Page 30 of Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle

‘And don’t forget the pony!’

‘Why did I know this was heading towards blackmail territory?’ Ollie says with a joking groan, even though he’s clearly looking forward to having them for Christmas as much as they’re looking forward to being here. Apart from the pony aspect, probably.

When the kids have had enough of painting pots, we bundle up and throw a ball around outside, play a game of hide-and-seek, and then a couple of board games in front of the fire with another hot chocolate each. Maisie and Rory regale me with everything their mum has ever told them about their births in case I want to pass the stories off as my own, which is something I hope will never come up, because if I know very little about taking care of children, I know even less about giving birth to them.

At dinner time, we make a cranberry and sage pasta bake with Ollie in charge of ingredients, me chopping veggies, and the kids overseeing the copious amount of cheese on top, and we all gather around the dining table again.

‘Sit closer!’ Maisie demands, smooshing her hands together to show we should move our chairs nearer.

He drags his across and I do the same and we meet somewhere in the middle.

‘Hi,’ he says as my thigh presses alongside his.

‘Hi.’ I couldn’t stop myself smiling at him if I tried. He’s barely stopped laughing all day. The crows’ feet are crinkled up around his cheerful eyes, and I get the feeling he doesn’t get to be young and carefree very often and he’s loving having the kids around.

Our elbows knock together as we eat, and he keeps looking over and winking at me.

‘Hold hands!’

‘We’re eating! No one holds hands when they’re eating!’ Ollie’s laughing again, which turns into a groan when Rory announces it’s time for a pop quiz.

‘What’s Uncle Ollie’s favourite Christmas movie?’ he asks me, and I’m half-expecting him to start reading from a set of cue cards like a gameshow host.

‘I have no idea,’ I admit.

‘Rory, no one at work knows my favourite Christmas movie. She could say anything and no one would know.’

‘But you know, and you’re supposed to be getting to know each other. Do you want it to look like you’ve only just met?’ Rory gives us such a severe look that it sets us both off giggling again.

‘It’s Home Alone,’ Ollie says eventually.

‘I’ve never seen it.’

‘You what?’ He pulls back and mimics a dagger going into his heart. ‘We’re the same age, how can you not have seen one of the biggest films of our time?’

‘I don’t know, a kid being tormented by burglars never seemed particularly festive to me!’

‘It’s the burglars who are tormented by the kid, trust me on that.’ He points between me and himself. ‘We’re going to put this right this December. You two are my witnesses. She’s not leaving here without watching Home Alone and all the sequels with me, yes?’

They agree, even though knowing it’s Ollie’s favourite Christmas film makes it infinitely more appealing.

‘What’s Auntie Lula’s favourite Christmas song?’ Rory tries to get our attention back on the task at hand.

‘“Coventry Carol”,’ Ollie answers around a mouthful of pasta bake.

‘Ahh, I didn’t say it was my favourite, I said it was the one I was named after.’ I give him a playful nudge.

He nudges me back. ‘What’s your favourite then?’

‘If it wasn’t “Mull of Kintyre”, it’s rapidly becoming so.’

‘Awww,’ Maisie and Rory say in unison, and I look over at Ollie again and a smile tugs his mouth up at one side. His eyes twinkle at me and it’s harder to tear my gaze away than it should be.

‘What’s your favourite thing about each other?’ Maisie asks.

Ollie pulls back and looks at me, holding my gaze for a moment that stretches out endlessly. ‘Lula makes everything beautiful.’

In the middle of laughing and joking, it sounds serious enough to make my breath catch, because that’s a really nice thing to hear, especially given that decorating progress is slow so far while I wait for the bulk of things to arrive and plan out where everything will look its best.