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‘You “saw” him? What exactly does that mean?’

‘I….’ Charlotte shrugged. ‘It was a little awkward.’

‘I think that’s his middle name. Did I tell you I saw him at the hospital a couple of days ago? He was just kind of hanging around in the waiting room. Then I saw him hugging this woman. She was a bit older than him, but … anyway, I shouldn’t gossip.’

Charlotte looked down at her feet. A funny feeling had come over her. ‘Oh, right,’ she said. ‘Probably his girlfriend.’

‘Yes, maybe. Perhaps he likes his women a little older. Never mind, you weren’t interested, were you?’

‘No, of course not.’

Kelly stopped walking. Charlotte continued to stare at her feet until she realised Kelly was watching her. Slowly, she looked up.

‘Oh. My. God. You like him. Of all the people. I mean, literally, like, we live in a town. It’s full of men, and at least ten percent of them are decent looking and probably of those at least half are single, since all people do these days is stare at their phones rather than have relationships … but you choose him?’

‘I didn’t choose him.’

‘We’re going to Aunt Marjorie’s Tearoom right now. We’ll find out if he’s single.’

‘Look, we can’t do that.’

‘We absolutely can.’ Charlotte must have looked aghast because Kelly rolled her eyes and chuckled. ‘We’re not going to directly ask him if he’s single. We’ll be more subtle than that. We’ll look for clues that he is, or ask the manager. If he works there, she might know.’

‘We need to totally not do any of that. Perhaps the Oak Leaf is a better choice. They always have lovely Christmas specials—’

‘Would you like a menu?’ came a voice behind them. The eponymous Aunt Marjorie had come outside and was peering up at them. Wearing a snowflake-patterned apron and head scarf, she gave them a kind smile. ‘I have special laminated versions to deal with this blizzard. And free hot fudge cake for anyone willing to sit outside.’

‘Two Christmas specials,’ Kelly said, before Charlotte could even open her mouth to respond. ‘Oh, and ah, how is the, um, what’s his name … the milk spilling guy, is he all right? I mean, after he slipped over?’

Aunt Marjorie looked confused for a moment. ‘Oh, you mean my nephew, Jacob?’

‘Nephew?’

‘He’s fine. It’s his day off today.’

Kelly glanced at Charlotte, who opened her mouth just wide enough to let out the breath she had been holding.

‘That’s too bad,’ Kelly said. ‘I imagine it’s a good day for him to take his girlfriend ice-skating, or you know, whatever else you do in a town not prepared for an Arctic level of snowfall.’

‘His girlfriend?’

‘Yes?’

Aunt Marjorie looked confused. ‘My dear Jacob’s always been single, as far as I know. If he’s got a girlfriend, he kept it quiet. So that was two Christmas specials?’

‘Yes, please.’

As Aunt Marjorie went back inside. Charlotte stared at Kelly. ‘I suppose you learn a certain way to talk to people when you work in a hospital,’ she said. Then, putting her hands together, she said, ‘Hoist! Hoist! I.V. now!’ She grinned. ‘Something like that?’

‘It’s like you’re spying on me with a hidden camera,’ Kelly said. ‘One thing you do learn from dying people is that if you want something, you should just ask. Go straight for it, don’t dance around, hoping it’ll come to you.’

‘I’m not sure that was a good example.’

‘She claims he’s single. I’m not sure. Nephew, though. Didn’t see that coming.’

Charlotte looked down at the table, nice and warm near to the heater. ‘Are we just going to stand here all day?’

The Christmas specials were a variety of coffee piled high with cream and marshmallows, and topped with cinnamon. Each one came with a gingerbread man, and the promised fudge cake was so good that Charlotte briefly forgot about all her troubles as she watched the snow come down. Thankfully Kelly decided to change the subject from Charlotte’s ailing love life, and for a while they talked about other things, work, what they were watching on television, some bands Charlotte had never heard of which Kelly was going to see in the new year.