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Mabel gave a watery smile. “You two are like bookends.” She took a breath. “I’m being foolish. Of course I have to read it. Really, how much worse can it be than it already is? I decided to take a chance, and that’s what I’m going to do.” She clicked on the email and Brooke stood up.

“We’ll give you privacy—”

“No, please don’t.” Mabel grabbed her hand and tugged her down again. “I like having you both right there.”

Izzy looked away as Mabel read the email. It felt too personal a moment to be shared.

“They have been visiting Tom’s parents, which is why she didn’t see the email until now. She says she has been thinking about me a lot, too.” Mabel’s voice shook. “She says she has wanted to reach out for a while but didn’t know how to because she felt she’d been so harsh. She says that now she’s a mother herself, she has a better understanding of how I must have been feeling.” Mabel swallowed. “She wasn’t harsh. She was protecting her family. I understand that. I don’t blame her at all. It was me.”

Privately, Izzy thought Chrissie had been harsh. Mabel was the first to admit that she’d handled everything badly, but as far as Izzy could see, the whole thing had stemmed from the fact that she loved Chrissie. It was because Mabel loved her daughter deeply, she’d wanted to protect her.

And Izzy was sure that if she was loved like that, she wouldn’t be throwing it away. She would do everything she could to fix things.

People made mistakes. That was life. No one said and did the right thing all the time. And Mabel had been afraid. Fear made people do stupid things and sometimes make bad choices.

She didn’t understand why Chrissie couldn’t see that, but she knew she shouldn’t be judging. She’d never been loved like that, which didn’t exactly make her a neutral observer.

“She wants to meet up. She wants to know if she can come over in the morning, by herself.” Mabel looked up, panicked. “Tomorrow! I didn’t expect that. I need time to prepare. What if I say the wrong thing again? What if it all goes wrong?”

“This is good, Mabel. You don’t need to prepare. You just need to tell her how you feel.” Brooke gave her a hug. “And if you like, we will stay with you until she arrives. Moral support.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” Mabel was staring at the email, re-reading it. “You need to get to your parents’.”

“A few more hours won’t matter.”

“We can stay, too,” Jason said roughly. “We can all stay if it would make it easier.”

Jason’s family was waiting for him, and Izzy knew how much he was looking forward to spending time with them. And yet, he was offering to stay with Mabel, whom he’d known for less than a week.

His kindness overwhelmed her and she felt a swell of longing. He was one in a million, and she wanted so much to be part of his life. Why was she still holding back? Hadn’t she just thought to herself that if she was truly loved, she wouldn’t be throwing it away?

And yet, here she was, doing exactly that. Because she was afraid.

Jason loved her and she was throwing it away because she was afraid.

Was she really going to let that happen? Was she really going to let him drop her at her snowy car and drive away alone to a life he was offering to share with her?

“You’re kind, all of you.” Mabel gave a little sniff. “Perhaps we can decide in the morning. And now I suppose I should reply. She says that Sylvie knows about me. That they read my books together at night. If the conversation goes well, maybe she’ll bring Sylvie next time.” She looked at Brooke. “I can’t believe she answered my email after the things I said when we last met.”

“You clearly said the right thing this time,” Brooke said. “Which is a comforting reminder that although words can wound, they can also heal.”

Izzy glanced at her. Was she thinking about the conversation with her own mother?

“I’m happy for you, Mabel.” Jason smiled. “And now if you’ll all excuse me, I’d like to take some photos of the stars. The final addition to my collection.”

He left the room quietly without looking at Izzy and she sat there, desperate to follow him, but afraid to take that step.

“I think you should go outside, Izzy,” Brooke said. “Jason has taken photographs of you in every situation possible, so he might as well take a few of you against the snow and stars.”

“Yes.” She stood up and ignored the urge to sit right back down again.

She hoped he hadn’t changed his mind. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

She had some insight into how Mabel must have felt when she’d sent that email. But she’d done it anyway, knowing that she’d cope whatever the outcome. That she’d be able to deal with it. And Izzy would deal with it, too.

Excusing herself quietly, she left the room, pulled on her coat and her snow-boots, and headed outdoors.

The snow was luminous and she had no problem spotting Jason, who was pointing his camera towards the forest.