Page 50 of The Merry Christmas Project

That didn’t sound particularly comfortable, but ten out of ten for effort.

‘Oh, I see.’ I tried to arrange my features into an encouraging smile. ‘Lovely.’

‘Follow me.’ Cole made an odd noise as he walked off and I couldn’t work out whether he was coughing or laughing.

He pushed open another door and with a chivalrous gesture, invited me to go first. We were in a corridor with a door out to the back of the building and he pointed out the small car-park space I could use. I was familiar with the layout because it was the same as Daniel’s shop and I’d been in and out of there many times.

As we climbed the stairs the air became warmer, which was a blessing. At the top of the first flight of stairs was a landing with three closed doors off it. The staircase continued up again to another floor. Cole pushed open one of the doors to reveal a large room with a kitchen sink and small adjoining worktop and a small fridge. A selection of mugs, a posh coffee machine, a kettle and several canisters were arranged on the worktop. A small round table and four chairs had been set on a rug by the window, looking a bit lost in such a big space. It was absolutely ideal for Merry and Bright. I couldn’t believe my luck.

‘The facilities are a bit basic,’ he admitted. ‘I’m going to be putting in a brand-new kitchen over Christmas. But in the meantime, at least you can make yourself a drink. There’s fresh milk in the fridge. The sink works and there is power in here and I’ve turned the hot water on. There are no radiators but I’ve had a couple of fan heaters going all day to take the chill off.’

I nodded. ‘This is a great space, thank you. Even more room to work than the cottage.’

I had a couple of hotplates which I’d used for melting wax when I’d been briefly based in Daniel’s shed; they’d be perfect.

We moved along the corridor to the second door. Cole put his shoulder to it and pushed hard until the door opened.

‘In here is the bathroom … well, toilet and hand basin. The door sticks and the lock is dodgy, so whatever you do, don’t lock the door. Taking the locking mechanism out and trying to fix it is on the list of immediate jobs.’

‘So I can’t lock the door when I go to the loo ?’

He wrinkled his nose. ‘I know, I’m sorry, I’d go as far as to say don’t even properly shut it for now.’

I blinked at him, chewing my lip. I didn’t fancy getting stuck in the loo, but I didn’t want someone coming up the stairs and finding me sitting on the throne either.

‘OK, understood,’ I said, not liking the idea of getting stuck in the smallest room.

Cole must have read my expression. ‘Only two people have keys to the building.’ He fished in his pocket for a smaller bunch of keys and held it out to me. ‘Me and now you, and I promise I’ll get the lock sorted as soon as I can.’

‘Thank you, I’d appreciate that.’ I leaned into the bathroom and flicked the light switch and the bulb flickered into life, so at least that worked.

We headed to the final door : Cole opened it and then stepped aside to let me go ahead of him.

I walked in slowly, taking it all in. ‘It’s … wow, I’m lost for words. I wasn’t expecting this, any of this. It’s lovely !’

He grinned. ‘Glad you like it. Go in, look around.’

The large rectangular room was filled with natural light thanks to a row of mullioned windows at the far end. A small leather sofa was scattered with velvet cushions in shades of green and blue and the floorboards were covered with several colourful rugs to match. A desk and chair had been placed under one of the windows. On the desk was a lamp in the shape of a dachshund with a colourful shade. A trio of candles decorated one side table and on another, a huge bouquet of lilies, stocks and roses still in its cellophane wrapping sat in a water jug ; the perfume was incredible. The room had an eclectic and welcoming feel to it and, despite its size, felt very cosy.

‘Will this do ?’ he said, joining me by the window where I was admiring the outlook over the market.

‘Will it do ?’ I repeated incredulously. ‘It’s amazing, I love it.’

‘I’m sorry the view is a bit spoiled by the scaffolding,’ he said. ‘It was ready to come down, but now I’ve got a roofer coming next week. The tiles are ancient and I want to check for damage following that wind. Then it can be removed.’

‘In plenty of time for Christmas,’ I said. ‘I’ll be able to look out at the top of the tree !’

‘Um.’ Cole turned away from the window and straightened the corner of a cushion and gave a self-conscious cough. ‘The flowers are to say thank you for your understanding and for being so easy to deal with. And the candles, well, they’re not scented or anything, but I thought it made the room—’

‘Cosy,’ I finished for him. ‘It really does. I’m going to enjoy working here.’

‘Thank heavens for that.’ He wiped his forehead, pretending to be relieved. ‘I think that means Operation Cosy is mission accomplished. So, what is it you actually do ?’

‘I run a small business—’

I was interrupted by The Flintstones theme tune ringing out from Cole’s phone.

‘Sorry about that.’ He noticed my amusement and grinned. ‘That’s the ringtone I keep just for my dad, whose name is Fred. I’d better take this.’ He strode towards the door as he answered. ‘Hi Dad, you OK ? Oh, hello, yes, this is Cole.’