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‘Of course,’ she said. ‘What time?’
Liam looked at his watch. ‘Oh crap. About now, actually. Can we go? I’ll make more tea when we get back.’
‘Let’s go.’ Sophie stood up and shrugged her coat back on. When she turned, she came face to face with Liam’s jumper. ‘Sorry.’
Liam looked down at her with those hazel eyes and she didn’t break the eye contact. Liam’s breathing deepened, as did her own, and she sensed the butterflies in her own stomach stirring. If they didn’t go now …
‘Come on,’ she said, stepping away and doing up her coat. ‘We need to pick up Cassie.’
‘We do,’ Liam said, clearing his throat and waiting another beat before he moved.
Outside, they climbed into the Land Rover, Liam giving Sophie a leg up so she could get in safely.
‘It’s not far, this side of town,’ Liam said as he pulled out of the farm and onto the single-track road that would take them back to civilisation.
They pulled into a cul-de-sac just before the edge of town, not far from the road that led to the farm. Liam jumped out.
‘Won’t be a minute,’ he said, jogging towards a house on the corner. He knocked on the door and waited.
Jocelyn’s family was one of those that had gone slightly overboard with the lights and decorations. Sophie looked around to try and work out where the projector was that was displaying ‘snowfall’ on the house. She suspected they’d hidden it behind one of the five light-up reindeer that were grazing on the front lawn.
Cassie came bounding out of the house, straight past her dad and jumped up into the back seat of the Land Rover. ‘Hi, Miss Lawson.’
Liam followed her up the path and checked Cassie’s seatbelt was on properly before he hopped back into the driver’s seat.
‘When we’re not at school, I think it’s all right for you to call me Sophie.’ She looked round at Cassie, who smiled.
‘Is everybody in?’ Liam said.
Sophie and Cassie chorused, ‘Yes,’ and Liam pulled away.
The car journey was spent with Cassie chattering away about her afternoon with Jocelyn. It appeared the two of them were getting on very well.
‘I hope you’ve not ruined your appetite,’ Liam said after Cassie had told them about the popcorn they’d eaten while watching Nativity.
‘Nope,’ she replied with a vigorous shake of the head that Sophie could see in the rear-view mirror. ‘Never. I’ve always got room for spag bol!’
‘I’m looking forward to this famous spag bol,’ Sophie said.
‘Don’t get your hopes up.’ Liam grimaced and glanced sideways at her.
They pulled into the courtyard by the farmhouse and one by one they got out of the Land Rover, Liam coming around to help each of them make the leap from the vehicle to the ground.
When they got inside, Cassie turned on the Christmas lights. Since Sophie had been there last time, Liam and Cassie had added more decorations to the room and so now, under the Christmas tree, there were three two-foot-tall wicker reindeer. The mantelpiece above the log burner was adorned with greenery and littered with tiny fairy lights, and on the coffee table in the centre of the room, there was a poinsettia and bowls of chocolates and nuts. The room oozed Christmas and the only difference between her own flat and the decorations here was the lack of chocolates and nuts on the coffee table back at Sophie’s – for the simple reason that she couldn’t trust herself not to eat all of them in one sitting. That, and Liam’s living room was about ten times the size of Sophie’s entire flat.
‘Shall we try another cup of tea?’ Liam asked, heading for the kitchen.
‘Yes, please.’
Both Cassie and Sophie followed him into the other room. Cassie sat down at the table and pulled her knees up underneath her chin. Liam busied himself with mugs and tea bags.
‘Can we decorate the Christmas cookies for Grandma?’ asked Cassie.
‘We?’ Sophie said, pointing at herself as Cassie addressed the question to both of them.
‘Can you help?’ Cassie asked hopefully.
‘I can try.’
