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‘Oh.’ Jake looked at the dance floor, and Evelyn followed his gaze.

For a few moments she didn’t understand, until she spotted Callum and Sarah, and her memories caught up with her. It seemed that, along with the meat raffle, the tradition of the “Daddy Daughter Dance” had been kept. ‘Summer, I—’ She stopped at Jake’s hand resting on her arm.

‘I think I can fix this,’ he whispered, his breath warm against her cheek and ear. ‘Can I try?’

‘Please, yes.’

Jake stood, and cleared his throat before kneeling by Summer. ‘I know I’m not your dad, but I’d like to think we’re good friends. I’d be honoured if you would share this dance with me.’

‘Really?’ Summer looked at him, her eyes glowing with hope.

‘Really.’ He held out his hand, and Evelyn found herself holding her breath.

Summer pulled a face. ‘I’m not very good at dancing. I never learned how.’

‘That’s OK.’ Jake grinned. ‘I’m not very good either. But maybe we can be not very good together.’ He beckoned, encouraging her to wrap her fingers around his. ‘What do you say? Will you be my Cinderella for a dance?’

Summer pursed her lips and regarded him seriously. ‘I think Mum should be your Cinderella properly. But you can practice dancing with me first.’

‘OK. You can be my teacher then. Shall we?’

‘Yes please.’ Summer took his hand and virtually skipped to the dance floor with him, leaving Evelyn to dab at her eyes with a napkin. Jake had known exactly how to make Summer feel better, and hadn’t hesitated to lead her to the dance floor, bending himself like a pretzel to dance with her, and make her feel as special as she deserved. It was more than Charlie had ever done for Summer. And Evelyn was beyond grateful to Jake for it – she remembered her own Daddy Daughter Dances with such fondness, and she was glad Summer wasn’t sat on the sidelines watching her friends. There weren’t words enough to thank Jake for that.

She watched them as Jake whirled Summer around the floor, picking her up and spinning her every so often, which made her giggle. And treating her like the special princess she was. Evelyn whipped out her phone to take a couple of pictures of the two of them together, wanting to record the magical moment for prosperity. When she zoomed in on the two of them, she could see that Jake was smiling down at Summer.

When Summer bounded back, bubbling and full of excitement, Evelyn’s eyes locked with Jake’s. ‘Thank you.’ She mouthed the words over her daughter’s head.

‘Thank you.’ Jake kissed Summer’s hand, sending her into peels of giggles. ‘That was a lovely dance,’ he told her seriously.

‘I think you should take Mum to dance now.’

‘I think that’s a lovely idea.’ His eyes flicked up to Evelyn’s again. ‘What do you think? Would you like to try your luck on the dance floor with me?’ He held his hand out to Evelyn.

‘Don’t worry, Mum. I’ll stay here. You go be Cinderella.’ Summer grinned at them both. ‘And Nanny is here.’ She pointed to where the WI were setting out the most delicious looking cakes, pastries and desserts.

‘I’d love to.’ Evelyn slipped her hand through his arm and they made their way to the dance floor. As soon as they cleared the table, Jake spun her around and pulled her into an embrace. His hand was burning through the silk of her dress as he ran his fingers down her back and fitted his palm into the small of her back. Her hand fitted snugly into his as he whirled her around the floor, swaying in time to the music.

When the music changed to a slower, more romantic pace, he pulled her closer until she was pressed tightly against him. With a contented sigh, she folded her arms around his neck and rested her head happily against his shoulder.

‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ Jake’s voice was low and vibrated through her.

‘Hmm, yes,’ Evelyn purred against his neck, enjoying the simple pleasure of being so close to him, and everything feeling so comfortable and easy. The punch, Jake’s masculine scent, the lights and music combined to make her feel slightly giddy and she relaxed into the feeling. Summer was happy, healthy and well; she was working again, and she was spinning around, safe and secure in the strong arms of a man who appeared to adore her – and Summer.

She twisted her fingers in the fabric of his shirt and rested her head against his shoulder again. ‘Thank you.’

‘For what?’

‘For dancing with Summer. For dancing with me. For looking after Tilly, and making me feel like someone special.’

‘You are someone very special.’ He stroked a stray curl away from her cheek, and she tilted her face up to look at him. His lips came down warmly on hers, and his arms tightened around her waist as his tongue slipped between her lips. After a few moments, he pulled away and gave her a smile that made her insides melt.

‘Just thank you for everything. I can’t remember the last time I felt this happy.’

Jake looked down at Evelyn and happiness – and something far deeper than that – bubbled in his chest. He’d never felt like this about anyone before, and he was still amazed that someone as spectacular in every way as Evelyn would even give him the time of day – let alone everything she’d already happily given him.

‘Do you think your mum might be persuaded to look after Summer a couple of weekends from now? There’s an event in Birmingham that I’m going to, and I’d love to take you with me. We could make a weekend of it. And if I drove, and didn’t have anything to drink, it would mean we weren’t much more than an hour away, if you needed to get back for any reason. Not that I think you would.’

Evelyn slipped her hand up to cup his cheek. ‘That is an incredibly sweet offer, and I love that you’ve stopped to think about how I’d feel leaving Summer too. I’m sure Mum will be happy to spend a weekend with her. And Summer will probably be thrilled too.’