by Laura Ziepe
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat as he said the words. ‘Your girlfriend?’ she ventured.
Nick’s cheeks reddened slightly and he looked at his shoes in discomfiture. He gave a brittle, nervous laugh and looked up at her in hope. ‘Well, aren’t you?’
Rachel giggled. ‘Is this the Nick Cunningham, who’s usually so confident and self-assertive, asking me to be his girlfriend on my doorstep?’
He screwed up his face tightly, like he had a toothache. ‘Yes.’
Rachel burst into laughter and leaned in for another kiss. ‘Of course I’ll be your girlfriend. No need to look so worried.’ She gazed into his eyes. ‘Providing there are no more ex-wives or other children you haven’t told me about?’ she asked in mock seriousness.
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about them all now.’
She kissed him again.
Rachel was giddy with happiness; what a very merry Christmas this was turning out to be.
Epilogue
‘I’m so glad we got to meet before New Year’s Eve,’ Grace said, pouring the tea from the teapot into the three china cups on the table. ‘Did you both have a lovely Christmas?’ she asked interestedly.
‘Obviously mine was very eventful,’ Amber told them dreamily. ‘I honestly thought I’d be sunning myself in Dubai by now. Who would have thought I’d rather be here, more excited to be making plans to go to the cinema tonight with Jack?’ Her face was radiant with joy.
‘I think it’s so romantic that he went to the airport to get you,’ Rachel told them, her eyes glittery. ‘It’s like something out of a film.’
‘Or just like that episode of Friends with Ross and Rachel,’ Grace pointed out. ‘What about you with Nick turning up on Christmas Day asking you to be his girlfriend?’ Grace laughed happily. ‘I didn’t think he had it in him.’
‘I know, you should have seen him.’ Rachel chuckled at the memory. ‘He does have a really soft side to him. I never would have thought that when I first met him. I’m glad.’
‘Perhaps seeing as things have worked out so well for all of us, we should be celebrating drinking wine instead of tea? Who’s up for hitting a bar? It’s kind of still Christmas, after all. We haven’t had New Year’s yet so it’s still part of the festive period in my book,’ Amber suggested, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Rachel had a faint smile on her lips. ‘I’m in if you are?’
Their eyes swivelled towards Grace, waiting for her to agree and she looked away, her face suffusing with colour.
‘I’ve kind of got something to tell you,’ Grace started, her voice scratchy with nerves. This was a huge moment telling her friends. It was big news. ‘Simon and I are having a baby. I’m pregnant!’ she exclaimed, her face crinkling into a beam.
Rachel and Amber seemed galvanized.
‘What? You’re pregnant?’ Amber’s mouth popped open. ‘No way!’
‘Oh wow, congratulations!’ Rachel’s voice was a high-pitched squeak.
They both stood up to hug her.
‘I’m so happy for you, Grace. This is what you’ve always wanted,’ Amber pointed out, a cheerful expression on her face.
‘I know, I know; we’re both thrilled with the news. We can’t wait to be parents. It’s early days still, but I just can’t keep the news to myself. Besides, you’d never have believed any reason as to why I wasn’t drinking.’
‘You’ll make great parents,’ Rachel said giddily. She lifted her mug of tea. ‘Cheers.’
They clinked cups, giggling.
‘Perhaps it wasn’t the season to be single after all?’ Amber said doubtfully.
Grace agreed. Maybe for some it was the best time to go out with no commitments and have fun, but for them, Christmas had brought them love and happiness, and what a magical time it was.
Acknowledgements
Firstly, I would like to thank the lovely Charlotte Mursell at HQ. I’m so grateful that firstly, you loved the book and have been so passionate and enthusiastic about it and secondly, you’ve been such a wonderful and helpful editor to work with! None of this would have been possible without you.
To my agent, Hannah Ferguson, who has always stuck by me and been so patient with my attempts; I got there in the end! Thank you for believing in me. I would also like to give a huge thanks to Joanna Swainson, who was covering for Hannah who was on maternity leave when I got this book deal.
Thank you to the talented Anna Sikorska who designed this book cover; I loved it as soon as I saw it.
Thanks to all the team at HQ who have worked on this book and made it happen. I’ll always be pinching myself that I’m in such a lucky position to have my novels published.
Thank you to my family for putting up with me always being on my laptop, and thanks to my lovely mum for babysitting my children whenever I’ve needed to work.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank anyone who has read this book. I really hope you’ve enjoyed it. Feel free to tell me your thoughts or just say hello on Twitter @lauraziepe or Instagram @lauraziepewriter.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading my book, ’Tis The Season to be Single. I really hope you loved reading it as much as I did writing it.
After deciding to write a Christmas-themed novel, I thought a perfect, festive setting for the characters to work was a department store. I used to work in one myself part-time when I was seventeen, and I remember the continuous Christmas songs, joyful faces and flashing decorations always really got me in the holiday mood. I currently work as freelance make-up artist, so it seemed like the perfect idea that the three friends in my book worked for a make-up brand.
This will be my third published book now, and I count myself as incredibly fortunate to be able to have a job that I love so very much. For me, writing doesn’t feel like working, and as the famous saying goes, ‘if you find a job you enjoy doing, you will never have to work a day in your life.’
I know there are tons of books out there to choose from, and again, thank you so much for choosing mine to read. I love hearing your thoughts and feedback so don’t hesitate to leave a review on Amazon or contact me @lauraziepe on twitter or @lauraziepewriter on Instagram. Please look out for my next book, which is set in summer, or check out my previous novels which you can find on Amazon.
Laura x
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book – we hope you enjoyed it! If you did, we’d be so appreciative if you left a review.
Here at HQ Digital we are dedicated to publishing fiction that will keep you turning the pages into the early hours. We publish a variety of genres, from heartwarming romance, to thrilling crime and sweeping historical fiction.
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