Her mum had brought some mince pies and Nina had waved a bottle of mulled wine as soon as she’d walked in the door. Caro was on the hot chocolates but kept taking her sister’s glass and sniffing it so she could enjoy the rich, winey aroma. While the three of them wrapped the presents for Santa’s grotto, Bella was busy making tags for the forms she’d received using her favourite pen and best handwriting. It had quickly become apparent that if she didn’t keep up with them every few days, she’d soon fall behind and they hadn’t even officially launched the giving tree yet.

‘There,’ she said finishing another one and holding it up. She’d cut it into a Christmas tree shape and where it had been laminated to protect against the weather, it shone in the light from the fire. ‘That’s another one done.’

‘What’s this one for?’ asked Nina.

‘A food box, and I’ve listed some suggestions of what people can buy.’

At first, she’d planned to do all this on her own, not wanting anyone else around while she read and cried over some of the forms, but being on her own meant thinking about Evan so her family and friends had rallied round, as they always did. How she wished she had a fortune she could spend on her little village, fixing everyone’s problems like a younger, hopefully more attractive, Mrs Christmas.

Nina shook her head. ‘It’s hard to believe people can’t afford food. It’s not like the village shop is expensive. I know they do their best to keep their prices as low as possible. In this day and age and with minimum wage, you wouldn’t have thought it. It seems so Victorian.’

‘It is, but thanks to Bella, we’re doing something about it,’ Cynthia said.

‘Johnny not joining us?’ asked Caro, finishing a present and adding it to the pile.

‘No, not tonight,’ Bella answered, seeing Nina blush. ‘I thought it would just be us girls. You always tease him so mercilessly I didn’t want to subject him to another attack.’

‘Me?’ she answered with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Never.’

‘When is that boy going to ask you out, Nina? That’s what I want to know.’ Cynthia devoured the last of her mulled wine and held up her glass for a refill. Bella obliged.

‘I’d quite like to know that too,’ Nina replied. Finding the armchair too awkward to wrap presents in, she moved to the floor, sitting cross-legged. ‘I don’t know what more I can do. He must know I like him.’

‘You both flirt enough,’ Bella answered. ‘And that’s just in school. You used to be even worse when we went to the pub. I don’t see how either of you can doubt the other’s feelings.’