‘Nice one, Zo!’
‘Clumsy Lumsey strikes again!’
As she mopped the worst of the wine off the dog’s back, she glanced up at Billy apologetically.
‘Just as soon as I’ve dried your dog off, I’d love to come for a walk with the two of you.’
Outside, the sun had just dropped below the rim of the mountains, but the sky was a light purple colour and she could still make out the onion-shaped cupola on the church and the roofs of the old town in the distance. Zoë caught hold of Billy’s left arm in both hands and rested her head against his shoulder as they strolled along the winding path beneath the trees. A few minutes later, the Christmas lights in the trees blinked into life and she saw a few tiny snowflakes beginning to fall, sparkling in the light, adding a magical feel to the evening. Neither of them spoke, but it didn’t matter. In spite of the cold, she was warmed by that same glow of happiness and belonging. It just felt right.
As they reached a clump of silver birch trees, Billy slowed and stopped. Without a word, he drew her to him, slipped one arm around her back, the other around her neck, and pulled her tightly against him. As her eyes gently closed, she felt his lips upon hers as he kissed her – this time with real passion – and she responded.
It was some time before he spoke.
‘I didn’t ask. Can I take it that this means you will accept my little gift?’
Zoë patted her pocket and checked that the box was still there, then took a step back and unzipped her jacket. Reaching behind her neck, she unclipped the little silver chain bearing the pine marten and held it out towards Billy.
‘I’m very, very definitely going to accept your gift and I promise I’ll cherish it forever. In return, here’s a little memento of the wonderful times you and I have spent together. It’s only a little token, but I wonder if you’d accept it as a gift from me to you. I don’t expect you to wear it all the time, but maybe you’d like to keep it.’
She saw his eyes sparkle in the Christmas lights.
‘For the rest of my life.’
He opened his jacket and leant forward so she could clip the silver chain around his neck. Then she removed the box from her pocket and opened it. She slid the gold necklace onto the palm of her hand and held it out towards him.
‘Would you mind?’
After he had fastened the necklace around her neck, he took her in his arms and kissed her again. She felt her knees go weak, and if his strong arms hadn’t been around her, she would probably have ended up in a snowdrift. That same feeling of happiness spread all over her. She felt protected and she felt loved. Finally coming up for air, she looked up into his eyes.
‘Why me, Billy?’
‘There’s never been anybody else, Zoë. I knew it from the very first moment I saw you, but I can’t explain it. That’s just the way it is. Over the past years I’ve been in and out of a number of relationships, but none of them has lasted any length of time. Nobody else has ever matched up to you – and nobody ever will.’
‘Oh Billy…’
Suddenly she felt almost like crying all over again. Instead, she hugged him tightly and kissed him again.
It was a good deal later when they were finally roused by the Labrador jumping up against their legs, reminding them of his presence. They both knelt down to pet the dog and, as they stood up again, Billy caught hold of her hands in his.
‘Zoë, I was wondering something. Do you have any plans for after Christmas?’
She shook her head. ‘No, nothing special. I don’t go back to work until the third of January – assuming I’ve still got a job to go back to. Why do you ask?’
‘I wondered if you might consider staying on. Daniela told me she’s going over to spend a few days in London with Juliet when she and the others go home the day after tomorrow, so there’ll just be me and Arnie left.’
Zoë didn’t need time to reflect.
‘I’d love that, Billy. I really would.’
‘And my suite’s got two bedrooms, so you wouldn’t need to feel…’
For a moment, the old, insecure Billy reappeared in his tone. Zoë reached up and linked her fingers behind his head, pulling his face down towards hers.
‘One bedroom’s going to be fine, Billy… just fine.’
Acknowledgements
With many thanks to Michael Bhaskar and all the team at Canelo for all their support, help and encouragement.
Go on a journey with T.A. Williams’ fun and flirty romantic comedies…
Dreaming Of Venice
Dreaming of Florence
Dreaming of St-Tropez
Dreaming of Christmas
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First published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
57 Shepherds Lane
Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU
United Kingdom
Copyright © T.A. Williams, 2018
The moral right of T.A. Williams to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788630955
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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