Page 34 of A Winter Wish

“Everything OK?” Fran asked.

Lexie smoothed out her expression. “Yeah. It’s just my mum, checking in, you know.” She wasn’t totally sure why she was lying. Fran was her oldest friend, the one person who had stuck with her—if she could talk to anyone about it, it would be her. But she didn’t know what to do about Rachel. They’d never had a relationship before, when their dad was alive—why should it be any different now that he was gone? It would be the house, and Rachel wanting to clear the air. Maybe she should send her a message, telling her it was all fine. Yes, she’d do that. Then Rachel would stop trying to get in touch.

“How is it going, living with your mum?”

“I love my mum,” Lexie said slowly, putting her phone down again.

“But?”

“But living at home is not super-fun. Despite the fact I have a reason to be here, it feels very much like a regression. She is brilliant and kind and cooks me pasta almost every night—but if this continues I’m going to start to look like a piece of penne, and I’m going to say something I regret when she asks me to pick my clothes up off the floor in my bedroom.”

“You could move in with me?”

“What, really?”

“Sure, why not? I’ve got a spare room in the flat since my last housemate moved out. As long as you only leave clothes on the floor in your room and not everywhere, I’m cool with it.”

“You had a housemate?”

Fran laughed. “And that shows how much attention you pay.”

Lexie winced. “I’m sorry. I should have been around more. I should have—”

“Lexie, relax. It wasn’t a dig. I’m sure there are things I don’t know about your life, either. That’s just what’s going to happen, given our lives aren’t twined together anymore. I don’t blame you for living your life. And the offer’s there, if you want it.”

“In that case, that would be bloody brilliant, thank you. Shall I get us another coffee to celebrate?”

“Only if you make yours a decaf. I don’t think I can stand to watch much more of your jitteriness.”

Lexie gave her a wicked grin. “Oh, you are so going to regret inviting me to move in.”

Chapter Fourteen

“Is it like In Bruges—you know, the film?” The man looked up hopefully from the Christmas brochure that Lexie had handed to the little family of three.

“Isaac!” The woman—his wife, judging by the ring on her finger—snatched the brochure out of his hand, while their son, who couldn’t have been older than about seven, studied Lexie with a seriousness that was a little unnerving. “Please excuse my husband,” she said, adjusting the pair of sunglasses she’d propped on her head when she’d entered the shop.

Lexie smiled at them. “I actually can’t say I’ve ever seen the film. Is it good?”

“Oh, it’s great,” Isaac gushed. “Very funny. You know Colin Farrell? He’s great in it.”

“There’s a lot of shooting,” his wife added. “And various people die.”

“Wait, who dies?” piped up the boy.

“No one, sweets. It’s a film Daddy likes.”

“I want to watch it.”

“It’s too old for you.”

The boy scowled, then went back to observing Lexie like she was about to do something untoward. Out of the corner of her eye, Lexie saw the door at the back of the office open. Her heart gave an unpleasant little stutter as Theo stepped in, glancing around the office. He must have been upstairs this morning the whole time. Ange hadn’t told her he was back! Something coiled in her stomach. If she’d known, she could have prepared. His gaze moved toward her, and she looked away before the moment of eye contact, forcing herself to turn her attention back to the family, who were watching her expectantly.

She cleared her throat, trying to pretend she hadn’t noticed Theo go out again—toward the back room. “Ah, well, we try to steer away from shooting and death on our holidays.”

Isaac smiled a little guiltily, while the woman muttered, “Quite right,” under her breath.

“But if you want somewhere to celebrate Christmas, then Bruges is brilliant. It honestly is like something out of a fairy tale—the houses are covered in snow, and you can stroll down cobbled streets and feel like you’re in a snow globe. The canals often freeze over, and there are market stalls in the squares of the city if you want to check out the Christmas offerings. Plus the food is amazing—you’ve never had waffles like theirs—and we work with this brilliant little waffle shop who have a secret family recipe.”