They took turns to shower and warm up, and then Robyn arrived with a box of decorations and lights.

“I’ll leave these with you. I’m sure the three of you will have fun here in the warmth. There are games in the box by the window, and if you want to venture outside again you can build a snowman right outside your door.” She handed the box to Holly who immediately started hanging them on the lower branches. The box tilted, and Zac removed it from her fingers before she could upend the delicate contents. He squatted next to her, holding it steady while she carefully selected a decoration and decided where to put it. It was unlikely that even the most sought-after interior designer had ever given so much thought as to the perfect placement of a silver ball. Her head was close to Zac’s, blond hair against black. He waited for her to choose the right position and then helped her ease them farther along the branch if she’d left them teetering on the edge.

Alix felt a pang, remembering how much she used to love doing this with Christy and her family. Choosing the tree was one of their favorite Christmas traditions.

Robyn watched her for a moment, as if she couldn’t quite tear herself away. “I was thinking... Which would you prefer to do tomorrow with the little one? Feed the reindeer, or go dogsledding? Or we could go and see S-a-n-t-a?” She spelled it out rather than saying the word, and Alix looked at Holly, torn between doing what was fun and what was right.

This trip was Christy’s dream, and she didn’t want to take even a small part of it away from her.

“I think those are things she should do with Christy and Seb,” she said. “We only have a day before they arrive. We’ll play some games here, build a snowman, make the place festive. Perhaps you could lend us Suka for a few hours.”

“Sounds good.” Robyn glanced at her watch. “I should go. I have another aurora-photography trip later. And Erik is taking a group on a midnight snowshoe walk.”

“Sounds magical.” Zac kept half an eye on Holly as she steadily covered the lower branches of the tree with decorations.

“You two would probably enjoy it,” Robyn said. “Once Christy and Seb arrive and you’re no longer responsible for childcare, that should be on your list. But what I think you’d really love is the aurora safari. We go dogsledding at night through the forest and end up in the perfect place to see the aurora, conditions permitting. Shall I book you in? It’s popular, and we only take a small number. I can guarantee you won’t have a more romantic experience anywhere, ever.”

And if ever there was a reason not to do something, there it was, right there.

“I’m not sure that—”

“It sounds exactly what we need,” Zac said smoothly. “Thank you. Count us in.”