She ran a brush through her long, wavy red hair. Should she put it back? She always wore it in a bun or a high ponytail for work, and when she was full-on chocolatiering she wore a white protective cap to save any red hairs appearing in the mix. She laughed out loud: a hygiene hat, now that would be some sexy look! Hah, perhaps it might turn Max on, she mused. Not that he seemed to need any help in that department. She felt a little frisson of anticipation, thinking that Max would be here with her in less than an hour. And then, later this evening … Right, focus on the task in hand, Emma. She needed to make sure this launch went off well, to publicise her business and as a lovely thank you to the local community. She dragged her mind back to where it should be.

Bev was the first to arrive at six thirty. Several bottles of Prosecco were chilling in the fridge, and an overflow box of six were outside in the back yard – it was certainly cool enough there to keep them chilled.

Emma hadn’t quite planned what would happen when people arrived, other than serving them a glass of fizzy and passing round the chocolate platters. She hoped people would just chat, relax, and mill about a bit. She would have to do a bit of circulating and she supposed she ought to say a few words of thanks at some point and pronounce The Chocolate Shop Café officially open. She didn’t really like to think of the attention being on her – she’d keep that bit brief.

‘We’d better have a bit of music, don’t you think, Bev?’

‘Yeah, just some background style, easy listening.’

Emma had a small speaker that linked to her iPhone, choosing a mix of Adele, Keane, John Legend and Coldplay.

The sleigh in the window caught her eye. Adam had come back with the prized wooden toy his grandad had made, as promised. It was now hung in pride of place in the window and she had filled the back of the sleigh with mini bags of fudge and chocolates (ideal stocking fillers), and some small gold boxes tied with festive red ribbon. She had even found just the right size chocolate Santa figure to pop in the front. Below it, she had rearranged her chocolate reindeer to stand in two rows of four with red ribbon strung from them up to the sleigh, so it looked like they had just landed in the snow. Perfect. It looked magical.

Pete was due to join them soon, but there really wasn’t much to do until the guests arrived. First in the door, at five to seven, was Max, bearing a gorgeous smile and a bottle of champagne. He gave Emma a kiss on the cheek, saying, ‘Congratulations.’

Bev eyed them curiously, wondering exactly was going on between them. Emma just smiled.