Bev helped on a Wednesday and Friday, ten until three, which was great, as it gave Emma a chance to get on with crafting the chocolate, as well as them both serving customers when it got extra busy. It was lovely having her friend as company too. During a quiet ten minutes, she told Bev how she had been to visit Max, and admitted that Bev had been right: she had been afraid of a new relationship. She thanked her friend for being so honest.

‘Hey, no worries. I just want what’s best for you, Em, that’s all.’

Just then Mrs Clark trundled past the window and made her way in. The elderly lady had become even more of a regular now; she liked to prop herself in the window seat and watch the world go by with her pot of tea for one and a chocolate-chip shortbread. If the shop was quiet, Emma would go over and chat, and ask how she was keeping. She didn’t have much family, having had no children of her own, but there were tales of the village ‘back in the day’, of fetes and dances, the old fisherfolk. She still bought her chocolate brazils, though she’d begun to complain they weren’t doing her dentures any good, a bit too crunchy. ‘Tough little buggers, those nuts in ’em.’ were her precise words, but, apparently, she just couldn’t resist them, and wasn’t prepared to give them up any time soon.

Bev went home at three and Emma stayed behind the counter. It was soon school-bus drop-off time and Holly came bounding in.

‘Hi, Emma, you okay?’

‘Yes, all good. You?’

‘Cool, thanks. Actually, I’ve a bit of a favour to ask.’ Holly pulled a pleading grimace as though it might be a biggie.

‘Go on,’ Emma said cautiously, ‘what is it?’

‘Oh Em, Adam’s just found out he’s got the day off work this Saturday, and he wants to take me to the Christmas markets in Edinburgh. But I know I should be working and it might be busy here and I don’t want to leave you in the lurch, but I do really want to go.’

‘Leave it with me just now.’ A Saturday, at this time of year, would be really hard to cover all by herself, but Holly never asked for the day off, and the look on her face told Emma how important it was to her. It sounded so gorgeous and romantic too. Edinburgh at Christmas time – she’d seen pictures of the markets, all beautifully lit up and bustling, with alpine-looking stalls, a Christmas Tree Maze, and a big wheel and all sorts of other exciting things, but she had never been at that time of the year herself. ‘Let me make a couple of calls and I’ll see if I can get some help in. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.’