Page 83 of A Merry Little Christmas

‘Cole?’ she demanded. ‘What sort of surprise?’

He scooped his wife into his arms and kissed the place on her neck guaranteed to make her forget everything else but the pleasurable sensations rippling through her.

‘If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?’ His breath was warm against her ear.

‘Will I like it as much as this?’ She closed her eyes. ‘Because if so, surprise away.’

‘Get a room, you two,’ snorted Emily.

‘I hope so,’ said Cole, answering her question.

There was something in Cole’s tone which made her eyes fly open. She didn’t really like surprises unless she was in charge of them. But it was about time she learned to trust him implicitly. He would only ever have her best interests at heart, wouldn’t he?

Chapter 33

Nell

‘Kochanie, I was passing, and I saw the light on.’ Irena didn’t wait to be asked in, but kissed both Nell’s cheeks and bustled past her.

‘What a nice surprise,’ Nell replied, pressing herself against the wall, out of her mother-in-law’s way.

She’d barely even unpacked the car and Irena had already appeared on the doorstep. Her ability to gauge when she and Olek were in was uncanny. It was often the way when they returned from a trip; no sooner was the first load of post-holiday washing in the machine than she would turn up with milk, a home-made cake and an update on any local goings-on that they might have missed. Nell sometimes wondered if Irena had hidden cameras set up somewhere and monitored their every move.

If Olek were here, they’d be exchanging amused looks. But he wasn’t, and the house felt echoey and sad without him. Secretly, she was glad that her mother-in-law had, quite by chance, been in the neighbourhood.

‘Bruhhhh!’ Irena set down her handbag and some foliage wrapped in newspaper, peeled off her coat and rubbed her arms. ‘This house is like my grandmother’s farm in the country: dark and cold. Why is the heating not on, or the Christmas lights?’

Nell had shivered just like that only a few moments earlier. Was this going to be her future, coming home to a dark, cold house, night after night? Although, as she didn’t have a job anymore, technically, there’d be no evening return from anywhere. Every cloud … she thought wryly.

‘I only arrived from my parents’ twenty minutes ago.’ Nell closed the front door and followed Irena into the kitchen. She stretched and rubbed the small of her back, which ached after the car journey.

Irena touched the kettle with the back of her hand. ‘Cold. You must need tea. You sit down, I make it.’

Nell had phoned her in-laws and let them know she’d gone home to spend time with her own parents, as they were going to be away for the Christmas season. But she still didn’t know what Olek had told them about his whereabouts.

Nell gladly took a seat at the kitchen island. Walking into the empty house had shaken her. It wasn’t just about the temperature, or the Christmas decorations; the very heart of the home was missing. And that, she thought, clamping her bottom lip between her teeth to stop it wobbling, was the love and laughter between her and Olek. And the sad fact was that things had been strained between them for longer than Nell cared to admit. She could pinpoint the moment exactly: the day they’d decided to seek help with their fertility journey.

Irena clattered spoons and mugs and jolted Nell out of her thoughts.

‘So, it’s lovely to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?’ Nell asked.

‘I need to know how many for dinner on Christmas Eve,’ Irena said with a pout. ‘I’ve asked Olek, but he still hasn’t said. Huh, boys.’

Christmas Eve at Nell’s in-laws was taken very seriously and followed Polish traditions. It was raucous and fun, with mountains of delicious food, always served with plenty of booze. No matter how insistent Nell was that she be allowed to contribute something for the table, the answer was always no.

‘The recipes are from our families in Poland,’ Gienek had told her once. ‘My mother’s, my grandmother’s, and so on. Same for Irena. Britain has been a wonderful home to us, but our hearts will always belong to Poland,’ adding with a pat to his lean stomach, ‘and our bellies!’

‘Boys indeed,’ Nell replied faintly. If only Irena knew.

‘Gienek has ordered the fish already.’ Irena rolled her eyes. ‘We will have to hope it is big enough. I will not have my family going hungry at Christmas.’

‘I doubt that would ever happen in your house,’ Nell said, glad that the noise of the kettle was giving her an excuse not to answer Irena’s question for a moment.

‘So?’ Irena poured water into two mugs and stirred vigorously. ‘Are you and Olek trying to tell me that you won’t be with us this Christmas, is that it?’

‘No, no,’ Nell protested. ‘That’s not it at all. I just … Olek’s been so busy that we haven’t had time to talk about it, that’s all. And you know that Max has his football match in Liverpool on Christmas Eve, so by the time they are back, it will be late.’

Irena waved her concerns away. ‘We can wait.’ She set down mugs of tea on the table and climbed onto the stool beside Nell with a grunt. ‘We always eat after coming back from Mass anyway.’