“Christy, I love you, but let’s never lie to each other. Seb doesn’t want me looking after his child.” The hurt was unexpected and deep. She’d thought they’d moved beyond mistrust. Yes, she’d said things she shouldn’t have said, but it was years ago, and she hadn’t put a foot wrong since. Any doubts she may have had she’d kept to herself.

Christy’s shoulders slumped. “That isn’t true, but he doesn’t want you to do it alone.”

“Fine. I’ll have Robyn there.” True, she knew nothing about the rebel aunt, but she couldn’t be that bad, could she? And adult backup of any kind would be welcome.

“Not Robyn.” Christy shot to her feet. “Shall we go downstairs? It’s almost seven.”

“In a minute. You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.” They hadn’t even reached the most important part of the conversation. She paused.

“Wait a minute. If it’s not Robyn, who will be there to help me?”

Christy had her hand on the door, ready to open it. “Zac.” She let her hand drop and turned to look at Alix. “Zac will be there to help you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Zac. I really need wine.”

“If this isn’t a joke, then I need wine, too. Lots. Is there a vineyard near here?” But she could see from her friend’s expression that she wasn’t joking. “Christy, why would you... Zac will never agree.”

“He already has.”

Alix felt a wave of dizziness. “He’s agreed to go to Lapland with me?”

Christy’s gaze slid from hers. “Not exactly. He’s agreed to go to Lapland, but he thinks that the moment you find out he’ll be there, you’ll drop out.”

Alix, who had been trying to find a way to do exactly that, felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. “Why would I drop out?”

Christy looked tired. “Your relationship isn’t exactly harmonious. I don’t think the pair of you exchanged a single word on my wedding day.”

But they’d exchanged plenty of words the day before. Far too many.

“I expect we were both focused on you.”

“You said we shouldn’t lie to each other.”

“I’m not lying. I distinctly remember asking him to pass the salt during the reception dinner.”

“For what reason? To rub into one of the cuts you’d given him?”

Alix managed a smile. “That’s harsh.” Was Zac the reason Christy had been so weird on the phone? No. If what Christy was saying was true, then Zac hadn’t become involved until after Christy had asked Alix to step in and help. Which meant the original problem still existed. Alix didn’t believe it was work. “There is a little...tension between us. I admit that.”

“No kidding. Why do you think I didn’t call and warn you in advance? Every other time I’ve told you he was going to be here, you’ve canceled on me.”

“That had nothing to do with Zac. Things came up, that’s all.”

Christy sighed. “Really? Because it seems a bit coincidental to me. And you have to admit that you don’t exactly have warm feelings toward each other.”