I didn’t give him the chance to finish his sentence.

‘Age is just a number,’ I forthrightly told him. ‘And what will you do with yourself? You’ll be bored witless.’

He was always on the go. He’d hate a quiet retirement.

‘No, I won’t,’ he said and I could tell he was smiling. ‘I’m going to see my sister.’

‘In New Zealand?’

‘That’s right,’ he said, sounding well pleased. ‘She’s handing over her farm to my niece and nephew and the two of us are going travelling together. We should have done it years ago,’ he absently added.

Well, that trumped my argument. Clearly David had no intention of settling for a quiet retirement.

‘I see,’ I said, forcing myself to not sound resentful. ‘That sounds wonderful.’

‘It will be,’ he said happily. ‘And I couldn’t have picked a better time to go. Wynter’s Trees is thriving, Liza. Your dad’s potted Christmas tree idea was a masterstroke and the same families are coming back every year to rent their trees and there’s going to be even more happening when Edward potentially steps up.’

‘There is?’

‘If you really read my emails,’ David tutted. ‘You’d know that.’

‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘I suppose I would.’

‘So,’ he carried on, ‘I take it you will come back now, won’t you?’

‘Come back?’

‘To meet Edward. I need your approval before I can sell him my shares.’

‘There’s no need for that. I trust you David, I don’t need…’

‘Yes,’ said David. ‘You do. We’re not going to do anything until you’ve had a look at the place and got to know Edward, and not only because that’s what the legal terms of the business dictate.’

‘I could video call him,’ I lamely suggested, desperate to put the inevitable off.

‘Look,’ David snapped, sounding cross, ‘I can’t book my flights or make any proper plans with my sister until this is sorted, Liza. Do you really want to be the person responsible for stopping me from going?’

I shook my head.

‘Do you?’

‘No,’ I croaked. ‘I was shaking my head, but I’m still happy to sign my approval online. Surely your solicitor can settle it that way, can’t they?’

‘This isn’t about settling, Liza.’ David insisted. ‘I want you to meet Edward. I think it’s important that you get to know him. Going forward, it’s going to be just you and him and I’ll feel better about leaving if I know the pair of you already know each other.’

I was beginning to feel desperate and there was a tight band of pain slowly wrapping its way around my chest.

‘Given that you’re not working at the moment,’ David pointed out, ‘the timing really couldn’t be better, could it?’

‘But I need to make my plans for this trip,’ I feebly said.