Last Christmas by Clare Swatman

Author:Clare Swatman [Swatman, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2024-08-27T00:00:00+00:00

She stared at the message, frozen. Then, before she could change her mind, she deleted it.

8

STAY

December 2005

‘Merry Christmas!’ Mia held her glass in the air and everyone leaned towards her and clinked theirs against it. Behind her, the lights of the city sparkled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and even though she’d lived here for so long now, Bea still couldn’t get used to the incredible view.

Bea didn’t think she’d ever seen her best friend look as happy as she did right now, and her heart felt full as she watched her leaning towards Frank, her boyfriend of four months, for a kiss.

‘Can I have a kiss too?’ a voice murmured in her ear and she turned her head and pressed her lips against the ones right beside hers.

‘Merry Christmas baby,’ she murmured.

‘Merry Christmas, Princess Beatrice.’

Bea settled back into AJ’s chest and felt his arms snake round her waist. This was shaping up to be the best Christmas she’d ever had, and it was only just getting started.

‘To AJ, and to him letting us stay in his amazing apartment!’ Mia said, holding her glass up again.

‘Ah, it’s good to have you,’ AJ said, waving his glass in her direction.

‘So, tonight we thought we’d have a quiet one here,’ Bea said, leaning away from the speakers so she could be heard over Mariah Carey. ‘But tomorrow, do you mind if I steal Mia for a few hours, Frank, so we can do some proper girly shopping?’

‘Be my guest,’ Frank said. ‘I’m sure I can find something to keep me busy.’

Bea smiled. She was so thrilled for Mia that she’d finally found her Mr Right – even if he did live three thousand miles away from home.

‘We’ve got AJ to thank for bringing us together,’ Mia told her.

‘Really?’ Bea said.

‘Yep. If AJ hadn’t pestered you, you would never have come to live here, and I would never have met Frank.’ She beamed at Frank and he beamed back.

‘Sure, you guys would have met somehow. You were destined to be together,’ AJ said.

Bea murmured her agreement. But her mind was already elsewhere, and as her friends chatted she let it wander further.

The truth was, as happy as she was right now, she always had an underlying feeling of guilt about what she’d done to Dom.

After she’d interviewed AJ last December, she spent a lovely Christmas at home with Dom and her family. They’d squeezed everyone into their flat, somehow, and cooked dinner for fifteen people. Over Christmas they’d rested and recharged their batteries, and Bea had been looking forward to the new year.

Then, on New Year’s Eve, as Bea stood at the top of the hill by Alexandra Palace with Dom, Mia, Ashton, Michael and Harry, watching fireworks going off all over London as the clock turned to midnight, her phone had buzzed. After she’d hugged everyone, and kissed Dom, she’d pulled it from her pocket with gloved hands and read the message. And her heart had stopped for just a moment.

Happy New Year Princess Beatrice.

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