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Back Just for December Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. Publishing Credits
  51. Keep Reading …
  52. About the Author
  53. Fiction by the same author
  54. About the Publisher

‘Not really,’ Evie tells him, just about raising an eyebrow in amusement. Of course he’s name-dropping who he goes on holiday with. She supposes Harry Styles must have been there too, maybe Denzel Washington and Dolly Parton. Ridiculous. ‘Truly, you don’t have to do this. I write boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-suffer-setbacks, boy-and-girl-live-happily-ever-after books. “Heteronormative nonsense that could be sorted out with a proper conversation.” That’s what one particularly memorable Amazon review said.’

‘HEA, isn’t it? Happily-ever-after is HEA? Isn’t that what they say?’

‘Exactly.’ Evie nods. ‘I write HEAs and it gives people a day or two’s escape from the real world. But you and I both know half of what I write about doesn’t exist. Eighty per cent, even. What I write is as much fantasy as a Star Wars movie.’

‘You don’t believe in a happily-ever-after?’ Duke asks her, crinkling his brow in a suspiciously unlined sort of a way.

‘Of course not,’ Evie retorts, grabbing another bread roll and deciding that, actually, she will have a glass of wine now. ‘I’m a grown-up, and adulthood sucks. Life isn’t an Ed Sheeran song and a mad dash to the airport to stop somebody getting on a flight. But that wouldn’t be a very comforting read, would it?’ she asks rhetorically. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me.’

She squeezes by him, half-noting his woody scent but mostly just wanting to not be playing at networking when she’s hungry and still ruminating over Carl and her mother’s fall and the fact that she’s been awake for many, many hours now.

‘Jesus,’ she hears Duke mutter as she settles into a seat beside Katerina. ‘She’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t she?’

Evie doesn’t give him the satisfaction of letting him know she’s heard, and instead tucks into her salmon.

6

Duke

It’s dark, it’s incredibly early, and the twinkling lights of a lone Christmas tree in the hotel window are currently the only thing switched on to mark the first day of December. Duke sees Evie linger by the door of the hotel and only realises he’s been waiting for her to arrive when he feels a lump of disappointment rising in his throat when she doesn’t come near him, a feeling of oh, she’s not coming down this way.