I waved and smiled, and inside, a small thought began to grow that yes, perhaps she would see me again, but one step at a time.

As I stood at the summit of the hill, I looked across acres of rolling green hills interspersed with the odd farm and breathed in the clean, crisp air. I was lucky enough to live in the countryside but there was something about the air here – perhaps it was the height that I was at – that seemed more pure and felt like it went deeper into my lungs. It had been a long time since I’d taken a walk like this, but it wouldn’t be the last. I wasn’t sure what Poppy and Felix would think. As far as they were concerned, this was probably still doing things on my own, but at least I was getting out further and I was enjoying myself. It was good for me, fresh air, the exercise, especially with a job where I sat on my backside for most of the day. It gave me a chance to think, whether that was about life in general or just a particular strand of plot that I was working on in my head. The beautiful views around me inspired me and I took little pieces away from it in my mind to weave into some ideas I had floating around for future novels. I pulled my phone from my pocket and framed up a couple of shots, just as reminders of my day and to look back on when I was writing. On impulse, I sent one to Felix. Of course, there was no signal here and something about that made me happy, but he would get it when I connected once more with civilisation.

Driving home, my phone rang, and I answered it on Bluetooth. ‘That’s not your back garden!’ My brother’s voice came over the speaker.

‘No, I took myself out for a walk. I thought you’d be pleased.’

‘I am pleased. Are you alone?’

‘Yes.’

‘Was that safe then?’

‘There are lots of dog walkers in this area, and I saw plenty of people. I just didn’t have to interact with them, so it was a win-win situation, and yes, I enjoyed myself, thanks for asking.’ I gave a small eye-roll.

‘That was my next question, but I’m sure you’ve already rolled your eyes.’

It was kind of irritating that my brother knew me so well.

‘And I’m glad you got out further than your back garden for once. Actually, I heard this is the second time in as many days that you’ve been out.’

‘News travels fast.’

‘Jack told me that you were going with him to his parents’ do, but between you and me, I wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen.’

‘Well, you volunteered him to come with me to the premiere, so I didn’t really have a lot of choice. It would have been rather ungracious for me to refuse him when he needed support.’