by Karen King
He’d kissed Lexi. And she’d kissed him back. The memory of that kiss before he got into the taxi was embedded in Joel’s mind and kept replaying over and over. The softness of her lips on his, how his heartbeat had quickened.
It was the wine, he told himself. He’d been warned that Craig’s wine was potent, and it was. His head felt like someone was kicking a ball around in there.
‘Woof woof!’
Sweetie was standing on the bed, barking at him.
‘Okay, girl, I’m getting up now,’ he told her, glancing at the clock. Ten thirty! Goodness, he must have zonked out.
He let Sweetie out in the garden for a bit, fed her, had some breakfast, then showered. He’d go and check on Lloyd, he thought, then take Sweetie for a walk. He was starting another job tomorrow, so wanted to spend a bit of time with the little dog today. She was more at ease with him now and he hoped that she’d be okay to stay at home while he went to work. He didn’t want to keep relying on Lloyd, the man had his own life to lead. And seeing how close he and Lexi’s gran were getting, and how he’d been chatting with her group of friends at the carol service, he had an idea that Lloyd’s life was going to become busier – which was a very good thing.
An hour later, he was showered, dressed and feeling more human, now. He knocked on Lloyd’s door.
‘Come in, come in.’ Lloyd looked delighted to see him. He bent down to stroke Sweetie. ‘Hello, again.’
‘I wanted to check how you are and to tell you that I think Sweetie will be okay to leave at home when I go to work tomorrow,’ Joel said as he followed Lloyd into the lounge. ‘I don’t want to tie you down with looking after her. You must have things you need to do, too.’
‘Well, actually, I am going out for a while. But I could check in on her when I get back and bring her home with me, if you want. That’s if you’re happy to give me a key to the house.’
‘That would be great, thank you. I’ve got a spare key and I’d feel much happier at work if I know that someone is checking on Sweetie. Could I pop the key around later this evening?’
Lloyd nodded. ‘Now, do you have time for a cuppa or are you off?’
‘We’re going for a walk but, yes, a cup of coffee before we go would be great. Thanks.’
‘I want to thank you for making my Christmas such a pleasurable one,’ Lloyd told him as he put the kettle on. ‘Inviting me for dinner, then coming to the Fordes’ with me yesterday, well, it’s the best Christmas I’ve had for years. I must thank Lexi, too, when I see her.’ He got two mugs out of a cupboard. ‘It’s made me think, I need to get out more, mix with people, instead of sitting in here, moping, thinking over the past. My Ruby’s gone, and Rocco, well, he’s an adult and I’m sure he’s happy. I will try to get in touch with him but I’ve got to build my life now.’
It was a shame Rocco hadn’t come to see his dad for Christmas, but maybe he would at some point, Joel thought. And at least Rocco knew that Lloyd wanted to see him, so he would be welcomed if he did turn up. The old man certainly had a spring in his step today. ‘Mabe told me about a few senior groups I could join, seems there’s a lot happening in this village that I didn’t know about.’ Lloyd made the coffee and handed a cup to Joel. ‘I’m going to start living my life again.’
‘That’s good to hear, but you be careful with that Mabe, she’ll get you joining her yarn-bombing team next.’
Lloyd’s eyes twinkled. ‘Actually, I can knit, and there are a couple of male members . . .’
Joel raised an eyebrow. Was he serious?
Lloyd chuckled. ‘Only joking. She’s a great character, though, isn’t she? They’re a nice family. You and Lexi seemed to be getting on well. Shame she’s only here for a few more days.’
‘We’re friends, and like you, Lexi has drawn me into her love of Christmas and made me reassess my life. You’re right, this is a lovely village. When Hazel and Al come back from Dubai, I might think about buying a house here myself.’
‘Now that, I’m glad to hear.’
Sweetie yapped at their feet. Lloyd looked down at her and grinned. ‘And I think Sweetie is, too.’
After his cup of coffee with Lloyd, Joel and Sweetie set off for a walk around the village, stopping in at the bakery, where he was surprised to see Lexi serving behind the counter.
‘I’ve taken over to give Mum a couple of hours off,’ she told him. ‘What can I get you?’
‘If Sweetie’s allowed in the tearoom, I was going to have tea and a scone,’ Joel told her.
‘Sweetie is definitely allowed,’ Craig said. ‘Why don’t you join Joel, Lexi? You could do with a break, too.’
There was nothing he would like more, thought Joel, although, he felt a bit awkward after that drunken kiss yesterday, and guessed that Lexi did, too. He smiled at her. ‘If you could, that would be great.’
Her eyes didn’t quite meet his. ‘Okay, grab yourself a table and I’ll bring it over.’
There were a few people in the tearoom, and they waved to Joel as soon as he walked through, he recognised them from the carol service the other night. They exchanged a few pleasantries, and made a fuss of Sweetie, then he strolled over to the table by the window and pulled out a chair. Lexi joined him a few minutes later.
‘How are you feeling?’ she said. ‘I had a right hangover when I woke up this morning. Mum, Dad and Granny went to bed after you left, but the rest of us sat up playing drinking games – with Dad’s homemade wine can you believe?’ She shook her head. ‘I’m regretting it this morning.’
‘I had a bit of a headache, too. Your dad’s wine is lethal.’ He raised a hand, palm outwards. ‘I know I was warned.’
Lexi chuckled. ‘Never mind, it’s Christmas.’
Joel took the tops off the cartons of jam and cream as he considered his words. ‘I popped in to see Lloyd, and he looked so . . . animated,’ he said slowly. ‘As if he’d got a new lease of life. He said it was the best Christmas he’d had for years. And –’ Joel swallowed – ‘It’s been the best Christmas I’ve had for years, too. That’s thanks to you, Lexi.’
Her eyes met his and his heart skipped a beat. Did she feel it too, this connection between them?
Chapter Thirty-one
For a moment, Lexi couldn’t find the words to reply. It was as if her tongue had got stuck in her throat. She took a sip of her coffee while she composed herself, then asked, ‘Does that mean that you’re now a Christmas convert, and will be putting up a Christmas tree every year?’
‘I guess it does.’ He gave her a mock-grimace. ‘What have you done to me?’
She smiled. ‘Brought a bit of Christmas cheer into your life, I hope. Like you have done for us, by rescuing the tree.’
‘You’ve definitely done that,’ he said softly.
His gaze rested on her face and her heart stilled. Then he lowered his gaze and cut his scone in half, spreading the jam on it then the cream.
‘That’s the Cornish way,’ she said.
Joel looked up at her in surprise. ‘Pardon?’
‘In Devon, we put the cream on first, then the jam, but in Cornwall, they put the jam on first,’ she explained.
‘Really? I had no idea there were two different ways of doing it.’ He bit into the scone, waiting until he had swallowed it before asking, ‘Do I owe you an apology?’
‘Sorry?’ For a moment she was surprised.
‘I kissed you yesterday. Twice. I was a bit tipsy, and I’m sorry if it was inappropriate.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s Christmas. Everyone kisses everyone at Christmas,’ she said flippantly, not wanting to admit, even to herself, just how much that kiss had affected her. She bent down to stroke Sweetie to give herself time to compose herself.
Lexi thought about Joel’s words after he’d left to continue his walk. She was so pleased that she had helped make both his and Lloyd’s Christmas a good one, and she’d enjoyed Christmas too. More than she had thought possible when she had discovered that Ben was cheating on her. That had hur
t, but over the last week, while she’d been in Lystone, the hurt had lessened and now she was beginning to realise that her relationship with Ben hadn’t been a good one. She had just got into a comfort zone with him, and they’d got on well together, but in truth, there was no spark between them. It had taken the kiss with Joel yesterday to make her realise that. She hadn’t felt that way when Ben kissed her for a long time. If ever. And the way Joel had looked into her eyes today, she’d felt like their souls were meeting, and for a few moments had been transfixed, unable to tear her eyes away from his.
Had it been the same for Joel?
What if it had? She was leaving soon, going back to Gloucester, so there would be no future for them, even if she was attracted to him. But meeting Joel had shown her that whatever feelings she’d had for Ben hadn’t been love, because if she truly had loved him, a kiss from another man wouldn’t have had such an effect on her, would it?
‘You seem a bit faraway, love. Are you thinking about Ben? He’s been texting you, asking you to take him back, hasn’t he?’ Her dad’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.
‘Yes, but I don’t want to go back to him. I could never trust him again.’
‘Are you sure? He seems quite repentant. Perhaps it was a one-off?’
Lexi shook her head. ‘No, it had been going on for a while. Besides, I don’t love him, I realise that now.’
‘Well, you’re better off without him, then.’ Her dad squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. ‘Look, it’s gone quiet and we’re closing soon, why don’t you get yourself off?’
‘I will, thanks, Dad.’ She went into the back, took off her hat, gloves and apron, and pulled on her coat. She’d walked up to the bakery, wanting some fresh air, and intended to walk the long way back so that she could stop and look at the Christmas tree. She had no idea how long the tree would stand for, Joel had told her the council still wanted to chop it down, but at least they had had one last special Christmas. It had been perfect.
When she got there, she was surprised to see Joel standing by the tree, hands in pockets, deep in thought.
‘Great minds think alike,’ she said.
He turned around, looking at her in surprise. ‘Lexi. What are you doing here?’ Then he clapped his hand to his forehead. ‘Sorry, that sounded a bit off. I guess you just wanted to look at the tree, like me.’
‘It’s so pretty, isn’t it? Even without the lights switched on.’ Joel had taken the generator back home with him after the carol service on Christmas Eve, not wanting to risk it getting stolen. ‘I hope the council change their mind about chopping it down.’
‘Me too, but I’m not convinced they will. This is a prime spot, and more housing is desperately needed. Perhaps the villagers could find somewhere else for the carol service next year.’
‘I guess they could, but it wouldn’t be the same.’ She looked at him. ‘It won’t be your problem then, though, will it? Your sister will be back by the summer and I guess you’ll have moved on.’ The thought of Joel not being in Lystone saddened her.
‘Yes, but I’ve been thinking of staying in the village, buying a house here.’
‘Really?’ That surprised her and she felt her heart uplift.
‘Yes, the place is growing on me.’ His eyes held hers. ‘So, you’ll probably bump into me when you come down to see your parents.’
She hoped so. She hated the thought of not seeing Joel again.
‘Well, this is cosy! So this is Joel, your new fancy chap, is it?’
Lexi swung around at the sound of Ben’s voice. He’d pulled up by the green in his car and was shouting out of the window. He opened the door and got out, hurt and anger written all over his face.
‘Ben! What are you doing here?’ she asked.
‘Charming! That’s a nice way to greet your boyfriend.’ He strode over the grass to join them. ‘I came to see you. I missed you. It looks like you didn’t miss me.’ He looked from Joel to Lexi. ‘That didn’t take you long, did it? You were supposed to be going away to spend Christmas with your family because your brother was coming over from Canada, and here you are, all over another man. Is this the one you told me about on the phone last night?’
‘Now, look, Ben . . .’
‘I don’t think you should be talking to Lexi like that,’ Joel said levelly.
‘I’m not bothered what you think, mate. I’m her boyfriend. We live together. Hasn’t she told you about me?’
‘We’re not living together, Ben, we’re finished,’ Lexi reminded him. ‘You decided you preferred someone else.’
‘So, you thought you’d pay me back and get someone else too.’
Joel’s expression hardened. ‘You’ve got this all wrong.’
‘So, you’re not Joel?’
‘Yes, I am, but you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion. Lexi and I are just friends.’
Ben frowned. ‘That’s not what Lexi said last night.’ He glared at her. ‘So, you told me you and him were together just to make me jealous?’
‘You told him we were together?’ Joel was staring at Lexi in disbelief.
‘Err . . .’
She saw the expression change in Joel’s eyes to one she couldn’t fathom.
‘I love you, Lexi. That’s what I came to tell you,’ Ben said, coming towards her, his arms outstretched.
Joel looked from Ben to Lexi. ‘Look, I think I’d better leave you two to sort this out,’ he told her, then turned and walked off.
Lexi was so outraged, she felt like hurling something at Ben. ‘How dare you! How dare you make out that we’re still together when you’ve left me for someone else?’
‘That was a mistake. It’s you I want. Please give me another chance. I’m begging you. I love you,’ Ben pleaded, standing right in front of her now.
Then he knelt down in front of her and held out a small, velvet box.
‘Lexi, will you marry me?’
Lexi couldn’t answer, couldn’t speak. She was staring over Ben’s head at Joel, who had turned back and witnessed everything. His gaze met hers, before he continued across the road.
Chapter Thirty-two
‘Lexi!’
She realised that Ben was still kneeling at her feet, holding out the little box, which he’d now opened to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.
‘Please say yes. I love you. I’ll never hurt you again, I promise.’
He was looking at her so devotedly, his tone so earnest. He really means this.
‘I love you, Lexi. And you love me, I know you do. Please don’t let my stupid mistake split us up. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I swear.’ His voice quivered with emotion. ‘We were so good together once. We can get that back. Be even stronger. I realise how much you mean to me. How much I love you.’
She had loved him too, at least, she thought she had. She knew now, though, that whatever it was they’d had between them had gone.
‘Lexi?’ Ben’s face was upturned, pleading.
She slowly shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, Ben, but I can’t marry you. I don’t love you.’
He looked stunned. He scrambled to his feet and reached out for her. ‘You do. I know you do.’
‘No, I don’t. I thought I did, but being here and having some space to think has made me realise that I don’t. And you don’t love me either. Not really. We were just comfortable together. Go back to Rosa.’
‘I can’t.’
‘What? Why not.’
He fidgeted, his eyes not quite meeting hers. ‘We’ve finished. Because I realised that I loved you,’ he added quickly.
‘Or did she kick you out?’
She knew by the look on his face that it was true. Thank goodness she’d turned down his proposal.
‘Goodbye, Ben,’ she said. Then she walked off, head held high.
‘Lexi!’ Ben shouted. ‘It was all a mistake. It’s you I love!’
She ignored him and walked over the road, fuming all the way home. Ben obviously thought that
she would jump at his proposal, forget about him and Rosa, and be happy to go back to how they were. Did he think she was stupid? She thought back to their relationship. She liked a quiet life and had never questioned it when Ben had been working late, or gone out with his friends. Had she been too trusting? Too much of a walkover? But what was the point of being with someone if you didn’t trust them? She was still furious when she arrived home.
Her mum looked up from the sandwich she was buttering as Lexi strode in. ‘You look like you need a strong cup of tea.’
‘I do.’ Lexi bit her lip, trying to find the words to tell her mother what had happened. ‘Ben turned up and he proposed to me.’
Her mum paused and met her eye. ‘And that’s a bad thing?’
‘Very bad.’
Lexi sank down at the table, and buried her head in her hands. She couldn’t believe that Ben had turned up like that, completely out of the blue, and at the most awkward moment ever. Joel had looked really taken aback. She remembered him telling her that his ex had cheated on him, and hoped he hadn’t thought she was intending to do the same to Ben. She’d told him that she’d broken up with Ben though, she reminded herself. And there was nothing between her and Joel, was there, apart from a quick hug and thank-you kiss on Boxing Day. Why on Earth had she told Ben that Joel was her new boyfriend when he’d phoned her last night? She groaned. How embarrassing. She’d have to call in on Joel later and explain.
‘Want to tell me about it?’ her mum sat down beside her. ‘The others are upstairs packing,’ she added.
Lexi raised her eyes to hers, still stunned by the events. ‘I went to see the Christmas tree and Joel was there. We were talking . . .’
Her mum waited.
Lexi licked her lips. ‘Then Ben pulled up and shouted at me, accused me of cheating on him. The nerve of him!’ Anger was taking over from the shock now. ‘Next thing I know, Ben is getting down on one knee and proposing. And Joel saw it all! He walked off. He was obviously embarrassed.’
‘I take it you told Ben where to go with his proposal?’ her mum said gently.
‘Yes, I did. As if I’d marry him after what he’s done. It’s not working out with that Rosa, so he’s decided he wants to come back to me. Well, I don’t want him back.’
