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Robyn smiled down at Willow on her lap, who was mouthing a teething toy, and then raised her mint tea to Amber.

‘Best thing to ever happen to me,’ she said, meaning every word. No matter how much her world had changed, it was for the better to have Willow in it.

‘If nothing else, we’ll have fun trying.’ Amber winked and everyone laughed again.

The conversation moved on to the imminent birth of the twins, Christmas and the wedding and New Year’s Eve. Robyn let the conversation swirl around her, enjoying the happy buzz of the women, the contagious excitement for each other’s lives.

‘Better go, I start my shift in ten,’ Amber said, stretching. ‘And I don’t want to be late for my boss. She’s one in a million.’ Isabella threw her a grateful smile.

‘What are you up to later, Robyn?’ Wren asked, finishing her camomile tea with a flourish.

Robyn cocked her head to consider and then saw exactly what she’d like to be doing later. Fox. As though she’d summoned him, he was opening the restaurant door and scanning the room, his hair nicely messed, stubble rough on his jaw and a peacock-blue cashmere scarf wrapped around his neck which he unwound slowly, his face breaking into a smile when he spotted her. He lifted a hand in greeting and she felt herself beaming back. She was ridiculously pleased to see him, even after having only seen him a few hours before.

Someone stepped between them and blocked her view.

‘Robyn, it is you . . .’

The voice stopped her dead. A voice she hadn’t heard for six years but one which had been the biggest part of her life for a long time before that. She knew it even before she raised her eyes to the speaker’s face. He was older, and now had a well-trimmed beard, but it was unmistakeably Finn.

Wren heard him too and her head swivelled towards them.

‘I can’t believe it’s you,’ Finn said quietly, searching her face with his eyes.

Robyn tried to speak, but nothing came out, which was probably good as she had no idea of what to say. Her lips were dry and her tongue felt too big for her mouth. She forced herself to swallow.

‘What are you doing here?’ Wren asked, and Robyn could hear the protective bite to her question. The other women stopped what they were doing, all eyes turning her way. None of them knew Finn, or had ever seen him before. But they knew the story, and it wouldn’t take long for them to put two and two together. Fox arrived beside the table and she saw his expression flicker with uncertainty at the vibe around the group.

‘My cousin told me it was you,’ Finn said, pointing at a white-blond guy standing nearby, who raised his hand in acknowledgement. It took Robyn a second to recall his face. It was the guy from her early days in Honeybridge, who had said he thought he recognised her. So. He was right. And now she was face to face with Finn. Small world.

‘Who is it?’ Rosie hissed to Wren.

Robyn cleared her throat.

‘This is Finn,’ she said and she saw Fox do a double take. Frowning, he took a step forward, as though to intervene. She bit her lip but did a minute shake of her head. There was nothing he could do to help. Rosie gasped behind her, and Robyn heard Wren shush her.

Finn smiled at everyone sheepishly, like he was hoping to win them over.

‘I wanted to talk,’ Finn said, his green eyes beseeching as a puppy dog. His hair was as floppy as always, silky looking and soft. She wondered if it still smelled of lemons.

Robyn baulked. She couldn’t say no, but she also couldn’t say yes. Not here. Not in front of everyone. Anything he had to say, he had to say in private. She took a deep breath, realising that finally she might discover why he’d done what he did all those years ago. And that might, just might, allow them both to find a way forward. The universe was offering her a second chance. She had better take it.

‘Let’s walk home then,’ she said.

Fox put a hand on her arm. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, eyes intense with concern, holding her gaze, waiting for her instruction.

She managed a small, nervous smile, unsure as to what she was walking into, and then shook her head. She couldn’t get Fox involved in any of this. Who knew what was going to be said, or what might happen?

‘I’ll be fine.’ She didn’t feel it. Her stomach was churning and she was curiously light-headed, as if she was having an out-of-body experience.

‘I’ll ring you later,’ Wren called as Robyn led the way through the tables towards the door, Finn loping at her side, as he had done a thousand times before.

Robyn wound her scarf tightly around her neck and pushed the buggy towards the riverside path. Finn rubbed his hands together against the cold. They walked in silence for a while, Robyn focused on Willow until she saw her eyelids flutter to her cheeks and she fell into sleep, completely oblivious to the turmoil around her.

‘So, how have you been?’ Finn blurted out as the river rushed beside them.

‘What, today, do you mean?’ Robyn asked before she could stop herself. ‘Or for the whole of the last six years?’

Finn grimaced. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m nervous.’