‘The sunsets in autumn are always the most spectacular.’ I nod towards the sky. ‘It’s my favourite time of year.’

‘And yet you bought a Christmas tree farm …’

‘Ah, but my favourite thing about it is the lead up to Christmas. Autumn and the part of winter before Christmas blend together for me. This is my ideal place. Literally sitting right in the middle of autumn and winter.’

‘Something else I totally agree on. Festive music in October and September to December being the best months of the year. You never know, we might start getting along at this rate.’ He nudges his shoulder into mine, and it makes me grin because we definitely seem to be getting along, despite the occasional grumpy hitch.

I pick up my cup, not quite sure how I feel about the prospect of pumpkin spice working in hot chocolate. Coffee, fair enough, but hot chocolate seems a bit of a stretch. His other pumpkin goodies have been delicious so far, so I breathe in the steam for a moment and brace myself to take a sip.

‘Oh my god, that’s incredible.’ The smooth chocolate liquid feels thicker, rounded out by the taste of pumpkin and just a hint of warming spice that only comes out after you swallow it. Chelsea and I have always had a thing for pumpkin spice lattes in the autumn, but this puts them all to shame. It’s the perfect level of sweet, warm, and chocolatey – a blend of autumn and winter. ‘You’re going to have to teach me how to make it.’

He hides his face behind his own cup. ‘With pleasure.’

I concentrate on the darkening pink sky, thinking about what would go well with hot chocolate. ‘What about roasted chestnuts?’ I speak before I even realise I’m going to say anything out loud.

He laughs. ‘You’re going to have to elaborate.’

‘I could offer food of some sort. Something festive and fun to eat while people are walking around … I went to a Christmas fair with Chelsea last year and we got little paper bags of hot roasted chestnuts from a stall selling them straight from a tabletop cooker. Do you think it’d be worth it?’

I really appreciate the amount of serious thought he gives it. ‘I can’t think of anything nicer. Or anything more Christmassy. It’s perfect.’

It’ll be yet another unexpected expense, but I can’t get the grin off my face as I sip my hot chocolate again. A bag of freshly roasted chestnuts would go down perfectly with it. Nothing has ever sounded more tempting on a cold winter’s day.