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He didn’t even like Christmas

Really She was so much better off without him

Except that without hi alone

Holly stared at the sad strings of unlit icicles lying against her duvet cover Inside, without their little bulbs glea, they were useless Surplus to requirements Just like she’d proven to be to Sebastian

The thing is, Hol, I thought I wanted to get married Really I did I et up to the next level at the coot this new job offer over in Dubai … Well, we don’t need to any more, do we? And you’d hate it over there Far too hot for you You’d burn in minutes So maybe it’s just best for both of us if we call it a day Don’t you think?

Best for both of the out on the life she’d iined for them

But since it turned out that all he’d wanted her for in the first place was a promotion … Holly shuddered Lucky escape She really had to concentrate on that part

How had she not seen it sooner? Maybe she was just a rubbish judge of character

It wasn’t being without Sebastian that bothered her et another chance to do it right

Well, she knew one thing Hiding away in her bedrooet her anywhere And neither was apologising to Mrs Te the old bully dictate where she could and couldn’t hang her lights

This was her house Just hers, now that Sebastian had gone She worked da her teacher’s salary with the income from her online craft shop, and cake orders from friends and family She deserved to decorate it any damn way she pleased

And what pleased her right noas bright And gaudy And everything else Mrs Templeton hated

Hell, she’d hang light-up vibrators froht now if she had them

Well, maybe not that But she did have a priority account with next day delivery at a really fab online decoration store …

It was ti the sort of woman who said yes to athe Holly he walked out on, leaving her feeling that she hadn’t done enough to keep him

That was bollocks

She was ready to be herself again – the Holly who loved Christ them, who dressed her cat up and took her for walks on a sparkly pink lead sometimes

Sebastian hadn’t deserved her She didn’t need him, and she didn’t even need her parents here to coddle her through her first Christmas alone They deserved their own life, too She’d rather be alone, being herself, with a chance of one day finding someone who loved her for who she really was, not in spite of it Because, actually, she was kind of aweso to realise that And until then …

It was tiain

Starting with the icicles

She was going to hang them frooing to go online and order lawn decorations Because this was her Christ it her way

‘Last house,’ Jack said, looking down at me sympathetically We were back on Maple Drive, at least; I could seefor was just next to nuo back and see Holly Get you off this lead’

Thank goodness for that My dignity had reached a ne, being paraded around with pink sparkles aroundfro

I a A quick stroll once or twice a day suitsmail all around the county

Still, this last house had potential As we approached the front door, interesting sreet us And when Jack knocked and the woer

I’d never smelled s than those inside the box of interesting sot me into all this trouble in the first place