Page 17 of Always, in December

Josie cleared her throat. ‘Max, Helen, Helen, Max.’

Somehow instantly guessing what type of person she was, instead of shaking her hand, Max brought it to his lips and kissed it swiftly. ‘Delighted to meet you.’

Helen’s eyes narrowed, reserving judgement. ‘Are you the “friend” Josie was with? Are you staying for supper?’

Max ran a hand across his stubbled jaw. ‘I wish I could, but I have other duties to attend to, unfortunately.’

‘Hmm.’ Helen glanced between the two of them before whispering to Josie, perfectly audibly, ‘What happened to the other one? Oliver, wasn’t it? I liked him.’ Which wasn’t entirely true – Helen had only decided to like Oliver after the fourth time she’d met him, a year and a half into the relationship.

Josie sighed. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

Helen turned back to Max. ‘And what is it that you do?’

Max said, ‘I’m an architect,’ at the same moment that Josie realised that she hadn’t even asked him what he did for a living in the last two days. God, he must think she was so self-involved.

Helen was pursing her lips, clearly deciding whether she thought ‘architect’ was a good career choice. ‘For which company?’ she asked, and Josie suppressed a snort. Like she’d have any way of telling the good companies from the bad. Josie smiled apologetically at Max over Helen’s head.

‘ALA,’ Max said. ‘Do you know them?’

Helen didn’t seem to read the slight joke in Max’s voice, thankfully, and just sniffed slightly.

‘Ladies, if you’re ready to be seated . . .’ The waiter was hovering uncertainly next to them, and Josie became aware that they were very much clogging up a walkway, though everyone was too polite to tell them explicitly to get out the way.

‘Yes, yes,’ Helen said, waving a hand and taking Josie by the elbow, abruptly ending the conversation with Max.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Josie said over her shoulder.

Max nodded. ‘Nine a.m.’

Josie was steered abruptly around a corner, and Helen let go of her elbow when they reached a corner table. ‘Sit on my right, won’t you, darling? My ear is playing up again.’

Josie seated herself and smiled her thanks to the waiter as he handed her the menu, noticing that Helen already had a bottle of sparkling water and a bottle of Chardonnay on the table.

‘Nightmare at the hotel,’ Helen was saying. ‘No record of my reservation, and then Susan has come down with a terrible headache so had to cancel our plans, and well anyway, how are you, darling?’ All without pausing for breath.

Josie smiled despite herself, taking a sip of the wine her aunt had poured. ‘I’m good.’

Helen eyed her appraisingly. ‘You look peaky.’

‘Well, I suppose it’s cold today.’

‘Hmm. And who’s that chap then? How did you meet?’

‘In a club, five years ago,’ Josie said promptly.

Helen looked up from the menu and frowned. ‘In a club?’ Like she was one to judge: she’d met the husband she was now on track to divorce – the third – at a cocktail bar when out with one of her friends.

Josie shook her head. ‘It was a joke.’

Helen’s eyebrows shot up as she returned to the menu, one finger scrolling down the options. ‘Not a very funny one, darling.’ But despite what Helen said, Josie found herself laughing, and for once the sound of an instrumental version of ‘Silent Night’ did not annoy her.

Chapter Six

The icy wind whipped Josie’s hair around her face, all efforts to tame it long since abandoned, and there was the taste of salt on her tongue as she sucked in a breath against the cold. Sand had made its way into her boots - completely impractical for walking along the beach, but she refused to go barefoot like Max. Honestly, she’d be surprised if he didn’t get frostbite. He was actually in the water now, allowing the foaming white hands of the waves to creep up around his ankles, trousers hitched up as he paddled like a toddler on a summer’s day. He grinned over to where she stood a safe distance back, camera in her hand.

‘Come and play,’ he said, his voice barely making it over the sound of the wind and waves. A little way down there was another couple, walking hand in hand, wrapped up in big waterproof coats and scarves, and Josie could see both of them looking at Max like he was a madman.

‘No way. And I won’t be taking you to hospital later to get your toes sewn back on, just remember that.’ His only answer was to grin at her again, and she felt her face fighting the stern expression she’d adopted. He seemed genuinely happy here – from the moment they’d stepped off the train, his step had become more bouncing, his expression more animated. Despite the freezing temperatures, it was infectious.