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‘Really?’ Jake felt his eyebrows raise and a silly grin spread across his face.

‘Really.’ Nick nodded.

‘That’s great.’ His face fell. ‘Now I’m going to sound like a selfish arse.’

‘Go on.’

‘They’re going to leave me. To go to Boston and get Summer’s treatment, they’re going to leave me. And I can’t ask them to stay, and I can’t go either. What the hell am I supposed to do?’

Nick sighed, and watched his best friend. ‘Do you remember what you told me when I was dithering about asking Claudia to marry me?’

‘That you were being an idiot. That she was an amazing woman, and if you could somehow convince her to say yes, you should whisk her down the nearest aisle as fast as you could, before she had a chance to change her mind.’

‘Yeah, something like that. But you also told me that you’d never seen me happier than when I was with her, and if I screwed it up, it would be the single worst, most stupid thing I’d ever done. And that you’d drop me in the duck pond if I was that stupid.’

‘That does sound like me,’ Jake admitted. ‘But I was right, wasn’t I?’

‘Yeah, well stranger things have happened.’ He grinned. ‘Can’t think of any right now, but I’m sure they have somewhere.’

‘Christmas in summer in Broclington is pretty strange.’

‘Yeah, I guess it is.’ He looked up and thanked the waitress for their two fresh pints. After she’d left, Nick fixed him with a serious gaze. ‘Pay attention, Jakey-boy. In the last few months, you’ve been more driven and more focussed than I’ve seen you in years. Probably since you set up your surgery. You’ve taken on an incredibly stressful situation – one that already sent another man running for the hills, and you know what? I’ve never seen you happier.’

Jake said nothing, instead flipping a beer mat over and over in his hand.

‘You know I’m not usually one for unsolicited advice, but you started this conversation, so you’re stuck listening to me now. If Evelyn is it for you – if she’s your Claudia – and I think she is, then you owe it to them, and to yourself, to say something. Before it’s too late. And before I have to give you a bath with the local ducks.’

Chapter Eighteen

Evelyn laughed as Jake spun her around the dance floor again and again. Summer had already said goodnight and headed home with Linda, who was yawning almost as much as her granddaughter after the long – and truly magical – weekend.

Evelyn had enjoyed the champagne and cocktails, and the lights strung throughout the marquee seemed to twinkle and reflect off her silvery, floaty dress as she twirled around the bandstand. Jake’s arms were warm around her, and his face was alight with happiness as he dipped her and laughed at the way she clung to him. If she closed her eyes, she could have imagined herself Cinderella in the arms of her prince.

Her feet certainly hurt enough to imagine she was wearing glass slippers. When the song ended, she tugged at Jake’s hand, and tried not to limp too obviously as she headed back to their seats. It was definitely time to switch to the flats she’d stashed under their table.

‘Do you want anything?’ Jake’s smile mixed with the champagne fizzing through her veins, filling her with warmth and happiness. On a night like this, dancing under countless thousands of stars that draped from the tent poles, hung by the hands of a community that she’d grown to love, and who clearly loved her and her daughter back … On a night like this, almost anything seemed possible.

‘No, I’m fine thank you. Just not as young as I used to be when it comes to dancing all night long. What time is it?’

Jake checked his watch. ‘Late enough that it’s almost tomorrow.’

‘It’s been a wonderful night.’ Evelyn sighed happily as she slid her feet into blissfully flat, cool shoes. ‘It’s been a wonderful weekend.’

‘It’s not over yet.’ Jake held out his hand. ‘Do you fancy some fresh air and a walk in the park?’

‘That would be nice.’ Evelyn let him help her to her feet and tucked her arm through his. He led her to the end of the marquee, and through the double layer of curtains that separated them from the cool night air. The lights that had been strung throughout the park glistened and sparkled in the slight breeze, and seemed to reflect in Jake’s eyes as he smiled at her. The chills that raced over her skin were far less to do with the cool air on her skin, and far more caused by the heat of his lips as they brushed against hers.

The park seemed to glow and swirl as his hands skimmed down her sides to rest on her waist and draw her against him. She pressed herself against his warmth, moulding her body against his and revelling in their heat as he kissed her thoroughly. The world around her came into pinpoint focus, while at the same time, conscious thought evaporated until all she could think about was the feel, taste, and scent of him as he plundered her senses. She was going to miss him so much.

After what seemed like an age, and not nearly long enough at the same time, Jake drew away. ‘Have I told you how absolutely stunning you look tonight?’ His voice was gruff in his throat and incredibly sexy.

‘You might have mentioned it once or twice.’ Her voice caught in her throat and came out breathless.

‘Once or twice? That’s not nearly enough.’ He teased her lips again, and ran kisses along her chin. She shivered against him, and he pulled away reluctantly. ‘You’re cold.’ He ran his hands over her bare arms.

‘Not really.’

‘You’ve got goosepimples.’ He laughed and shrugged off his jacket, and placed a kiss on her forehead as he wrapped it around her shoulders.