‘I’m good,’ Mia told her, though they both knew this was a lie. ‘How are you?’

Her mother looked at her and Mia saw a flash of something in her eyes, though she couldn’t identify it at first. ‘Keeping going. The traffic wasn’t as bad today – took less than two hours,’ she said, as if this was in some ways a bonus.

‘I don’t like you doing so much driving.’

‘Nonsense,’ her mum tutted. ‘I’m getting used to it, anyway.’

‘How’s Jess?’ Mia asked, hopefully.

‘She still wants to come and see you.’

Mia turned away, studying the other visitors intently.

‘She doesn’t understand why you won’t let her,’ her mum persisted, the words spoken a little more sharply, enough to make Mia glance back. ‘I don’t understand it, either. You two, you were always so close. So close and now—’ She broke off, leaving the unfinished sentence hanging. ‘Do you blame Jess for your being in here?’ her mum asked, not for the first time. ‘You can tell me the truth, love. I would understand.’

All her mother had tried to be was understanding, and it was breaking Mia’s heart.

‘Because you would never have been seeking revenge in the first place, would you?’ she went on. ‘It would never have got as far as it did.’

‘Do you blame Jess?’ Mia’s words came out more abruptly than she’d intended. She hadn’t even meant them to, but she’d wanted to shut the conversation down.

‘Mia!’ Her mum pulled back, holding a hand over her mouth.

Mia wanted to reach across and hug her, tell her she didn’t mean it, yet she stayed stubbornly rooted to the seat, her gaze drifting away and across the room. ‘That’s not the reason I don’t want to see her,’ she said eventually.

‘Then please, love, tell me what I can say to her.’

Mia gave a small flick of her head and her mum sat back, breathing out deeply.

‘You think Jess can’t handle it?’ she asked. ‘Is that it? You think she won’t be able to deal with seeing you like this. Well, she will. After all, I can,’ her mum said, her voice cracking as she laid a hand over her heart.

‘She’s only just started going out again,’ Mia said quietly.

‘That’s what this is? You’re scared it will put her off?’ Her mum leaned forward again, grappling for something to grab onto that would make her understand Mia’s obstinate refusal to see her sister. ‘It’s not going to do that. She’s doing so well, this wouldn’t …’ Her sentence fizzled out, as if she wasn’t sure she believed it.

Mia straightened herself and splayed her hands on the table between them. ‘Tell me what you’ve been up to this week.’