Why had Sasha and Evie been friends with Millie for so many years? She was really annoying.
‘Oh, wow. When did you two get married? Which chapel was it?’ the waiter said.
Dan took a sideways glance at Evie. She was rolling her eyes and shaking her head and laughing a little.
‘Um,’ he said.
‘They aren’t really married,’ Sasha said. ‘It was a joke.We, however,aregetting married. In England, in the Cotswolds.Anyway, everyone, we all need tolook at my ringagain.’
The congratulations and ring admiration were followed by the crackers.
‘As the new Mrs Angus-to-be,’ Sasha said, ‘I’m going to be really strict about joke-telling. We’re all going to take it in turns to read them, and we’re going to do guessing and everything.’
‘Steady on,’ said Angus, smiling at her besottedly.
Evie was third up. ‘I have a medical joke,’ she said, holding her piece of paper up. ‘Why did Santa’s helper see the doctor?’
‘Nope,’ she said a couple of minutes later. ‘You’re all wrong. Wait for it. It was because he had low elf esteem. Ba boom.’ Nice delivery. You could see how she’d make a good teacher. She was smiling at everyone and there was that dimple again that Dan had first noticed all those years ago.
An hour later, they were all in the hotel lounge drinking house champagne to toast Sasha and Angus before doing their secret Santas. Sasha had told them that they had to spend as close to £20 as possible and that they had to buy proper presents, and had drawn them all out of a hat to decide who gave to whom. Dan had got Rav, who he’d only met a couple of times. After an initial total lack of inspiration, he’d bought him a pair of 3 kg dumb-bells for £21.
Following the cracker jokes, Sasha was going big on everyone taking turns, and no-one was going to contradict her. She was fairly bossy at the best of times, but when she was on a high from getting engaged, you’d be mad to mess with her if you didn’t have to.
‘Thanks, mate. Genuinely a good present,’ Rav said when it was his turn.
‘No problem,’ Dan replied. ‘I was pretty pleased with my brainwave until I realised that it’d take me over my baggage allowance for the flight. Had to leave my heaviest pair of shoes at home. I can take them back in my bag if you have the same issue. Best to go light on presents when you’re travelling.’
‘My present for Evieislight,’ said Sasha, bringing out a fancily wrapped square, flat, soft present. Clearly clothing.
‘It’s gorgeous,’ said Evie, beaming, when she’d unwrapped it and pulled out a cream scarf. ‘Linen and silk. Hmm. Pretty sure you cheated on the price criterion.’ Good present, actually. Now Dan thought about it, Evie wore a lot of scarves in different colours.
‘Organiser’s prerogative,’ Sasha said. ‘And I’mengaged. I can doanything I like.’
‘You are so right,’ said Evie. ‘Engaged people can do literally anything. Thank you again, lovely Sasha.’
Dan was last on the present opening. His present was clearly going to be from Evie, because she was the only person left.
She stood up to hand it to him and then sat back down between Millie and Tola on their sofa.
‘I’m going to apologise in advance,’ she said. ‘I was completely out of good present ideas. And every other secret Santa I’ve ever been involved in was at least partly a joke. So, yeah, I’m kind of sorry. But also not.’
‘Can’t wait to find out what’s inside,’ Dan said, raising his eyebrows.
Evie covered her face with her hands while he unwrapped. The paper was nice – gold Santas on a green background – and she’d wrapped it very neatly.
She’d bought him theHome Alonefilm collection and a pair of Christmas novelty socks. Not that controversial, surely.
‘You said you’d never seenHome Alonethat time you drove me from London to Melting,’ she said, ‘and DVDs of old films are very cheap nowadays, because no-one buys them, so I had money left over. So I bought the socks. They’re very cool. You see the folded bit, like the cuff at the top. Lift it up.’
Dan lifted one of them and choked. ‘Evie Green. That’s outrageous. And clever. That’s some serious Santa sock pornography.’
‘Did you say Santa sock or Santa sack, ooh-er?’ Rav asked while Anita play-smacked him and Evie covered her face again.
‘Thank you very much,’ Dan told Evie. ‘I’ll watch the film and marvel that I’ve never seen it before, and I’ll wear the socks with pride.’
Evie uncovered her face and smiled at him and Dan felt something inside him falter.
They all went for a stroll late afternoon, before their next eating fest, Dan careful to avoid walking next to Evie, because he didn’t want any more strange feelings. He did the same over their evening buffet meal in the hotel restaurant.
