“Veronica’s here alone,” Milt said. “She’s rung Bob but it’ll be late by the time he gets here. I said we could stay with her…so she’s not on her own.”

Veronica pulled away from Natalie, blew her nose on a soggy tissue and swept her hair from her eyes. She was doing her best to pull herself together. She drew a deep breath and looked steadily at Natalie. Her eyes, which had once been a sparkling blue, were cloudy.

“The staff have been so kind. They’ve made an appointment for me to see a specialist in the morning and then a breast care nurse.”

“That’s good.” Natalie knew the words were wrong but what did you say in these circumstances? It would have been hard enough with a friend but with a woman she abhorred the right words were lost altogether. Even though they lived in the same community, they’d managed to avoid each other as much as possible for twenty-seven years. Natalie couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this close to Veronica. Deep lines creased the other woman’s temple and eye area and her neck skin was creping. Natalie had seen the same signs of ageing in her own reflection but not as pronounced. She felt a flash of pride instantly followed by contrition at having vain thoughts at such a time.

“I appreciate your support.” Veronica’s tone was firm now. She turned to Milt. “I’m assuming you’ve other business or need to head home.” Her shoulders began to shake and Milt reached out his arms and drew her into a hug again. Natalie bit back a ‘For God’s sake’ and resisted the urge to wrench the woman from her husband’s arms. She was ashamed of herself for the strength of her dislike for Veronica when she was so vulnerable but Natalie couldn’t stop her barraging emotions.

“We’re staying with you, Vee,” Milt murmured over Veronica’s head, looking straight at Natalie. “We couldn’t leave you alone at a time like this.”

“Of course not.” Natalie managed to squeeze out the words but the air had left her lungs at his use of the endearing nickname everyone else in the district used for Veronica. Not that her name was ever mentioned much in the King household but she was strictly Veronica if it was.

“Is your car nearby?” Milt asked.

Veronica nodded and dug in her bag for another tissue. “I’d planned to stay at the unit for a few days. I didn’t truly think there was anything to worry about. I was going to go shopping, see a movie…” Her words trailed off as more silent tears rolled down her cheeks.