Page 30 of Christmas, Actually

He’d hopefully sort things out with her when they met. Although he had no idea what she was going to ask for – or what he’d say. The idea that she wanted to see Charlie, that she might hurt his son, was foremost in his mind…

‘Oh, um, look, I brought you something from Eleanor at The Cosy Christmas Shop,’ Clara said, changing the subject and making Liam refocus on the interview. He watched her reach into the pocket of her red dress and pull out a small elf-on-the-shelf toy complete with glittery earphones. ‘It’s a gift – an elf. She said you could keep it in the studio. We all need a little mischief in our lives, apparently.’

Tom took it and chuckled. ‘Oh, I’ve heard these have been appearing all around the village.’ He paused. ‘Many of them in The Reading Room Bookshop. I happen to know the bookshop owner,’ he added. ‘Ezra kindly comes in every fortnight to talk about his favourite reads.’

‘Ah…’ Clara nodded and grinned as the host popped the elf onto his microphone. ‘I think it’s a festive game. Eleanor enjoys bringing joy to everyone,’ she said. ‘There are plenty of elves in The Cosy Christmas Shop if any of your listeners want to join in.’ Her grin was wicked.

‘I’m sure Ezra will be very happy to hear that,’ Tom said, trying to hide a full-on laugh. ‘Oh, looks like we might have a caller,’ he said suddenly, adjusting his headphones. ‘Hello, who have we got here?’

There was a pause and a crackle on the line, then a gruff voice said, ‘Tell Mr Christmas some gifts aren’t meant for them.’

Liam grimaced. Was this his mystery messenger again?

Tom’s eyebrows rose. ‘Okay. Well, thank you for calling,’ he said. ‘Is there anything else you want to share?’

‘No!’ the voice said before the line went silent.

‘Okay…’ Tom said slowly before pulling a face at Liam. ‘Looks like we have another caller. Hello.’

‘Hello! It’s Doris Sparkle here. Can you hear me?’ a familiar voice rang out. ‘I’m calling from Evergreen House. Yes, yes,’ she added as more voices buzzed in the background.

‘Hello, Doris, nice to speak to you again,’ Tom said easily, winking at Clara, which gave Liam a jolt. ‘Doris is one of our most regular callers. What did you want to ask Mr and Mrs Christmas today?’

‘Oh, I wanted to see if they’d taken my advice,’ she said calmly.

‘What advice?’ Liam asked, confused. Doris had given him plenty over the years, but mostly it had involved eating more cabbage, doing yoga and playing cards with Charlie while he was young. She had ambitions for him playing in Las Vegas one day – accompanied by her, obviously. He glanced at Clara and saw her cheeks had gone bright red.

The older woman let out a long sigh. ‘Ah, it seems the answer is not yet, but there’s time. I also wondered when they’re coming to visit us again.’

Liam’s gaze darted to Clara. ‘Friday?’ he suggested and saw her nod.

‘Perfect,’ the older woman said and the chattering in the background grew louder. ‘Make sure you bring Figgy and Charlie too,’ she said before the phone fell silent.

‘Well, folks,’ Tom said, snorting out a laugh. ‘Looks like Mr and Mrs Christmas are set to have a busy few weeks. If anyone has a question they’d like to ask, you can call us here on—’ He proceeded to rattle off the radio station’s number as Liam sat back in his chair.

Christmas was shaping up to be even more busy than usual – but for the first time in a long time, he was enjoying himself. For the first time in years, he was starting to feel hope… but after the odd messages and call, he prayed his optimism wasn’t misplaced.

15

CLARA

Clara eyed the huge box sitting on Liam’s back seat as they got into the car after the radio show had ended. She’d had fun this afternoon – more than she’d expected. She was also grateful that Liam had come to visit her beforehand so he could apologise. It had been a revelation – Hudson had never said sorry in the whole four years they’d lived together and she’d got so used to it that she hadn’t expected anything different. She also appreciated that Liam had refused to allow her to forgive him without making him work for it. The whole conversation had made her reflect, made her really think about what she deserved and needed going forward. It had also made her realise she was falling for Liam.

‘The box is full of decorations,’ Liam told her as he started the car, clearly noticing that Clara had been staring at it, lost in her thoughts. ‘Eleanor put some together for me while we were talking in her flat.’ His cheeks flushed again. The colour suited him – and was complemented by the Mr Christmas suit. ‘I’m woefully behind on my festive preparations,’ he admitted.

‘I’m not sure Mr Christmas should admit to that,’ Clara teased, as Liam drove out of the car park and turned right – clearly intending to drop her back at Eleanor’s shop. ‘As your festive wife, I’m wondering if I should offer to help,’ she said tentatively, feeling her stomach bunch as she waited for him to respond.

Would Liam cross a new line and invite her to his home? ‘You want to?’ he asked as he stopped the car at a crossroads. If they turned right, Clara knew they’d be heading in the direction of The Cosy Christmas Shop; if they went left, she guessed they’d be going to his house.

She held her breath until he indicated, then turned left and her stomach fluttered. ‘I’d love some help, and you can meet Charlie properly this time. But—’ Liam cleared his throat. ‘Promise me, once you’ve seen the state of my house, you won’t run screaming to Eleanor.’ Liam was joking, but there was a roughness in his tone that suggested he was genuinely worried.

‘If there are more of those chocolate brownies, I won’t even notice the mess,’ she promised. ‘Will Figgy be there?’

Liam had dropped the dog home after their conversation in Eleanor’s kitchen. He’d had to change and had confided that he was worried Figgy wouldn’t behave in the small studio. Since Tom had been wearing a cashmere jumper, Clara suspected he was right.

‘He’s with Jenny, my neighbour. Charlie’s with her too. She picked him up from preschool for me,’ he told her. ‘They’ll be at the house. They often stay there while I’m out and that’s been a lot lately. Too often,’ he added with guilt in his voice. Clara didn’t know what to say to make him feel better, but was surprised by how much she wanted to.

Instead, she sat silently as he steered the car into a small cul-de-sac and parked up in the drive of a pretty house with a double fronted facade.