Page 20 of The Cotswolds Christmas Fair

‘Sorry,’ she said, putting her arm around Lou and helping her off the stool. ‘I’ll make it up to you.’

‘We’re going home tomorrow,’ Rich grumbled.

‘Well, I—’

‘Leave off her, mate,’ Ted said gently. ‘It’s her – oh wow.’

As they tumbled out of the bar, they blinked in the sudden brightness. The snow that had been drifting down gently earlier was now falling thick and heavy, coating every surface in a smooth, gleaming white layer. Jen laughed, holding out her hands to catch the fat flakes that gathered there, chilling her skin before melting. She blinked away the ones that caught in her lashes, sharing a smile with Ted.

‘Told you it was going to snow,’ he said.

‘It never snows on my birthday!’

‘It does this year.’

Jen looked around. The bar car park wasn’t the most salubrious setting, but even this looked gorgeous as the snow crystals glinted in the clear, bright light of the full moon. She couldn’t help but see it as a sign; something told her thirty-two was going to be a magical year.

She scanned the crowds of people who were making their unsteady way home or piling into the cars of their designated drivers; no sign of Anthony.

A thud smacked her in the back, cold and heavy, almost sending her staggering, and Ted guffawed with laughter.

‘Got you!’

Jen grinned. ‘Oh, you’re asking for trouble now!’

She gathered a handful of snow, balled it and threw it, catching him right on the top of the head. He shrieked, laughing, brushing it out of his hair.

‘Unfair!’ he cried. ‘You can’t aim for the head, everyone knows that. Detention for you, Jennifer Susan Ward!’

‘Detention!’ She laughed, skipping out of the way as his next snowball whistled past her and landed with a thud on the ground. ‘I can’t believe you’d be so cruel to the poor innocent children in your care, Mr Piper.’

He grunted as her next missile hit him in the chest, brushing the snow from his jacket. ‘I’m not. Only for true delinquents like yourself.’

‘Hey, I’m not a—’

Lou sighed. ‘Uber’s going to be twenty minutes.’

They all quietened, lifting their faces to the sky, where a kaleidoscope of flakes flurried. If it wasn’t for Jen’s insistence on them coming here, they’d all be safely tucked up in the cosy Airbnb.

If it wasn’t for her insistence on coming, she’d never have crossed paths with Anthony again.

She began rolling a ball of snow across the car park. ‘Shall we make a snowman?’

The Uber took forty minutes to reach them, by which time even Jen was thoroughly chilled and losing her enthusiasm for the snow, Rich and Lou were huddled in a silent little gaggle together, and Ted had put the finishing touches of bottle-top eyes and nose made out of a rather soggy Quaver crisp to a slightly sad-looking snowman. The drive back was slow and precarious, and the mood of the group wasn’t improved by their driver’s continual stream of doom-laden information about the blizzard that was now engulfing the Cotswolds and the prediction that it would continue through the night, making roads impassable by the morning.

By the time they finally reached Babblebrook they were all sitting silently, Jen and Ted watching the swirling skies through the windows, Lou resting her chin on her hand and Rich slumped, sleeping with his head lolling back and his mouth wide open. At last they crawled down the village street, and their Airbnb came into view.

‘Good night, sweetheart,’ Lou said as they got into the house, the log burner still glowing in the corner of the living room, the lights spilling from the tree. She kissed Jen’s cheek. ‘Happy birthday.’

Jen hugged her friend, remembering all the times at college that Lou had encouraged her to work on assignments when she wanted to go out instead, or to call it a night because she had teaching practice the next day, or helped her with preparing resources for activities she was planning for the children.

‘You’re the best friend,’ she murmured, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into Lou’s shoulder, holding her tight. ‘And you’re the best mum ever.’

‘We must get together more often,’ Lou said, as they all always did when they saw each other.

As Lou released her and took herself off to bed, Rich stepped forwards, smiling and opening his arms. ‘Sorry for being a grouch,’ he said. ‘Happy birthday, gorgeous.’

Jen stepped into his embrace. ‘You’re forgiven,’ she said. ‘Sorry for ignoring you and talking to someone else all night.’