She almost told him that she didn’t feel remotely festive. That she was dreading going home for Christmas. That she was a mess. But she managed to stop herself. ‘You know those train announcements – the ones where they tell you to mind the gap between the train and the platform? It’s the same for Christmas. I try not to fall into the chasm between expectation and reality.’

He gave her a speculative look. ‘Okay. Well if you want to talk about whatever it is that’s bothering you, you know where I am.’

‘You know me. I’m not big on talking about things. I leave that to my sister.’

‘Hopefully your reality will improve a little once you get out of this place.’ His gaze shifted from her face to the queue. ‘You’re hiring a car?’

‘Yes.’ What else could she say? That she was standing in line to see Santa? ‘That seems to be the only way to get up north today. Unless a certain person in a red suit with a white beard can find room for me on his sleigh as he flies past. I didn’t see any mention of his flight being grounded.’

‘I don’t have a sleigh, but I do have a car and I’m parked here, at the airport. You can come with me if you like. We can drive up together.’

She didn’t like. She absolutely did not like.

‘That’s a kind offer, but it will be easier if we do our own thing. I might need to stop on the way, make a few work calls –’ she stumbled under his questioning gaze.

‘If you need to make a work call from my car, you can make a call Becks.’ He was the only person other than her brother, who called her Becks.

‘It’s confidential.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not exactly known as a gossip.’

And given what he’d witnessed that was lucky for her, although right now she didn’t feel lucky.

She felt as if the universe hated her.

From behind her she heard a woman mutter if she doesn’t want to get into his car then I will, and for a fleeting moment she saw Will as a stranger might.

He was tall and he radiated calm confidence. He was a doctor, a cardiologist, and she was sure that any patient who saw him approach the bedside would instantly feel reassured. A smart wool coat emphasised the width of his shoulders and a pair of glasses with a bold tortoiseshell frame accentuated the lean lines of his face. He looked as if he’d stepped directly from a photoshoot for ‘sexy academic man’.

She was conscious of her faded jeans and her favourite hoodie that she all but lived in. What did he see when he looked at her?

His best friend’s little sister.