But whatever happened, she’d be sweet and friendly, for Holly’s sake.

Christy touched her arm. “And you’ll make everything super Christmassy?”

“Are you kidding? Christmas is my thing. No one does Christmas like I do. I am the Queen of Christmas. You should see some of the decorations I bought you this year. Also, we will be staying in a forest of Christmas trees and snow. Even I can’t mess that up. It’s a ready-made winter wonderland, waiting for us. And I have a whole suitcase full of gifts already wrapped in case Holly’s lip wobbles. And you know I’m great at fun. I am the CEO of fun.” She used light chatter to cover up how bad she felt. “Now, let’s go and have another drink. You look as if you need it.”

She definitely needed it.

The thought of Lapland with Holly was daunting. Lapland with Holly and Zac was a whole new level of terrifying. But none of it was as scary as the thought of losing her friendship with Christy.

They headed downstairs to find Zac alone in the kitchen.

“Seb went to take a call. He’s in his study.”

“A call? Who was it, do you know?” Christy looked anxious. “I’ll check on him.”

Since when had Seb needed support to take a phone call?

Alix glanced at her friend and then at the pan, bubbling over on the stove. “Want me to do something to slow down dinner? What’s the timing on this?”

“What?” Christy was distracted. “Oh switch it off. It doesn’t matter.” She hurried out of the room, and Alix stared after her.

Since when did timing not matter to Christy? Usually everything was timed to the minute.

And now, thanks to whatever crisis her friend refused to discuss, she was on her own with Zac.

She turned the heat down under the pan and grabbed her glass of champagne.

The tension in the room was so thick she could have sliced through it.

He spoke first. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“What? Me?” She took a gulp of champagne. “I’m busy. You’re busy. Our paths never crossed.”

He shook his head slowly. “You really expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth.”

Fairy lights glowed from the oak beams, and candles flickered on all the surfaces. The table had been decorated with touches of silver and white, and the centerpiece was an artistic blend of pine cones and holly.

Faint relaxing notes of jazz played in the background, and the room was filled with warmth and delicious smells. The atmosphere couldn’t have been more calming, but she didn’t feel calm.

She couldn’t lower her guard even for a moment because Zac was there, watching her with those eyes that saw far too much. He didn’t just look at her, he saw inside her, right through to her thoughts, her fears, her insecurities.

Normally she had no trouble filling a silence, but in this case it was unnerving. He was going to mention their last meeting. It was inevitable. And how was she going to handle that?