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Lottie made a beeline to the breakfast room and went straight to the basket of freshly baked croissants. She was starving. Her body was telling her she had burned rather a lot of calories the night before, and she was about to go for a walk. She needed sustenance.

“There you are,” said Zack from a table nearby.

Lottie spun round. “Hey,” she said, her mouth full of pastry.

“There’s a cuppa here for you and some porridge,” he said. Tom was smiling beside him.

“Where’s Freya?” Lottie looked around, knowing she wouldn’t be getting an easy ride from her niece after this morning’s events.

Tom chuckled. “She’s gone back to the cottage to charge her phone.”

“Well thank goodness for small mercies,” said Lottie.

“Hungry?” asked Zack, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh be quiet,” said Lottie. “Can’t a girl have any secrets?”

“Not here.” Zack gave her a disarming grin.

Chapter Thirty-Six

HANNAH

Hannah luxuriated in the shower, enjoying the feeling of her body beneath the soap suds. It was as though there was a physical memory of where Lottie had touched her. She wondered if Lottie felt the same.

Her face had been a picture when she realised she’d been rumbled by her niece. Hannah smiled at the memory, enjoying the closeness between Lottie and her family. It was something she’d never had with her own.

Hannah had competed for her mum’s affection, but always lost the battle to vodka and Pall Mall cigarettes. Her mum had thought Hannah was getting above herself by going to university. When she left home, she never looked back. Her dad had been a shadowy presence, sometimes around, mostly not. Neither of her parents were people she could rely on. Hannah had long ago realised that the only person she could rely on was herself.

But to Hannah’s surprise, there was something about letting Lottie in a little over the last few days that had felt unexpectedly safe. Hannah and Carl had always remained insular, quite separate from one another, in many ways. Yes, they’d lived together, shared holidays, but she didn’t recall them looking after each other. Lottie’s kindness, both to Hannah and to her own family, was incredibly appealing.

Last night she’d had a moment of doubt, when Lottie kept on checking on her while they were in the bar, making sure she was OK. She’d worried that Lottie was just being a good Samaritan. She snorted to herself. The events that followed suggested it was more than that.

Hannah relived the moment when Lottie had turned her over and kissed her back. Until the early hours of that morning, it had never occurred to her that her back could be an erogenous zone. But then, a lot of things hadn’t occurred to her until recently. It almost made her want to contact Carl and explain. Tell him that it wasn’t his fault she’d never really wanted any meaningful intimacy with him. She’d just assumed that everyone felt that way. Now she knew she was wrong.

Once out of the shower and dressed, she made herself a coffee from the machine in her room and ordered room service for breakfast. She needed to call Mark and find out how things were in London now she had a fully charged phone and a signal.

“Hey, Hannah, you OK?” Mark’s voice was laced with concern.

“Yes, thanks, Mark. Don’t worry. We’ve got power back up here, so it’ll be easier to keep in touch with things today.” She pulled up a chair at the small desk in her room, putting her coffee on a tartan coaster.

“Good, I’m glad. Although I’m not sorry you’re up there, given all that’s going on down here,” he continued.

“Yeah, me, too,” agreed Hannah, for more reasons than Mark might imagine.

“Will you be OK up there for Christmas? Are the staff friendly?” he asked.

Hannah failed to stifle a laugh.

“What?” he asked. “Did I say something funny?”

“No,” she said, “sorry. It’s not you.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Let’s just say that some time away has helped me think a few things through. I’ve realised a few things.”

“Now this is intriguing,” said Mark. Hannah could virtually hear his inner journalist take over. “I need to know more.”

“Hmm, well, it’s hard to explain. I guess you were right, though. I did need some time away.” Hannah could hear Mark rustling on the other end of the phone.

“Sorry,” more rustling. “I’m just wrapping up my wife’s Christmas present. She’s nipped out for a coffee with a friend, so I thought I’d get it all done and dusted.”