Page 142 of Make You Mine This Christmas

‘Don’t worry about me, I’m going back to work. Good luck with it all!’ And with that, he rushes back to the shop.

‘Well, that’s one thing sorted. Ambrose, why don’t you come as well? We can get started.’

‘Why not, I’m already packed,’ Ambrose says.

‘All right then, sounds like everything is decided,’ Haf says, trying to swallow her nerves.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Kit and Christopher promise all at once, and she believes them.

Her heart is so full of warmth for these four people who she loves so deeply, and even though she’s known three of them forbarely any time at all, she knows they’re friends for life. And the bookseller, he seems pretty all right too.

As they pass the piano, Bryn looks up and gives her a wink. So much for never seeing each other again.

The future looks bright, finally.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It’s a tight squeeze into Laurel’s car – Haf, Ambrose and Kit in the back; Christopher up front so there’s room for his long legs.

‘God, this is going to be weird, isn’t it?’ Haf whispers as they pull out of London. ‘This is like a textbook nightmare daughter-in-law situation for your parents.’

‘I don’t think anything remotely on par has been documented.’ Ambrose yawns. ‘Perhaps you’ll be the first case study. The case of the fake-real fake-now-real daughter-in-not-law.’

Haf busies herself by drafting up a resignation letter on Kit’s phone, and in a sudden act of bravery, logs into her email and sends it. That’s another choice made. Kit beams with pride and kisses her on the cheek.

And even if she’s scared or worried she’s making a bad decision, it doesn’t matter so much. Not when she has the love of this car-full of people to guide her along.

Up front, Laurel and Christopher giggle together, and she suddenly remembers, through all her own drama, that back at the Howard party she and Kit caught them kissing.

‘Hang on a minute. Are you two getting back together?’ she says, leaning through the gap of the front seats.

Laurel and Christopher smile at each other for a moment.

‘Well, we had a good conversation about the fact we are really different people now,’ begins Christopher, in the sort of tone a parent might use to explain complex stuff to their child.

‘Exactly, and we’re both following our passions now, which is really exciting. And we had a really honest conversation about how we might have accidentally pushed each other down paths we didn’t want to go.’

‘Replicating our parents.’ He sighs.

‘Typical, really!’ Laurel does one of her adorable honk laughs.

‘And you dumped Mark?’ Haf prods.

‘I dumped Mark!’ she says, and everyone cheers. ‘Wow, so everyone really hated him then?’

‘Everyone,’ they chorus.

‘How did he take it?’ asks Kit. ‘I hope he cried.’

‘He did,’ says Laurel, trying to suppress a grin. ‘Don’t be mean. He’s a person with feelings too.’

‘Debatable.’

‘Maybe we can be a bit sorry for him because he lost me, and I am excellent.’

‘That is true,’ adds Christopher, and the pair of them giggle together again.

‘So youareback together?’ Haf asks again.