I still had enough wits about me to slide my hand away, despite my pounding heart. ‘I’m grateful for what you’ve said. But you can’t turn up out of the blue, offer a quick apology, and expect things to go back to how they were.’ I blew out a frustrated sigh. ‘I mean, I suppose you can expect that, given how many times it’s happened before. But not this time, Adam. I’m not going to get back on this merry-go-round. It never goes anywhere.’

‘Okay. I understand.’ He nodded, face serious. ‘But is it okay if I stay and finish my coffee? Maybe we can catch up? Then I promise I’ll leave you to it.’

‘How are you getting back to the village?’

He gave a sheepish shrug. ‘I hadn’t thought that far yet. It was a kind of impulsive, in-the-moment, grand gesture.’

‘I’d ask someone to give you a lift, but we’ve all been drinking.’

‘No, it’s fine. I’ll see if that taxi’s still free.’

Ten minutes later we’d established that neither that taxi, nor any other, was available and prepared to come all the way out to the forest for a fifteen-minute fare.

Adam sat frowning at his phone after yet another fruitless call. ‘Looks like I’ll be walking, then.’ He pulled a wry smile. ‘It’s not like I haven’t done it before.’

‘Not in freezing snow, you haven’t.’ I pushed back my chair. ‘Come on, she’s more likely to say yes if you’re standing right in front of her.’

‘On one condition,’ Mum announced, after I’d raised the possibility of Adam staying the night. ‘You stay long enough to perform at the Spectacular tomorrow.’

‘Oh, well… I haven’t got my guitar,’ he replied, already grinning at the prospect.

‘Someone can fetch it for you.’

‘I don’t think there’s a spare slot on the programme,’ Jed interjected, stoically immune to Adam’s charm.

‘Well, he could always do something with Bea,’ Dad said, moving the counter a few steps forwards on the new board game everyone was playing. Everyone except Henry, that was. He’d apparently opted for an early night.

‘I’m not doing anything, so that would still be an extra slot,’ I replied.

‘Well, of course you are!’ Mum huffed. ‘Everyone’s doing something this year.’

‘No, I’m not, due to this being the first I’ve heard of it.’

‘It was in the itinerary, and at least two of the emails.’

The emails I skim-read, because reading multiple paragraphs of orders and instructions from my mother made my innards shrivel.

‘I haven’t prepared anything, so Adam can have my slot. A perfect solution.’

‘No. What would be perfect is all of the family taking part in the Charis House Christmas Spectacular when it might very well be the last one!’