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Zach produced a gel pen and held it out. ‘I thought you could write your dad’s name on the ribbon,’ he added, gently.
‘Yes. Yes, I think I will.’
Millie took the pen and in her best handwriting she wroteAlways in my thoughts, Forever in my heartbefore taking her place in the queue to hang the ornament on the most luxuriant branch she could find. A wave of sorrow surged through her body, and she took a few minutes to grapple with her memories by inspecting some of the other Christmas tree decorations, to read the names of those past residents of Berryford who had been loved and were missing from that night’s celebrations but whose spirits were still alive amongst them.
What a fabulous tradition, she thought, sending up a missive of affection to her father who, as a lover of any excuse for a party, she knew would be looking down on them that evening. She resolved to ask Claudia if she would reclaim the gift when the tree was dismantled in the new year and send it on to her in London.
She was about to tell Zach how apt his present was – her father had been an avid astronomer and the Chair of the local astronomical society before he died – when they were interrupted by a shout from a tall, slender guy who had eschewed the tradition of Christmas-themed attire in favour of figure-hugging designer jeans and what was clearly a very expensive ivory cashmere sweater.
‘Hey, Zach, if you don’t get inside sharpish, all the delicious goodies will have been hoovered up by the ravenous revellers!’
With neatly gelled ebony hair, the newcomer looked like he had just stepped off the front page of GQ magazine, and his arrival at their sides was accompanied by a swirl of fragrance that hung in the air like a nuclear fallout cloud. In fact, his cologne was so strong that Millie had to conceal a cough under the guise of a robust throat-clearing session. Zach bent down to whisper in Millie’s ear, his action so intimate that the warmth of his breath on her cheek sent shivers of delight through her body.
‘Blake does tend to go a bit overboard with the aftershave, always has.’
‘A bit!’ she giggled.
‘Any news, Zach?’
To her surprise, Millie felt Zach’s whole body stiffen as he considered his reply to Blake’s question, and she scrutinised his face for an indication as to the reason for it. Not another secret, she sighed to herself.
‘Nothing yet. Blake, can I introduce you to Amelia Harper? She’s co-presenting theFestive Feastcourse at Stonelea Manor with Claudia this year.’
‘Delighted!’ Blake beamed, his smooth, tanned features morphing into a smile.
‘Hi, Blake. It’s great to meet you. Please, call me Millie.’
Before she knew what was happening, Millie was engulfed in a hearty bear hug of a welcome and received a fresh blast of cologne for her trouble. When she was eventually released, she saw the glint of mischief dancing in Blake’s mahogany eyes as he flicked a quick glance at Zach before giving her a very obvious once-over. A chuckle rumbled at the back of her throat, but she managed to hold on.
‘Darling, it’s just so good to finally be able to put a face to the name. Zach talks about youall the timeand now I understand why. She’s gorgeous, Zach. I totally get why you’ve been keeping her to yourself!’
Zach rolled his eyes, but the tenseness of his earlier demeanour softened to accept the jovial ribbing.
‘Blake, Millie is—’
‘Well, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to cuddle up under the mistletoe. There’s a Pina Colada shouting my name at the bar. Don’t you just adore those little parrot cocktail sticks Claudia brought back from St Lucia? Oh, and don’t forget to introduce Millie to one of Kate’s famous mince pies before they all disappear. Of course, I shan’t be indulging myself.’ Blake patted his washboard-flat stomach. ‘Got a slinky little number for the New Year’s Ball that I want to dazzle everyone with, and it most certainly won’t look at its best with unsightly bulges! Perhaps I’ll see you in the café, Millie, before you scoot off back to that crazy metropolis that is our capital city.’
Millie grinned, already feeling a Blake-sized friendship bubble ballooning in her chest. ‘Yes, I hope so.’
‘I like this one, Zach. Play your cards right and maybe this year won’t be all bad news!’
Blake winked lasciviously at Zach, anointed Millie with another wide, neon-bright smile, and trotted off towards the village hall leaving a fresh burst of Chanel Monsieur in his wake.
‘Come on, let’s join him. I could do with something to warm me up.’
The village hall buzzed with activity accompanied by a cacophony of animated conversation interspersed with laughter and the occasional burst of song. Millie accepted a glass of warm, spice-infused punch, slotting her fingers through the handle of the glass mug and inhaling the delicious aroma of all-things Christmassy. She performed a swift stocktake of the room and picked out Claudia and Tim standing next to the stage, being treated like guests of honour, and noticed that for the first time since she had arrived in Berryford, the furrows on Claudia’s forehead had melted away and she looked happy and relaxed.
Gina, Mike, and Marianne had sensibly swapped the punch for beer and were busy devouring the chocolate roulades as though they were worried that their stay at Stonelea Manor involved a restrictive health spa regime instead of a sumptuous culinary feast! Gina and Marianne’s heads were thrown back in laughter at something Leo was saying, and Millie suspected that the switch to beer may have come a little too late.
Both women presented a sleek, elegant, and polished image, their hair freshly coiffed by their favourite Kensington hairdresser especially for their week’s stay in rural Gloucestershire; Gina’s a short, cropped bob the colour of sunshine that emphasised her strong cheekbones, Marianne’s a long mane of curls that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Titian painting. Their cheeks were rosy from the heat of the room after the icy breeze at the tree-lighting ceremony, but they looked like they had slotted into village life perfectly.
‘Excuse me for a minute.’ Zach squeezed her arm and made his way across the room to help a ginger-haired teenager change the huge beer barrel that had started to spill its precious contents on the floor.
‘Gorgeous, isn’t he?’ murmured Blake, nudging her in the ribs as he sipped from the rim of his Pina Colada, his eyes fixed firmly on Zach’s taut buttocks currently raised high in the air as he struggled to attach the nozzle. ‘I think I’ll miss him the most, you know.’
‘What do you mean?’
Millie shot a look at Blake, hopeful that at last she was about to be informed about what was going on. If she didn’t find out soon, she thought she might burst with impatience.
