The Mills & Boon Christmas Wishes Collection. Maisey Yates

looking forward to it actually. Micah said his mom is a sweetheart and his dad fancies himself as a prankster. Is that right, Clio? Are they as nice as he says?”

      It was interesting to note Amory was hanging on every word. My usually confident, sassy friend was clearly still nervous about meeting Cruz’s parents… Whereas Isla was happy to take the next step with Micah, because meeting the parents was always a good sign the relationship was moving in the right direction.

      “They’re even nicer than that,” I said honestly. Micah’s parents were caring, compassionate and happy-go-lucky, just like him. They’d been there for me a lot growing up; I was sort of the daughter they never had. “His mom, Sue Betty, sewed my prom dress, and did my hair and makeup, and his dad gave Timothy the big talk about curfews and the appropriate way to treat a woman, i.e. don’t even think about sex before marriage.”

      Isla laughed. “Oh, that is totally adorable! Imagine having” – she made air quotes – “‘the talk’ about someone else’s daughter.”

      Silence fell between us. I remembered that night so clearly: the fact that my own father was missing another rite of passage, another event in my life he should have been there for; not to mention Mom, who should have been the one dusting on too much blue eyeshadow, and teasing my hair, choking us with hairspray fumes.

      “It was hard to buy them Christmas presents,” Isla said. “In the end I settled for Christmas-themed gift boxes, but I’m worried they’ll think it’s cheesy.”

      “What did you buy?” I asked, knowing it could have been a day-old newspaper and they’d still have exclaimed how perfect it was, and how thoughtful.

      “Gaudy Christmas onesies, and a selection of Christmas movies, then I filled the box with candy canes, reindeer lollipops, and gingerbread men. I thought it could be a tradition, you know, start something new, celebrate my life here in Evergreen with them…”

      I gave her arm a pat. “They’ll totally love that, and no doubt wear them and make you all sit down and watch every last movie.”

      She grinned. “I hope so.” I watched Amory consider it from Isla’s point of view, and I wondered if it made her think of Cruz, and meeting his folks.

      Back inside the lodge, we hung our coats, and unwound thick scarves, taking off our gloves, it was hot in the warm front salon with the fire roaring.

      “Let’s get the presents wrapped, yeah?” I said, taking various rolls of brightly colored foil from a shopping bag. The girls dashed upstairs to grab their gifts, so while they were gone, I wrapped theirs. For Isla, I’d found a chunky silver bracelet filled with floral charms – roses, peonies and lilies were recreated in thick silver and it reminded me of her and her love for flowers. Micah had been right when he’d said she could wax lyrical about flora for days… Amory’s present was a Filofax. She adored them, and I’d had the leather cover embossed with her name. Inside, I’d stuffed two tickets to a ballet show she’d been itching to see. With red and golden ribbons tied around the shiny gold foil, I popped the presents under the tree just as they walked back into the room, arms full with shopping bags.

      Amory produced her present for Cruz, which I rewarded with an eyebrow-raise. “An apron?” I asked faux-innocently.

      “Not just any apron, a Santa apron! Won’t he look adorable?”

      “So… he’s staying?”

      She folded the ruddy face of Santa in half. “I mentioned that if he wanted to stay to help out, then that was really considerate of him. And that you were totally serious when you asked him.”

      “And?” I prompted.

      “And what?”

      “Did he say yes?”

      “He did.”

      I let out a whoop.

      “Have you talked about your relationship?”

      She wrapped the apron in green foil. “We have.”

      It was like talking to a rock. “And…”

      “And I’ve agreed to meet his parents, later.”

      I wanted to jump up and clap for her, but she was still so skittish about the whole thing. “And what about everything else?”

      Her hands fell to her lap. “We’ve come to a deadlock. And, like you advised, we’ll take it one day at a time. Cruz says he’s happy to forgo his dreams of having kids. But I’m still not convinced he won’t hate me for it later. So we’ve agreed to discuss the issue again in six months’ time. If anything changes, if his desire to be a dad grows, then we’ll have to address it all again. I don’t want him to spend his life regretting the choice, but as long as we discuss it, and are totally open with our feelings, then I’m happy.”

      “I think that’s a smart move.” What else could they do? She was willing to break her own heart by letting him go so he could find the type of woman who wanted to have a family, but he only wanted her, and was willing to forgo his own desires. She couldn’t have a baby just because it was expected in some circles, if she really didn’t feel that was her path. I was glad they’d come to some sort of compromise in the meantime. And really, no one knew what the future held.

      Micah’s rust bucket of a car spluttered and belched its way nosily down the driveway, alerting me to their presence and we all headed to the front door. Nerves fluttered at the thought of seeing Kai again, but I tamped them right back down.

      Still, my breathing quickened when I caught sight of him unfolding his long, lean body out of the small hatchback. Micah said something I didn’t catch, and Kai threw his head back and laughed, exposing his straight, shiny white teeth. As far as teeth went they were pretty spectacular, if you were into things like that. Which I wasn’t. Just being observant.

      Then there was his hair – too-long, surfer-style, wavy, a blond that made his tan more prominent. Where he got a tan in winter was beyond me, but while it had faded at Cedarwood it had never disappeared entirely. And maybe it was all the yoga, but he moved differently to most men, he sort of drifted forward.

      “You absolute stalker,” Amory whispered in my ear, making me jump in fright.

      “I am not…”

      She grinned and her face was transformed back into that of my beautiful, vivacious friend. “Listen,” she said, lowering her voice, “why don’t you stop pretending? You’re the biggest advocate for love, yet you spend your life waiting for it to happen to you when really you should be a big girl and help it along…”

      I opened and closed my mouth like a fish out of water. “I’ll happily help it along if I find the right man.”

      She leaned so close I could see her pupils dilate. “Kai is pretty perfect. But you’re never going to find out with your nose pressed against the window.”

      “Good advice.” My voice was heavy with sarcasm. “Why would I hook up with someone who’s working in another part of the country? That has disaster written all over it in big fat capital letters.”

      “Yet you offer to employ Cruz just like that. Kai could easily work here, and we are advertising for staff. You need a project manager for the chalets. Just saying…” She held up her hands when I went to protest.

      “And…” she said, and I knew she had something up her sleeve. She flounced past me and sat on the desk. “Didn’t you give Micah this exact kind of advice when Isla was going to leave Cedarwood? And now look… they’ve found a solution. I’m sure you can.”

      I sighed. “That’s all well and good for them, Amory, but there is one little problem. They both liked each other. Kai and I are not like that. We’re friends.”

      “Sure you are!” She rolled her eyes. “And what about that other guy? He was keen for a date and you’ve done absolutely zero about it. You accuse me of being scared, but I think you’re