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‘We used to be, for a long time. And then I drifted away. But I guess she and Agnes never forgot that.’

Evan looked again at the contents of the letter before turning to Holly.

‘So what does this mean? What are you going to do?’

She pressed her lips tightly together. She hadn’t really had that long to think about it, but she didn’t need to. She knew from the moment she saw those words on the page, and the number written beneath, what she was going to do.

‘I know I could pay off the mortgage on the sweet shop. There’s more than enough to do that. It’s probably the sensible thing to do, and it’s definitely what Maud thought I’d do. But the sweet shop is doing so well that it’ll sort itself out, and I’ve rather liked how I’ve stopped doing sensible things lately.’

‘So, what does that mean?’

Holly reached out and took Evan’s hand, wishing she could use both of hers to grasp his properly, but she couldn’t, so she just had to make do as she looked up into his eyes.

‘What you asked me a minute ago, I said no?—’

‘I know, because I rush things?—’

‘No, will you stop interrupting? I said no because that’s not the way I want to do it. I don’t want you to buy a house for us to live in and grow as a family. Whether I help choose it or not. That’s not what I want. I want us to buy it together.’

Evan’s eyes widened. ‘You mean…’

‘I mean, you need to ring your estate agent, or however it was you sorted out the house, and tell them we’ll take a look at it together. And some others, while we’re at it. And when we find the one we want, there are going to be two names on the deed.’

‘Did I mention that I love you?’ Evan said, before he planted his lips against hers.

Holly could have stayed there all night, kissing him until the stars filled the sky, and yet it felt like she had only just started when someone shouted at them.

‘Hey, you two, what are you doing out here – secretly snogging?’ Jamie was holding the train for her dress up so that you could see the trainers she was wearing beneath it. ‘This is my wedding. You need to get inside and dance! Now!’

With a grin that stretched so wide, Holly’s entire face ached, she looked back to Evan.

‘I guess we’d better get inside then,’ she said.

EPILOGUE

Growing up, Holly had believed there was an order to life. A way you were supposed to do things. Get a job, find a man, buy a house, get married, have a family. That was the route to happily ever after. Or so she’d thought.

So far, her route had gone nothing like that at all.

She’d had a job and left it. She’d taken over a business, had a baby, then found a man, and now, assuming everything went through the way she hoped it would, she was buying a house.

‘So, what do you think?’ Evan said, as they finished touring the cottage in Slaughter. The estate agent had been desperate to point out all the period features, from the fireplace to the original tiles. There was no denying it was beautiful. A perfect blend of modern and traditional, with a sleek, white kitchen and rolltop bath, combined with low ceilings and wooden beams throughout. It was the type of house she could imagine seeing in a double page feature spread ofCountry Lifemagazine. But was it the type of place where she could see herself baking away in the kitchen or painting with Hope on the dining room table?

‘It feels like a show home,’ Holly replied to Evan’s question.

‘Why do I get the feeling that’s not a good thing?’ he said.

She shrugged. ‘I know it would be different when we’ve got all our things in here, but I feel like I’d be worried about messing things up. Scratching the worktops. Breaking the tiles. And I can only imagine the stress if Hope spilled something on the floor.’

‘So we keep looking,’ Evan said. ‘This is our home we’re talking about, and we’re not going to buy something unless it’s perfect.’

It was a tall order.The perfect home,but Holly then considered, she’d already got the perfect job, daughter, man, and – as cheesy as it sounded – the perfect life in general.

Evan was right; one day, they would have it all and she couldn’t wait.