As she got down on her hands and knees she saw a gold-foil, gift-wrapped box, which looked professionally done with a lovely silver-and-gold trimmed bow. She took it back into bed with her. Max watched her carefully as she began to unwrap it. She wasn’t a rip-and-go kind of girl; always liked to savour gifts. Inside she found a black velvet box and carefully opened it to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with a delicate heart pendant.

‘Oh, I love it! Thank you so much.’ She touched the heart and smiled at him. During these past few weeks, it felt very much like he had given her back a piece of her heart. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then placed it round her neck straight away, popping her long hair over her shoulder to reach and fasten the clasp more easily.

‘Phew, glad you like it. I thought the heart was just right – hopefully. It’s white gold, by the way.’

‘Thank you. Now I feel like my gift to you will be a bit of a letdown.’

‘Never. Just being here for Christmas with you is pretty damn good, to be fair.’

Emma had wrapped Max’s gift up a few days ago and placed it in the cabinet of her bedside table.

He opened it to find a bottle of Armani aftershave and a new scarf to keep him cosy out on the building sites. It seemed appropriate, seeing as it was a scarf that had brought them together in the first place.

He fumbled one-handedly with the wrapper and box, then gave himself a spritz of the aftershave. ‘Hmm, yes I’ve had this one before. I really like it.’

Emma inhaled. Ooh yes, it smelt even better on him than in the shop in fact.

‘And a scarf – that’s great. I can wrap up and think of you.’ He smiled warmly as though he was genuinely pleased.

It was a nice Barbour one, in a checked blue pattern on grey. She had wanted to get him something nice, but she hadn’t had tons of money to spare. She’d also popped in a box of whisky truffles, his favourites.

‘Not too boring, I hope.’

‘Just perfect, thank you.’ And he leaned in to kiss her.

An hour later they were in the downstairs kitchen. Max offered to help with the mass of vegetables lined up ready to prepare: potatoes, Brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips. Emma looked at him, and then his arm in its sling, with a wry smile.

‘Thanks, but maybe you could set the table for me? That’d be great.’

‘Aah …’ Max twigged. ‘Yep, of course.’

‘I’m going to set the table up out in The Chocolate Shop, at the big round table and new window seat made by an ever-so-lovely builder chap I know.’ She grinned. ‘With a couple of extra chairs, we’ll be able to fit the eight around.’