‘Really? How so?’

Anna frowned as she concentrated on overtaking a car that was going half the speed of all the other traffic. ‘I’m not sure how to put it into words. You know how important it is to me to keep that connection with Spencer’s family, but sometimes I find Gayle a little bit distant. Maybe it’s just me…’ She trailed off to consider this. She had been out of sorts, ever since New Year’s Eve. That night, that call, had done it. Maybe she was just being oversensitive?

‘I get what you’re saying about Gayle,’ her mum said. ‘She’s always struck me as a little… structured.’

Anna chuckled softly. That was certainly one word for it.

‘I thought she was that type from the first time we all had dinner together, but my heart really went out to her after Spencer passed away.’ She paused for a moment and sighed. ‘I can’t even imagine how I’d react if I lost you, and I couldn’t judge her if she was being a bit, well, controlling, in those months after he died. People deal with things in their own unique ways.’

‘Yes,’ Anna replied thoughtfully as she turned onto the A21 and headed towards the coast. ‘Being in control… I suppose that is Gayle’s way of dealing with things. She likes her routines, her rituals.’ But so did Anna, so maybe she shouldn’t judge her mother-in-law for that. ‘Anyway, no mini Scotch eggs and fondant fancies today, thank goodness. She suggested doing something different.’

‘Gayle did? You do surprise me! But maybe it’s healthy that she’s decided to plan something different this year. It shows that perhaps she’s beginning to move on.’

‘Yes,’ Anna replied. She supposed that made sense, even though she didn’t think she’d seen much evidence of that in their fortnightly lunches, but maybe she should give Gayle the benefit of the doubt? She hadn’t always been quite this structured, after all. In the years before Spencer had died, she’d always been reserved, a little bit starchy, but she’d seemed softer, more ready to show her emotions. Anna had always thought she’d got on fine with her mother-in-law.

‘So, what are you doing today instead?’ her mum asked.

Anna brightened. ‘We’re going to Camber Sands,’ she said, smiling to herself.

‘In March?’

Anna laughed. ‘Yes, in March.’ She didn’t mind what month it was. ‘It was one of Spencer’s favourite places. The Barrys used to rent a cottage right on the beach almost every year when he was a kid. His dog, Lewis, used to love it there, ran around like an idiot on the sand all day long. We rented a place there for our first anniversary, a little wooden bungalow on the road just behind the dunes. Do you remember? The website pictures made it look like shabby chic, but it turned out to be just plain shabby.’

Her mother laughed. ‘Oh, yes! Didn’t the electricity cut out?’

‘The first time we tried to boil the kettle. We had to light candles and wait until the owner came the next morning to show us how to deal with the temperamental fuse box.’