It’s a Wonderful Night: A delightfully feel-good festive romance for 2018!. Jaimie Admans

somewhere where there are actually sheep. Not a lot of sheep come shopping on the high street.’

      ‘Yeah. Can’t remember the last time I served one.’

      It makes him laugh.

      ‘See? I’m a terrible liar!’

      ‘Ah, Georgia. If all else fails, tell him “women’s problems”. Always works for me.’

      ‘Women’s problems works for you?’

      He grins. ‘Genius, right? People are so confused by that excuse coming from a man that they don’t even question it.’

      ‘You’re an evil mastermind under that sunny smile, aren’t you?’

      He does a gallant bow. ‘I try my best.’

      ‘I’ll tell you what, before I run off, can I have three hot chocolates to go, please?’

      ‘As a bribe or for use as a shield?’

      ‘If you promise not to judge me – a bribe.’

      ‘Good thinking.’ He turns around and sets about making them. ‘You’re single-handedly keeping me in business today. Is this one bank manager who really likes hot chocolate or three managers to placate?’

      I hate lying to him about this, it’s so stupid, but how can I tell him anything different? ‘One manager and two colleagues who’ll have had to cover my desk for twenty minutes. They won’t mind but one of your hot chocolates will certainly smooth the way,’ I lie, thinking about the three old ladies freezing in the car park. A hot chocolate would give them something to dump over my head if they weren’t all chocoholics.

      ‘Yikes,’ he says. ‘I’d better put extra spray cream on top for good measure.’

      I watch as Leo makes one cup after the other, obviously rushing to save me being even later than I already am, putting each one on the counter and filling them up with more squirty cream than should be legal at this time of day before fitting the lids on. Our fingers brush as I hand him the money and listen to the ding of the till again, a real old-fashioned bell ringing sound, and watch as he slots each cup into a cardboard cup holder and holds it out to me.

      My hands close around the cardboard tray but he doesn’t let go. Instead he pulls it back slightly, making me look up at him. ‘Thank you, my lovely.’

      His gaze is holding mine, his eyes so intense that I feel a delicious little shiver at the base of my spine, and I get the feeling he doesn’t just mean for the multiple drinks I’ve bought this morning.

      ‘Thank you,’ I say, trying not to think about how easy it would be to use the tray to pull him across the counter and press my lips against his.

      I reluctantly take the tray of hot chocolates in one hand and hoist my bag over my shoulder with the other. I don’t want to go, but I’ve probably got another five minutes before Mary starts doing door-to-door enquiries and if she finds me in here, there’s going to be no getting away with pretending to work in the bank.

      ‘Sorry for making you late for work.’

      ‘You haven’t. It was … nice,’ I say, backing away but keeping my eyes on his, well aware that I’m likely to trip over my own feet and end up head over heels under three cups of hot chocolate in a minute, and I’m beginning to think there’s already enough head-over-heels-ing when it comes to Leo.

      ‘Let me get the door for you, your hands are full.’ Leo dashes out from behind the counter and strides across the shop, pulling the door open for me with another jingle of the bell.

      ‘Thanks,’ I mumble, a bit too aware of the heat from his body as I squeeze past him in the doorway, and of how much I’ve heated up from his closeness. It’s not normal to feel this hot on a cold December morning.

      ‘Hey, Georgia?’ he says as I go to say goodbye.

      I stop and turn back, my shoulder millimetres away from his.

      ‘Thank you. It was incredible to talk to someone who actually remembers my father. As Santa and as himself. That’s what he would’ve wanted. To affect someone’s life in some small way. He would’ve liked that.’

      A lump forms in my throat as I go to reply, and Leo nudges his shoulder against mine gently. ‘Sorry, I’m holding you up even more. See you tomorrow, right? Have a good day.’

      I decide it’s probably a good time to leave even if I don’t want to. Crying in the middle of the street in front of Leo is not a good idea, and I’m sure I’ve just seen the flap of a lilac coat disappear around the corner, meaning that Mary’s come out looking for me.

      ‘It was the most interesting morning I’ve had in a long time.’ I force my brightest grin and nudge his arm in return.

      ‘Worth the bollocking from the boss?’

      ‘Worth twenty bollockings from twenty bosses.’

      ‘Aww.’ He pushes his bottom lip out. ‘Never have I felt more valued in my entire life. Now I know why you’ll always be my favourite Georgia.’

      ‘Well, you’ll always be my favourite Leo, even if you did destroy the Christmas illusions of my childhood.’

      I hear him laughing behind me as I walk away and wave as I pass the window, and the grin he gives me is wide enough to break his face in two.

      Now, never mind bollockings from bosses, I’m going to have a car park full of annoyed old ladies who are all skilled at beating people with walking sticks.