‘Course. Pass me that comb, hon.’

‘Did you hear me, Cecilia? She’ll need a mate, so I’m relying on you.’

‘Dad!’ Ceci glared at her father. ‘We are never going to be friends.’

She was braver than me.

‘Ah c’mon, Ces.’ Standing behind the girl, I patted her. ‘She was nice to you when you felt so poorly, wasn’t she?’

Ceci froze, and I remembered with a queasy stomach roll that we’d never told Rex exactly what had happened, camping in the woods.

‘So are you excited about seeing your mates again?’ I asked quickly, catching Ceci’s eyes in the mirror. ‘Heard from Lola?’

‘In fact’ – fortunately, Rex hadn’t been listening, which was only to be expected – ‘I’ve suggested you for her mentoring buddy.’

‘No, I’m not excited.’ Ceci was mournful. ‘And please don’t, Dad.’

‘You’ll be fine,’ Rex congratulated himself, smoothing his hair in the mirror and dropping a heavy kiss on my head, then Ceci’s. ‘That’d go down a real treat with Marcus Jackson, I’m sure.’

Having seen the glossy brochure for Marcus’s exorbitant golf club Nella had dropped round, along with some gold cupcakes to apologise for Beau’s behaviour, I fully suspected my husband had more than Willow’s welfare at heart.

‘It’d be nice to have a new friend, wouldn’t it?’

‘No way,’ Ceci groaned. ‘She’s a stuck-up cow.’

‘Language, Cecilia! Steak and kidney for tea, Melissa, ta, babes.’ Rex waited for his briefcase. ‘Remember: What does the God of Death say?’

‘Not today,’ we chorused faithfully as he saluted us from the door.

‘Gross.’ Ceci pulled a face as it shut behind him. ‘How can you eat actual kidneys?’

‘Not sure, cos I don’t. It’s your dad’s tradition, isn’t it, first day back. You know, I’m sure she’s OK really.’ I popped the band around the girl’s French braid. ‘She was probably just nervous on the camping trip. You and Zach are such good mates.’

Though nothing about Willow had really struck me as nervous. A little shy, perhaps.

‘She’s weird.’

Poor Ces, I thought. The other girl had poise and – frankly – beauty, and Cecilia… Well, Ceci still had to grow into her own face.

‘We’re all a bit weird, aren’t we? It’d be a boring world if we were all the same. Now, remember to smile, honey.’ I gave Ceci’s plait a little tweak. ‘You look so beautiful when you do.’

Once the door was safely closed behind them both, I sat on the back step in the tepid sun, gulping down more coffee, and I sent the message I’d been itching to all morning.

Ruby

SATURDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

After overly profuse apologies for Beau’s behaviour on the camping trip, via WhatsApp and email, along with a surprise delivery of cupcakes and a Diptyque candle so expensive I nearly flogged it on eBay, Nella called a final meeting on Saturday afternoon, to designate who’d do what for the street party.

We’d all received a lengthy, bossy email from her:

Page 1: A list of stalls, starting with Paul the vicar’s worthy one.