The walk back to the cottage was awkwardly quiet, but it didn’t really matter to Josie. In fact, she barely even noticed. Everything seemed a blur until they reached the yard. Josie felt a slight wave of relief when she saw that her benches, garden tools, and other things had been put back to rights.

Molly lounged on one of the benches near the garden, raising a cup of tea to the pair as they walked up. Josie did her best to fake a smile, which dropped like a stone when she saw ...