She hadn’t intended to do what she did. She had been defending herself, and anyone with half a brain would realise she had no choice.

37

‘Can I move yet, Mum?’

‘No,’ Tara replied, pulling her daughter close so she could rest her chin on top of Molly’s head. They had been curled up on the sofa all morning watching Saturday Kitchen. Michelle was running the shop with some extra help, and they had stopped taking online orders to lessen the burden. There was nowhere else Tara needed to be; nowhere else she wanted to be.

Her body was still recovering from her frantic race along the banks of the Mersey on Wednesday morning, not to mention the fraught journey to Faith’s house. The police had been on the scene by the time she arrived and, after a tearful reunion with Molly, Tara had caught only a glimpse of Faith before being pulled away to give an initial statement, and she had been questioned several times since.

Of particular interest was the link between Faith, Nick, and the support group, and it wasn’t only the police who wanted this information. The media was eager to sniff out a good story and, although Tara and Justine had agreed to ignore all press enquiries, it wasn’t enough to keep them at bay. After decades of being overlooked, suddenly everyone knew their way to Hale Village.

Home was Tara’s safe place and although Molly fidgeted, she made no attempt to escape her mother’s clutches. They had agreed to spend more quality time together, just the two of them, and while this wasn’t exactly what either had in mind, it was enough for now. Despite the challenges ahead, Tara felt at peace for the first time in months, and when a loud thud overhead made the ceiling shake, her pulse remained steady.

‘I should go upstairs and help,’ said Molly.

‘We’re fine here,’ Tara insisted. ‘Lily wants it to be a surprise.’

‘But I already know what they’re doing.’

‘I know, but this is Lily’s gift to you.’

‘You know I was never angry with her, right?’

‘Yes, I know,’ Tara replied. ‘You were angry with me and rightly so. I convinced myself you’d been spared the pain of losing your dad because you didn’t remember him. I should have realised your loss was as real as Lily’s, just different. You can’t judge one person’s grief against another’s, I should have known that. I’m sorry.’

‘That’s OK,’ Molly said with a shrug.

It wasn’t Tara’s first attempt at an apology and it wouldn’t be her last. She would make amends by sharing memories of Mike with their daughter to help fill the void in her knowledge, but there was no rush. The biggest obstacle between them had already been overcome. Molly’s grief had been acknowledged.

‘Can I go now?’ Molly asked again.