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Matt stayed ten minutes more, talking to Sybil about the club renovations, probably to try to distract her. In the meantime, Zennor had received messages from Shilpa and Roo asking how Sybil was. The news had spread like wasps around a cream tea.

‘I’ll leave you to it then,’ Matt said, seeming more at ease now Sybil was settled and safe.

Zennor got up too. ‘I’ll see you out.’

‘My, how formal …’ Sybil commented tartly, giving Zennor hope that her mojo was returning.

At the car Zennor thanked Matt for the lift to the hospital.

He smiled. ‘It was the least I could do. I care about Sybil too even if I haven’t been the best godson lately.’

‘Will you tell your mum and dad she’s had this fall?’

He nodded. ‘I think so – next time I call them, which I need to soon. They’d want to know how she is and they’ll probably call her and ask her, which she won’t like. They lost touch a little after my mum and dad moved away. I don’t think they’ve met up much since Grandad’s funeral.’

‘You can’t take everyone along with you on the journey of life,’ Zennor said softly.

‘That sounds more like one of Sybil’s stories than you,’ Matt said wryly.

Zennor smiled. ‘It’s true, though. People inevitably grow apart when they move away, even if they swear to keep in touch. Even if, at first, they swear the separation won’t affect how they feel about each other. When I was younger, Sybil and Mum were best buddies but once I met Trev, they seemed to drift apart. Mum was busy with the wedding and Sybil couldn’t come because she got this big job in London. I think that upset Mum but I understood.’

‘Well, weddings are always fraught with tension … as we both know.’

‘I – There’s no point in us raking up what happened again.’

‘No.’ His expression brightened. ‘Today has shown us that we can get over that.’ The sexy twinkle in his eye gave Zennor the shivers all over again.

‘If you mean that we came together to help Sybil, I agree, but as for what happened at the office … that was a mistake. It was the heat of the moment – and we almost missed the hospital because we were distracted and ignoring our phones.’

‘We deserved some time out,’ Matt said and then added, a little hesitantly, ‘you don’t regret it, do you?’

‘I – don’t know, but I’m only just over Trev.’ Or not, thought Zennor, recalling the conflicting emotions that Trev had resurrected. ‘Now he’s back, as well as you. I think it shouldn’t happen again. People will get hurt.’

Matt frowned deeply. ‘What people?’

‘Me. You.’ She momentarily thought of Trev and how he’d react if he knew she’d kissed Matt. It surprised her that she cared. ‘My life’s complicated enough right now without – getting involved.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Wow. I thought we were involved, judging by that kiss. Does this … change of heart have anything to do with Trev being back?

Zennor went cold. She felt shaky after the shock of Sybil and now the complication of Matt and Trev inserting themselves into her life – and of her allowing Matt to get far too close.

‘I’m only saying that he – and you – have come back into my life when I wasn’t looking for either of you. I would, if it’s possible, like to stay friends with both of you.’

Her words sounded unconvincing, even to her.

‘Thanks for helping today. I’m going to see how Sybil is.’

‘Friends with Trev and me? How’s that going to work?’ Matt called as she walked away, trembling.

The feeling surging through her was fear – fear of how much she’d enjoyed kissing him earlier and how much further she’d wanted to go.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

After a restless night that had little to do with the ancient springs of Sybil’s spare bed, Zennor was making a cup of strong coffee when her friend shuffled into the kitchen.

‘Don’t tell me,’ Sybil said, holding up a hand. ‘I’ve seen myself in the mirror. I look like I did ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer.’

Zennor tried to cover her shock at the purple and green bruises over Sybil’s forehead and eyes with a joke. ‘Um. There’s a lot that can be done with stage make-up.’