“Nope.” Millie shrugged.
“You should probably know that she’s dead annoying most of the time,” Claire quipped.
“Oh, I’m beginning to gather that,” Kay joked back.
“Hey, don’t you two be ganging up on me,” Millie said.
Kay was about to reply when they rounded the corner into the main square. She stopped dead. There, in the middle of the square was an enormous Christmas tree, decorated, safely behind barricades, with the Highways team and a security team surrounding it.
“What…” she trailed off, no idea what was happening or what to say.
“Surprise!” Millie said.
Chapter 39
Millie studied Kay’s face. It had been an enormous risk, and she was utterly exhausted. But she hoped against hope that she had done the right thing.
On Monday evening she had devised a scheme, hoping to capitalise on people’s desires for a Christmas miracle. She thought, if she could mobilise enough people, she could bring a Christmas tree to Bromford and not only that, she could right a few wrongs along the way.
She took Steven back to the flat and introduced him to Claire. Claire hadn’t been very pleased that she’d brought a handsome stranger back home when she was wearing her ugly sweater. But, in her defence, Millie hadn’t considered him very handsome.
She sat them down, mulled wine in hand, and explained her plan. They had forty eight hours to get the town together and make the Christmas tree happen.
They started working straight away, Claire was to tell all her friends that Nightmare Nightingale wasn’t that bad at all. She was to explain about the vendetta the newspaper had against her and talk about all the good things that Kay had done. She needed people onside if they were going to get the tree.
Steven dealt with all the official paperwork and manpower needed. He knew exactly what forms needed to be signed off, what lights were needed, how many barricades, and how to get security sorted out.
That left Millie to fundraise. With Claire spreading the word about the campaign against Kay Nightingale, and how she was actually doing good for the town, public opinion was changing. Millie called every business she could to get them to donate. Every little helped and she found that people were in the mood for a Christmas good news story.
Millie even contacted Laura, asking for her help to speak to the higher-ups in her accountancy firm and others like it in the area. After some explaining and arm-twisting, Laura had agreed to help and half of the budget had been found from her company alone.
Claire, Steven, Laura, and Millie had managed to work together to get the tree delivered, set up, safety checked, and more in record time.
All the businesses who had donated would be thanked by Dan Davies, the local celebrity radio host at the switch-on ceremony.
It had looked shaky on Tuesday morning that they would be able to do it. But Millie had vowed to tell people there would be a lighting ceremony. Whether those lights would be on a tree or in a pile on the ground was another matter.
Somehow it had all come together. She almost couldn’t believe it, though the exhaustion she felt deep in her bones proved just how hard it had been.
She dug into her deep coat pockets and pulled out two Santa hats. She handed one to Kay.
Kay was looking around the growing crowd with trepidation and Millie realised she was probably extremely nervous of crowds after all the public protests.
She took her arm. “It’s okay, I promise.”
Kay swallowed but slowly nodded her head. They walked a little closer. Local stalls had been set up in the square, chestnuts were being roasted, hot chocolate was being sold. The local radio station had parked up their truck and was playing Christmas music.
“Do they have a licence for the music?” Kay asked.
Millie chuckled. Trust Kay to cut right to the legalities. “Steven dealt with everything, it’s all above board,” Millie reassured.
“But, the budget—”
“It’s all been paid for by the community. Not a penny will come out of the local council budget,” Millie explained.
“But, how?” Kay frowned, looking around the area in wonderment.
Dan Davies sprinted up onto a stage that had been set up beside the tree.
“Hello Bromford!” He called out.
A handful of people half-heartedly replied.
“Let’s try again, hello Bromford!” He shouted louder.
This time, everyone replied.
“Thank you for all coming out on this cold night for the lighting ceremony of our wonderful town Christmas tree!”
People applauded and whooped with excitement.
“Now, I know many of us thought this wouldn’t happen this year,” Dan carried on. “The thing is, most of us had no idea how the budget cuts from central government have affected our little town. If you’re anything like me, you get your local information from the local paper, right?”
Some of the crowd agreed, and some of them mumbled and jeered. Millie smiled, people had obviously started to get the message that the paper was corrupt. Opinion was starting to turn.
“I found out, just yesterday in fact, that the editor has a vendetta against Professor Kay Nightingale, our council leader. Now, I don’t know a lot about politics, but I do know spin. And for once, the person doing the spinning is not the politician, but the paper. I was shocked to find out that most of what our paper prints about local council business, is completely false.”
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder.
“As some of you may know, I do a lot of work for the local children’s services division, so I spoke to my contact there yesterday. Did you know they have lost three million pounds from their budget? And that wasn’t a local cut, that was Westminster. The only reason they have managed to stay open is because Kay Nightingale worked tirelessly to plug some of that funding gap. But if you were to read the paper, you’d think that she was the reason for the loss of money. Not true! Without her, those valuable children’s services would have closed.”
Millie looked around, people looked angry or shocked, confused and despairing.
“This tree… wow, ladies and gentleman, you would not believe what this tree costs. The tree, delivery, safety certificates, lights, security. It’s incredible. Thousands. Kay Nightingale had a choice, spend thousands on this tree, or have to stop vital local services. At the coldest time of the year. She chose vital services. A choice every single one of us would have made.
“Now, I know a lot of you read about her private life either on social media or on the paper’s website. So now, I’d like you to meet the woman who made all this happen, you may recognise her, Millie Yates.”
Millie squeezed Kay’s hand, tossed a glance to Claire to make sure she looked after her, and dashed towards the stage.
She hated being the centre of attention, but she knew she had to do this. If there was one thing she could do for Kay, it was stand up for her. She didn’t know what their relationship was, or how long it would last, but that didn’t matter. People deserved to know who the real Kay Nightingale was.
She jumped up onto the stage, pulled on her Santa hat, and took the microphone from Dan.
“Thanks, Dan,” she said. “Hi, I’m Millie and I’m Kay Nightingale’s girlfriend. At least, I hope I still am.”
A ripple of laughter went through the crowd.
“You see. She didn’t know about any of this,” Millie explained. “I didn’t tell her because I wanted to do something for her, something special. Because she works so hard for this town. She gives so much of herself to make sure that Bromford is run well. And… well, she’s hated. Because public opinion was turned so sour by a man who she didn’t want to date.”
People muttered and shook their heads in disgust.
“As a lot of you know, we set up a Twitter account which is correcting a lot of the Bromford Gazette stories from the last couple of years. If you want to know the truth, then head over there. Because, I’m
telling you, no one works harder for this town than Kay Nightingale. I don’t agree with her politics, I stood shoulder to shoulder with many of you who protested the lack of a Christmas tree. I don’t think she’s necessarily right on taxes, she’s got funny ideas about recycling and the climate, she’s just plain wrong when it comes to the minimum wage. But she is not a monster, in fact she has the biggest heart I know. No one else would consistently work until ten o’clock at night in that Town Hall building, which by the way is very drafty, and then go home and work a couple of hours more. Every day.”
Millie could actually see people warming to Kay there and then. It was odd to watch a crowd of people actively change opinion and she wondered if this was what it was like to be a public speaker.
“She’s a good person, targeted by a bitter man. And I want to try to put that right, for her, for me, but most of all for this town. It’s important that we all know what our councillors do for us. And so, this is my thank you to her. Now, Dan is going to read out a list of the businesses who donated money over the last two days so that we have a tree here and not a pile of lights on the floor. These businesses were brilliant, please, if you can, use their services, buy their goods, and tell them online how much you appreciate them. And, finally, please don’t vandalise this tree. It happens every year, and when it does, it’s the same cost as opening the homeless shelter for the three nights, or the same cost as ten ambulances going out on emergency calls. It’s serious. Thank you.”
She handed the microphone back to Dan and left the stage to thunderous applause.
Chapter 40
Kay stared in shocked confusion at the scene in front of her. There was a tree, which had been the first huge surprise. The local radio truck was there, various booths selling food and drink, and the crowd was happy and in a celebratory mood.
And then there was Millie. Who had just defended her, successfully, to a large audience. Who were now looking at her with smiles and holding up cups of hot chocolate in a toast to her.
It was almost too much to take in. She wondered if it was a dream and she’d wake up soon.
“Hi, am I fired?” Steven asked, ambling up beside her. He smiled at Claire, who looked pleased to see him. Interesting, Kay thought.
“Yes,” Kay said. “Clear out your desk first thing.”
He looked stricken and she laughed. He sighed in relief.
“I thought you were serious for a moment then,” he complained.
“How on earth did you manage all of this?” She asked.
“My side was easy, it was these two.” He indicated Claire and Millie, who was walking back through the crowd. “They had a plan and they didn’t stop until they got what they wanted. They’ve raised everything we need, and a contingency in case it’s needed. All the paperwork was rushed though, amazing what people will agree to if Claire calls them up and asks them.”
Claire blushed. “Well, it’s about how you ask for things.”
“They were amazing,” Steven said. “And I’m sorry that I couldn’t tell you anything. Millie said she’d tell you I flirted with her so you’d fire me.”
Kay laughed. As threats went, it was flimsy at best. Steven had obviously wanted to help them.
“Excuse me, Councillor Nightingale?”
Kay turned to see a nervous woman stood nearby.
“Yes?”
“My name is Laura, Laura Richards.”
Kay swallowed. She recognised the name. Laura was one of the leaders of the protest groups that terrorised her office any time some lie was sent out by the Bromford Gazette.
“Miss Richards,” Kay greeted.
Laura took a step closer. “I wanted to apologise. I had no idea that the local paper was twisting the truth. I mean, I know some of it is based in fact, and I really do have some issues with—” She stopped and sucked in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I… I wanted to say thank you. My younger brother uses the children’s services. Without them, he wouldn’t be able to live at home with us. My mum would be broken if he got taken into care. I didn’t know how close those services came to being stopped. I spoke with the managers and they explained what you did to keep the services up and running. I… I just, thank you.”
Kay knew how hard it must have been for Laura to come and speak to her. They were standing in front of one another but still had a world between them.
“You’re welcome,” Kay said.
“Hey Laura,” Millie greeted.
“Hey Millie.” Laura smiled. “It’s really turned out great, well done.”
Claire took Laura’s arm and reached for Steven’s hand. “Let’s go, these two need some time alone.” She dragged them away and into the crowd.
A few flakes of snow started to fall from the sky. Kay groaned.
“Don’t worry, Steven was keeping an eye on the weather report, he had all of the Highways team on standby,” Millie said.
Kay looked at her in surprise. “So…”
“So, you don’t need to do anything, except watch the lights being turned on, drink some hot chocolate, and kiss your girlfriend,” Millie explained.
Kay looked around the crowd and smiled. Children were excited about the snow fall, DJ Dan was running some kind of competition, couples were swaying in time to the music. Everything looked perfect.
“You really, really wanted that tree, didn’t you?” She teased Millie.
“Oh yeah,” Millie agreed. “I only slept with you so I could get you out of the way for a day so I could sneak in and get a tree set up.”
Kay pouted playfully. “So, is this goodbye?”
Millie took her hands and pulled her closer. “Never. I got quite used to having you around.”
“Thank goodness.” Kay winked. “I got quite used to having you around.”
Millie turned serious. “Um. I know it’s early days, but, well…”
“Yes?” Kay asked, wondering what had caused Millie to become so shy.
“What are… what are your plans for Christmas?” Millie asked, hope in her eyes.
“Oh! Well, I have a standing invitation with my sister, but I rarely go. So, I’d planned to be home alone again. Would you… care to join me?” Kay asked, only now realising how much it would mean to her.
“How about, you come to mine?” Millie suggested. “Claire wants to get to know you, we can spend the morning and afternoon at mine and then… maybe head back to yours? I have a sexy elf costume you have to see.”
Kay burst out laughing. “Is there such a thing?”
“You’ll have to find out,” Millie said. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s very much a yes. As long as it’s okay with Claire?” Kay asked.
Millie nodded quickly. “Yes, she suggested it. Oh my god, Christmas together. Wow.”
Kay saw real joy in Millie’s face and realised there and then how important Christmas was to the younger woman. This wasn’t another day, or any old holiday, this meant something. She kissed Millie on the cheek.
Millie shook her head and gently took Kay’s face in her hands and pulled her in for a proper kiss. In the distance, Kay heard people applauding and the sound of whistles. Christmas music played in the background and she felt wisps of snow dropping on her face.
It really was a Christmas miracle.
THE END
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Christmas Lights Page 14
