Page 37 of Mistletoe and Mulled Wine at the Christmas Campervan

‘Oh …!’ There was a second where the elderly lady seemed slightly flustered. She pursed her lips, taking in the view before her with wide eyes before saying, ‘Oh, morning Jack. Nice to see you!’ She gave a cheeky grin.

‘Ah … yes … morning, Nonna,’ Jack bumbled out, tightening his grip on the towel around his waist.

‘I imagine my granddaughter is still upstairs,’ she added, smooth as you like. ‘I am a bit sharp.’

‘Oh, is she expecting you?’

Bloody hell, there he’d been, wanting to avoid getting involved with family commitments. And here he was, face to face with Lucy’s grandmother. To be fair, he had turned up rather out of the blue last evening. But Lucy hadn’t mentioned anything about an impending visit. He glanced at the kitchen clock; it was only 8:45 a.m. Perhaps it had slipped Lucy’s mind. Jack held onto the towel even tighter, hoping nothing else might slip.

‘Oh no, pet. It was all a bit last minute. Marjorie next door mentioned she was popping over to run an errand Seahouses way, and well, I thought I may as well take the opportunity of a free lift, seeing as we were virtually passing the door. Thought it’d be a nice surprise.’

‘Well, it’s certainly a surprise.’ Jack managed a wry smile. ‘Well then, I was just about to take up a coffee for Lucy. I’ll go do that now …’ He had to get away, get some clothes on. He wished he’d picked up the big bath towel now, not the bloody hand towel. ‘And then we can pop back down, make you a cup of tea or something. I-I’ll let her know you’re here.’

‘You do that, pet.’ Nonna’s face was beaming with a knowing smile. She looked to be suppressing laughter, in fact.

‘Well, make yourself at home.’ Jack couldn’t get out of that kitchen quick enough, leaving the drinks on the side. He trotted up the narrow stairway gingerly, clinging to the towel, just in case the old lady had decided to follow him. But there was no sign of her as he reached the top, phew. ‘Lucy, ah, Luce …’ he hissed urgently as he stepped inside the bedroom door, ‘your nonna’s here.’

Lucy lay sprawled in their crumpled sheets.

‘What? Seriously?’ She bolted upright. ‘At this time of day? Are you sure?’

‘’Course I’m bloody sure. I haven’t just seen a ghost. She’s sat in the kitchen waiting for a cup of tea.’

Oh good Lord, just when Jack hadn’t wanted to get all ‘family fussy’. Nonna’s timing was really out. But then Lucy took in the image of Jack before her and couldn’t help but grin. ‘And you were dressed like that …?’

Jack had to smile too, shaking his head at the craziness of it all. ‘Didn’t have a lot of options. The tea towel on the side was even smaller.’

Lucy dressed hastily and headed down to the kitchen, blushing furiously as she opened the white wooden door.

‘Morning, Nonna. Well, this is a surprise.’

‘Good morning, Lucy. Nice to see your young man just now. Going well, is it …?’ Nonna raised an amused eyebrow. She knew how the world worked these days. The young ones being a bit freer and easier. It was all certainly different from her own courting times.

Lucy squirmed with embarrassment; she really didn’t want to discuss her budding and slightly complex relationship with her grandmother.

‘Hmmm … cup of tea?’ she offered, moving the conversation swiftly on, as she discovered her own cup of coffee which Jack had made earlier, cooling on the side.

Nonna continued undeterred: ‘Well, I hope he’s taking all this seriously. You don’t need to be wasting time on someone who’ll mess you about. It’s about time you found yourself a good man, Lucy. Someone to be there by your side.’

‘I know, Nonna, but it’s not the Middle Ages, times have changed. Relationships don’t have to be all wedding rings and promises of forever. And I can manage quite well enough on my own …’

‘I know you can manage, pet. You’re successful, ambitious, hard-working, you’ve got your own home, and I’m so proud of you for that. You’ve turned your life around with your new pizza venture. But I’m not talking about that, I’m talking about having some love and laughter in your life. Having that special someone to share things with, someone who’ll stick around … it all makes the world seem that bit brighter. I wouldn’t have been without your papa all those years.’

Lucy nodded, feeling strangely emotional. Nonna’s words picking at her recent wounds.

‘Now you’ve turned things around after that horrid business with Liam,’ Nonna added, on a roll, ‘maybe you can see you need to be with someone who really cares for you. Someone you can share your hopes and dreams … your life with. And Jack, well,’ the old lady continued with a wise smile, ‘now he’s a different laddie to Liam altogether.’

A smile crept over Lucy’s face at that observation. They were indeed polar opposites. Liam, so bloody staid and boring.

‘He’s charming, for sure, Lucy. And he seems a nice enough, lad,’ she said, lowering her voice. ‘But I do worry that he’ll end up being a bit of a fly-by-night … a bit of a heartbreaker. Anyhow, that’s for you to make your own mind up on, I suppose.’

Lucy stayed quiet on the matter, her own doubts still lingering silently even after last night’s heart-to-heart. Yes, Jack was adventurous and romantic, caring and passionate, and he certainly made her soul and her body sing, but was their relationship enough to make him stay, to commit to anything longer term?

With that, the man himself reappeared in the kitchen, this time fully clothed.

‘Morning, Jack,’ Nonna chanted.

Lucy felt herself flush after Nonna’s candid conversation.