‘If you say so.’ A shrug of one shoulder said as clear as words that Amelia wasn’t convinced.

Molly smiled at her. ‘I do say so. Jack is still enough for me.’

‘Not surprising, he’s still one of the sexiest men I’ve ever met.’

For a microsecond, Molly thought she saw a look of lust cross her friend’s face and felt a pang of anxiety. It had been over twenty years since they were naïve university students who had bonded in a collective struggle to survive, but different life experiences had moulded them into women who had very little in common. Truth was, she wasn’t sure she even liked Amelia much anymore. Recently, Molly had been taken aback to discover that her friend’s idea of fidelity was to sleep with one man at a time.

‘Fidelity,’ Amelia had said after a couple of cocktails, ‘is vastly overrated.’

Had Molly imagined the look of lust? After all, they were friends – she wouldn’t, would she? Would Jack? They’d looked very friendly when she’d seen them laughing together earlier… too friendly?

She caught Amelia staring at her with a look of concern and managed to smile. ‘We’d better go back; they might be running out of drink.’

‘Before you go,’ Amelia said, holding a hand up to stop her. ‘Tristan and I are going away next Saturday for a few days. It’s a bank holiday weekend. Why don’t you and Jack join us? There’s a golf course but the hotel is also a health spa with a pool and a top-of-the-range gym. It would be a lovely break.’

Nowadays, with no school schedule to adhere to, Molly hadn’t even realised a bank holiday weekend was imminent. They used to organise to go away as a family, Freya and Remi excited no matter where they were going, as happy to go to Devon as France or Italy. She’d fully intended to book a nice weekend somewhere for herself and Jack, but she’d forgotten about it.

‘Do come,’ Amelia pushed. ‘It would be so much fun.’

Maybe a weekend away with Amelia and Tristan would be fun. Jack was a good golfer; he’d enjoy winning a game or two. ‘Do you think we’d get a room at this late stage?’

Amelia smiled, pulled a mobile phone from a tiny clutch bag and seconds later was making an enquiry. ‘They have a room available,’ she said, holding her hand over the phone. ‘Say yes.’

Why not? Molly made a snap decision and nodded. ‘Yes, why not.’

‘You’ll love it,’ Amelia said, putting her phone away after making the reservation. ‘It’s a beautiful and incredibly peaceful place a little outside Semington, in Wiltshire. ‘The hotel gardens sweep down to a canal that’s perfect for walking or running alongside. You still run, don’t you?’