Page 12 of The Christmas Catch

Imogen shook her head. “No!” she wailed.

Morgan rubbed her back. “It’s okay, better out than in.” A plan formed in her mind. “Listen, Imogen. How long have you and your girlfriend—what’s her name?”

“Sam,” she said.

“Sam. How long have you been together?”

“Six months.”

“Long enough,” Morgan said. “And do you want to fight for her?”

Imogen turned her head. She’d gone all out for Mrs Claus on the make-up front, too. With her exaggerated red lipstick, blush and eye shadow, she could be a contestant onRuPaul’s Drag Race. Morgan was certain they never got deliveries of Imogen’s OTT stick-on lashes at the North Pole, either.

“I think so?”

She needed some persuasion. Morgan was the person to give it. “I’m a trained relationship specialist, so if you want some advice, I’m here for you.” She leaned in. “I’m also a lesbian, so I understand where you’re coming from.”

Imogen’s face crumpled. “That women are the worst?”

“The absolute worst,” Morgan nodded. It had been a while, but they definitely were. “But if you think she’s worth it, why don’t you drive to Manchester and let her know? Do you know her address there?”

Imogen nodded. “I met her family a couple of months ago when we went for a weekend.”

“There you are. If you want her, maybe you should go after her.”

Imogen stared at Morgan, then twisted to look outside. “But the snow.”

“The motorway will be clear,” Morgan added. “Plus, I need to go that way, so how about I come with you? My plane’s cancelled. I could coach you on what to say on our journey. It’ll be like a road trip. Thelma and Louise!”

Imogen scrunched her brow. “That movie didn’t end well.”

She had a point. Poor example. But Morgan wasn’t to be defeated. “But the whole gist of it was about female friendship and empowerment.” Morgan paused, letting her words sink in. “If you go today, act on your gut. Maybe Sam just got cold feet over something. But if you confront her, you’ll know. If you don’t, you’ll be stewing all Christmas until you’re back at university. When is that?”

Imogen frowned, then took a moment before she replied. “Nearly a month.”

“You don’t want to wait that long. You need answers.” She was really laying it on thick. But this was Morgan’s ticket out.

Was Imogen going to bite?

“I promise, if we do this, we don’t have to drive off a cliff at the end.”

“There aren’t many cliffs in Manchester.”

“Exactly!”

The silence hung over them as Imogen processed. Then she jumped up and held out her hand to Morgan. “Okay, you’re on. Road trip to Manchester. Sam will not believe I’d drive all the way there to confront her.”

“You might end the day back on, and with all the answers you need. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hope roared through Morgan. They could at least move south getting a lift with Imogen. Plus, she was Mrs Claus, so the best driver possible. She probably rode shotgun with Santa every year and took over the driving when he was tired or got stuck up a chimney.

Now she just had to locate Ali, and they could go.

Today was already turning into way more of an adventure than she’d planned.

* * *

They foundAli filling in forms at the luggage desk, along with hundreds of other passengers. It impressed Morgan she’d even got the forms.