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‘All tastes are catered for.’ Noémi smiled. ‘Everyone is accepted here, and just beyond that door, I want you to know that anything is possible. Your dreams are encouraged, and your sense of wonder will find its safe place.’ She left a moment for the oohs and ahhs. ‘My plans are still evolving, and heck knows my to-do list keeps getting longer, but sometimes we need to stop waiting for the perfect moment and just take the leap. Otherwise, we may miss the chance for our next adventure.’

‘Here, here,’ said Shay, beginning a round of rapturous applause that made Noémi feel like she was floating – and not for the first time that morning.

People stepped in to congratulate Noémi, the other shop owners gushing about how everyone’s luck was changing. Catherine’s earmuffs were going viral since somebody from the coach trip had posted a quirky video. Spirit had a rush of orders for poinsettias, even though she was usually a prickly cactus kind of girl. Mr Ham was over the moon at being invited to join in, instead of people asking him strange questions about drones.

Daniel and Tommaso were thinking up a catchy title for their Instagram post about Coat of Many Books girl saving Hottie Totty, and Texan Jim was asking them to add a line about his glory-seeking goat. There were ruminations over whether Shay would get rid of his shop’s tagline about his adventures being the best you can get, in response to which he simply winked.

Amid the hustle, Shay whispered something in Noémi’s ear about not missing her next real-life adventure. She wasn’t sure when they’d elevated their friendship to the ear-whispery sort, but against her own better judgement, she was liking it. The thrill of his lips so close to her neck. The anticipation of what he might say. It was even more exciting than sharing online notes with a stranger, which, in truth, she’d been doing less and less.

‘Meet me in your shop after my new sign is up, and our next adventure might be on,’ she found herself whispering back. ‘And you’ll need to take off that Lycra.’

It was worth the mischievous comment for his wide-eyed look, and she was tickled that he seemed pleasantly intrigued.

‘Get your mind out of the gutter,’ she chided playfully. ‘You’d need to work a lot harder to talk me into that sort of adventure.’

‘Would I now? That’s good to know. You’ve gathered that I like a challenge.’

Chapter 36

‘Ready for our next date?’ Shay asked Noémi, as they stood at the top of the snowy hill wearing their respective Snowman and Snowdog outfits, now with added crash helmets.

‘It’s not a date,’ she replied quickly, conscious of the blood rising to her cheeks. ‘Though having double-checked your safety measures, I’m just about ready for my next adventure. If you’ll hold up your end of the bargain tonight.’

He raised his eyebrows. She’d made clear what her terms were, and they were nothing that required suggestive supercilia. Though she was becoming a fan of their comfortable banter and couldn’t recall when she’d last enjoyed this level of playfulness with someone who wasn’t safely on the other side of a screen.

‘I might.’ He winked at her. ‘If you can pin me down. Now, to tube, or not to tube. That is the question.’

He held out a hand – but she’d already decided. The pure elation of the morning’s events – the new sign for The Cosy Cookie Bookshop going up, people crowding into the shop to taste her next batch of Christmas cookies and ask for book suggestions – made her soul sing. She’d left Daniel and Tommaso fielding customers while she took a moment for herself, and for the unfinished part of yesterday’s adventure with Shay.

She was finally ready for it, and she didn’t need to take anyone’s hand. Though she couldn’t resist giving his a quick squeeze through her padded gloves before she bounced onto the large rubber ring, already untied and ready. Then, replaying the safety instructions in her head – because she wasn’t completely feral – she grabbed the handles, lifted her legs, and let gravity and the slippery snow whisk her down the hill like a wild woman on an inflatable doughnut.

‘Woo hoooooo!’ Noémi couldn’t remember when she’d last yelled so loudly or felt so ridiculously alive.

As she heard Shay shout the same from somewhere behind her, she flung her head back with joy, barely pausing to consider the very real danger of neck ache. When they reached the bottom, Noémi felt electric. She pushed herself out of the rubber ring with renewed energy, bouncing through the snow to help pull out Shay, who was chuckling at Noémi’s delight.

She grabbed his arms and tugged a little too keenly. ‘Woah!’

He was up, but not for long. Noémi’s excitement caused a see-saw effect, toppling them in her direction. She landed on her back in a large pile of snow, hauling Shay on top of her.

Ooh.

‘I might have to have words about your second-date etiquette.’ His laugh vibrated against her, his head buried in the crook of her neck, the soft downiness of his light beard grazed against her skin. ‘An innocent guy like me wasn’t expecting this level of intimacy.’

‘Still not a date,’ she breathed.

He pulled his head up, his eyes dancing with mirth, their faces close. Did she still sense that faint smell of chocolate on him – or was that just her own desire?

Shay ought to have felt heavy on top of her. The moment should have been embarrassing or awkward, or at least a bit soggy. Yet Noémi was in no rush to wriggle free, and he seemed to sense it. So for a few seconds longer, they lay there, like they were frozen in time. The hazel bushes around them were still laden with snow and the morning sun made their ice-white surroundings twinkle. A red kite soared overhead, wings outstretched, probably wondering what on earth two grown people were doing in such a tangled heap.

And suddenly, Noémi had a strong sense of what she wanted to be doing. Did Shay feel it too? Her lips parted like a silent invite, wanting but wavering. Maybe she should just grab him, like she had the snow tube. Throw caution to the wind and live in that glorious, exhilarated minute. There was no one to see them, and the hot shifting of his body told her he was feeling something too. Her mind raced with thoughts of his mouth against hers, limbs entwining …

He touched a gloved hand against her cheek, as though brushing off snow. His gaze was melting her.

Oh God. There was no way she was about to enact a racy snow scene, but a girl deserved a kiss. Before she could sensibly weigh it up, her hands reached out and clamped around the back of his neck, pulling his face towards hers, her eyes closing.

Crrrraaaaacccckk.

Their eyelids flew open. Crash helmets. They’d collided with a mortifying clunk. In all the eye-swooning, beard-admiring deliciousness, Noémi had barely registered their headgear. And that’s why it was called safety equipment. Because it stopped you from heedlessly making a tit of yourself.