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Holly didn’t want her to leave. Knowing that when they said goodbye, it would be the last time she ever saw her was enough to make Holly’s heart hurt. She went in to hug Maud again, trying to breathe in every fragment of her she could, when her phone started ringing in her pocket.

‘I… I…’ She reached down, only to hesitate. Even if it was Giles, he could wait for now. Everything could wait, except Maud.

‘It’s fine, love,’ Maud said, as she gently wiped away her own tears. ‘Look at me, breaking my own rule and turning into a blubbering mess on the shop floor. You go answer your call. And don’t forget to put that somewhere safe.’ She pointed to the envelope.

Holly nodded and kissed her friend once more. Then, without a word, Maud closed her eyes, breathing the smell of the sweets and chocolates. The moment could only have lasteda few seconds, yet Holly knew that it held a hundred thousand memories. No doubt some of the best, and some of the worst. An ache throbbed through Holly’s chest for all the moments she had shared with Agnes and Maud under this roof, and gratitude that she was given that chance. When she opened her eyes again, Maud offered Holly one last smile before she turned and walked out ofJust One More,for what they both knew would be the last time.

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Given how emotional Holly was, she had no intention of answering the call on the shop floor, although by the time Maud had gone, her phone had stopped ringing.

She reached the top of the stairs and folded the envelope from Maud, and slipped it into her pocket before taking out her phone. A single missed call from Giles glared on the screen with a bright-red notification.

Wasting no time, she took a deep breath and called him straight back.

‘Giles?’ She could barely hear herself speak, the way her heart was drumming in her chest. ‘Have you spoken to her? What did she say?’

A pause followed her questions.

‘You know, most people usually start a telephone call with some sort of pleasantry. Rather than lunging straight in.’

‘Believe me, you don’t want to try joking with me. Not after the day I’ve had.’

‘Sorry. I apologise,’ Giles said, sounding genuine, although an apology wasn’t what she was after at that precise moment.

‘Did you speak to your mum? What did she say?’

‘She said, okay,’ he responded.

Holly waited, certain that there had to be more to add.Okaycouldn’t be the full contents of anyone’s conversation. Especially a conversation with Giles.

‘Okay what? What does “okay” mean?’ she asked, unable to hide her exasperation.

‘Okay, means okay, it should work. She told me to pass on her number to you, so either you can message or Jamie can. Jamie, I suppose. Mum said they might need to check a couple of dates, like, if people are staying the whole week, the ceremony might have to take place on a weekday rather than a weekend, but yes. It should work. Mum can officiate the wedding.’

If Giles had been there in person, Holly would have squeezed him in the tightest hug she could manage with one arm. But as he wasn’t, all she could do was grip on to her phone and stamp her feet on the ground, so much so that the wooden floorboards creaked beneath her. She stopped when she realised this, though she could do nothing to stem the tears that tumbled down her cheeks.

‘So, I guess I should get off the line?’ Giles said. ‘I assume you want to tell Jamie as soon as possible?’

Holly stopped bouncing and perched on the edge of the table. Of course she wanted Jamie to know, and the sooner the better, but she couldn’t ring her up. And this wasn’t a case of not wanting to share the news down a phone line. It was more a case that she didn’t think she should be the one to tell her at all.

‘You need to do it,’ she said, knowing as soon as she spoke that it was the right thing to do. ‘You’ve got to be the one to tell them. You’re the one who’s fixed it all.’

‘We hope,’ he added. ‘Like I said, she might have to change the day to earlier in the week.’

‘Trust me, she’s not going to care about that at all. So you’ll do it? You’ll come and speak to them?’

Even on the phone, she could hear the crack in Giles’s throat.

‘You want me to tell Jamie? Jamie hates me.’

‘I’m not taking no for an answer. You have to tell her. This is because of you. Besides, maybe this could finally stop the silly feud between the pair of you and you could actually become friends.’

A slight hiss reverberated down the line. Maybe at another time, Holly would have thought she was pushing it too far, but not today. Today she could feel it in her bones. Even the broken one. This was fate’s way of bringing all the people she loved finally together.

‘You know she won’t even let me into her house?’ Giles said, still not convinced.

‘Don’t be ridiculous. Of course she will. Right, she’s at work now, shall we say five thirty at hers? Obviously I’ll message Fin too, to make sure he can be there. They both have to be there. Can you do that? Five thirty?’