I looked at everyone’s solemn faces. I couldn’t imagine there being any bad feelings among this happy family.

‘Now we kids take it in turns to guard the fire until dawn,’ Dylan said as his parents walked back towards the house, hand-in-hand.

‘All night?’ I asked.

Glenn sighed. ‘Yep. Mum insists. She thinks if the fire goes out, it means bad luck. If it was the usual tradition, we’d be indoors. But oh no, the McClusky way means we have to freeze our arses off outside.’

‘What is the usual tradition?’ I asked as I stamped my feet and put my gloved hand out towards the fire.

‘You’re supposed to use the house fire,’ Dylan explained. ‘It stops the elves coming down the chimney with Father Christmas, right, Alfie?’ he said, putting his hand on his nephew’s head. Alfie looked up at him with a smile. ‘But Mum’s always done it outside, a long family tradition she refuses to let up.’

‘Like all her other traditions,’ Heather said with an eye roll.

‘Has the fire ever gone out?’ I asked.

They all went quiet. ‘Just once,’ Heather said in a small voice.

Rhonda looked at each of them then quickly smiled. ‘Right, time for bed, young man,’ she said to her son. ‘You don’t want to be awake when Father Christmas comes.’ She lifted her son into her arms and gave Cole a kiss before wishing us all goodnight.

‘You can go to bed too, Gwyneth,’ Dylan said as he pulled out a large bag of marshmallows and skewers from his large coat pockets. ‘It’ll be an early start with Alfie running riot through the house.’

‘I don’t mind helping out here if you want,’ I said. ‘I presume you take it in shifts? I’m used to sitting outside at night filming in freezing conditions, remember?’

Cole patted the seat next to him. ‘Take the first shift with me if you want. You can keep me awake with tales of polar bears and snow leopards.’

‘Nope, she’s on my shift,’ Dylan said. ‘I get dibs as I saved her life.’

‘Please,’ I replied. ‘I would’ve figured out how to get out of the lake in the end.’

The siblings exchanged furtive glances again. What was that all about?

I sat next to Cole as he handed me a marshmallow. Of course, I wanted to spend some alone time with Dylan, I’d been wanting to all evening. But now the opportunity presented itself, it scared me for some reason.

‘Fine,’ Dylan said with a frustrated sigh. ‘Just don’t let her near the lake, okay?’ he said to his brother, giving him a pointed look. Then he walked off.

As Dylan and Glenn walked back inside, I turned the marshmallow in the fire, watching as it turned brown.

‘Your family have been so kind,’ I said to Cole.