“And that’s on me, for making you feel that way. And you were right not to tell me. You were right to respect his privacy. He should be able to tell you things without feeling that he would be sharing them with me, too. That’s how it should be.” She paused. “He’s a good man, Christy.”

“Yes. And I badly want him to get this job because his confidence needs a boost, but it’s not looking hopeful. If it was good news, we probably would have heard by now.”

“Not necessarily.” Alix unzipped her coat and removed it. “Things are always slower at Christmas.”

And even though Christy felt there probably wasn’t much hope for that particular job, she was still grateful for the optimism. “I guess what happens happens. And yes, I’m scared. I like knowing what’s going to happen. I like having a plan. I’m working on that.”

“Plans are only ever in our heads.” Alix strolled across to the tree. “Life generally has its own plan.”

“That’s what Seb said when he threw away my notebook.”

“He did that? Good for him.”

It felt good to be talking again.

“Do you want something to drink? How do you feel about hot chocolate?”

“Generally positive, providing it comes with whipped cream and marshmallows. Why?”

“I was thinking we could sit by the tree in our socks, like we used to, and you could squash the presents to guess what’s in them.”

Alix grinned. “You hate it when I do that. You always say you don’t want to know.”

“But it’s tradition. And this time I do know. I wrapped them.”

They wandered to the kitchen area, and Alix found the mugs while Christy pulled milk from the fridge. And somehow, in that simple, familiar task, they slipped back into the comfortable old place of their friendship. “This place is romantic, isn’t it?”

“Yes, although less romantic with a four-year-old running around.” Christy heated the milk. “Having those few days alone together was great, although I missed Holly, of course.”

Alix put the mugs on the counter. “I’m sure you were worried about her.”

“I wasn’t worried. She was with you. And no matter what you may think of yourself, I knew she’d be safe. It was more that I was sad to be missing some firsts with her.” She found the chocolate and spooned it into the mugs. “I was more worried about you being forced to spend all that time with Zac.”

“Another spoonful of chocolate, please.” Alix grabbed the spoon and did it herself.

How many hints did Christy have to drop? “Was it terrible?”

“Was what terrible?” Alix stirred the chocolate until she was satisfied.

“Being with Zac.”

“We were entirely focused on keeping Holly alive. It’s a full-time job.” Alix licked the spoon. “I don’t know how you do it. And I had Zac and Robyn as back up. Robyn is great.”

“Yes, she is.” Was Alix intentionally steering the conversation away from Zac? And if she was, that had to be a good sign, didn’t it? “We had a long talk.”