‘What’s that?’ Nick asked. ‘Are you sure you’re okay? You’ve gone all pink.’

Looking up and seeing Nick’s handsome face, her skin prickled. ‘Yes,’ she shouted far louder than was necessary. ‘It’s nothing. I’m fine. It’s absolutely nothing.’ She hid the form behind her back and Nick narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Bella then scrunched the form into a ball and threw it to the corner of the desk out of the way.

‘Okay.’ Nick hesitated as he pointed to some presents. ‘Shall we get started wrapping?’

‘Yes, please.’ Bella edged over, taking her file with her, but as she read the next form, she couldn’t stop herself speaking out loud. ‘Here’s another one,’ she declared. Someone had clearly been playing silly buggers. ‘Listen to this—’

‘Whoa!’ Nick held up his hands to stop her. ‘I thought these forms were confidential.’

‘Real ones are but these are just nonsense. Listen, Mr Al Coholic would like a bath full of booze and …’ she flipped to the next one ‘… Mrs Moore-On would like an encyclopaedia.’ Despite herself, she began to chuckle.

‘Someone’s had far too much time on their hands.’ Nick laughed as he started cutting wrapping paper with Freddie. ‘Was that another one of them?’

She glanced at where he was pointing and absent-mindedly replied that it was as she went through, weeding out the nonsense from the real requests. It wasn’t until Nick grabbed it and unfurled the paper that she realised her mistake.

‘No, don’t read that it’s – it’s—’ She tried to grab the paper from his hand, but he held it aloft. As she reached up, her body pressed into his and desire fired through her. From the way Nick had stared down at her, she’d thought he’d felt it too. With her body on fire, she backed away.

As Nick read, his eyes widened, and a mischievous grin spread over his face. ‘It really is, isn’t it?’

Freddie asked, ‘What is it, Dad?’

‘Nothing, mate. Just someone being silly and asking for silly things.’

‘Like what?’

‘Never you mind.’

Bella was just about to organise the day’s tasks when Nina ran into the hut, breathing heavily as if she’d run all the way here. ‘Gosh, Nina, what’s wrong?’

‘It’s Mr Tomlin. He’s called in sick. Says he’s not well.’

Nick edged over. ‘He was a bit peaky when I saw him in the village shop yesterday.’

‘Then we’ve got no—’ Bella stopped herself from saying it in front of Freddie. She moved Nina away and after asking Freddie to start choosing the wrapping paper for the next present Nick joined them too. ‘We’ve got no Santa.’