She smiled, even though she’d never felt less like smiling in her life. “Because you can’t be bothered to spend the time. Still, at least we don’t need labels for yours.”

“That’s harsh. We’ll tell Holly these fell off Santa’s sleigh.” Seb picked up his parcel gingerly. “At least it’s holding together. That’s what counts. And Holly won’t care about the wrapping. She’ll only care about what’s in them. She is so excited. We’ve stopped counting sleeps, and now we’re counting hours.”

“I know. It’s fun to watch.” Christy tucked the last of the wrapped parcels into the suitcase, ready to be hidden back under the bed. She tried not to think about the times she’d done this with Alix.

“What else do we need to do?”

“Why are you asking me? You threw away my notebook, remember? No more lists.”

“Ha!” He stood up, wincing as he stretched out cramped muscles. “Don’t tell me you don’t have a list going on in that head of yours.”

“Maybe. A small one.” Top of her list if she had one would be Fix friendship. But was that going to be possible? She’d gone from being upset with Alix to being upset with herself. She’d been thoughtless. Insensitive.

The evening before, she’d forced herself to take a long, painful look at herself. She thought about the times she’d talked to Alix about Seb. How she’d shared that excitement unfiltered, without once thinking how her new relationship might affect their friendship. She’d made life plans without considering that Alix might be wondering where she fitted in that life.

Why had she not thought about how hard it might be for her friend? She kept thinking back to all the things Alix had done to support her. After Holly was born. When Christy’s mother had died. She’d always been there, giving Christy what she needed. And Christy hadn’t given any thought to what Alix needed. She was a horrible friend.

A solid lump formed in her throat.

“This morning was fun.” Seb reached down and pulled her to her feet. “You were right when you promised this would be a great Christmas. I’ll never forget her face when she saw Santa.”

Christy looked at him. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“This morning was fun.”

“Yes.” She had to stop thinking about this. She had to focus on the moment, or she was going to ruin Christmas for everyone. “It was magical.”

They’d spent the morning gliding through the frozen forest, snuggled up in the back of a sleigh pulled by reindeer. Holly’s excitement had been a living thing, buoyant, bouncing, and Christy had been grateful for the distraction. Her clash with Alix had left her feeling devastated, although she’d said nothing. It was a feature of motherhood, she’d discovered, that you could be bright and positive in front of your child while wanting to sob on the inside. Also, that even while feeling sad about something, you could enjoy a happy moment. They’d sipped hot cocoa in a cozy wooden hut deep in the forest, and they’d visited Santa. Holly had explained at length what she wanted for Christmas which, to Christy’s relief, hadn’t changed since she’d put in her last request.