‘So, tell me again what happened?’ Jamie handed Grace a mug of tea before sitting in an armchair opposite her.

‘Thank you,’ she said, her voice wobbly as she took the mug and cupped her hands around it, drawing comfort from the heat. She glanced up at the ceiling above them where Cora was watching a game show on the TV with the volume at such a deafening level that Jamie had heard it through the adjoining wall and had come round to see what was going on. She had told him about Phil and the spa weekend and how she had broached the subject with Cora, who had flatly refused to even consider it before launching into a long tirade about how selfish Grace was. How she always had been and so, ‘It’s no surprise you’d be wanting to go off gallivanting with that poor man of yours and abandon me without so much as a backward glance to fend for myself for a whole weekend.’ When Grace had tried to point out that it had been Cora who had said she must make more effort with this one or risk being all alone, Cora had screeched, ‘Dropping your knickers in a cheap hotel like a common slut isn’t making an effort. Sure it isn’t.’

Grace took another sip of the tea.

‘Do you mind if we don’t go over it all again?’ She glanced at Jamie, her cheeks still flaming with the humiliation of what her mother had called her.

‘Of course not, love.’ He glanced up at the ceiling before adding, ‘Hang on a moment,’ and after going out to the hallway he yelled, ‘Cora, that’s enough. Turn it down now. Please.’ And as if by magic, she did. ‘Right, that’s better. I can actually hear what you are saying now,’ Jamie continued, turning his attention back to Grace. ‘I just thought it might help to let it all out. You looked pretty shaken up when you answered the door to let me in; your face was ashen,’ he said, coming over to sit next to her on the sofa. He placed a reassuring hand on her arm.

‘That’s because after the bust-up with Mum, I had just come off the phone from calling Phil back to let him know that it wasn’t going to be possible for me to go on the spa weekend. You know, I had even made my mind up to make some changes in my life. I was actually feeling excited at the prospect of a weekend off and going somewhere new … that’s a massive deal for me!’

‘I know it is, darling. And I’m proud of you … when I said you’d be golden in no time, I never imagined you’d be jaunting off to swanky spa hotels at the drop of a hat,’ he laughed, kindly. ‘So good for you! Sounds like the old Grace that we know and love is coming back sooner than we anticipated.’

‘Hmm, well she would have been if that …’ she paused and raised a pointed index finger at the ceiling before adding, ‘rude, ungrateful … cow-bag hadn’t ruined it all,’ in a whisper.

‘Ooooh, Grace! You are definitely coming back to us … I haven’t heard you use the “c” word in ages,’ he laughed, shaking his head in mock disapproval. ‘Go on, say it again … it’ll make you feel a whole lot better, I promise.’

‘Oh don’t.’ She tried not to smile. ‘I really shouldn’t complain about her, I wouldn’t even have anywhere to live if she hadn’t let me come back home when I needed to after what happened with Matthew.’

‘Yes you would!’ Jamie nodded firmly. ‘I have a perfectly good spare bedroom next door that you could have moved into.’

‘The one with a lodger in?’

‘Well, err … yes …’ He stalled and then quickly added, ‘But he could easily sleep on the sofa.’

‘No he couldn’t, not when he’s paying you rent. I couldn’t do that; it wouldn’t have been fair. Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t have one lousy weekend off.’

‘True. And when were you supposed to be going?’

‘Quite soon, it was going to be a treat for my birthday,’ she told him, and then added, ‘Well, one I’d have to pay for myself,’ letting her voice fade away on remembering Phil’s ‘if we go halves’ statement.

‘Your birthday?’ Jamie said, sounding surprised, but with a dash of confusion on his face.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten,’ Grace sighed and looked upwards in mock despair. ‘We always get pizza and play charades and drink cheap cider. Not that we have to do that, of course. I guess it is a bit childish with us being actual adults now, and not geeky teenagers any more, with no other friends apart from each other.’

‘Stop it,’ Jamie said abruptly. ‘Of course I haven’t forgotten, so don’t be talking yourself down. Your birthday is important. It’ll be wonderful, I promise you.’

‘Wonderful is pushing it a bit … it’s only pizza from Gino’s round the corner with cheap cider, but thanks. You know, I’d be lost without you.’ And she smiled ruefully.

‘And stop that too, Grace. You have a lot to contend with,’ he motioned with his head up at the ceiling, ‘and I reckon you’re doing pretty well keeping on top of it all by yourself.’ Silence between them followed. ‘And what was that thwack on the wall earlier?’ he added to change the subject.

‘Oh, that must have been when she threw the TV remote control at me – it narrowly missed my head and hit the wall,’ she told him, staring at the swirly patterned carpet that had been on the floor since she was a small child. The same carpet she had stared at when Mum was frequently giving Dad what for … screaming at him for whatever perceived misdemeanour he had committed that day.

‘Grace, I’m so sorry. Come here.’ And he moved closer to give her a hug. ‘I’ll talk to her,’ he said, rubbing her back.

‘I don’t think there’s any point in doing that, Jamie. She was adamant. I didn’t even get as far as discussing possible care options, or telling her that Bernie, Sinead and Mikey have all offered to pay for someone to help out. And I didn’t dare tell her about Mikey’s suggestion to put her in a home … as that would have tipped her over the edge for sure.’

‘Well, maybe you should have told her!’ Jamie said, fired up. ‘It might make her realise just how lucky she is to have you …’