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‘I just want to make sure the wasps and ants don’t get to the food,’ Holly said. ‘I’ll stay over here.’

‘You are being ridiculous,’ Jamie said. ‘We can’t have a photo without you in it. They’ll be fine for five minutes.’

Grumbling, Holly found a couple of serviettes, which she draped over the food before traipsing over to join the others.

‘About time,’ Jamie said. ‘Now come on. Squeeze in next to Giles.’

‘I’ll come and stand next to Hope,’ Holly said.

‘No, I’ve got a height thing going on. Come on, just squeeze in there. It’ll work much better.’

‘Sorry,’ Holly muttered as she squeezed herself in between Sienna and Giles.

She could feel her face glowing with embarrassment. ‘Do you really want me to go in between Sienna and Giles? Surely couples should be together.’

‘Not for this they don’t have to be. It works. Trust me.’

Holly was fully aware of the glares she was receiving from both sides as she wriggled into the gap, but while she couldn’t give a monkey’s how Sienna was looking at her, Giles’s glower caused a deep throbbing behind her sternum.

‘Sorry, I just?—’

‘It’s fine,’ he snapped.

It’s fine.Those were the first two words Giles had spoken to her in two weeks. What was he referring to? The fact that she had to press up close to him to get in the photo, or the email she’d sent, or the kiss? Was that what was fine? Or maybe it had nothing to do with that – maybe it was just because she’d had to jostle them out of the way a bit so that she could fit in the photo.

‘Okay, everybody get ready to saynaming day!’ Jamie called out as she set the phone on a timer. ‘Here we go: three, two, one, naming day!’

Several of the children pulled funny faces at the exact moment the camera went off, but Holly wouldn’t have expected anything else.

‘Okay, a couple more with the guide-parents, then we’ll get to the food.’

Holly let out a sigh of relief – at least she didn’t have to be involved in that. That had to be the most difficult bit done, right? Now she could just avoid people she didn’t want to speak to and try to leave early. Maybe she could say she needed to see her parents. Yes, that would be the perfect excuse. After all, her mum had been struggling more and more recently.

She was just checking the time and wondering how long she would have to wait before making her excuses when a voice spoke to her.

‘Holly?’

She turned around; her stomach somersaulted. Sienna was there, looking straight at her.

‘Sienna?’ Holly knew her voice sounded strained.

‘It’s been so long. It feels like it’s been so long,’ Sienna said, reaching her arms around Holly and squeezing her tightly. ‘You know, the spa feels like weeks ago, doesn’t it?’

‘Well, it was two weeks ago.’

‘I know, but I mean weeks and weeks ago. And I need to apologise. I really hadn’t planned on telling Giles about our little tiff. We just share everything. You know what that’s like? You’ve been in relationships.’

‘I have,’ Holly replied, feeling a familiar twitch along her jaw. ‘The type where you actually tell the truth to one another. I was surprised to hear thatIdemanded to go to the pub. I hadn’t realised.’

Sienna didn’t so much as bat an eyelid.

‘You can’t say you gave us much choice, can you really? Come on, your entire apology finished with saying you were going to get McDonald’s delivered.’

‘It was a joke. As you know.’

‘Hmm, and did anyone find it funny?’

Holly wasn’t going to put up with it any longer. Sienna was nothing more than a schoolyard bully, only they weren’t in school any more. She was a grown-up and if she thought she was going to push Holly out of her friendship groups, not to mention out of Giles’s life, she was very much mistaken.