Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,63

it. That’s all. Or to mention what he’s up to. I need to get over him. I need to move on. And I can’t do that if I keep hearing his name every five seconds.’

‘Okay,’ Sarah said, nodding. ‘We can do that. We can, can’t we darling?’

‘I suppose so. If it helps.’ Terry nodded. ‘Okay, Molly. We’ll never mention him again from this moment on. Until you tell us we can.’

‘Thank you so much. You two are the best.’

‘So are you staying?’ Sarah queried.

Molly looked out of the window as the snow fell thick and fast.

She shook her head. ‘I think I need to leave. Look at it.’

‘Stay,’ Sarah pleaded. ‘Please stay. Tomorrow’s a bank holiday and then it’s the weekend. You can leave on Sunday. The snow might have gone by then.’

That was true. And no one was going to be working over this holiday. She could return to Bristol in January. No harm would be done.

‘Okay. I’ll stay. But I’m not sure I’m up to going to the pub tonight.’

‘So you won’t make an effort, even for us?’ Terry asked.

Molly felt guilty and sighed.

‘I’ll try. But I may not be very good company tonight.’

‘Who told you you ever are?’ Terry said, laughing.

‘Do you want to live to see the New Year in?’ Molly asked. But she laughed too.

‘I think we should go shopping,’ Sarah said.

‘You went shopping yesterday.’ Terry rolled his eyes.

‘Not that sort of shopping, darling. Fun shopping. Just Molly and me.’

‘I’m not sure I’m in the mood to go shopping, Sarah. And it’s snowing, remember?’

‘I know. So let’s go now, before it gets too bad.’

‘I don’t want to.’

‘Molly Ford. Stop being such a bloody misery. It’s New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow is a whole new start. Let’s go and buy something fabulous to wear tonight to show next year that we mean business.’

Molly liked the sound of that. It was a positive step. A powerful step. The sort of thing all those self-help books tell you you should do.

‘Okay. Fine. I’ll get my coat.’

Thirty-One

Molly’s heart hadn’t really been in the whole shopping experience, especially as it seemed everyone in Easterhill had had the same idea. The shopping centre was packed and it had taken half an hour to get out of the car park, partly due to the crowds but also because of the weather.

But she had bought another rather stunning dress. From the same shop as the last one, as it happened. Which brought back all sorts of memories and took her to places she really didn’t want to go right now. Like memories of the way Chance had looked at her on Christmas Eve. And the way he had kissed her later that night.

Now, as she studied her reflection in her bedroom mirror, all those same memories came flooding back once more. She shook her head in the hope of sending them away, but it didn’t work completely. All it did was make her updo looser and set free several strands of her wavy, golden apricot hair. Not that she cared. All she could think about now was Chance. She could picture his handsome face so clearly, and she thought her heart would break all over again.

This wasn’t the way to start her New Year’s Eve.

She ran her hands over the tight-fitting, electric-blue dress and turned from side to side. Apart from her face looking paler than usual and her eyes not quite as bright, she didn’t look bad for someone with a broken heart.

Her phone pinged and she read the text. She was surprised to see it was from Vicky.

‘So sorry. Emergency at the cottage. Can you come right away? Xx’

Molly stared at it as if the text contained some sort of dreadful, contagious virus.

Why on earth would Vicky ask her to go to the cottage? Especially on New Year’s Eve. What sort of emergency could there be? And if it was a real emergency, would she really have added two kisses?

Molly ran downstairs and showed the text to Sarah and Terry.

‘What do you think it means?’

‘I think it means Vicky wants you to go to the cottage pretty damn quick,’ Terry said, somewhat unhelpfully.

‘No kidding, Sherlock. What I mean is, why would she ask me to go?’

‘Have you texted her back and asked her?’ Sarah suggested.

‘Er. No. That didn’t actually occur to me.’

‘I always said my sister was a genius.’

‘Oh shut up, you. I’ll text her now.’

Molly sent her a text saying, ‘Hi Vicky. Was that text meant for me? I’m sure you