The Perfect Holiday. Cathy Kelly

I prefer that. I hate those “pleased to meet you, isn’t the weather lovely?” talks,’ said Sarah, smiling. ‘Life’s too short to waste on such rubbish. Stavros came back to England with me, but he never settled. Norfolk is very pretty but it wasn’t Greece. His heart wasn’t in it, although he’d have stayed for me.’

      She paused and bent to pull up another bit of weed.

      ‘What happened then?’

      ‘His mother became ill and we came back here to run her hotel. At the time, I was afraid I was making the biggest mistake of my life, but now look at me: I love it. You never quite know what’s around the corner, do you?’ Her shrewd gaze seemed to look into Jessica’s very soul.

      For the first time in a long time, Jessica didn’t feel annoyed at another human being stepping into her mental space. Sarah was a bit like Diana, the counsellor: both women were interested in helping, rather than interested in watching a widow fall apart.

      ‘You don’t know what’s around the corner,’ Jessica said. ‘You hope it’s a winning lottery ticket, but sometimes, it’s a ten-ton truck.’