I wondered if the novelty would wear off if the feeling dragged on for weeks. Given everything she’d been through, probably not. I daresay any reminder that she was pregnant was going be made welcome.

‘That’s great,’ I said.

‘And I’ll tell you what else is great.’

‘What?’

‘You stepping in and saving the day for us.’

‘I’ve only done what any friend would,’ I insisted, waving his words away.

‘No,’ Theo seriously said. ‘You’ve really gone above and beyond, Liza. All of our decent Christmas sales would have been lost if it wasn’t for you.’

‘There’s still next week,’ I reminded him. ‘Plenty more shopping days to capitalise on.’

‘Be that as it may,’ he said, unwilling to let me shrug his appreciation off, ‘but it’s this week that was always going to be the one that really counted. I reckon once the schools break up there’ll be more browsers than serious buyers. Families will come out to walk around the trees and see Santa, but a lot of people will have finished their shopping by now.’

Given how busy the last couple of days had been, I thought he was probably right.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I’m happy to have been able to help. I wanted to take some of the pressure off the pair of you.’

‘You’ve made all the difference,’ he said, pulling me in for a hug. ‘It will be business as usual from tomorrow though, so you can have a lie in.’

‘You’re coming back?’ I asked, as he released me.

I didn’t want to let on that Chelsea and Liam had given me the lowdown.

‘Yep,’ he said. ‘I’ll be here bright and early.’

‘And what about Wren? I hope she’s not going to miss the party.’

‘She’s not,’ he told me. ‘She’s starting back tomorrow too, but she’ll come in a bit later if she’s feeling icky when she gets up.’

That was a surprise. Clearly, the conversation about Wren’s return to work had carried on after Chelsea had put in her two pennies’ worth and the plan had been amended.

‘As much as I would like to wrap my beloved up in cotton wool for the next few months,’ Theo carried on, ‘it wouldn’t be healthy for any of us. I think more than anything, she needs a bit of normality right now.’

Yes, that was Chelsea’s influence right there.

‘And so, do you, Theo,’ I told him. ‘I do understand the temptation to handle her with care, but I’m sure easing back into things now is the right way to go.’