‘He was so relieved to have finally finished delivering the trees,’ Maya explained. ‘And that all of the customers were happy, of course.’

That, I had discovered, was the most important thing here at Wynter’s Trees. Customer satisfaction came above all else, with Dad’s original eco-business credentials coming a very close second.

‘He certainly looked happy,’ I smiled. ‘It must be a weight off his mind.’

‘It is,’ she agreed, ‘but I know there’s still something bothering him.’

Was it perhaps the disloyal kisses, or concerns about raising the money to buy me out, that was weighing heavy on his mind? Or even a combination of both?

‘Maya…’ I began, but she cut me off.

‘Anyway,’ she briskly said, ‘I mustn’t stand here gossiping. I only really came over to give you this.’

She stepped aside to reveal a large roll of bubble wrap.

‘I popped round to see Wren last night and Theo asked me to give you it.’

‘That’s great,’ I said, nudging away the other words I had been about to say. ‘Just what I need. How did you find Wren?’

‘She was really good,’ Maya told me. ‘She’s hoping to be back here next week.’

As Maya didn’t mention what had been the cause of Wren’s recent stay in hospital, I didn’t either. However, I did wonder if our mutual friend’s proposed return date to the hut matched Theo’s. I couldn’t imagine he would be willing for her to come back so soon.

‘Theo said he had thought there was enough wrap here to cover all the stock,’ Maya added, looking about. ‘But luckily he had this at the studio.’

‘I think I probably overdid the packaging on his pots yesterday,’ I admitted, lifting the roll of wrap over the desk so it wasn’t in the way.

‘Better to be safe than sorry,’ Maya laughed.

‘My thoughts exactly,’ I agreed.

Mending a broken pot wouldn’t have been anywhere near as simple as swapping two trees had turned out to be.

‘Right,’ she said, ‘I’ll see you later. It’s not going to be quite so busy on the tree front now because pretty much everyone has got their decs up, but there’s still plenty to do.’

I didn’t have time to admire Maya’s work ethic and commitment to Wynter’s Trees or feel worse about my bad friend credentials, because the car park was fast filling up as customers arrived in their droves. With schools breaking up the next day, I guessed lots of parents were making the most of the last opportunity to shop without their children.