‘And leave Nick by himself? No, you stay here. I won’t be long.’

Nick pulled out a chair and turned his so he could face April as she sat down. They were dangerously close and she had to keep her knees to the side to avoid brushing against his leg.

‘I’m glad I came,’ Nick said, resting an elbow on the table and leaning forward to talk into April’s ear. ‘This lot are such an inspiration and it’s been humbling to hear their experiences.’

She could feel his breath on her neck. ‘I know what you mean. I’m nowhere near as together as some of the others, but at least they make me believe I can get there,’ she said with more hope than conviction.

‘Exactly. It’s not like they don’t suffer the same heartache, they’re just better at carrying it.’

‘You seem to have your life together,’ April said as she picked at the diamanté edging of her bag.

‘It’s more of a work in progress. How about you?’

April’s eyes flicked up to Nick’s face. ‘Maybe I’ll tell you about it some time.’

He smiled. ‘You sound like Faith. Now she’s someone who’s got it together. I gather you’ve become good friends.’

‘It’s hard to believe I’ve only known her a few months,’ replied April. ‘I didn’t think she liked me at first.’

Nick’s eyes sparkled. ‘Well that fills me with hope. I thought she just liked giving me a hard time,’ he said. ‘She loved her husband very much from what I gather and I don’t suppose anyone else would come up to scratch. I suppose it’s the same for all of us.’

‘That’s the theory,’ April said under her breath. ‘So what about Erin? Was she as perfect as I imagine?’

For a second, Nick’s eyes glazed over. ‘She was beautiful, funny, kind-hearted, forgiving,’ he said. ‘She was the love of my life.’

‘Do you have any photos?’

Nick hesitated for a moment, seemingly unwilling to bring his lost love into the new life he was ploughing. When he pulled his phone from his pocket, he took a while finding a photo to share. Erin was dressed in waterproofs and hiking boots, standing beneath the shade of a sprawling oak tree with dappled sunlight catching in her fiery curls. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed at the person behind the camera.

‘She’s beautiful,’ April said. ‘She looks so young.’

‘And healthy,’ Nick added. ‘That was taken in Delamere Forest, just before her first diagnosis. Little did we know.’

‘Ignorance is bliss,’ April admitted as she let her body be drawn to his.