Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel: A heart-warming feel-good romance

by Karen King

  ‘Stand back!’ he shouted.

  They all stepped back as Logan whacked the large chunk of overhanging ice with the handle of the broom, quickly stepping aside as it crashed onto the roof a few centimetres away from him. Moments later he had his arm through the small top window and was turning the catch on the side window below. If he fell… She pulled her coat closer around her and held her breath as Logan eased the window open, then climbed inside. There was a chorus of applause from Duncan, Robbie, Chloe and Mrs Timms. Logan paused, smiled and gave them a mock-bow, before disappearing from sight. A couple of minutes later the back door opened and he was standing there, holding his boots in his hand – he’d obviously taken them off upstairs to avoid making a mess.

  ‘Daddy!’ Chloe ran over and flung herself at him. ‘I was so scared. I thought you were going to fall too.’

  ‘I’m fine, poppet.’ He looked apologetically at Saffy. ‘Sorry, my coat’s dripped a bit on the carpet but it should soon dry.’ He stepped aside. ‘Anyway, you’re in!’

  ‘Thank you,’ Saffy said stiffly. She couldn’t help feeling piqued about him causing her to fall then taking over and playing the hero. She was sure that she’d have managed to open that window and climb inside herself if he hadn’t come charging along on his white horse.

  The smell of roast turkey wafted from the kitchen. ‘I reckon that turkey’s done,’ Robbie said. ‘Good job you got us back inside, Logan.’

  ‘Well done, mate.’ Duncan slapped Logan on the back.

  Robbie glanced at Saffy and Logan then said brightly to Chloe and Duncan, ‘I think we should all take Oscar inside and check on the turkey.’

  They all walked down the hall into the kitchen. Leaving just Saffy and Logan. Staring awkwardly at each other.

  Saffy forced herself to be gracious. ‘Thanks for getting us back inside. And breaking my fall – even though you caused it. And I could have managed by myself,’ she added.

  His face was stony. ‘Then I’m sorry I didn’t leave you to it. I was brought up to look after women, to help if I saw them in any danger. I guess that’s a bit of an old-fashioned view now.’

  She crossed her arms and met his icy gaze. ‘Nothing wrong with helping but maybe make sure the woman in question needs and wants help first? And try to avoid making her fall of a roof.’

  ‘Daddy, the turkey’s massive!’ Chloe came running down the hall. ‘And you should see how many potatoes they’ve peeled.’

  Throwing Saffy one last furious look, Logan turned his attention to his daughter. ‘That’s because a lot of people are coming for Christmas dinner. In fact, we’d better get going and leave Saffy and Robbie to it. They’ve got a lot to do, and so have we.’

  He sat down on the ottoman in the hall and put his boots back on. ‘I’ll see you at one-thirty.’ He took hold of Chloe’s hand and walked out without as much as a backward glance.

  What an arrogant man, Saffy thought crossly. Just when she was starting to think he was okay he went and did something like this. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told by a man that she needed looking after. Her mother hadn’t had a man in her life for years, and had brought Saffy and Hannah up to be strong and self-reliant.

  ‘Oh dear, have you two had a fall-out?’ Robbie asked. ‘He was only trying to help, Saff.’

  ‘I’m going to get into some dry clothes,’ Saffy said wearily. There was still lots to organise and that tumble had shaken her up.

  * * *

  ‘Saffy looked very upset, Daddy,’ Chloe said, holding Logan’s hand as they walked over the road. ‘I think she must have been frightened when she fell.’ She looked up at him. ‘You did shout at her really loud, that’s why she slipped.’

  He sighed. ‘I know, poppet. I didn’t mean to.’ The sight of Saffy perched precariously on the windowsill, then hauling herself onto the roof right underneath that jagged chunk of ice had sent shivers of fear through him. He hadn’t stopped to think, he’d just run towards her and shouted as loud as he could. He’d been horrified when she’d slipped, plunging down off the kitchen roof. And now she was angry with him.

  He didn’t blame her. He shouldn’t have startled her. But God, she’d scared him.

  He shivered. He was freezing. He guessed rolling in snow and getting your clothes wringing wet did that to you. Saffy must be freezing too. He needed a hot shower to warm himself up, and to get into some dry clothes. He wondered if Saffy was doing the same, and tried not to think of her peeling off those wet clothes…

  ‘I’m going upstairs for a quick shower. I won’t be long,’ he told Chloe.

  ‘Okay, Daddy. Can we play Hungry Hippos after?’ It was one of Chloe’s favourite games.

  ‘Sure. I’ll be ten minutes.’ He was already mounting the stairs.

  When he came back down Chloe was talking on the landline. ‘It’s Mummy,’ she told him.

  Jade. He guessed she’d phoned to wish them a merry Christmas but why had she used the landline again when he’d specifically told her she had to ring his mobile? He took the phone out of his pocket. No missed calls. It was as if she was hoping Chloe would answer.

  Chloe was still chatting away animatedly, telling her mother what presents she’d had. Then she listened for a while, and he gathered from the few words she said that Jade was telling her what they’d be doing tomorrow.

  ‘Daddy, Mummy wants to talk to you.’ Chloe held out the cordless phone.

  ‘Thanks, poppet.’ Logan took it from her and put it to his ear.

  ‘Merry Christmas, Logan.’ Jade sounded bright and breezy. ‘It sounds like Chloe has had a lot of presents.’

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ he repeated. ‘I do what I can for her. Don’t want her missing out.’

  ‘Seeing as her mum ran out on her, you mean?’

  He really didn’t want to get into this now; it was Christmas Day. ‘What did you want, Jade? And why didn’t you call my mobile? I’ve told you I only use the landline for work.’

  ‘I wanted to speak to Chloe and wish her a merry Christmas. She’s my daughter. Is it so strange that I should want to speak to her?’

  ‘Let’s not do this, not today,’ he replied, keeping his voice level.

  ‘Fine.’ She sounded almost conciliatory. ‘Look, I know I’ve let Chloe down but I’m going to make it up to her.’

  He’d heard that before. He didn’t bother to reply.

  ‘I’ll be there at nine tomorrow, so please make sure she’s ready. It’s a bit of a drive.’

  ‘It’s snowed quite a bit down here, are you sure it’s wise to travel? Why don’t you leave it for a day or two for the snow to clear?’ he suggested.

  ‘I’ve checked, the main roads are clear and there’s no travel warning so there’s no reason to postpone. I’ll be there tomorrow at nine. Enjoy your party.’

  Logan tapped the phone against his chin and stared out of the kitchen window. He didn’t like the thought of Jade driving in this weather, not with Chloe, but Chloe was really looking forward to her overnight trip. He took his mobile phone out of his pocket and checked the weather again. There was a possibility of more snow this evening. Well, if that happened he’d tell Jade that Chloe was staying here until it cleared. He wasn’t going to risk them getting stranded in the snow somewhere, or Jade having an accident with Chloe in the car.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Liwus Helyk was a whirl of activity for the next couple of hours. On Duncan’s insistence, Saffy had a soak in a nice, hot bath. Then she put some witch hazel on her bruises – she only had a couple, miraculously – and changed into the black leather trousers and glittery silver top she’d brought with her to wear on Christmas Day, far more suitable than a party dress when she had a load of children to entertain. She felt much better now, apart from her pride which was still dented. Meanwhile, Robbie and Duncan had been busy in the dining room and had already laid red tablecloths trimmed with white fur on each of the four large rectangular tables. Oscar had been shut in the lounge with his new Ch
ristmas squeaky toys to ensure he wasn’t tempted to try to sneak some of the Christmas food. He had a special big bone to keep him busy in the kitchen once dinner was served.

  ‘Feeling better?’ Robbie asked, looking up from putting Santa and snowmen salt and pepper pots on every table.

  ‘Much,’ she told him. Then she noticed that the bump on his forehead had now gone down a lot. ‘Hey, your bump has almost gone.’

  ‘I told you witch hazel works a treat.’ Duncan held up a selection of chair covers – Santa, elf and snowman. ‘Any preference which ones you want on the kiddies’ chairs?’

  ‘Santa, I think,’ Saffy replied.

  ‘Yes, deffo the Santa ones for the kids,’ Robbie agreed. ‘I fancy an elf one.’

  ‘I’ll be a snowman,’ Saffy said. She glanced at her watch. In just under two hours’ time the guests would be knocking at the door. ‘I’ll do the chairback covers while you two finish laying the tables, if that’s okay. We’re a bit pushed for time now.’

  ‘My favourite job,’ Robbie said. He and Duncan fished into Hannah’s decorations box, ooohing and aaahing over red stocking-shaped cutlery holders trimmed with white fur, red napkin rings, Christmas serviettes, and a Santa pulling a sleigh decoration for the centre of each table. Meanwhile, Saffy laid out the chair covers, table mats and place cards.

  ‘That’s great.’ Saffy smiled. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done without you two. The table looks fantastic, and the turkey is almost done. Thanks so much for helping.’

  ‘I guess it’s a fair exchange for getting us back together again,’ Duncan said. The loved-up look he and Robbie exchanged made Saffy really glad she had managed that. She hated to see any of her friends upset.

  Logan had told her that Jade had walked out on him just before Christmas, she remembered. That must have been really hard for him, especially with Chloe to look after. She thought about how close Logan and Chloe were. He was a good dad. And maybe she’d over-reacted a bit about the falling off the roof episode. He was just trying to warn her about the ice, it wasn’t really his fault that she’d lost her balance. Maybe she should apologise to him when he arrived? After all, he’d got wet too, and had come to help when it wasn’t really his problem. And it was Christmas. A time for peace and joy and all that. Well, definitely not a time for falling out anyway.

  ‘Where’re the plates and cutlery, hun?’ Robbie asked, breaking through her thoughts.

  Saffy checked her list. ‘Cutlery’s in the big cabinet drawer in the dining room and the plates and cups are in the cupboard. I think Hannah uses the same ones every year.’

  Between them they took out the cutlery, plates and glasses – there were plastic Christmas plates and beakers for the children – and laid the tables.

  Half an hour later, the tables were all laid, the roast potatoes were almost cooked, Duncan was expertly slicing the turkey and the veg were about to be switched on. Saffy found a Christmas carol CD and slipped it into the DVD/CD player on the TV stand. She checked her watch. Quarter to one. Three quarters of an hour to go.

  ‘I think we’re all entitled to chill with a Buck’s Fizz now,’ Robbie said, pouring three glasses. ‘Then I’d better get changed before the guests arrive.’ He handed Duncan and Saffy a glass each. ‘Merry Christmas!’

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ they all chorused.

  Saffy took a swig of the sparkly liquid and felt herself relax. It was all going to be fine. Everything was ready, now all she had to do was make sure Hannah’s guests had fun for the next few hours. Tonight it would all be over and she could put her feet up and chill.

  ‘How are you feeling, Saff?’ Duncan asked when Robbie went up to change into the Santa outfit. ‘Would you like me to greet the guests with you when they arrive, give you a bit of moral support? I could hand them all a Christmas cocktail, get them in the festive mood right away.’

  ‘Yes please,’ Saffy replied gratefully. She really could do with some moral support right now. She so wanted this to go well, to do Hannah proud.

  The doorbell ringing broke through her thoughts. The guests had arrived. ‘I’m heading for the lounge now,’ Robbie called. ‘Give me a couple of minutes and let them in.’

  ‘Shall we go to the door?’ Duncan asked, picking up the tray of cocktails he’d prepared. He looked quite dashing in his bright red snowman Christmas jumper, fine black cords and a Christmas hat trimmed with white fur.

  Saffy took a deep breath. ‘Let’s do this.’

  As they opened the door, a chorus of ‘Merry Christmas’ rang out from the group of parents and children crowded on the doorstep, all dressed very festively and covered in snowflakes.

  Saffy smiled at them. ‘Merry Christmas. I’m Saffy, Hannah’s sister, and this is Duncan, a friend of mine. Come in, all of you.’

  She stepped aside and one by one they all stepped in, kissing first Saffy then Duncan on the cheek and introducing themselves as they did so. There were ‘ooohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the children as they looked around, wide-eyed, at the decorations and lights sparkling in the hall.

  ‘Well, this all looks very jolly,’ a pretty, auburn-haired woman dressed in a cream fake fur jacket and black boots said as she took the cocktail Duncan handed her. Saffy tried to remember her name. Marta, that was it. ‘And so do you,’ she said to Duncan.

  ‘Thank you.’ Duncan smiled at her. ‘Do take a Christmas cocktail, everyone.’

  ‘It’s so kind of you to give up your Christmas for us,’ Ariane, a fair-haired woman wearing black velvet leggings and a sparkly gold top, told Saffy.

  ‘It’s a pleasure,’ Saffy told her. ‘Would the children like to go through to the lounge and get a present from Santa? He’s waiting for them.’

  ‘Santa’s here?’ a little girl shouted. The children jumped up and down excitedly. ‘Santa’s here!’

  One by one the guests arrived, and after taking off their coats and snow-covered boots, the children raced into the lounge to see Santa while the adults gathered around, drinking their cocktails and chatting happily. Several of them asked how Hannah and the twins were and everyone remarked how lovely it all looked.

  It was going well. All except for one thing.

  There was no sign of Logan and Chloe.

  Was he still so mad at her about this morning that he had decided not to come?

  Chapter Nineteen

  Saffy’s heart soared as the bell rang. Was it them?

  ‘Sorry we’re late, my parents phoned from Scotland to wish Chloe Merry Christmas just as we were about to leave,’ Logan told her when she opened the door.

  ‘It’s fine. Do you want to go straight in to see Santa, Chloe?’ she asked.

  Chloe’s eyes widened. ‘Yes!’ And she disappeared into the lounge.

  Logan raised an eyebrow questioningly. ‘Robbie?’

  ‘Yes, and he’s a very jolly Santa this morning. Duncan drove down last night and they’ve both made up.’

  ‘I’m pleased to hear that.’ Logan paused. ‘Talking about making up…’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ they both said in unison and then laughed.

  ‘Friends again then?’ He held out his hand.

  ‘Please.’ She held out her hand too and he took it in his, holding it instead of shaking it, his eyes locking with hers, his touch leaving her skin tingling. She imagined what it would be like to feel that hand gently caressing her skin, touching, stroking…

  ‘Do you see what we’re standing under?’ Logan asked. She followed his gaze and saw a sprig of mistletoe hanging directly above them.

  ‘Shame to waste it.’ Logan leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, sending a surprising shiver of delight coursing through her. ‘Merry Christmas.’

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ she whispered, her eyes on his, unblinking as he lowered his head and his lips came closer and closer. Then they were on hers, kissing her softly, and it felt so good…

  ‘Sorry to disturb you both but Molly wants to go the loo.’ The sharpness of Marta’s voice brought
Saffy back to earth. She looked up, startled, and Logan released her. Tight-lipped, Marta walked past them, holding her little girl’s hand.

  Saffy was quite taken aback by her response. For goodness’ sake, it had only a Christmas kiss.

  But what a kiss.

  ‘I think we’d better go in and join the others, don’t you?’ Logan asked softly.

  ‘Sure.’ She pushed open the door to the dining room, which was a scene of some hilarity with two of the women sitting on Santa’s knee asking him for a Christmas kiss. Duncan was roaring with laughter and taking photos.

  Then Santa announced that he had to be somewhere else and waved goodbye to everyone, returning a few minutes later as Robbie in a green Christmas jumper with a reindeer on the front of it and black chinos, carrying a tray of soft drinks for the children. Duncan had been busy in the kitchen for the past quarter of an hour or so, doing the last-minute preparations for the Christmas dinner. He came out, wiping his brow with his Christmas apron. ‘It’s all ready to serve up,’ he said triumphantly to Saffy.

  ‘Thanks so much, you’re a star,’ she told him. Then she clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. ‘It’d like to introduce you all to Robbie, Duncan’s partner. I’m really grateful to them both for helping me organise this party for you all.’ This was greeted by a round of applause and Robbie and Duncan took a bow.

  ‘Now if you’d all take your drinks into the dining room and find your seats – there are place cards on the tables – dinner will be served in just a few minutes,’ Saffy continued.

  Robbie, Duncan and Logan all sat at a different table each, so they could mix with the guests, with Logan on the same table as Geoff, the only other male single parent at the party.

  Saffy directed everyone to their seats, and they sat down, greeting each other, exchanging gifts, settling the children. ‘You and your boys are sitting here, Toni,’ she said to a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a long red dress. Toni looked over at Logan sitting in the seat next to her and stiffened. Saffy immediately sensed tension between them.