Chapter 1

      ‘Perhaps he’s going to propose?’ Grace said cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she bent down to arrange a drawer of lipsticks.

      Rachel frowned anxiously, biting her lower lip as she stared at the twinkly fairy lights and sparkly giant baubles above. The Christmas decorations had just gone up and they usually put her in a good mood instantly, but not today. Her boyfriend of three years, Mark, had called on her lunch break to check she was coming straight home as he needed to talk to her.

      ‘No, I really don’t think that’s it,’ she replied fretfully. ‘He sounded really serious on the phone and Mark is never normally like that. It was as though someone had died. Which they haven’t, thank goodness, because it was the first thing I asked when I heard his sombre voice.’

      ‘Well, getting married is a huge deal,’ Grace pointed out, tucking her shoulder-length dark hair behind her ear. ‘He’s probably just nervous.’ She smiled widely. ‘You should have seen Simon when he proposed to me. He was shaking so much I thought he was going to drop the ring.’

      Rachel gave a light laugh. ‘I’m not so sure…’ She tailed off, unable to imagine Mark proposing on such an ordinary day. Firstly, it was a Wednesday and they didn’t have plans that evening to do anything special, and secondly, Christmas was just around the corner. Surely if Mark was going to propose he’d choose to do so on Christmas Day? She could just imagine it at the Christmas table, surrounded by Mark’s lovely family as they gushed over the beautiful diamond ring. He wouldn’t do it on a random Wednesday at the beginning of November, would he? Rachel felt like she’d been waiting forever for him to propose, but try as she might, she just couldn’t imagine that being the reason he needed to talk to her.

      ‘Don’t look so worried,’ Grace told her, in a comforting, caring voice. ‘I’m sure if it was that urgent, he would have just told you over the phone.’

      Rachel forced a smile and nodded her head. ‘Yes, I’m sure you’re right. It’s probably nothing. I bet it’s to do with his work or something along those lines. He’s been so stressed over work lately; perhaps he’s quit his job? It wouldn’t be the worst thing.’

      ‘Has Bianca mentioned anything?’ Grace questioned curiously. ‘Perhaps she knows what all this is about?’

      Bianca was Rachel’s best friend from primary school. When Bianca had been made redundant the year before, Rachel had managed to persuade Mark to get her a job at the bank he worked for in London. Bianca had been over the moon and so grateful. Rachel’s forehead wrinkled.

      ‘No, she hasn’t, and I spoke to her last night. They only work in the same building though. They’re in completely different departments so I can’t imagine she’d know anything anyway. It’s not like they’re friends or anything.’ Rachel heaved a loud sigh. ‘There’s no point in me guessing all day. I’ll just have to wait and see.’

      ‘Exactly,’ Grace said, pulling out a lipstick and taking the cap off. ‘Put on a bit of red lippie to get into the festive spirit and everything will be fine,’ she smiled, passing the lipstick over.

      It was quiet today in Tidemans, the department store they worked in. With Christmas fast approaching, Rachel knew it was the calm before the storm and she should appreciate the peace and quiet. Right now though, she also knew that she’d welcome the distraction of some customers, as all she could think about was what Mark wanted to say to her. As much as she’d pressed him on the phone, he’d been adamant he wanted to discuss it face to face. It couldn’t be anything that bad, could it? A feeling of unease crept up on her. Everything had been fine in their relationship; a little same-old and predictable maybe, but Rachel loved the feeling of being completely comfortable and they were happy, weren’t they? Who cared if she no longer had the butterflies like at the beginning? That feeling didn’t last forever in any relationship, and Mark was the man Rachel wanted to marry. He was the one. For the past year she’d been hoping he was going to propose and she couldn’t deny she’d felt a little disappointed after every night out in a restaurant or trip away together when she’d still come back empty handed. What if Grace was right? What if he really was going to propose today? Rachel applied the red lipstick with a brush and puckered her lips together. At least she could make sure she looked nice if he was going to pop the question.

      Rachel loved working with Grace on the make-up counter for Pop Cosmetics and they’d become great friends over the years. They knew practically everything about each other, and Rachel was so glad she’d decided to take the job five years ago, despite having reservations about working in retail. There were usually three of them, but their colleague, Amber, was away in Thailand, due to arrive back in a few days’ time.

      ‘Good luck,’ Grace said, leaning in for a kiss a few hours later when they were leaving. ‘Let me know straightaway if you get engaged,’ she said, her lips curving at the edges. ‘What a lovely early Christmas present that would be.’

      Rachel waved goodbye, feeling sick with nerves.

      Their flat was empty when she got home, so Rachel put the kettle on, making a cup of tea for something to do. She was looking forward to decorating their flat for Christmas; they usually drank mulled wine and listened to Christmas songs to get them in the mood. She remembered amusedly how the year before they’d ended up pretty drunk and covered in glitter.

      She was pouring the milk into the tea when she heard the front door open and Mark walk in.

      ‘Hi!’ Rachel attempted a smile and a breezy tone, swivelling round to face Mark as he walked into the kitchen. Her heart plummeted, as she instantly knew that whatever it was he was going to tell her, it wasn’t good news. There was definitely going to be no proposal tonight, of that she was certain.

      ‘Hi. Rach, do you mind sitting down?’ Mark asked gravely, walking over to the kitchen table with a slight stoop to his shoulders. His face was white as a sheet.

      Rachel swallowed hard, knowing she should have trusted her gut instinct that something was wrong when he had called her that afternoon. Maybe he’d been sacked from his job and they were going to struggle to pay the bills? She could handle that though and would offer to work extra hours at Tidemans and start