Even so, the memory of our evening together haunted me in the best way and I couldn’t quite shake Jess’s advice as it nagged away at me, in the back of my mind. We don’t wait for things to happen, we make them happen. How was this any different? There was only one sure-fire way to deal with this situation and that was to do something about it.

And then it hit me. What if I went to New York? Men weren’t the only ones who could show up out the blue with their grand romantic gestures. The idea took hold fast and before I knew it, I was looking up flights and hotels and tapping Evan’s address into Google Maps. One of the reasons I was such a good assistant was because I remembered everything, names, faces, phone numbers, how many sugars you wanted in your tea, and Evan’s address had been burned into my memory since the moment I saw his driver’s licence. 22 Mercer Street, New York, New York.

I could do this. I could be my own fairy godmother.

My whole body hummed with purpose as I pulled on my mittens and stood up, waving goodbye to the flock of tiny birds, still fighting over their Christmas dinner. I didn’t want to be a princess who lived in a castle and danced around at balls in glass slippers. I liked the real world too much, and glass slippers sounded like a sliced Achilles tendon waiting to happen, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t work a little bit of magic now and then.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

‘Jess!’ I shouted, slipping off my trainers at the back door. ‘You were right, it’s bloody freezing out there. Seriously, it’s so cold it’s frozen the actual wee in my actual bladder.’

The central heating hit hard and my hair frizzed around my face, crackling with static as I peeled off my hat and my earmuffs, and I unwound my scarf as I scooted into the living room, spooling the heavy grey wool around my arms, excited to tell my friend about my plan.

‘Just as well because otherwise I would have wet myself. Anyway, I need your help. I’ve decided I’m going to go to New York and find Evan and – oh my god.’

The scarf, the hat, the earmuffs and mittens all fell to the floor.

There was no need to go to New York to find Evan because Evan wasn’t in New York.

He was standing in my living room.

‘Oh, there you are,’ Jess said, casual as you like. ‘I was just about to text to say we’ve got a visitor.’

‘That would have been nice,’ I replied as she peeled herself from the settee, a steaming mug of something that smelled suspiciously boozy in her hands.