‘No wand required, only a paintbrush,’ she joked. ‘Keep the brush the same way because the light’s coming from over there—’ she pointed to the hazy sunlight on the top left of the board ‘—and when they’re dry we can top them with snow.’ She left him painting ‘magic’ rocks while she turned back to Daisy and got her using the side of her palette knife to sketch out the shape of the cable car. Beneath where Daisy worked, Niall crouched to paint in blue-grey shadows of dips in the snow.

When they broke for lunch, which Carola delivered from The Angel, the kitchen filled with a babble of conversation about how they’d paint Christmas lights on the bigger trees and that when Tess had painted in the sleigh, they’d fill it with gaily wrapped presents. Grady carried in the workshop stools to augment the kitchen chairs and people crowded around the table, munching sandwiches and cakes.

He and Laurel ate sitting on his workbench, looking through the open kitchen door at the others. She texted Rea, but then put her phone away with a sad smile. ‘I asked Rea if she’d like me to fetch her for a few minutes but she’s declined. My sister doesn’t mind being home alone,’ she said wryly. ‘She’s planning the Christmas decorations.’

‘At least she went with you to Gabe’s,’ he said, pressing his arm against hers comfortingly.

Her whole face lightened. ‘That was great! But it was once. It would be easy to get carried away but agoraphobia’s a complex condition and not simple to get over. She’s made herself a notice for her office though.’ She lifted her hands as if placing words in the air. ‘It says: “The most difficult step is at your own door. Start small. Keep going. It works.”’

‘That sounds fantastic,’ he said. ‘And how about you? How are you today?’ he murmured, letting his leg rest against hers as a reminder of how it felt when their bodies touched.

She shrugged, and though she returned the pressure of his thigh, she didn’t smile.

‘What?’ he queried, surprised.

She glanced through the doorway to check the others were engrossed in their conversation about how many reindeer would pull the sleigh. ‘I received a letter of apology from Mac.’

Ah. That explained her earlier wary expression. He finished a mouthful while he decided on his response, surprised Mac hadn’t given him a heads-up on what he meant to do. ‘How do you feel about it?’ he asked cautiously.