‘You know you love Dexter,’ Tara said, her voice no longer straining. She thought she was winning Faith over. ‘And if we met at say, ten o’clock, you’d have the rest of the day to yourself.’

‘What if I wanted a lie-in?’

There was a pause. Cogs turned. ‘I’m sure Nick wouldn’t mind getting you out of the way for a couple of hours if he’s preparing something special. And April could really do with you as a sounding board. She survived Jason’s anniversary, but she needs our help finding a new direction.’

‘You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?’

‘Please come.’

Tara’s persistence was aggravating. Faith wasn’t being summoned to help April. Her friends were interfering again and she was minded to refuse, but if this battle must continue, she wouldn’t shy away from it.

‘Fine, I’ll be there, but only for an hour. Then I go back to Nick.’

‘An hour is all we need.’

When she finished the call, Faith switched off her phone and let the darkness wrap around her. The faulty light had been silenced, but a new sound had become Faith’s irritant. It was the echo of Tara’s voice. ‘An hour is all we need,’ she had said. An hour to do what? Spoil the best chance Faith had in years of finding happiness?

Anger swelled inside her chest and with a sweep of her arm, she shoved a box off the nearest shelf. It smashed on impact and there was the tinkling of broken glass scattering across the floor. She couldn’t see what had fallen, but guessed she would have to cross a box of petri dishes off the stock list. Never mind. She had bigger problems to worry about.

At what point had she given her friends the impression that she needed looking after? Never. Faith knew what she was doing. Admittedly, she didn’t know Nick nearly as well as she had known Derek, but whatever the risks, she was in control. Not Nick, and certainly not Tara or April.

30

A hand appeared in front of Tara’s face. ‘Earth to Tara,’ said Iain.

They were in the kitchen clearing up after their evening meal. It must have been good because Lily had asked for extra meatballs, although it was a miracle the child had been able to eat anything while talking non-stop about her day at school. There was a suggestion she preferred Hale Primary to her old school, but this little victory wasn’t enough to settle Tara’s nerves.

‘Sorry,’ she said, coming out of her fugue and handing Iain an empty plate after scraping her untouched meal into the bin.

‘Dare I ask who you’re fretting over most? Molly or Faith?’