Jessie was playing with her new toys, and everyone else was sipping drinks and having a closer look at their presents. Emily looked at hers. She had a colouring book for adults from Jessie and a book titledDon’t Feed the Monkey Mindfrom her sister – she feared it wasn’t a joke present. There was a pretty hand cream set from Lottie, and a small cheque from her mum and dad with a notenot to cash it until the end of January. She shuffled herself along the sofa to where her drink was and remembered that she’d chosen orange juice, which was more than a disappointment – she’d prefer something a little stronger. Great Uncle Bernard was puzzling over four tins of tuna someone had bought him and Angie was checking if anyone had batteries – although Emily couldn’t see any gifts that needed them. Spending Christmas with someone else’s family was proving to be an odder experience than she’d expected.
Chapter Thirteen
In the chilly hallway Lottie waved her arms as if she was directing a plane onto an aircraft carrier. ‘Slow down, stop gabbling and start from the beginning.’
Zach took a deep breath. ‘I hid Emily’s present in the tree yesterday and—’
‘Why?’ This seemed like an odd thing to do.
‘Because I read it somewhere and thought it sounded romantic and nowit’sgone and—’
‘What’s gone?’
‘The present.’ Lottie tilted her head with the level of menace only a younger sibling can muster. ‘I don’t want to say what it is because then it spoils the surprise.’
‘She’s not five, Zach. And it’s not my surprise, so you can tell me.’
Zach’s brows knitted together, and he drew in a long, slow breath. ‘Okay,’ he said, reluctantly. ‘But I swear if you breathe a word to anyone … you remember the flowerpot incident?’ Lottie flinched. ‘Right. Then we understand each other.’
‘Well?’ Lottie was growing impatient.
Zach looked furtively around the entrance hall and lowered his voice. ‘It’s a diamond engagement ring.’
‘Squeeeeeeeeee!’
‘Shhhhhhhhhhh!’
The drawing room door opened and Rhys came out. Briefly wrong-footed by the welcome party in the hallway, he held up his Christmas present – a state-of-the-art metal detector. ‘Going to put this upstairs. Thanks for the cash Uncle Zach and the Nando’s gift card Auntie Lottie.’
‘You’re welcome,’ they chorused, looking very suspicious as they grinned at him and followed his progress all the way to the top of the stairs. They stayed silent until they heard the box room’s door creak shut.
‘Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!’ Lottie clapped her hands together like a toy monkey with new batteries. Tears filled her eyes. She was beyond happy for her brother, and she flung herself forward and hugged him tight.
‘Ooft! Okay, calm down. I hope Emily reacts half as well as you. Do you think she’ll say yes?’
The pregnancy test flashed into Lottie’s mind and she struggled to form a sentence. Perhaps now was a bad time for him to ask Emily. Perhaps she would say yes for all the wrong reasons. Lottie’s mouth opened and closed.
‘Well, that’s hugely reassuring. Thanks, sis – I’m really glad you’re on my team.’ He shook his head.
‘Sorry. Of course she will. But for now we need to focus on finding the ring. Where did you put it exactly?’
‘In the tree,’ he said deliberately, as if talking to someone a bit slow on the uptake.
‘I know it’s in the tree, butwhereexactly?’
‘Third branch up. Nestled against the trunk and right next to a fairy light that lit it up perfectly. But it’s not there now.’
‘And when did you put it there again?’
‘Yesterday afternoon.’ He lowered his guilty eyes. ‘When you caught me sneaking about.’
‘Ah, I knew it. No wonder you weren’t interested in the little car. You’re a rubbish liar.’
‘Can we please get back to my crisis?’
‘Okay. You hid it late afternoon. Jeez Zach, anything could have happened to it since then.’
She scanned her memory, playing back the events of the previous day as if on fast rewind. Her eyes widened and so did Zach’s as they hit on the same moment at the same time.
