The only reply she got was a sniff. Was Gabi actually crying with joy? It was possible. Gabi was definitely a crier when anything seriously good or seriously bad happened. Spencer had teased her about it mercilessly.

Anna gave her a few moments to collect herself, but when she heard another sniff, she frowned. ‘Gabi?’

‘A-Anna…’

Anna went cold. Those were no tears of joy. Gabi sobbed, and it made Anna’s chest ache. She almost started crying too. ‘What is it? What happened? Is everyone okay?’

‘No, everybody is not okay!’ Gabi said, and Anna was slightly relieved to hear anger slicing through the sadness. ‘Lee did want to talk about our relationship, but not to get more serious. The bastard said he wants to see other people!’

‘Where are you?’ Anna said, looking for her shoes. If Gabi needed her, she was going to be there for her.

There was another sniff. ‘I’m standing on your front porch.’

Anna ran into her hallway, threw her front door open and enveloped Gabi in a hug. Gabi began to cry noisily. Still holding onto her, Anna led her into the house, kicking the door shut with her foot, then guided her to sit down on one of the chairs around her kitchen table.

‘What happened?’ Anna asked when the crying subsided. She left one arm over Gabi’s shoulder and studied her friend’s face as she tried to hold back a fresh round of tears. Oh, how her heart ached for Gabi. She knew just how it felt to have all your hopes and dreams for the future snatched away from you and trampled into the dirt.

‘I’m making you hot chocolate,’ she told Gabi as she reached for a saucepan and dashed milk into it. ‘And when you’re ready, I’m here to listen.’

Gabi nodded, her hands clasped together in front of her. She said nothing for a few minutes, but then her eyes became fierce and determined. ‘It was all going so well,’ she began. ‘After all, he took me to Caprice – delicious French food, silly prices…’

‘Bastard,’ Anna said emphatically, which made the corner of Gabi’s mouth lift just a little. Anna meant it, though. Lee had known what he was going to say to Gabi. Saying it in pretty surroundings didn’t make it any better. It smacked of guilt. And cowardice. Anna shook her head gently, more to herself than to Gabi. She’d had a feeling about the guy, hadn’t she? She should have seen this coming. She should have been able to protect Gabi from this.

‘We ate our meal and were going to share a tiramisu when he said we needed to talk about our relationship.’ Gabi pressed her lips together and shook her head, warding off more tears. ‘I put my spoon down and smiled. I tried not to get carried away, like you said, Anna, but I could not stop hoping he was going to pull a little box from his pocket. Then he reached out. He stroked my hand. And he said we should not let things get stagnant…’