‘I will.’ Nico copied her joking tone but was finding the way her plait dangled against her breast distracting. In the crisp winter sunlight streaming through the window her hair was a hundred shades of gingery brown and her eyes bright enough to rival the Christmas lights twinkling along the beams above.

A member of bar staff appeared with crackers for Josie and Maria, small cardboard ones that barely made a noise when pulled but opened to reveal tubes of jelly beans. ‘Yelly!’ bellowed Maria, holding the clear tube out to Nico. ‘Open yelly.’

‘Please,’ Nico added automatically, taking the tube.

‘P’ease, tank you,’ Maria added co-operatively, keeping her eyes on the prize.

Nico and Hannah both laughed. Then Nico noticed Rob watching them with a strange expression and his heart nosedived as he remembered Rob warning him off his sister.

Crap.

Hannah’s shop might have gone down the pan but the rest of her life was back in Sweden. With her boyfriend.

Lunch arrived after a while. Nico cut up Maria’s food and discouraged her from consigning cabbage to the floor. Conversation swirled around him and he mainly listened.

When the plates had been cleared away, Maria clamoured to be set free. She climbed onto Hannah’s lap and curled up, eyes half-closing. ‘She’s going to go to sleep,’ Nico warned her, recognising the way Maria was snuggling into her neck. ‘Would you like me to take her?’

Colour touched Hannah’s cheeks. She said softly, ‘I don’t think a child’s ever fallen asleep in my arms. It’s sweet.’

He smiled. ‘It is. But she’ll give you pins and needles and stop you getting up.’

Hannah smiled back. ‘I’ll chance it.’ They made a pretty picture as Maria yawned and tumbled into toddler sleep.

Rob looked about. ‘The dining room staff have disappeared. I’ll go to the bar for more drinks. Come help carry, Nico?’

‘Sure.’ Nico felt free to go with him as his charges seemed happy with their company. They waited their turn at the polished bar edged with glittering silver tinsel, Rob propping one foot on the brass foot rail. He winked. ‘So, I didn’t need your help after all.’

Nico mirrored his stance, so they were facing one another. ‘Didn’t you? With what?’

‘Getting rid of Albin. Hannah managed it by herself. That guy was never right for her, looking down his nose at the rest of us.’

Nico’s heart paused … then restarted with a thump. ‘Hannah’s not with Albin?’

His friend’s smile was wide and satisfied. ‘Nope. It’s over. She emailed while we were on honeymoon. She was going to end things when she went back after the wedding but he beat her to it. And he’s manoeuvred her out of her own shop as well. Told you he was a prick,’ he added, with a scowl.