Page 73 of Starry Nights over Dragonfly Lake

Beth quickly spun around and immediately looked up to the sky. Noah followed suit and saw that the meteor shower had begun. For a moment, he was transfixed. How had he never studied the night sky before now, he wondered, as he watched the shooting stars fly across the inky black atmosphere above them. It was truly magical.

‘Isn’t it amazing?’ Beth asked him before heading back towards the waiting crowd.

It was, thought Noah. But he was starting to think that Beth was pretty amazing as well.

39

The Christmas tree lights twinkled in the soft light of the Boathouse Café.

It was evening time and the café was closed to customers due to a very important event five days before Christmas.

‘Happy Friendmas!’ Beth said, along with Lily, Hannah and Ella as they chinked their champagne glasses together.

Hannah had recently bought some comfortable second-hand leather sofas which she had placed in the corner of the café for people to enjoy a casual coffee. This evening, however, it was where the four best friends were curled up to celebrate Christmas a couple of days early.

In the background, Hannah had put on Christmas music and the large coffee table between the two sofas was groaning with food.

‘You didn’t need to cook for us,’ said Lily. ‘We could have gone out.’

‘I love cooking for you all,’ Hannah told her. ‘Anyway, it’s just picky bits.’

‘My favourite,’ murmured Beth, reaching forward to dip a breadstick in a bowl of melted camembert.

‘Why is my champagne red?’ asked Ella, staring at the red liquid in her glass.

‘Because it’s a special Christmas cocktail,’ replied Hannah. ‘Frankie told me to add pomegranate syrup to make it more festive.’

‘It’s delicious,’ Lily told her, before taking another sip.

‘I can’t believe we won’t all be together for Christmas,’ said Beth, making a face.

‘Who am I to turn down a free holiday in the Alps?’ asked Ella, with a wide smile.

A chance date a fortnight ago had quickly turned into something more significant before her brand-new boyfriend Benedict had surprised her with a last-minute trip to the Italian Alps for Christmas.

‘It sounds so romantic,’ said Hannah. ‘Wish we had snow here.’

‘Next month apparently,’ Lily told her. ‘They reckon we’ll get loads in the new year.’

‘Excellent,’ said Beth. ‘I love the cold crisp days of winter.’

‘It’ll be even colder and crisper in Antarctica if you get that cruise ship job,’ Hannah reminded her.

Beth nodded. The Zoom interview had gone well and now it was just a case of waiting to see if they wanted to hire her as a stargazing guide on their latest cruise ship.

‘It’s an amazing opportunity and would look great on your resume,’ said Ella, nodding her approval.

‘Of course it would,’ said Hannah.

‘So tell us about this last-minute holiday,’ said Lilyto Ella. ‘Do you ski?’

‘I après-ski,’ Ella told her, with a smile. ‘Besides, you can’t really expect me to go hurtling down a mountain on two planks of wood. I mean, I’m not that crazy. So expect lots of photos on my blog of fondue, fireplaces and twinkling lights.’

‘You could have that here,’ murmured Hannah.

‘I agree,’ said Lily. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be with us? I know we’re not sophisticated and all that but it might be more relaxing.’

‘Maybe she just wants to be with her new love,’ said Beth, as always thinking of the romance of a snowy holiday in the Alps at Christmastime.