‘Is this about what happened at the wedding?’ He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face and if it had been anyone else but Will she would have slapped his hand away but he’d been hauling her out of ditches and shunting her up trees in the forest near where they lived since she was five years old.

She didn’t mind him touching her hair, but she did mind about the question.

She didn’t want to think about the wedding. She’d tried to block the whole thing from her mind. But now he’d reminded her and every painful detail came flooding back, including all the emotions she’d been trying to ignore.

‘The wedding? No, of course not. It feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? I can barely remember a thing about it, apart from the scratchy dress Rosie made me wear. No, this is about what’s practical. Anyway, good to see you Will. I hope you have a good journey home and have a great Christmas. Maybe we’ll bump into each other at some point.’ She was tempted to step away but then she would have lost her place in the queue, so she waited for him to do it. Leave. Please, just leave.

He didn’t leave.

‘We’re going to be bumping into each other tomorrow. You do know I’m going to the party at your house?’

No, she hadn’t known that. If she’d known she would have looked harder for an excuse to stay in London.

This was promising to be the most excruciating Christmas on record.

‘Jamie invited you?’ Of course he had. Will was Jamie’s closest friend. They’d known each other since kindergarten. They’d gone to the same medical school, although once qualified they’d chosen different specialities and their paths had diverged. But if Jamie was having a celebration, Will was going to be there.

‘Yes. He said he had something big to announce. I assume it’s an engagement?’

‘I’m assuming the same.’

‘I’m happy for him. I know things were rough there for a while.’ He adjusted his glasses. ‘So you’re going to be a bridesmaid again.’

Her gaze met his briefly and she knew they were both thinking about the last time she was a bridesmaid.

Not her finest moment.

‘Looks that way. Woohoo. Lucky me. I just hope he doesn’t expect me to dress as a fairy like Rosie did. I’m not fairy material.’

‘You looked stunning in that dress, Becks.’

He was just being kind, because he’d sensed she was in a low mood.

‘Yeah, right. It gave me a rash, but – thanks.’ Another thing she wasn’t good at. Accepting compliments. ‘Anyway, you should get going. I’m guessing the snow is going to make the driving difficult.’