There had been a consistently steady flow of shoppers to the beach huts and it was obvious that Ned’s offer to set them up at Wynter’s Trees had been the right one. Many of the people I spoke to had travelled further than before and with the added benefit of Hope and Sophie serving food and drink, they were staying longer and consequently spending more too.

With this in mind, I knew I should have been on cloud nine, but I felt as though I’d come up against a brick wall. My creative mojo had taken flight again, I couldn’t bring myself to start sorting out the lodge and Maya’s laughter seemed to follow me everywhere. I should have been grateful that she had an uncanny knack of stepping between Ned and me, and maintaining the distance between us that I had been aiming to achieve, but even that was beginning to bring me down.

‘I’m just feeling a bit flat,’ I told Sue, with a shrug.

I wished I could have explained what was really going on in my world and talked it all out with her, but Ned had told me he still wasn’t ready. Consequently, I was beginning to feel weighed down by the battle of conflicting feelings which were building within me and which I had to keep to myself.

Sue eyed me over the top of the cushion she was sewing. ‘Why’s that then?’ she asked. ‘I thought you were finally feeling excited to be here. You positively threw yourself into repainting the grotto, so I assumed you were settled and enjoying getting stuck in.’

‘I was,’ I said, my voice thick in my throat, because it wasn’t the whole truth. ‘I am.’

‘I know you weren’t happy when you were growing up here,’ she said, ‘but you’ve seemed quite content these last couple of weeks.’

It felt so devious, stringing everyone along. My apparent contentment had grown from me feeling safe in the knowledge that I would soon be leaving for good, and that was deceptive enough in itself, but now, on top of that, lots of other things felt like they were getting muddled too. I would have to talk to Ned again and insist we set the record straight.

‘Or you did,’ Sue carried on, when I didn’t say anything, ‘until a certain someone came back to work.’

I followed her gaze into the yard where Maya was striding out, her long slender legs carrying her along and her glossy ponytail jauntily swinging.

‘It’s not Maya,’ I hastily said.

‘Hmm,’ Sue sniffed.

‘I’m thrilled she’s here,’ I insisted. ‘She’s a great help to Ned.’

I watched as she disappeared into the barn. I knew Ned was working in the office and wondered if she was about to succeed in cornering him under the mistletoe.