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Anya shook her head.

“Five hundred and eight miles,” said Lottie.

“Oh, I see, you’ve googled it.” Anya looked like the cat who’d got the cream. Lottie blushed, immediately realising her mistake. “So, regardless of the distance and any other excuse, it would seem this is a crush that may have legs.”

“I don’t know,” said Lottie. “It’s been a very long time. And the children…”

“The children are grown-ups,” said Anya.

Lottie pressed her lips together. “Yes. Something which they keep reminding me of, too. I guess it’s just hard to move on from the part of my life where I was a full-time parent.”

“We felt much the same when Hamish became an adult,” said Anya, an understanding expression on her face.

“Hamish is a dog!” exclaimed Lottie.

“So what? He’s our child every bit as much as Zack and Freya are yours.”

Lottie chuckled. “I guess so.”

“He’s an old dog now, though,” said Anya, her eyes soft.

“Are you bringing him on Christmas Day?” Lottie asked.

“Of course,” said Anya.

There was a short pause, before Lottie spoke again. “Hannah’s just a bit of a mystery, a bit closed off. The moment I think I am getting close, she just shuts down.” She sighed. “That can’t be good, can it?”

“Not everyone is an open book like you, Lotts,” said Anya. “She’s clearly having a bit of a rough time.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Lottie. “Maybe it’s unfair of me to be critical, given everything that’s going on in her life. God, I can’t imagine what it must be like.”

“Aha, I see you two are plotting as usual,” came a voice from the doorway. It was Sunitra. “I’ve spoken to your woman. All sorted. Anya, I think it’s time you and I sampled the whisky trolley. It’s been a while.”

“Light of my life, how I’ve missed you,” said Anya, a twinkle in her eye.

“Oh aye, what do you want? Eh?” Sunitra grinned.

Lottie smiled. She loved how devoted Anya was to Sunitra after all the years they’d been together. She wondered what it might be like to have something like that for herself. With Hannah.

Nope.

That wasn’t going to happen.

As soon as everything blew over, Hannah would be off back down to London.

And Zack would go back to Manchester.

And Freya, well, she wouldn’t stay forever.

“Hey, Sunitra, you doing OK?” asked Lottie.

“Fine, hen. And yourself? Working yourself into the ground as usual, I assume?” Sunitra raised her eyebrows.

“Well someone has to do it,” said Lottie with a smile. “But I think I have time for a wee dram, if you don’t mind me joining you.”

“Deal,” said Sunitra. “Let’s see what Brian has to treat us with.”

“Now, remember,” said Anya, “don’t ask him about when he worked for the royal family. You’ll never hear the last of it.”