‘Ellie!’
He opened us his arms to beckon me into his embrace and even if I’d wanted to resist, I wouldn’t have been able to. His body held a magnetic pull and soon his arms were wrapped around me, my head falling onto the firmness of his hard chest, my body reacting in the only way it knew how. I looked up his warm and beautiful eyes seeing my own longing reflected there. I pulled away, looking up into his gaze, his dark eyes filled with affection.
‘Max, what’s happened? Where’s the flood?’
‘Oh.’ He ran his hand through my hair, looking into my eyes beseechingly. His gaze dropped the length of my body to look at my pink wellies, the sight clearly amusing to him. ‘I may have got you here on false pretences.’
‘What? There is no flood?’ He shook his head, and I looked at him aghast, wondering what I was doing here after all. ‘But you rang. You said…’
‘Have you seen?’ he asked, pointing above my head
‘Oh my goodness!’ In my haste to get here, I’d completely missed the new pub sign. Despite the greyness of the sky, the image of the dog and duck rich in colours of black and green and red and brown, gave a blaze of colour to the High Street. The beauty of it took my breath away. Digby, beside me, looked up too wondering what all the fuss was about.
‘That’s amazing,’ I said, ‘oh, and the front door too!’ My fingers ran over the newly painted woodwork. Still in black, as I’d always known it, but now shiny and glossy, the old peeling crumbling paintwork nowhere to be seen.
‘Do you want to take a look inside?’
‘What? But, I don’t understand.’ A mix of anger, relief and confusion swarmed around my body.
My head too was having trouble making sense of all this. Max had lied about the flood and now he was inviting me inside to see what exactly? What was he playing at? Damn that man. Always messing with my head and tugging at my heart strings.
‘Come on, let me show you.’
Max led me by the hand into the pub, the building that I knew so well. Reluctantly, I took tentative steps, anxious at what I might find waiting inside. Would the pub be unrecognizable to me now? I looked all around, up to the highest reaches of the ceiling and down to the furthest corners of the floor, around the bar and into the seating areas. All so familiar and yet it was as if I was seeing it all for the first time. Everything was just as it had ever been, but the whole place had been brought into a sharper focus now. The woodwork had been stripped back and re-varnished, the walls freshly painted, bringing out the vibrancy of the deep red hue, the floors polished and the upholstery revitalized with new purple tartan covers on some of the seats and red velvet on the others. It was better than I could ever have imagined.
Tears gathered in my eyes and I turned to look at Max, as his gaze scanned my face for my reaction. ‘Oh Max, this is amazing. I can’t believe what you’ve done.’ His hands were covered in dust and grime, and it looked as though he hadn’t changed his clothes in days. ‘This is your handiwork, isn’t it?’
‘Well me and the guys too. We’ve been working through the nights to get this done. I wanted you to see it first. There’s lots more to see upstairs.’
I followed Max up, my whole body quivering at the realization at what he and his team had done here. The stair-rail with its intricate spindles had been given a whole new lease of life stripped back to its natural beauty. The old avocado bathroom suite had been ripped out and replaced with a new white one, including a power shower and there was no more wobbly loo seat either. All the bedrooms had been re-decorated in light, neutral colours giving the illusion that there was so much more space now.
‘I’ve not chucked anything out,’ said Max, as we stood in the doorway to the bedroom where I used to stay with Josie. The daisy sprigged curtains were now folded neatly over a ladder in the corner. I felt a pang of nostalgia for those lost days. Things here would never be the same again, that was for sure.
‘What’s the matter,’ asked Max, turning me round to face him, his gaze searching my features. ‘Do you not like it or something?’
‘No, I do.’ I took a step backwards. He was too close, way too close.
‘But…?’
I ran my hands through my hair, suppressing a sigh.
‘Oh Max!’ I span round on the spot, drinking it all in. 'It’s all so lovely what you’ve done here, but I just don’t know why you couldn’t have discussed it with me, or Dan, or Eric first. Asked our opinions. I know you’re the owner now but, between us, we’ve got years of experience working here and know much more about The Dog and Duck than you ever will. You showed absolutely no respect to our opinions or feelings. Or to the feelings of our customers. They’re the people who make this pub work and if we didn’t have them we wouldn’t even have a business.’
Maybe it wasn’t my place to say, but I was still smarting at the way he’d closed the pub so suddenly with scant regard to anyone else.
‘Sorry, Ellie.’ He tilted his head to the ceiling, obviously disappointed at my reaction. What had he expected, for me to simply forget about everything that had happened in the past? ‘I know you didn’t agree with that decision, but I did what I thought was best. Honestly. Don’t you think it’s been worth it? Come on, take a look at the kitchen.’
It was hard not to get swept away by Max’s enthusiasm. Everything I’d seen so far had convinced me that he couldn’t have done any better job. The kitchen had been transformed with new units and worktops, a gleaming white double sink, a new range cooker and new appliances too. Eric was gone now, but I knew he’d be so impressed when he saw what Max had done with the pub. I tried to picture someone new here, buzzing about the kitchen, serving behind the bar, bringing their new ideas for the pub with them, but the thought just made me inexplicably sad. Had Max made any new plans on that front, I wondered.
‘Let me make you a coffee,’ said Max now. ‘We have so much to catch up on.’
I wandered through to the bar and sat down at the table in the bay window, my head turning each and every way still soaking up all the loveliness of the renovations. Max brought me a coffee, sat down next to me and took hold of my hand.
‘Look Ellie, I’m really sorry. For the way I went about these renovations. The last thing I wanted to do was to upset you. You must know what this place means to me, what with it being Granddad’s favourite old haunt. I suppose in my enthusiasm at finally getting my hands on the place, I got a bit carried away.’
‘But Max it’s every time. First you forgot to tell me about Sasha, then you failed to mention that you’d bought the pub and then you went steaming ahead with renovations without even discussing it with anyone first. I know what happens here now has nothing to do with me anymore, but I just wished you’d talked to me, let me in.’
‘Guilty,’ said Max with a wry smile, holding his hands up to the air. ‘The thing is I’m not used to doing that. I’m used to just getting on and doing things. I realize now I should have spoken to you first. I want to change, Ellie, and I will, I promise you, if you’ll just give me the chance. This place is important to me, but what’s more important to me is you. You and me. What these last couple of weeks has taught me is how much you’ve come to mean me.’
‘Oh…’ my skin prickled with heat at the enormity of his words. ‘Do you mean that?’
Max laughed and touched my face with his hand.
‘Of course I mean it. I absolutely adore you, Ellie, and want you in my life. I’m so bloody proud of you getting that job. You’re amazing and I wanted to tell you that. To wish you the very best of luck. Not that you’ll need it, because I know you’ll absolutely ace it. London’s not a million miles away – I know we could make it work, if you wanted it to.’
I turned my head to look at Max, my insides melting at the imploring look in his eyes, hardly able to believe what I was hearing.
‘Oh Max, it’s what I want too. You’re the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think of at night.’
‘Well, th
at’s very good to hear, Ellie Browne, because even if you were going to the other side of the world, we’d find a way to make it work. You and me, we could have something special together.’
My skin tingled. They were words I could only ever have dreamt of hearing.
‘Oh, Max, I’m not going to London after all. I’ve thought about it long and hard and I’ve decided that I need to stay in Little Leyton.’
‘What?’ His face clouded. ‘No way! You can’t give up that fantastic opportunity. You need to go to London and take up that job. The pub will still be here, I’ll still be here. We’ll find a way to make it work out between us, really.’
‘You don’t understand, Max. My mind’s made up. I’ve already written to Firmans telling them I won’t be taking up their offer.’ Admittedly it had taken me a little time, but in the end the decision had been a very easy one to make. There was no way I was going to let my life be dictated to by a man, but when Gemma told me Digby would have to go the kennels, I knew in an instance that I couldn’t let that happen. Mum told me I needed to follow my heart and that was precisely what I intended to do. ‘If that job offer is still open,’ I told Max now, ‘I’d love to take you up on it.’
‘Are you kidding me? Max looked genuinely taken aback. ‘The job’s yours. I’ve been holding back from finding a new manager in the hope that you would change your mind, but I didn’t want to put any undue pressure on you. I wanted you to take the job here because it was something you really wanted to do.’
‘Oh I do. I’ve been thinking about all the amazing things we could do here and I’m so excited to be a part of it.’ I could feel the excitement now fizzing in my stomach.
‘You don’t know how happy that makes me. And don’t worry about me interfering. You’ll have free rein to do exactly what you want to do here. Although there is one thing - I really think we should do another trip to Calais as soon as we can in the New Year.’
I smiled - wasn’t that how all this had started?
‘Definitely. There could be no other co-driver for me, Max.’ I paused, transfixed by the sight of our hands clasped together on the table. ‘Although before we finalize anything, I would need to negotiate some terms.’
Max lifted his eyebrows, a look of puzzlement on his face.
‘Such as…?’
‘Well, there’s something you must know.’ I paused, my gaze lingering on his. ‘It’s something very important to me. Something you need to be okay with if we’re going to move forward together. The thing is Max, there’s another man in my life.’
Max narrowed his eyes, his mouth curling at the corners. ‘Is that so?’ He dropped his gaze to his side, where Digby was laying contentedly at his feet.
‘Yes. If I’m going to be managing the pub then I need to know Digby would be welcome here too.’
‘You know what,’ said Max laughing. ‘I’ve always thought that there was something missing at The Dog and Duck and now I know exactly what it is. A resident dog.’
Max took my face in his hands and kissed me long and hard, the reminder of his touch setting off an explosion of exquisite sensations within me that reached the far ends of my fingers and toes. His scent, fresh paint mingled with wood shavings and hard toil, taunted my nostrils, inflaming my hunger. His kisses even more intoxicating than I remembered.
‘Look,’ Max pulled away, glancing at his watch, fired up by a sudden urgency. ‘If we’re going to get this pub open in time for the lunchtime rush, then we need to get a move on.’
‘Really?’ I asked, in desperate danger of dissolving into tears again.
‘Really,’ said Max, with a broad smile.
Thirty-Six
By lunchtime, the mulled wine was simmering on the stove, we’d taken delivery of a huge batch of warmed mince pies and the Christmas tree was shining brightly in the window of the pub. Dan, Andy and Eric were manning the bars and it seemed as though all my friends and neighbours in Little Leyton had turned up to celebrate the re-opening of The Dog and Duck.
Max, who’d changed out of his old work clothes and was now wearing a pair of black cords and a red plaid shirt, looked more handsome than one man should be decently allowed to look. He stood up on a stool to address the crowd.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, can I just have your attention for a moment please.’ A good-hearted cheer reverberated around the bar. ‘I’m not going to bore you with a long speech, I promise.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ interrupted Johnny.
‘No.’ Max laughed. ‘But I would like to welcome you all to our informal re-opening of the pub. Thanks to everyone for coming and showing your support. I want to reassure you that there’ll be no further changes or closures here at The Dog and Duck – although I hope you’ll agree that the improvements we’ve made have been worth the small inconvenience of having to keep the pub closed for a short while.’
Max looked over at me, a glint in his eye and I gave a sheepish smile in return.
‘Business will continue in much the same way as it’s always done under the great leadership of Eric, our departing landlord.’ A huge round of applause went up and Eric took a bow in front of all his friends and customers. ‘I’m also hugely excited to introduce you to our new manager, or should I say landlady, someone who is known to most of you here already, I’m sure, the lovely and very capable Miss Ellie Browne.’
‘Whoop, whoop, whoop,’ Johnny was the most vocal in his support, but everyone cheered and clapped and Eric manhandled me to Max’s side where I gave a slightly self-conscious wave and bow.
‘All it remains for me to say is to wish you all a very happy Christmas and ask you to join me in a toast to The Dog and Duck.’
‘The Dog and Duck!’
Honestly it felt as though all my Christmases had come at once. I was besieged by congratulations and hugs from the locals and if there’d been any doubt in my mind that I was making the wrong decision, then that afternoon in the pub, amongst all my friends, with Digby at my side, any inkling of doubt was wiped clean away.
‘Oh Max,’ I said, when we snatched a moment to ourselves later. ‘Thank you so much for everything. I’m so sorry for ever doubting you. This is the best Christmas present I could ever have wished for.’
‘Ah, talking of Christmas presents, I have something for you. Come with me.’ Max took my hand and led me over to the bar, reaching behind to retrieve a small box wrapped in red tissue which he handed to me. I looked down at the pretty box feeling overwhelmed by this morning's events and guilty at having misjudged and maligned Max. He’d gone to so much trouble, not only working all hours to get the work on the pub completed, but also taking time out to go and find me a Christmas present.
‘Oh, I feel awful now. I haven't got you anything.’
‘It doesn’t matter. By agreeing to take up the job of manager here and more importantly, giving our relationship a chance, you’ve already given me everything I could ever have wished for this Christmas.’
‘Oh Max. Will you come round tomorrow night after I get home from Josie’s? For champagne and cheeses and…’
‘Just try and stop me,’ he said, kissing me on the nose. ‘Come on, over here,’ he said, leading me into the doorway to the back corridor where a sprig of mistletoe conveniently was placed. He looked up before kissing me again, on the lips this time. ‘Go on then. Aren’t you going to open it?’
‘Should I though? It’s not strictly Christmas yet.’
‘Well if you don’t want it,’ he said, teasingly.
‘No,’ I laughed, grabbing it back off him again. ‘I want to open it please.’ I ripped off the tissue, my fingers fumbling in my haste, revealing a small black velvet box. I prised off the lid and gasped. On the end of the most stunning and delicate gold chain nestled a beautiful dog and duck pendant. I turned it over in my hands, over-awed by its gorgeousness.
‘Oh my goodness, that is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’
‘I had it made specially. Should I put it on you
?’
Happiness fluttered through my entire body. I could never have expected to find myself in this position and felt so lucky that Max was back in my life and we could pick up where we’d left off with our relationship, carving a sparkling future out for ourselves. Max lifted my hair, his fingertips on my neck sending shivers down my spine, before fastening the necklace in place.
‘Let’s have a look,’ he said, turning me around to face him. ‘Perfect,’ he declared, ‘just like you.’
*
Later as the carols sung by the Salvation Army wafted in to the pub from the High Street, I looked all around me, at the fire blazing in the hearth, the tree glimmering in the window and my lovely advent candle flickering behind the bar, finally being given its rightful chance to burn, and wondered if there’d been a time when I’d ever been happier. Everyone was here tonight. Betty Masters had been in with all her family, including Pip, who had made it home in the end. Victoria Evans from the newspaper had turned up with a group of friends and had been joined later by her mum, the Rev. Evans, who only stayed for one drink, before dashing off on church business. Our neighbours Paul and Caroline were there, sitting on a table with, Eric, Josie and Nathan, with baby Stella, asleep in her buggy. I'd already had a couple of sneaky cuddles. Even Ryan Lockwood turned up with a pretty young girl in tow, who I presumed to be his girlfriend. Most surprisingly though, Sasha, Max’s ex popped in for an orange juice and to wish us both all the best in our new venture. Which was very lovely of her, I thought. Disappointingly, she hadn’t grown any less beautiful since the last time I’d seen her. If anything, she looked more radiant and glowing than ever, although Max was quick to reassure me he only had eyes for me these days.
Christmas at the Dog & Duck Page 27
