Page 63 of The Merry Christmas Project

‘And I’m sure Mum wouldn’t either,’ Cole added.

‘Thank you.’ Fred chewed his lip. ‘Probably won’t come to anything. She might say no, why would she want to spend time with a lonely old codger like me ?’

‘You won’t know until you ask. Which will just leave Cole on the shelf,’ said Hester, her eyes twinkling. ‘Looks like it’s you we’ve got to fix up next, then.’

‘Oh no, you don’t,’ said Cole firmly, checking his watch ; Merry’s committee meeting was about to start. ‘Your internet dating suggestion was enough help for a lifetime, thank you. Now can I definitely tell Merry that you’ll do the lights switch-on ? If I leave now, I can get there in time.’

‘Hmm,’ Hester tapped her forefinger on the tip of her nose as if she’d just solved a mystery. ‘I notice the first thing you think of when I mention dating is your tenant. Interesting.’

‘Will you stop meddling ?’ he said, not wanting to start a Spanish inquisition.

‘Do you have to go ?’ Fred’s face dropped. ‘I’ve got us some nice prawns from the fishmonger.’

‘And fresh bread ?’ Hester perked up as Fred nodded.

It was tempting. Cole was taken right back to the occasional special teatime at the Robinsons’ when they were kids. Fred didn’t cook much but he did do a mean prawn sandwich : fat fresh prawns smothered in mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon and a generous grind of black pepper, sandwiched between two thick slices of soft fresh bread. His mum had always declared it to be her favourite meal ever.

His dad was looking at him hopefully and Cole felt a pang of guilt. Fred had literally just admitted that he was lonely; he couldn’t possibly leave now.

‘Course I’ll stay, Dad,’ he said. ‘Prawn sandwiches sound lovely. As long as you’re making them.’

Fred pushed himself up to standing immediately and shuffled towards the kitchen. Hester and Cole high-fived each other ; it looked like they were getting their old dad back.

Cole sat back and finished his tea, he wouldn’t make it to the meeting but he’d send Merry a quick text instead to let her know Hester was up for it and that he needed all the details. That would give him the perfect excuse to call in on her tomorrow. And with that pleasant thought, he pinched his dad’s footstool and put his feet up.

Chapter 20

Merry

21 NOVEMBER

My new clipboard and I had arrived at the Buttermarket early. I wanted to be the first one there to welcome others as they arrived as I thought that would help me to feel more in control of the agenda. I took a seat at the front where I could keep an eye on the door. For the next ten minutes, nobody joined me and I started catastrophising that no one was going to turn up. That there’d be no one to hear my plans and no one to put their names against the list of jobs I’d written, and I’d have to do everything myself.

On the other hand, it was quite nice to have a moment to myself in the old building and just sit and breathe. I’d rushed around all day. Since the conversation with Astrid and Nell at lunchtime I’d barely had a chance to sit down, let alone think about the things we’d discussed.

Once I’d packaged up the day’s orders and had handed them to the courier, I made a trial batch of cinnamon, tangerine and clove-scented candles for the Christmas Fair. They smelled heavenly and by the time I left them cooling, the old bank was filled with the aroma of Christmas cake. I locked up and made a trip over to Holly Cottage. I needed to pack some more clothes to keep at Nell’s and I looked for my bottle of juniper oil while I was there. Cole had asked if I’d mind staying away for another week or so while he had a new kitchen fitted. I hadn’t minded at all, working in the old bank was far easier than at home : more space, no TV to distract me when I should have been working. But there was something else, too. As much as I loved living at Holly Cottage, working in the heart of the town suited me. I felt part of the community in a way I never had before. In fact, I liked it so much that if this meeting finished at a reasonable time, I might even get back to work and experiment with the juniper oil. It wouldn’t work on its own, it needed other oils to balance it. Rosemary and lemon maybe, would that be ‘manly’ enough for my discerning customer, I wondered ?

On the subject of Cole, I checked my phone again hoping for a message from him. Nothing. I was sure he wouldn’t let me down ; he knew I was hoping to hear from him so I could report back to the meeting this evening. My finger hovered over his name. Should I text and ask him, or was that being too pushy ? Either he hadn’t had an answer from Hester yet or he had asked her, and she’d said no and he hadn’t had the heart to tell me. The third option, I thought with a flutter, was that Hester had said yes and Cole was planning on turning up tonight to deliver the good news.

A fraction of a second later my heart leapt as the door handle creaked. I held my breath, hoping I was right. It wasn’t Cole but instead, in walked someone who I was delighted to see.

‘Tom !’ I jumped up from my seat and flung my arms out wide at the sight of Daniel’s younger brother. ‘I haven’t seen you for ages !’

He plonked a noisy kiss on my cheek. ‘Not since dinner at yours – I mean Daniel’s – in September. You look great, Merry.’ He pulled back to study me. ‘Really great. I’m so pleased.’

‘I feel great,’ I replied.

And I did, I realised with surprise.

The night Tom had come round for dinner I’d been feeling at my lowest ebb, living with a man who undoubtedly loved me in his way, but who I knew would never make me truly happy. Since then, I’d taken myself out of an unhappy situation and moved on. And now, I thought, glancing back at the door, perhaps I was ready to move forward again. With someone new.

Tom’s path and mine hadn’t crossed since Daniel and I had split up. He preferred to live a few miles out of town for some peace and quiet. ‘Otherwise you get kids popping up saying Hello, Mr Hughes when you least want to be noticed,’ he’d told me once. ‘Like when you’re buying twenty-four rolls of toilet paper, or after a few too many red wines on a sunny day in a pub garden.’

‘It was a shame that you two split up.’ He pulled a sad face. ‘I’ve missed you.’

‘Thanks, you too.’ I felt a tug at my heart. That was one of the worst things about a break-up for me : the inevitable loss of the family I’d become a part of. And as nice as the Hughes family was, it wouldn’t be right for me to try and keep the same relationship I’d had with them while I was Daniel’s girlfriend.

At thirty-two, Tom was the baby of the family and it showed. He was still a big kid at heart and I could imagine that the children in his class adored him. He was smaller than Daniel and fine-featured, with sparkling grey eyes and an enduring love for Kylie Minogue.