“Yeah?” His eyes gleamed. “Because I can tell you she’s mad as hell that you didn’t tell her you kissed Zac.”

She managed to laugh, even though Zac was a topic she would have preferred to avoid. “I need you to promise me something, Seb.”

“You want me to promise never to hurt your friend.”

“I know you would never do that. I want you to promise that if I’m ever in the way, or intruding, that you’ll tell me. I hope Christy would tell me, but we both know she’s a work in progress when it comes to honest communication about difficult subjects.”

“You’re not in the way, Alix.”

“But if I was—”

He put his arms round her and gave her a hug. “You’re family, Alix. Everyone should be so lucky to have a friend like you.”

She felt pressure grow in her chest. Her throat thickened. “Damn you, Seb. You’re going to make me cry.”

“No. Not you. Not tough Alix.” He eased her away from him and raised his eyebrows. “Well, look at that. I did make you cry. Not a great idea out here in the freezing cold.”

“True.” She wiped her cheeks. “By the way, if you ever do hurt her, I will kill you.”

He laughed. “I know.”

“Not that I’m saying she’s easy to understand. She can be really complicated because she doesn’t always tell you what she’s really thinking. If you ever need to know anything, consider me a resource. I’m a user manual.”

“Right. Got it.”

“If you want gift ideas, call me. She loves imaginative gifts, not expensive. Thoughtful.”

“I know.”

“Don’t ever be tempted to buy her lingerie or clothes of any type because she likes to pick things out herself. Even I don’t buy her clothes, and I’ve been borrowing stuff from her for decades.”

“I would never buy her clothes.”

“And if you’re arranging a surprise trip, make it to a stately home or something. A castle. A palace. Or a gallery. She loves galleries. Don’t ever take her on a roller coaster. She doesn’t have a strong stomach.” She gave him a look. “I’m speaking from experience.”

“I know she hates roller coasters.”

“Right. And red wine gives her a headache, which is why she prefers—”

“Alix,” he said to stop her, “I know this. I know her. Maybe not as well as you do, but I do know her.”

She thought about it. “Actually, you know her better than I do.” It was time to acknowledge it. “When she met you that night in the bar, I thought she was behaving like a different person, but that wasn’t true. You brought out the best side of Christy. You made her happy. And that’s the part I should have focused on. Not your past, or rumors, or my own insecurities. I should have focused on the way you were together. I thought she wasn’t herself when she was with you, but the truth was she was more herself than she’d ever been before. She’d molded herself into this person, and you helped her uncover who she was underneath all that planning and politeness.”