We only had nine months to plan for Christmas. We had to focus.
“First order of business,” Ivy said. “Lemon and Griffin. Lovely people. What are we thinking?”
“I like them,” Jim said.
“That Griffin is a very funny chap,” Barbara said. “And Lemon—her name’s absurd of course, but she’s lovely, and they seem very well suited.”
Was I missing something? We were here to talk about planning for next year’s Christmas. Why were we talking about mine and Sebastian’s best friends?
“I’m sorry, but why are we talking about Lemon and Griffin? This is a Christmas committee meeting that I’ve been dragged along to. Shouldn’t we be discussing Christmas?”
“We are,” Keely said, with a gently scolding look to Sebastian. “Bringing people together is a key thing at Christmas. Creating happiness and wonder.”
“It’s what we do,” said Howard. “Look at you two.”
I glanced at Ivy and then at Sebastian. “Yes, Sebastian and I are very happy. But we weren’t designed by committee. We found out we liked each other—”
“By spending time together,” Ivy said.
“By banding together in a crisis,” Barbara added.
“By thinking up solutions to problems together,” Jim said.
“Don’t forget a trip to Snowsville,” Howard said, chortling. “Do you know how long it took me to syphon off the petrol in your tank while you were going around the Snowsville Christmas market? You could have left it half-empty!”
“What?” I yelped. “You drained the petrol from my Mini?”
“We had to find a way of getting you two together. You needed a little push,” Ivy said.
It had all been a conspiracy. Sebastian and I had been purposefully put together.
“Granny,” Sebastian said with a growl. “Did you even have a sprained ankle?”
She frowned as if she wasn’t quite sure how to answer the question. “I have sprained it before. Last summer. Only had to stay off it a couple of days.”
“I remember,” Howard said. “That’s when we thought up our little matchmaking plan.”
“The website hack was genius,” Keely said. “It really added to the idea that Snowsville was out to get us.”
I should be furious about being hoodwinked by these people. Lied to for all these months. But when I gazed up at Sebastian, all I could think was, thank goodness. Whether by fate or interfering neighbors, we had found each other. I had the best man I could ever hope for by my side. I couldn’t be angry.
“You lot are incorrigible,” Sebastian said. “But all’s well that ends well.”
Ivy nodded and Keely gave three little claps, like she was happy it was all out in the open.
“Thank you for helping me come to my senses and guiding me to the woman I love.”
I blushed at his public declaration. We’d swapped our first I love yous a few weeks ago, but I was still getting used to having someone in my life who so obviously adored me. Sebastian told me I had a lifetime to get used to it. He’d also told me not to expect a Christmas Eve proposal. Which was a relief, but at the same time a disappointment. Maybe I should propose to him. That way I wasn’t waiting for something that might or might not happen, and I had all the fun in planning it. I might even rope in some of the people in this room if they were so invested in Sebastian and I being together.
“Well now that’s all out in the open,” Ivy said. “I suggest we take a vote on whether Lemon and Griffin should be the next Snowsly couple in our sights.”
Sebastian grinned while shaking his head, but I stretched up my hand as high as it would reach. Lemon deserved a good man just as much as I did. And if it meant her living back in the UK? Well, I wasn’t going to complain about having my best friend back in the country.
“Neither of them live in Snowsly,” Sebastian said.
“You hadn’t been here for ten years,” Ivy replied. “We’ve overcome bigger issues.”
“Put your hand up,” I whispered.
Sebastian shook his head but raised his hand as requested.
“We have nine months, people, and a lot to do.”
A Snowsly Christmas. Another Snowsly couple. And in the meantime, I had a proposal to plan.
* * *