any plans?’ Amber asks.

‘Going to my parents.’

‘That’ll be nice. The Peak District will be stunning this time of year.’ She’d often visited the Peak District to see her in-laws when she was married to Jasper. Katy had her first holiday there too. They lived in a lovely bungalow with a sweeping view of the hills, and many happy summer days had been spent in the beautiful garden, which bloomed with the roses Jasper’s flower-mad mother had planted.

‘How are they both?’ she asks.

‘Good. Well, Dad’s back’s really playing up, so that’s getting him down, but well otherwise. You going to your mum and aunt’s for Christmas?’ he asks.

‘Yes and guess what? Viv’s cooking.’

‘Christ, poor you. I still remember the lamb she once cooked for us.’

‘More like burnt.’

They laugh.

‘Look outside,’ Jasper says.

Amber gazes out of her window, sees hints of the sea and the beach huts. ‘What?’

‘Look up.’

She does as he asks and sees huge snowflakes tumbling down. She pulls her blanket up over her legs. ‘They said it was going to get heavy.’