It felt wrong to turn up empty-handed, Grace decided as she drove along. She could take some flowers, at least. That didn’t display too much forward planning – just thoughtfulness. But where to get some? She had no idea if there even was a florist in Whitley Bay, and sad carnations from a garage were not what she had in mind. How about some food? That was it. She could take a packet of digestive biscuits to replace the ones they’d eaten last time. That was good. Not too showy, just the kind of thing that female friends do for one another. Perhaps bringing biscuits to each other’s houses would become a tradition between the two families? Grace liked this idea, and she let the little fantasy play out in her mind as she drove along.

She seemed to arrive more quickly the second time she made the journey, her nerves no longer making one mile feel like three. There wouldn’t be any need for sneaking about this time, either. She could park right outside the house without worrying who might see her. She was a legitimate visitor. Melissa had invited her to call again and now here she was, doing just that.

As she pulled into the road where Melissa and Ray lived, Grace felt buoyant about her whole scheme. The speedwell sky above her head was speckled with fish-scale clouds and the sun was casting smudgy shadows on the tarmac. It really was a beautiful day.

She slowed the Volvo and searched for somewhere to park. The spaces directly in front of the house were taken. In fact, a man was just getting out of a car in what would be the prime spot. Grace cursed. If she’d been slightly quicker buying the digestives then she could have had that space. Not that it mattered. There were plenty of others.