‘Of course. I can’t wait to see it.’
Holly slipped her hand into Libby’s and soon afterwards Drew started the engine. By the look of happiness on Holly’s face Libby knew the little girl had enjoyed every second of the afternoon, unlike Guy, who was now preoccupied with his own thoughts. She wished she could turn back time. All she could do was hope that she hadn’t made the situation worse between him and Cynthia.
ChapterThirteen
Feeling down in the dumps, Libby spent the rest of the evening working on Julia’s surprise wedding outfit and surfing the Internet. She noticed Drew had delivered the Christmas tree to Guy’s lodge and hoped they were spending some quality time together decorating it.
Checking her emails she saw that there were no outstanding RSVPs, which was a miracle as she had thought that part of the wedding was going to be the most challenging. Now she could report back the confirmed numbers to Flynn and organise the menus with the chef and Miranda and David by the end of the week.
Thinking of food made Libby feel a little peckish. Opening the fridge she found leftover chicken, and she cut up a few potatoes to make chips. After a drizzle of vegetable oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper she placed them on a baking tray and turned the oven up to its highest setting. While waiting for the chips to cook, she looked out of the back window. It was already dark but the security lights had been activated. Everywhere was calm and looked icy cold. She was about to turn away when she thought she saw a movement on the other side of the fence at the bottom of the decking. She narrowed her eyes and focused. Yes, there it was again. Grabbing her coat and slipping on her shoes, Libby opened the back door. It was freezing, and she shivered. Hearing a whimpering sound, she hurried towards the fence.
‘Holly, what are you doing out here?’ Libby was astonished to see the little girl huddled up on a bench looking upset. ‘You’re going to catch your death. Let me get you back inside. Your dad will be worried about you.’
She shook her head. ‘They’ve haven’t even noticed I’ve gone.’
‘How long have you been out here?’ asked Libby, touching Holly’s hand with the back of hers. ‘You’re freezing.’ She dropped her gaze and noticed the little girl was wearing slippers.
‘I don’t want to go back inside.’ Holly pulled her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on top of them.
Libby looked towards Guy’s lodge. There was no sign of him through the window. ‘How about you come inside with me and I’ll make us a hot chocolate and you can get warm by the fire.’
Holly nodded.
‘And if you’re hungry I’ve got some chips cooking in the oven. But you can’t walk through the snow in your slippers.’ Libby turned around and bent down. ‘Stand on the bench and climb on. I’ll give you a piggyback.’ She smiled at Holly over her shoulder.
The little girl wrapped her arms around Libby’s neck, and Libby pushed her up on her back and headed into the warmth. She lowered Holly onto the chair next to the fire. ‘You get warm and I’ll get you a drink.’
After she’d checked on the chips and seen that they weren’t quite ready, Libby made two calorific hot chocolates topped with marshmallows and cream before making herself comfy on the rug next to the fire. ‘You do know I need to tell your dad where you are, right? He’ll be worried when he finds you missing.’
Holly nodded and Libby quickly punched out a text to Guy. As soon as Holly had finished her hot chocolate, she would take her home. Hopefully Guy wouldn’t be too mad and they could talk things through calmly and put right whatever was going on.
‘Did you decorate your tree? I can’t wait to come and see it,’ said Libby.
‘We were about to but Granny and Daddy started arguing about Auntie Lydia again and Christmas.’
Libby could see how sad Holly looked.
‘Remember when I hung the star on your Christmas tree?’
‘I do,’ replied Libby.
‘I wished for my family to be happy at Christmas.’
Libby didn’t know what to say. She’d never been in this situation before and hearing those words coming from Holly was heartbreaking.
‘You’re the only person who hasn’t shouted since I met you. I like you.’
‘I like you too,’ replied Libby, watching Holly scoop up a spoonful of cream packed with tiny marshmallows and plunge it into her mouth.
As soon as Holly had demolished the cream and marshmallows, she took a sip of the hot chocolate and placed it on the table. ‘What’s that?’ she asked, pointing. Libby glanced towards the table at the post she’d received today, including a brochure about her new apartment along with the lease agreement.
‘It’s an apartment in New York City,’ said Libby, deciding not to share that it washerapartment.
‘Is that in America? It’s a long, long way away.’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ replied Libby, having realised over the past couple of weeks exactly how far away it was.
‘Daddy wants to live in Heartcross. There’s a cottage by the mountain. He said if we do, I can have a goat, to help keep the grass down.’
