Page 39 of Never Gonna Happen

‘I’ll check your car over,’ said Martin. ‘Put a shovel in the boot. You never know.’

‘Thanks, Dad.’ Emily headed into the lounge to pack. She considered dropping Jamie a WhatsApp letting him know she was driving back, but she had no idea how long it would take, or if she’d get as far as the ring road and have to turn back. There was no point worrying him.

The journey was tedious in the driving snow and poor visibility, but the motorways had been heavily gritted and the traffic kept moving, albeit at a snail’s pace at times. She stopped at the services on the M25 to have lunch with David, Joanne and the kids, before they headed north on the A1. It was a longer route than the M1, but it meant they’d been able to stay with her for longer. Having David and Jo in the car behind had relieved a lot of her anxiety about driving in these conditions, and she was sorry to say goodbye.

By the time she turned on to the M11 the snow was thinning out to light flurries, and half an hour later there wasn’t a flake to be seen, although the sky felt heavy and ominous. She wondered if Leon and Anna had returned early too, or if she’d find Bowford Manor deserted. The charter company had confirmed that the return trip from Switzerland was still scheduled for the day after tomorrow, so clearly the Hunters hadn’t felt the need to cut their holiday short.

Driving through the familiar gates of Bowford Manor felt like a relief after such a long and stressful drive, and even more so when it became clear that neither Anna nor Leon had returned. The lights were on in Jamie’s apartment above the stables, however, so she spent ten minutes lugging her bags up to her room and freshening up her pale and tired face before heading over to say hello. She found him in the yard, stroking a beautiful black horse over the stable door.

‘I thought you weren’t back until Wednesday,’ he said, looking surprised but gratifyingly happy to see her. He pulled her into an awkward hug, then hustled her into the relative warmth of the tack room.

‘I decided to beat the snow,’ she said with a smile.

‘Yeah, I saw on the news we’ve got some heavy weather coming. I’m just going to take a spin around the estate and make sure everything’s secure.’

‘Can I help?’

‘No, it’s fine, you’re better off indoors.’ He paused for a second. ‘What are your plans for this evening?’

‘I was supposed to be getting hammered with Kelly, but that’s gone out of the window.’

‘Do you want to come over for supper? I was planning to light a campfire out the back and watch the snow.’

Emily hesitated, then nodded. Avoiding Jamie wasn’t the answer, particularly on New Year’s Eve. And if she was honest, spending time with him was the only thing she wanted to do. ‘Sounds good. Can I bring anything?’

Jamie thought for a second. ‘You could raid the freezer for a couple of Sam’s dinners?’

‘No problem. I’ll see you later.’

Jamie smiled. ‘Wrap up warm.’

She headed back to the house, thinking that if the heat between her legs spread through her body much further, she wouldn’t need a coat at all.

Emily lay in the bath, steam billowing around the cold room and condensing on the tiny windows. The hot water was blissful, even though it felt strange to be in such a huge house alone. Usually there were voices or doors closing or the distant hum of a vacuum cleaner; Bowford Manor was never silent.

She supposed she could have used one of the family bathrooms – they probably had huge sunken Jacuzzis and gold toilets. But knowing her luck Anna would come back from whatever troll bridge she’d stayed under for Christmas and catch her shaving her legs in Mr Hunter’s bathtub. And anyway, her little attic bathroom was perfectly fine even though the pipes clanked and the windows were draughty. She’d lit a scented candle and added some fancy bubble bath to the water, both Christmas presents from David and Jo. It all felt quite decadent.

Her phone rang, and a glance at the screen told her it was Kelly. She smiled, knowing that Beth was probably having a nap and her friend was ringing to check she was back in one piece.

‘Hey, Kel.’ She put the phone on speaker and balanced it on the side of the bath.

‘Where are you?’ asked Kelly. ‘You sound like you’re down a well.’

‘I’m in the bath. Got back an hour ago.’

‘Have you seen Norfolk’s answer to Jamie Dornan yet?’

Emily smiled. ‘I have. I’m going over there later.’

‘I can’t believe you’ve abandoned me in favour of shagging in the New Year with a hot man.’

‘I can’t imagine that’s going to happen,’ said Emily, who had already imagined it happening in multiple scenarios, all of them steamier than this bathroom. ‘Is it still snowing?’

‘Yeah,’ said Kelly, undeterred. ‘Coming down in sheets. Have you shaved your bikini line?’

‘No,’ lied Emily. Her stomach squirmed with guilt, and she wished she could be more honest, tell Kelly about how she’d messed things up by falling in love with Mark, and was now on the cusp of repeating history with Jamie. But it felt like too big a conversation to have on the phone.

‘Have you got any New Year’s resolutions?’ she asked, keen to change the subject.