“So, why did he leave you waiting?”

Carol chewed the inside of her cheek. “To this day, I don’t know, love. I reached the theater and hung around outside. The time grew closer to the start of the performance and he still didn’t arrive. I didn’t want to sit on my own and watch the show, so I went home instead. There was a call from the hospital, saying your dad had been admitted. When I got there, it was too late...” Carol started to cry properly now. Diners looked over at her. “I should have waited for him at the park gates,” she wept.

Liv moved her chair around the table. She put her arm around her mum and passed her a napkin to use as a tissue. “I’m so sorry, Mum. It wasn’t your fault. It was purely an accident.”

The two women sat hunched together until Carol let her breath go. She patted the back of Liv’s hand. “If things are rocky between you and Jake, try to sort them out eh, love? But don’t rely on him for your happiness. You have to find your own path, too.”

“I will do.” Liv gathered the photos and tickets together and put them back in the box. She put on the lid. “Can I take this to look at another time?”

“Of course. That’s why I brought it,” Carol said, dabbing the corner of her eye. “I could do with a strong coffee.”

Liv looked around at all the chrome and glass. “Shall we go someplace else?”

“Let’s stay here. I can show all the other diners I’m okay. I can feel them looking at me.”

They ordered coffee and laughed at the size of the tiny cups.

“Deary me, it’s like a thimble,” Carol said, her eyes still pink.

Liv grinned, too, glad her mum felt better. Even so, she couldn’t help thinking about why her dad had left her waiting.

When the bill arrived, Carol whipped it off the plate.

“Mum, I’m paying,” Liv said, trying to grab it.

Carol held it out of reach. As she unfolded the paper, the color drained from her face. “Oh, my,” she gasped. “We’ll have to do the washing up.”

Liv took it from her and felt like her rib cage was shrinking. Their lunch had cost a fortune, plus had a 15 percent service charge. She hadn’t expected it to be so much.

“Blimey,” Carol said.

Liv reached down for her handbag and missed the handle. “Don’t worry. Essie’s been very generous recently,” she said, her voice almost a squeak.

“Well, I’ve got to contribute something.” Carol pushed a ten-pound note into her hand. “Get Essie a little bunch of flowers, to say thanks for the table.”