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‘I’m so sorry. Work stuff, you know. But it’s all done now, I think.’

Holly nodded. She wouldn’t lie. This distracted Evan wasn’t what she’d hoped for, and given how he was heading back home to London the very next day, she couldn’t help but wonder what was so important it couldn’t wait twenty-four hours. Then again, what could she expect after all his travels? It wasn’t like he could answer all his messages on the plane.

‘It’s fine,’ she told him, bouncing Hope as she spoke. ‘Caroline’s going back to Bourton now. You can take my keys, go have a shower. I won’t be long at all.’

‘No, it’s fine. I want to be with you. Besides, you haven’t given your dad the rest of his birthday present. And I want to be there, as long as you don’t mind? I realise it could be a family thing.’

‘No, of course I want you to be there. I want you to be part of the family. If that’s what you want?’

He moved his head down to hers, slipping another hand around her, so that Hope was fully trapped between them.

‘You know it is. As long as it’s not moving too fast for you? If it’s moving too fast for you, then I’ll back off.’

Holly took his hands in hers and pulled her closer to him.

‘No backing off,’ she said, although she couldn’t help but feel a niggling within her. If this was how much Evan was on the phone when he was supposed to be taking a break, then she hated to imagine what he was like when he was busy. But she wasn’t going to think about that now.

13

An hour later and most of the crowd had dispersed. There were a few of the nearest and dearest still hanging around the garden, but they were the type who were going to stay until they were kicked out of the door and her dad didn’t look like he was ready to do that anytime soon. But Holly needed to get Hope back to Ben and in bed. Besides, Evan was looking anxiously at his phone again, and something told her he would prefer to get to Bourton sooner rather than later.

‘Do you think that it’s a good idea to tell him tonight?’ her mother said, her nerves about the gift showing again. ‘He’s had a lot to drink.’

‘I think it’s the perfect time. Besides, we need to tell him now – you set off tomorrow,’ Holly reminded her.

‘Yes, of course, of course we need to tell him,’ her mother agreed. ‘Let’s do it now.’

She made a move for the back door, to head out into the garden, only for Holly to catch her by the hand.

‘Maybe we should get him to come into the house, though,’ she added. ‘We should tell him away from all the guests. Just in case he’s not too keen.’

Wendy paled further. There was a time when Holly had believed her mother was made of steel. That there was nothing in the entire world that could nerve her up, but the older she got, the less true she saw that was. And since her father’s heart attack, it had got a whole lot worse. It was like her mother could see the bad in any situation, often before she saw the good in it.

Holly reached out and squeezed her hand. ‘It’s going to be fine. Trust me, Mum. He’s going to love it.’

While her mum headed outside to fetch her dad, Holly remained with Evan and Hope, who was bouncing away on his knee. It was an energetic bounce, not the soft lulling rock Hope needed to fall asleep at that time of night. But just seeing the pair of them there together, smiling at one another, was enough to make her heart ache. She crossed the kitchen, ready to plant a kiss on both their heads, when her mother returned, this time with her father in tow.

‘What’s this about?’ he said as he came in. ‘Lenny was about to get out his sloe gin. You know he only does that when it’s a special occasion.’

‘I’m sure the sloe gin will still be there when you go back outside, Dad,’ Holly said, well aware that Lenny would classify any occasion as special if it meant he got to drink a bit more. ‘We wanted to give you your present.’

Having decided earlier that it would be sweet for Hope to hand her grandfather the envelope, explaining the details of his present, they had already given it to her, swapping it out for the yellow bunny she’d been cuddling beforehand. It had been an easier swap than expected but getting her to part with the now crumpled envelope and hand it over to Arthur was another matter.

‘Here, Hope. It’s Yellow Bunny. Do you want Yellow Bunny?’ Evan waved the stuffed animal in front of Hope, hoping the same exchange tactic would work again. ‘Yes, there you go.’

After an intent look at the stuffed animal, Hope pulled it from Evan’s grip, then threw it across the room.

‘I knew I should have gone for the red one,’ Evan said.

After much cajoling with yet more bunnies and no success, Holly finally went for the baby biscuits. A second later, Hope dropped the scrunched and crinkled envelope into Holly’s hand.

‘Happy birthday, Dad,’ Holly said as she handed it over. ‘This is from the three of us. Me, Mum and Hope.’

‘Well, it feels quite thick…’ Her father scrutinised the envelope as he turned it over in his hand, flattening it out as he went. ‘And it’s in a bigger envelope than a book token would be. Let me guess. A voucher for the garden centre?’

‘Close, very close,’ Holly lied.

‘Well, it better not be a voucher for the sweetshop!’ He laughed.