Seb reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I am maybe ninety-nine per cent certain,” he said. “If I could have gotten more, then I think I’d be a hundred per cent certain. For only one per cent, you should take the chance and be happy with him.” He lifted a shoulder with a small smile. “If you were one of my customers, this is what I’d say to you.”

As the fire crackled gently, Willow sat staring at Seb as if she hadn’t understood the words – then all at once she lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Oh, thank you.”

“I’m glad I was wrong,” Seb murmured back.

The relief was indescribable. Alex let out a breath, his shoulders sagging.

Willow detached herself from Seb and looked at Alex. Her expression was wondering, almost shy. In slow motion, she reached out and stroked back a strand of his hair; the feel of her touch shivered through him. “So, um...I guess—”

Alex stopped her with his mouth, cradling her head in his hands and kissing her almost fiercely, and then they were in each other’s arms, holding on as hard as they could. Willow. Willow. He felt her shaking and realized she was crying; he kissed her hair as he clutched her to him, then buried his head against her neck and savoured just having her in his arms again. Dimly, he was aware that Seb had slipped away.

“Come be with me in the tent,” he whispered against her smooth skin. “I want to hold you all night – I want to feel you next to me.”

Willow nodded vehemently; she pulled away to wipe her face and then simply gazed at him for a moment. She swallowed. “You really, really can’t imagine how good that sounds.”

She went to the truck to get her things. Alex’s own bag was on the ground nearby, where he’d left it after rummaging for the energy bars. As he started towards it, he caught sight of Seb – he was standing in the clearing with his hands in his jeans pockets, looking upwards.

Alex hesitated, and then went over to him. For a few seconds neither of them spoke as they studied the night sky with its piercing stars.

“So why did you do it?” asked Alex in Spanish. He glanced over at Seb, studying his profile. “You didn’t have to tell her the truth. Maybe she thinks she only loves you as a brother now, but that could change, if you’d told her something different.”

Seb gave him a dry look. “We’re both psychic, amigo. I can’t lie to her.”

“When she was already so worried about it anyway?” Alex shook his head. “No, I bet you could have managed to lie, if you’d wanted.”