Page 60 of A Winter Wish

“But you were planning Iceland,” Lexie pointed out.

“Yeah, but he wouldn’t work with me to get it off the ground. It was like he was waiting for something. Maybe he was waiting for you.”

Lexie frowned. “What’s the other thing?”

He gave her a look. “I’m waiting for you to cotton on to that one.”

She rolled her eyes. Then she sighed. “I think that’s looking at things with rose-tinted glasses.”

“Our choice how to look at things, though, isn’t it?”

They were quiet for a minute or so, and then as they turned onto the street where the office was, Lexie spoke again. “Fine, we can do the wish jar at the party. Even though people will think it’s stupid.”

“Great. You can decorate it.”

It made her laugh, and he smiled.

When they got back to the office, he held the door open, but stopped her just as she was about to step inside. “Oh, and Lex?” His voice was quiet enough that he couldn’t be overheard—and with just enough edge that it made her skin tingle. “Just for the record…I doubt very much that it was just a one-time thing.”

Chapter Twenty-three

It had been Lexie’s idea to hold the Christmas in July party in the flat above the office. For one, it saved money, but also, they could make it look properly Christmassy, whereas any bar or pub they went to would be in full summer swing. She and Ange had gotten really into it, and weirdly there was something even more fun about putting the decorations up in July, like they were breaking the rules. They’d hung fairy lights around the big windows and along the mantelpiece above the out-of-use fire, had put a wreath on the front door. Ange had cracked out the Christmas tree that they used every year down in the office—it was plastic, but apparently the fake ones could actually be more environmentally friendly if you used them year after year, so Lexie put her objections aside.

They’d had to open all the windows as wide as they could because it was so warm up in the flat—even in the evening—but they’d gone the whole hog and made mulled wine anyway.

They had the Christmas music on by the time everyone arrived, “Santa Baby” currently playing underneath the swell of chatter, but because they hadn’t already been listening to the songs on repeat, the music felt fun rather than slightly grating, the way it usually did when you eventually got to Christmas itself. The whole office was here, and because most people had brought a guest or two, the flat felt buzzing. They were confined to the living room and joint kitchen—Theo’s bedroom strictly out-of-bounds. Harry was there with a friend; Ange had brought along her son and his wife; Mike had brought his wife, Kate, who carried a faint air of disapproval around with her, like she was firmly against the concept of Christmas in July; and Lexie had brought along both Fran and her mum. Theo, she noticed, was flying solo, despite having encouraged everyone else to bring plus ones.

Everyone was in Christmas gear. Ange was in a reindeer jumper with matching reindeer earrings and Harry and Mike were both wearing Christmas ties. Theo hadn’t exactly gone overboard, but had dressed more formally than usual, donning a shirt with the sleeves rolled up rather than his usual T-shirt and jeans. Lexie, however, had gone all out in a sparkly black dress, simple but classic, with high heels that she only braved every now and then. And because it was summer, she could wear this kind of outfit and not be freezing, which was a plus. She’d seen Theo glance her way a few times and knew it had had the desired effect. And OK, yes, she wasn’t supposed to be going there with him, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want him to suffer, just a little, for stopping things in Madrid.

Lexie’s mum broke away from a conversation with Ange, came over to stand near one of the windows where you could catch the odd breeze to counteract the steaming mulled wine. Lexie had thought it might be weird for her, to come along to something that had once belonged to her ex-husband, to be around people who had valued him, but her expression showed no sign of discomfort.

Instead she beamed at Lexie. “Thank you so much for inviting me, my love. This is such fun!” Lexie raised her mug, and they clinked. “Ange is just lovely. I’ve only ever seen her in passing before, but we’re going to lunch next week—she’s going to take me to this café at the garden center near her, apparently they do the best toasted sandwiches you’ve ever had.” Lexie smiled. Her mum’s cheeks were a little pink, her eyes shining. “And Mike, you know, I knew him a bit before, but it’s lovely to catch up. Though I’m not sure about that wife of his.”

“You knew Mike?” It was weird, to think of their lives all being intersected like that.

“Oh, not really. But Richard became friends with him back when we were together.”

“Really? They knew each other for that long?”

“Oh yes. It’s nice, isn’t it, that they kept in touch? I think they met in the sales job your dad used to work at.” Her mum frowned. “Astra something or other.”

Lexie grinned at her mum. “You don’t know what Dad did either.”

Her mum gave her a weird look.

“What?”

Her expression immediately softened. “Nothing. You called him Dad, that’s all. But no, I never totally learned the ins and outs of his job. He explained it a few times but, well…” She broke off, looking at her phone, which she’d kept in her hand the whole evening—something that was uncharacteristic. A smile spread at whatever she saw there.

“Who—?”

But Lexie didn’t get to finish, because Fran came over, clutching a glass of Prosecco, having declared earlier that “July is not the time for stewed alcohol, Lexie.” She was in a dress too—a knockout red one that Lexie had encouraged her to wear, along with a pair of heels, so that she wasn’t the only one.

Fran swept her long dark hair over her shoulder. “For the record, I’m totally loving this.”

Lexie smiled, and risked a glance over at Theo, who was standing with his back to her now, chatting to Harry by the sofa.

For the record, I doubt very much that it was just a one-time thing.