‘Okay, very funny,’ she said, because of course, he always played this card. He’d said from the very beginning that there was no tying Eddie Quirke down – and even though they were like an old married couple that he’d never walk up the aisle. Well, it looked like she knew different now. ‘Oh, Eddie, you’re impossible,’ she said leaning over and kissing him. She really did love him, even if he drove her mad sometimes with all his teasing.

‘What?’ he said, feigning complete innocence.

‘I think I’ll go home now,’ Maya said. She’d been drinking white lemonade all evening, keeping a clear head for the following day. She’d told Liv she planned to go into the office and sort out some files that were hanging on since before the holidays. ‘Mind if I leave you here?’ She touched Liv’s arm.

‘No, not at all. Take the jeep. You’ll walk me home in a little while, won’t you, Eddie?’

‘Huh? Yeah, sure, I suppose so…’ he said looking around. The walk would do them both good; it would give them a chance to be alone together for the first time since they got back to Ballycove.

By teatime, most of the players and supporters had emptied out of the bar. It was dark outside and Anya had drifted away when someone had offered her a lift home.

‘Come on,’ Liv said, taking Eddie’s hand. ‘You can walk me home and come back down and meet your buddies later.’

‘Fine,’ he said. Eddie liked to pace himself for big drinking occasions like today. They walked back towards the village square and she was right, it was absolutely perfect. Thick fresh snow had fallen and piled up in corners. The lights from the trees seemed to sparkle extra brightly and the night sky had cleared over to a silky black so the moon seemed to hang far closer to the ground than ever before.

‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’ she asked. Over their heads a sprinkling of stars glittered high up in the heavens, but all of them were still, fixed determinedly in place. There was not a movement between them. Was it foolish to be hoping for a sign from Rachel? That would just make things perfect – a shooting star to let her know she approved.

‘What?’ he said, a little irritated.

‘My Christmas gift?’ She smiled at him. ‘Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten, Eddie Quirke, because I know that you’re not the sort of bloke who forgets things like that.’

‘Damn.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s still in the car. Do you really want to go back and get it now?’