Theo smiled. ‘I’ll go and start carrying over the few bits of stock I’ve got in the van,’ he said. He hadn’t taken many steps before he called over his shoulder, ‘you haven’t been talking to Chelsea about us by any chance, have you?’

‘No,’ I laughed, ‘but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been talking to me, does it?’

He shook his head and carried on towards the van. There was no need to elaborate because we both knew that conversations with Chelsea were often one-sided.

With the stock rearranged, Theo announced he was going to stay on for a bit, which gave me the opportunity to take a break. I’d discovered it was hard work manning the hut all day and standing on my feet for so long, especially in the cold, and I decided to take a walk around the plantation, collecting Bandit who was in the office with David, on the way. There was no sign of either Ned or Maya and I hoped I wouldn’t come across the pair canoodling among the trees. Although it was a little chilly for a clandestine outdoor lover’s tryst.

When I came to the tree where I’d caught Liam hiding out, I felt a renewed rush of affection for the boy. He had proved himself in so many ways since I’d found him cowering among the branches and ended up offering him a job. Just as it had been for Dad, Wynter’s Trees was a very special place for Liam and he had worked tirelessly, quickly picking things up and reaching way beyond everyone’s expectations. He’d even gladly volunteered to don an elf outfit for pity’s sake and, on that occasion, for no financial gain.

I hoped he wasn’t still dwelling on what his two former acquaintances, Bradley and Kyle, had said. It was cruel of them to try and sabotage his fresh start but he needn’t have worried that their meanness had made an impact on either me or Ned. We’d talked about it briefly the evening before and Ned was as unfazed by it as I was. We could see Liam for what he was: a hardworking, honest lad, eagerly embracing the break we’d given him and, if I had anything to do with it, he was soon going to be offered an even bigger one.

‘Come on!’ I called to Bandit, who had slunk off without me realising. ‘I need to talk to Ned.’

I didn’t know if he’d been thinking about it already, but with Liam poised to head into his last few months at school, I thought it would be the ideal time to offer him a permanent position, one with real prospects, to take up when he left.