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In truth, she was tingling with excitement to be disappearing with Shay when the morning was still dark, only the glow of the street’s festive lights to see them off. Of course, she’d also felt a gnawing panic at leaving the shop just a week before Christmas, when these were their last days to make the best of the festive custom. Their final make-or-break moments. But Daniel had insisted he and Tommaso could manage, and in truth, being a book-juggling, cookie-baking, event-organizing, livelihood-salvaging superwoman had been wonderful – but also exhausting. One day to recharge, so she could power through the first Merry Singles Mingle and the big Christmas Eve gathering would surely make her stronger.

And as Daniel had also pointed out, these might also be her final days with Shay, if he was moving on. Though she was trying not to focus on the sad bits.

‘We’re starting early because we’re driving to North Wales. I did mention bringing a toothbrush, in case Ethel struggles to do it all in one day? She’s a trooper, but only if you respect her needs.’ He tapped the van’s steering wheel and looked at Noémi apologetically. ‘I mean, I’d pay for you to stay in a B&B. I’m not trying anything sneaky.’

Noémi smiled at the van’s cute name. She would have offered to drive in her old shop van, though it was much smaller and probably covered in cobwebs. Daniel had already grilled Shay about Ethel’s roadworthiness in his adorably overprotective way. And if they did decide they needed to stay over – well, Noémi was secretly looking forward to the possibility of that.

‘Did I tell you I’ve moved a few things into the flat above the shop?’ Shay asked casually, as she settled herself in and secured her seatbelt. The van smelt of candy canes from what looked like a new air freshener, and by the polish smears on the dashboard it seemed like he’d been dusting. ‘Just for logistics, or whatever. I didn’t want to drive all this way carrying fifteen festive outfits and a whole lot of safety ropes. You might wonder what I was planning.’

She smiled, definitely not getting carried away as she assessed him with his shower damp hair, his body bundled into a duffle coat. If she got close enough, she might pick up the scent of his morning cacao and cinnamon. Or maybe that was a treat for later.

‘I’m sure I won’t need a separate B&B. Anyway, why are we driving approximately one hundred and fifty miles to ice-skate?’

‘I have a friend who runs this incredible outdoor rink. It will be magical at this time of year, and he’s promised there’s plenty of snow. It will be like Winter Holiday from those Swallows and Amazons books you were into.’

‘You remember me mentioning that?’ She vaguely recalled throwing the name at him during one of her passive-aggressive rants about how he probably didn’t read. Thinking about it, she should apologize for that at some point.

He shrugged. ‘Of course.’

‘Hang on. Winter Holiday involves blizzards, igloos, and skating quite dangerously on a lake. I hope we aren’t …’

‘The book also involves Nancy getting mumps and the whole gang being quarantined. According to Google, or whatever. Now will you just trust me? Nobody has ever caught a viral infection or fallen through ice on my watch.’

He stopped the van at the give-way lines where the road left the bottom of Bloom Hill and joined the main route towards the motorway.

‘I trust you,’ she said, leaning across to squeeze his thigh through his jeans. Mmm. She only hoped she could trust herself.

As Michael Bublé sang ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ on the radio with Shay humming along, snowflakes softly falling onto the windscreen and a flask of Christmas tea warming her lap from the flask in her bag, Noémi felt herself slowly dozing off.

‘Did I sleep all this way?’ Noémi asked, rubbing her eyes as Shay’s van came to a halt and the engine shuddered off.

‘I think you were asleep.’ Shay scratched his head. ‘Either that or you talk about your hot Irish neighbour when you’re wide awake.’

‘I do not sleep talk.’ She pursed her lips as she tidied her fringe, though it was too tricky to hide her smile.

‘You’ll never know.’ He winked at her and jumped out of the van.

Noémi was surprised to see him arrive at her passenger door to open it, giving an exaggerated bow. She was glad she’d worn boots that were suitable for snow, because Shay hadn’t been joking. Beyond the gritted parking area there were fields of the stuff, with buildings glowing in the distance. There were only a couple of cars around, though it was barely breakfast time.

‘Welcome to my very favourite winter wonderland. They’re not open yet, but Wes will let us in. And if you’ve got enough energy for skating, we can get on the ice before the crowds arrive. Then I can promise you an excellent Welsh breakfast. You might even catch me adventurously ordering bacon.’

Noémi jumped down from the van and gave Shay a thank-you hug, not sure whether she was more excited about skating, delicious food, or the alone time with Shay. The air nipped at her face, and she was glad she’d packed a scarf, hat, and a pair of Catherine’s now-viral crocheted earmuffs.

They joined gloved hands and walked along the cleared pathway towards the buildings. And Noémi should have stayed on the path and not risked getting all snowy. But it didn’t feel like a should kind of day. So, with a satisfying crunch, she stepped into the fresh white powder. There was something enchanting about landing in a patch that was completely untrodden – and there was an added thrill in scooping up a handful and dumping a splodge on the end of an unsuspecting nose.

Noémi loved the way Shay’s eyes widened. ‘Two minutes and she’s already going off-piste and attacking people with ice crystals. It’s a good job someone’s got an eye on health and safety.’

He extended a hand as though to pull her back onto the path, before diving for his own handful of snow and depositing some onto her nose in playful retaliation.

‘Oh, game on.’ She laughed and jumped at him, toppling them both backwards so they landed in a soft cushion of snow, him star-shaped on the bottom, her legs straddling him.

‘You do know I’ll have to dry the backside of my jeans under the toilet hand dryer?’ Though his eyes sparkled with the fun of it.

‘Then we’d better make it worth your while.’

And just like she’d probably been dreaming about for most of the journey, she leaned down to kiss him, their cold lips instantly warming, her body all but melting into his. It was quite possibly the best version of snow angels she could ever imagine.

‘If we can’t stay upright on a well-shovelled path, I don’t fancy our chances on an ice rink,’ he said through grinning lips when they’d stopped kissing, his rear end probably freezing. ‘How is your skating? Because mine’s terrible.’