Christmas Wishes at the Chocolate Shop

by Jessica Redland

  ‘It is, but there’s been a change of circumstances. It’s a sad story, actually. The guy who set it up, Ronnie, makes all the furniture and opened after he got the all-clear from cancer but now his wife’s been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s. They’ve decided that life’s too short and they want to see the world while she’s still able to.’

  ‘That’s awful,’ I said.

  ‘I know. They’re apparently both really positive about it but they’re keen to sell the shop quickly so they can fund their travels. It’s a successful business but he can’t sell it because he’s the furniture maker so they’re looking to sell just the premises. I know you haven’t looked round but do you know the shop? Would it be a good size for your plans?’

  Hadn’t looked round? Quite the opposite. I’d been in there a handful of times in reality and a million times in my dreams. ‘It’s perfect, Sarah. It’s my dream premises but I didn’t think I had a chance of securing it.’

  ‘It’s obviously meant to be yours.’

  ‘I feel bad about swooping in when they’ve had such bad luck, though.’

  ‘You’d be doing them a massive favour if you bought it. Would you like me to see if I can set up a meeting with Ronnie so you can have a good look round and talk finances?’

  I couldn’t stop grinning. ‘Would you? That would be amazing.’

  ‘Leave it with me.’

  ‘I gather that was good news,’ Jodie said after I’d ended the call.

  ‘Brilliant news! That premises I love is going to be available and I’m first in the queue. And my best friend’s moving to the area. It’s finally coming together.’

  7

  Sarah set up an appointment for me to meet with Ronnie at 11.00 a.m. the following day. Jodie returned to Hull first thing so I phoned Ricky to see if he’d join me. Although it was my business, Charlee’s Chocolates would hopefully provide for our future so I wanted Ricky to be with me every step of the way, especially when it had been his idea. His phone went straight to voicemail which I’d half-expected. They’d probably been up drinking until the early hours so were likely still asleep.

  I tried phoning again just before I left the flat but there was still no answer so I texted him to let him know where I was going and set off into town, nervous butterflies in my stomach.

  Ronnie showed me round the ground floor which went back further than I’d expected, making the premises even more perfect for what I wanted, then he showed me round the large two-bedroom flat upstairs which had a separate entrance next-door.

  ‘The flat probably needs a bit of updating,’ he said. ‘I was going to do it up and let it out but I never got round to it.’

  We discussed the price. It was a bit more than I’d hoped to pay but, if Ricky and I moved into the flat, we could save on rent and we’d actually be better off. Ronnie said that time was of the essence for him and he’d be willing to reduce the price if I completed quickly. I had the money in place and was good to go so we agreed that a fortnight would give him time to hold a sale, clear everything out, and for our solicitors to complete the relevant paperwork.

  ‘You’ve just bought yourself a place to start your business,’ he said, shaking my hand.

  I nearly squealed with excitement.

  I was buzzing when I returned to Coral Court, desperate to share the good news with Ricky. His bag and shoes were dumped in the middle of the entrance hall indicating he was back.

  ‘Hello?’ I called.

  Silence.

  I pushed open the lounge door. He was lying on the sofa, a muted football match on the TV, snoring lightly. The room smelled of alcohol so I’d been right in my assumption about it being a big night.

  Fighting the urge to rush round and open all the windows, I crouched down beside him and gave him a gentle shake.

  He opened his eyes and squinted at me. ‘You’re back.’

  ‘Did you have a good night?’

  ‘It was messy. I might still be a bit drunk.’ He adjusted position so I could sit beside him. ‘Did you buy a shop?’

  I grinned at him. ‘I did. Oak Bespoke.’ I gushed about my meeting with Ronnie and how I excited I was that it would be mine in a fortnight. ‘I was thinking we could give notice on this place and move in above the shop to save some money.’

  His jaw stiffened and he shook his head vigorously. ‘You really think that’s a good idea? Weren’t you just complaining yesterday about not spending enough time with me? How much time do you think we’ll spend together if we live above the shop? You’ll be working constantly.’

  I couldn’t argue with that. It would be far too easy to nip downstairs to work on a new idea and lose an entire evening, although I bristled at his use of the word ‘complaining’. That wasn’t how it had been.

  ‘You’re probably right there. I’ll have to rent it out instead. Jodie might even be interested if she doesn’t change her mind about resigning. But if we’re going to continue to rent here, money’s going to be tight for a bit so—’

  ‘So you want me to stop going out with my mates to fund your shop?’ he snapped.

  I reeled back, no idea where the attitude had sprung from. ‘I wasn’t going to say that. I was going to say I might need you to contribute towards the food and bills until I can get a tenant in.’

  He glared at me as he scrambled to his feet, running his hand across his hair. ‘Thanks a lot. How do you expect me to pay off my debts if I do that?’

  It was on the tip of my tongue to suggest that a little less money wasted on alcohol would help so maybe fewer nights with his mates would be a good idea, but I suspected that wouldn’t go down well. ‘I’m not talking much but I’m paying most of the rent and all of the bills and—’

  ‘Seriously? You’re loaded, Charlee! You’ve got enough money to buy a house and a shop and I haven’t got a pot to piss in. You’ve become really stingy recently. I should have stayed at Smurf’s. He never charged me rent.’

  He slammed the lounge door and, moments later, the flat door and I sank back on the sofa, shaking. Had we just had our first argument? Not that it had been much of an argument – more of a rant from Ricky. Surely it wasn’t unreasonable to expect him to contribute financially, especially for food. The man ate like a horse. Smurf might have been happy to let him stay in his spare room rent-free but even the best of friends would expect money for food.

  I should have spent the afternoon celebrating my good news but, instead, spent the next few hours lying on the sofa with the TV on low, thinking that my relationship might be over and it was all my fault. I should have been more understanding about Ricky’s financial worries. I could see why he’d be touchy about money when I was flush. Why did I have to be so cautious about everything? If I had to dip into my house fund for the short-term, so be it. If the business went well, I’d be able to replenish what I used so I was worrying unnecessarily. And so what if I had to take out a small mortgage when I was ready to buy? Ricky had bigger money worries than me and I wasn’t being fair. It hurt being called ‘stingy’ but could he be right?

  I tried to call him but his phone went to voicemail and I didn’t bother leaving a message. One thing I was sure about was how I loved him so much and didn’t want to lose him over this. The thought of him returning and packing his stuff filled me with fear. Things had been a bit rocky but only because we’d both experienced so much change. I’d had a bereavement and house sale and we’d both experienced job loss and relocation. Was it any wonder tensions were running high? It would settle down soon.

  It was evening before Ricky returned, full of apologies for snapping at me and blaming it on the hangover from hell. ‘I’d have bought you some flowers but nice ones would have cost too much money and you already have some anyway. Then I was going to get you some chocolates but do you give a master chocolatier chocolates? So can I offer you a kiss instead?’

  I smiled at him. ‘A kiss from you would be my favourite of the three anyway.’ As I melted into his tender kiss,
I was so relieved we were still together. That had been a close call and I wouldn’t do anything to risk losing him again.

  Ronnie was happy for me to visit Oak Bespoke as much as I wanted during opening hours so I’d been able to take measurements and draw up clear plans. I placed orders for the equipment and had a good conversation with the Head of Catering and Hospitality at the local technical college – Whitsborough Bay TEC – about taking on an apprentice.

  My task list seemed never-ending and I could easily have spent full days and evenings focusing on the business but I vowed to keep my evenings free for quality time with Ricky. Pinning him down to that was more of a challenge.

  After our big argument, I didn’t ask for any more money and he didn’t offer it so I hoped the issue would disappear. It didn’t. It simply wrapped itself up in a different disguise: overtime.

  The lads’ nights out reduced to once a week but he spent all his evenings working overtime, making it back to the flat around half nine. Food lay heavy on my stomach and I couldn’t sleep properly if I ate that late so we didn’t even have dinner together. I hated watching him sitting alone at the small dining table with his eyes glued to the TV while he shovelled in heated-up food.

  On the Wednesday evening ten days after I’d agreed to buy Oak Bespoke, I placed Ricky’s food in front of him and asked if we could talk when he’d finished.

  He raised his eyebrows at me. ‘That’s what people say when they’re about to end things.’

  ‘It’s nothing like that. I promise. Eat your dinner.’

  ‘I’m not going to enjoy it now cos you’ve got me worried.’

  I snaked my arms round him from behind and kissed his neck. ‘It’s your favourite. You will enjoy it and everything will be fine.’ But even as I said the words, I wasn’t so sure. I had a proposal for him which seemed like a win-win solution to me but would he spot a flaw I hadn’t considered?

  ‘Hit me with it,’ he said, dropping his knife and fork with a clatter onto his empty plate a little later.

  I sat down opposite him and switched the TV off to eliminate any distractions. ‘We never get any quality time together because you’re always working overtime and I’m missing you.’

  He rolled his eyes at me as if to say ‘not this again’ and folded his arms. ‘I need to work all the overtime I can get to settle my debts and start to pay my way. I feel bad that I can’t help out much at the moment.’

  It was the first time he’d said that aloud and I appreciated it. ‘What if I had a way of us spending more time together which would also save us some money? I get the shop keys on Monday and there’s stacks of work to be done. What if you and I did the work together instead of me paying another contractor? It would mean more money for us.’

  His expression hardened. ‘It would mean more money for you, you mean. Why would I turn down paid work and do the same thing for free?’

  ‘So we can spend some time together. I miss you. I barely ever see you these days.’

  ‘I miss you too but have you heard yourself? Doing up your shop would not be quality time together. It would be both of us in the same square footage working our arses off and the only conversation would be about what height you want the shelves at and which wall needs to be what colour. You’re better off getting a contractor in.’

  ‘But I’d rather we do it together.’ I was in danger of sounding whiney. ‘Forget what I said about saving on a contractor. I could pay you what I’d pay a contractor instead.’

  His jaw tensed and he shook his head slowly. ‘What sort of bloke charges their girlfriend for their time? I’m going for a shower.’

  And that was it. Conversation over. He had spotted flaws in my proposal after all. I was going to have to go it alone and would just have to accept that time together was going to be rare and precious. My biggest worry was that it could head from rare to non-existent if we weren’t careful.

  8

  Ronnie handed me the keys to the empty premises the following Monday morning. It was the start of the October half term holidays and everything had gone through in the fortnight we’d originally agreed.

  ‘It’s all yours now,’ he said. ‘Thanks for making it all go smoothly.’

  ‘Same to you. I hope you and your wife have an amazing time travelling the world.’

  ‘I’m sure we will.’ He shook my hand. ‘Good luck with your business. Castle Street’s the best and I’m sure you’ll do brilliantly.’

  With a smile and a wave, he set off down the cobbles and I inserted the key into the lock. This was it! I’d secured my dream premises and Charlee’s Chocolates was going to shift from my dreams into reality. Butterflies soared in my stomach as I turned the key and stepped inside.

  I locked the door behind me and stood in the middle of the empty shop, grinning from ear to ear, barely able to believe that it was actually happening. I’d hoped Ricky would join me today but he looked at me doubtfully when I suggested it. ‘Let me get this right. You want me to take a day off work – losing out on a day’s wages – to watch you unlock the door to an empty building when I can see you do that on the evening without taking a day off work?’

  When he put it like that, it seemed like a stupid suggestion, especially when money – and more specifically him doing overtime to earn it – had caused so much friction recently. The subject of him helping out hadn’t cropped up again. I was going to have to do as much as I could on my own and bring in professional help for anything outside my capabilities. Jodie was joining me for a few days with it being half term although she wasn’t going to stay over as she needed the time to pack up her flat in Hull. After half term, she had one more week left to serve on her notice before moving to Whitsborough Bay permanently. She was going to rent the flat above the shop so at least I knew I had a trustworthy tenant although Ricky had rolled his eyes when I mentioned mate’s rates. He muttered something about people taking advantage of my good nature. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

  I achieved so much over the next fortnight as my business took shape, but I felt like I lost something too: Ricky. He committed to working overtime nearly all week. He said it was because Jodie would be at the shop and he didn’t want to get in our way but I’d told him on several occasions that it was only a few days and she wasn’t staying over. It seemed to fall on deaf ears. Seeing as he’d agreed to overtime, I put in extra hours at the shop.

  It took him until the Thursday evening of the first week to even visit. It was such a brief tour that I couldn’t help thinking he’d been lured by the promise of a celebratory meal afterwards instead of a genuine desire to see my shop.

  On the Sunday of that week, he did fit the shop counter for me but only because he said the quote I’d been given by a local joiner made his eyes bleed and no way could he let me pay that. I’d been worried he might cut corners because he didn’t want to spend his only day off doing joinery but his craftmanship was superb. I told him I wished he was doing all the joinery for me but that was met with a muttered comment about overtime and debts so I let it go. He was beginning to sound like a stuck record.

  I was completely on my own for the second week and I felt a cloak of loneliness wrapping round me. I loved Whitsborough Bay and I loved my shop but I felt the lack of friendships. If it hadn’t been for the light in the darkness of Jodie moving up at the weekend, I’d probably have spent a lot of the time in tears.

  There was so much still to do to be ready for a grand opening at the start of December. I’d known all along that it would be tight, but there was no way I wanted to miss out on the lucrative Christmas trade and risk a flat opening in January when everyone had eaten their fill of Christmas chocolates and made a New Year’s resolution to diet. I’d dropped several very unsubtle hints to Ricky that an extra pair of hands would be helpful but he’d mastered the art of changing the subject and I’d become an expert in not rocking the boat.

  I couldn’t help feeling massively disappointed by his lack of interest. I’d had this ro
mantic vision of us developing Charlee’s chocolates together. I’d thought he’d want to be involved in bringing life to the business but I got the impression he couldn’t care less which really hurt, especially after it had been his suggestion in the first place. He recommended a few contractors to work in the shop and the flat and probably thought he was being a great help doing that but it wasn’t the same.

  I didn’t want to spend the limited time with Ricky each evening arguing so I did my best to be cheerful and upbeat as I asked him about his day and told him about mine. That approach seemed to work and that short time together felt happy. He picked paint out of my hair, rubbed my aching shoulders and was so attentive towards me that I wondered if it was me being unreasonable. Plenty of couples had phases where their time together was limited and, if they loved each other as much as we did, they made it work.

  ‘This is it! All my worldly possessions,’ Jodie said, getting out of her car on Saturday lunchtime and tapping her hand on the roof. Suitcases, boxes and bags were crammed into every spare inch of space. ‘Before I open the boot and everything spills out, are you sure this is okay and you don’t want to have the flat above the shop for yourself?’

  ‘I’m sure. I know it would be handy, but I’d never stop working if I lived above the shop. It’s all yours and I’m happy to stay where I am. Ooh, I’m so glad you’re here.’ I flung my arms round her and hugged her tightly, fighting back the tears. There had been far too many moments over the past month where I’d felt lonely but with Jodie here, everything was looking up.

  ‘Me too. This is so exciting.’ She stepped back. ‘Where’s Ricky?’

  ‘Last minute call into work.’ He’d surprised me by offering to help Jodie move her belongings in and finally put up the shelving in my storeroom but he’d had a call this morning with some sort of emergency on site. I’d heard his side of the conversation and it hadn’t sounded like it was something he could turn down so I’d kissed him goodbye and said we’d manage.