Cleo was first at her side. ‘I’m so glad you came. You look amazing.’
‘So do you.’ She hugged her friend before plucking a glass of champagne from the tray Darcy whizzed around to her side with, ever the attentive hostess.
‘Where’s Kyle?’ Cleo wondered.
‘He’s finding his own way here. He and Scarlett are making the most of the rest of the holiday, I think.’
‘Don’t blame them.’
‘They’ll be here soon.’ Nathan came to join the conversation, his girlfriend over by the Christmas tree chatting with Rupert, who was circulating with a platter of canapés now. ‘You look beautiful.’
She gulped. ‘Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.’ She tried not to look at the skin on his neck where the top button of his white shirt stayed undone, or glide her eyes down his body taking in this man in the sharp suit, one hand in a pocket, the other holding his bottle of beer as they chatted. And she definitely did her best not to think of the feeling she’d got when he’d grabbed her hand at the ice rink. They’d both been wearing gloves but it made no difference, the spark was still there.
‘Where’s the boyfriend?’
She was about to tell him when she became aware of Holly snapping away with her camera. ‘Sorry,’ she grinned from behind the lens, dropping the equipment so they could see her face. ‘I like to get natural shots of everyone when they least expect. Doesn’t work so well when you see me.’ She moved on now they knew she was there.
‘Scarlett and I came to an agreement,’ Nathan told her, not persisting with his question about her love life. ‘I thought you might want to know.’
‘Of course. What kind of agreement.’
‘I’m going to read up on art courses for her, go and visit some universities together and we’ll take it from there. I’m going to remain open to suggestions.’ He made the announcement much like a master of ceremonies telling everyone that this was what was happening.
‘I’m glad to hear you’re looking at it from her point of view too,’ she said.
‘We’re going to work together while she makes some decisions,’ he smiled. ‘You know, Scarlett and I were worried you and Kyle would hide away after the news about Connie. That’s why we showed up so early at your apartment this morning and dragged you ice-skating.’
‘It was the right thing to do.’ Seeing him this morning had been the best Christmas gift she could hope for and she’d relished every second of their time together. She wondered, had he? ‘Connie would’ve been annoyed if I hadn’t come tonight.’
‘She’s not the only one.’ But his comment ended there because Mitch joined them, shook Nathan’s hand, kissed Amelia on the cheek before telling her how impressed he’d been with Kyle and his hard work at the markets.
‘He’s been an asset to my business, can I hire him next year?’ Mitch asked.
‘I’ll let him know you’re interested. But I think he might be embarking on a new career pretty soon. He wants to join the fire brigade,’ she announced proudly. And Mitch was all ears, wanting to hear more. He seemed a man who made friends for life, regardless of their age, their background.
Nathan was commandeered by the redhead, who was extolling the virtues of Rupert’s latest canapé on offer – golden-crumbed arancini bites.
Myles grabbed Amelia’s attention next. ‘Thank you for looking after the apartment, saved us having to check on it. I always worry about frozen pipes, water leaks, it’s been good having someone around.’
‘I can’t thank you enough for letting us stay there. Honestly, not being cooped up together somewhere dingy and very expensive was a real help, and we’ve felt like proper New Yorkers. Are you still planning to sell up?’
‘In the New Year. I need to paint it first.’
‘When will you ever fit that in with your work schedule?’
Darcy appeared at his side. ‘Maybe we should make the announcement now,’ she grinned at Myles.
‘What are you two hiding?’ Cleo, astute as ever, had overheard and wanted to know more.
‘I’m curious too.’ Holly, Mitch’s girlfriend, had her arms resting on her other half’s shoulder and leaned in to him.
‘Here goes.’ Darcy looked nervous, not an emotion Amelia associated with the together, well-groomed hotelier.
Darcy moved to stand beside the desk in the communal lounge, the fire flickering gently in the grate with stockings lined up along the mantel and a garland strung across the top, the tree dominating the window and shining onto the street. And with Myles’s mischievous encouragement she kicked off her heels and let him hold her hand to help her climb up onto a chair.
‘Last time that happened,’ said Dylan, ‘it was me climbing onto a chair at the Little Knitting Box to propose to Cleo.’
‘They’re already married,’ said Holly. ‘Wonder what’s going on.’
