Page 42 of Last Christmas in London

He smiled quizzically. ‘I’m sorry, your what?’

I looked over my shoulder at Josh. who was pointing to a list of cocktails and discussing the tweaks he would like made to them. He was a regular Sally from When Harry Met Sally when it came to his cocktails.

‘It’s my first Christmas in London, and kind of my last…’ I mumbled the end of my sentence and cleared my throat. ‘And Megan, Josh and I kind of have this plan – it’s sort of all the things we’ve said we’d always do if I was ever in London – one of them was the Christmas Pudding Race.’

‘And the others?’ Simon asked, clearly curious as he leaned forward on his arms.

‘Drink mulled wine in Covent Garden.’ I smirked.

‘Ah, well, I know you did that already.’

‘Yep. Others include eating dinner in an igloo.’

‘An igloo?’ he repeated.

‘Apparently it’s a thing.’ I shrugged. ‘That was one of Josh’s ideas.’

‘Okay, that I understand. Any others?’

‘Buy something Christmassy from a market, go ice skating.’

Simon nodded, still smiling. ‘No light shows?’

‘We saw the lights at Carnaby Street,’ Megan said, suddenly appearing at the table. ‘What did I miss?’

‘Nothing much,’ I said, leaning back and making sure she had plenty of room. ‘I was just telling Simon all about my Christmas bucket list.’

‘Ahh, yes, the famous list of things that we always said we would do if Evie spent a Christmas in London,’ Megan laughed. Clearly her husband had finally answered the phone.

‘Is Alex okay?’ I asked quickly.

‘He sounds like he’s at death’s door.’ She grinned. Obviously, Alex sounded realistically ill still and therefore unlikely to have been having a secret shag with a neighbour or one of Megan’s relatives.

Simon’s brow furrowed in confusion over Megan’s oddly assigned glee.

‘It’s a long story,’ I said, and he shrugged as if this was a fair enough explanation.

‘So how are you two friends?’

‘I feel like I should be asking you two that,’ Megan said, winking between me and Simon. ‘You never really told me how you two knew each other the first time we met.’ Megan pointed between herself and Simon.

‘I did tell you.’ I blushed. ‘I bumped into him and then bumped into him again.’

Now was not the time to say that I was really quite happy to be bumping into him again and again. In fact, I was thinking of making it a habit over Christmas.

‘Sounds like the opening of Bewitched,’ Megan said, not pacified. ‘I need details!’

‘She did bump into me.’ Simon laughed. ‘Clearly, Evie is not known for her coordination. Today’s Christmas pudding was the victim today.’

‘Don’t judge my Christmas pudding!’ I lightly threw one of the beer mats at him.

‘What about you two? You’re best friends, I assume?’ Simon pressed.

‘She’s practically my sister.’

‘Practically?’ Megan repeated, mock-offended. ‘I am your sister. We lived together for over ten years after all.’

I rolled my eyes, thinking I might as well tell Simon the whole story, if abridged, to avoid the sympathy-scene repeat.