Page 45 of Winter Magic at Hollybrae Castle

I turn slightly until the side of my face presses against his. ‘I think I’ve got a little red hotel digging into my back.’

He bursts into laughter and returns the gesture. ‘You’re lucky. I’ve got a Scottie dog in my hip.’

I let my right hand come up and stroke through the longer front parts of his hair, and he reaches for my left hand and holds it with both of his, spinning the ring on my wedding finger, and… we simply stay like that.

I don’t know how much time passes. The fire on one side, the tree twinkling with every rainbow colour on the other, and Ollie’s weight, warmth, and spicy aftershave surrounding me from all angles, along with the Christmas music that’s cycled around to ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.

I know he’s not asleep because he’s still playing mindlessly with my fingers, and the wine makes me brave enough to ask something that’s intrigued me from the first day I got here. ‘Was Lucy a real person once?’

‘She was.’ He sounds unsurprised by the question. ‘I was dating her when I went for the interview at Galligan & Brenton. We’d been together for over a year, we were happy, so she was who I had in mind when I told that lie. I honestly thought it wouldn’t always be a lie – I thought I was just telling them in advance to help me get the job.’

‘But you didn’t marry her?’

He shakes his head gently, knowing I’ll feel the movement.

‘What happened?’

‘I got the job. I wasn’t good enough to get the job but I got it because of my father’s name, and I had to work so hard to make sure they didn’t regret it. Lucy lived in Glasgow, she travelled back and forth to spend time with me, but I prioritised the job. I’d crash at her flat in the city and do nothing but work. She’d come here and I’d have so much prep to do that if I wasn’t doing it, I was thinking about it. We held on for a while, but she rightfully got sick of it, and we had to admit it wasn’t working out.’

‘I’m sorry.’ I close the fingers of my left hand around his and give them a squeeze.

‘It was my fault. I should have tried to find a better work–life balance, but I couldn’t let my father down. I finally had a way to make him proud and I had to prioritise that. It was just… bad timing.’

I chew my lower lip. That must’ve been five-ish years ago, and he’s still just as insecure in his job. ‘No one since?’

‘Work. Work since. It’s all I’ve done for years now.’ He turns until his nose rubs against my cheek, probably unintentionally. ‘You’ve seen enough of my life to know that, yes, I really am that boring.’

I go to tell him he’s the furthest thing from boring, but he doesn’t let me finish the sentence.

‘How about you?’ He uses the grip on my left hand to jiggle my arm around like he’s trying to shake an answer out. ‘The men of London must be absolute idiots not to have snapped you up by now.’

I smile at his sweetness, even though he doesn’t need to lay on the charm quite that thick. ‘I don’t know. When you get to our age and you’re still single, people expect some great romantic tragedy of cheating exes and sad sob stories, but it’s nothing like that for me. I’ve just never found “the one”. I’ve never felt that forever connection. I’ve dated, been in short relationships, but there’s always been something that didn’t feel right. Some people find their perfect partners and some don’t, and that’s just the way it is. I guess I’ve just never been in the right place at the right time.’

‘Why does it feel like we’re in the right place at the right time now?’ His voice is so quiet that I have to strain to hear it, despite how close we’re lying, and I’m unsure of what to do with those words because they feel important in a way that neither of us should even be considering.

‘I don’t know, but I’d place the blame squarely on Nancy’s mulled wine.’

He creases up into a fit of giggles. ‘I concur.’

‘I also want that ridiculous love,’ I continue. ‘The kind where you’re full of butterflies and walking on clouds and you can’t wait to see them again. The Hallmark movie love where you know they’re meant for each other from the first moment, and it’s all going to work out and they’re going to overcome every obstacle in their path because their love will conquer all.’

‘So, realistic then?’

‘Yeah, very.’ I can’t help laughing at his sarcasm. ‘There should always be an element of magic to falling in love. Realism can come later. Everyone deserves that magical, fairytale feeling when they first find each other.’

‘It’s a nice thought. I’m too sensible for things like that.’

‘No one’s too sensible to fall in love.’

‘The fact I’m forty and paying someone to be my fake wife suggests otherwise.’

‘I’d do it for free, you know. Anyone would be lucky to have you, Ol.’

‘That might be the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me. I could pretend to love you without monetary compensation. What every person dreams of hearing.’

‘Well, I’ll be forty in January and I’m currently being paid to be someone’s fake wife, so what does that say about either of us?’

‘That we somehow managed to be in the right place at the right time this December?’