Fluffy snuggled her face into her tail, her tiny chest went up and down as she breathed and Grace caressed her ears gently. Animals deserved to be treated well, just as humans did too.
* * *
Oli closed the surgery door then locked it. Christmas Eve had been busy as residents panicked about the fact that he’d be closed for two days; however, the single locum had agreed to be on call should anything arise over the Christmas period. Oli had offered to pay the locum extra for the inconvenience, but the young man had told him he was glad of the experience and that he didn’t really like Christmas very much anyway. Oli could understand that – after Linda had died he had thought Christmas would never be something to enjoy again – but he had children to think of, as well as the very welcome idea of spending more time with Grace.
His stomach flipped. She’d replied to his early morning texts and agreed to come over this evening. Once the children were asleep, they could open a bottle of wine and wrap the presents then get everything ready for Christmas Day. He’d been worried that his texts would upset her, or that she’d find him a bit forward after he’d declined the offer of help the other day, but her replies had been warm and friendly.
After visiting the cemetery, Oli had thought he might feel guilty about Grace and their burgeoning friendship, but visiting Linda had had the opposite effect. Instead of feeling bad, he felt that Linda approved, that somehow she had given him a sign that he should go on with his life. Oli would always hold Linda in his heart and love her for the time they’d shared and for the beautiful children she had given him, but he also knew that he could never get her back. So he would keep her memory alive for the children and for the life they’d shared together, but he would also try to live as full a life as he could, as he knew Linda would have wanted him to.
‘You all right there, Oli?’ Pamela asked, as she pulled on her coat. ‘You looked a million miles away.’
‘I am, thank you. Just working out what I need to get done first.’
‘I bet the children are excited today.’
‘My father said he’d take them out, because otherwise they’d be climbing the walls at his.’
‘Good plan.’
‘Well, have a lovely Christmas.’
Pamela came and hugged him, her floral perfume as familiar as the fabric softener he used, then planted a kiss on his cheek.
‘You’re a young man, Oli, and you need to get yourself a woman now.’
‘What?’
‘Just think about it. Linda was an angel, but you’re still alive and you deserve to be happy.’
She patted his arm. ‘I’m older than you and have known you a long time, so I can say things like that. I knew Linda very well too, remember, and she’d hate the thought of you being alone for the rest of your life.’
Oli nodded. ‘Well, we’ll see.’
‘We will. Merry Christmas, lovely.’
Oli walked Pamela to the door then let her out and closed it behind her. It felt like everyone he knew was trying to tell him the same thing. Was it because it had been two years and they thought that was long enough to spend grieving, or was it because Grace Phillips had arrived in Conwenna Cove and they saw that there was a spark between them?
He walked into the recovery room and found Hope standing up in her crate wagging her tail.
‘Well, hello, girl. You want to come out?’
She lowered into a bow, a sign that she was keen to spend some time with him.
‘How about you come home with me today?’ Maxine had taken their other patient home with her for the evening and Simon and Louise had taken the cat and kittens, so Oli didn’t have to come into the surgery on Christmas Day.
He let her out of the crate then held out his hand. She approached him cautiously then allowed him to stroke her chin.
‘You’re a beautiful girl and I think that at some point, someone loved you, but then it all went wrong. Let’s take you through to the house and you can have a nice spot in front of the fire. As long as you promise not to eat any of the presents.’
Hope bowed again.
‘I have your word on that then? Come on, sweetheart.’
He gently slipped a greyhound fleece onto her then put a harness on over it and led her from the recovery room and through the surgery to the door, then switched off the lights and went out into the cold.
* * *
‘Come on through. There’s someone here who wants to see you.’ Oli led Grace through to his lounge. She gasped when she found Hope lying on a folded-up quilt near the fireplace.
‘What’s she doing here?’
‘I didn’t want to leave her in the surgery alone overnight, and thought it would give me a chance to observe her in a home environment. She might well need rehabilitation at the sanctuary, but I have a feeling from how she’s been since I brought her in, that she’s lived in a house before.’
‘So she was someone’s pet and they treated her like that?’
‘Could be that she was stolen or passed on. Perhaps her owner couldn’t keep her any longer.’
‘There could be someone out there looking for her?’
‘She’s not chipped, I’ve already checked. We sent out emails to all other local vets and police but no one has come forward to claim her.’
‘Just like the cat.’
‘It’s annoying how irresponsible some people are.’ He frowned.
‘Amy’s excited about having the cat though isn’t she?’
He nodded. ‘They want every animal that comes in, but up to this point I’ve said no. We’d have no room for us if we homed every waif and stray. But if you do go ahead and home Hope, then we’ll be able to see plenty of her.’
Grace smiled. ‘You certainly will.’
‘Amy and Tom aren’t here yet. My father’s dropping them off when they get back from their outing.’
‘Where did they go?’
He shrugged. ‘Knowing my father, here, there and everywhere. He’ll have tried to wear them out today, knowing they’ll be overexcited all night.’
Grace was suddenly and acutely aware, that they were, in fact, alone.
She stood up and Oli came towards her.
‘Grace.’
She held up a hand and shook her head.
‘Just kiss me.’
He took her hands and gently pulled her towards him then cupped her face before lowering his head. As their lips met, Grace’s heart beat faster and she slid her arms around his neck.
Then there was nothing other than them. Kissing. Touching. Tasting each other as if they had waited their whole lives just to be together.
When Oli pulled away, Grace almost collapsed but he held her up, pressing her body against his.
‘Grace… I want you so much.’
She stroked his cheek.
‘I want you too.’
‘But not just here, like this. I want you in my life. I never thought I’d love again but you… you’re different. You’ve been through so much and you understand me. You carry your own pain. But it’s also more than that. The first moment I saw you, I wanted to hold you and to make you mine.’
She gazed into his blue-green eyes, watched his pupils dilating as he roamed his gaze over every inch of her, and she felt as if she could float away.
‘I’ve never felt like this before, Oli. This is so new to me.’
He nodded. ‘I did love Linda. I really did. But this is different too. I’m not the young man I was when I met her and I’ve been through a lot. It changes you, shapes you and who you become. Grace, I think… in fact I know… I’m falling in love with you.’
Grace gasped.
‘I don’t expect you to say you feel the same. All I want is to spend Christmas with you and to enjoy your company and for Amy and Tom to spend time with you too. They think a lot of you. Give us a chance to show you how life could be if you stayed in Conwenna.’
‘Of course. I mean… yes please.’
She reached up and slid her hand beh
ind his head then pulled him towards her, keen to taste him again and to enjoy the heat that he sent flooding through her body. He lifted her into his arms as easily as if she weighed nothing more than Fluffy the kitten, and carried her to the sofa and knelt beside her.
‘What now?’ she asked.
‘Now…’ There was a knock at the door and he winced. ‘Now the children are home.’
Grace quickly sat up and straightened her black dress.
‘I’m so sorry.’ Oli shook his head.
‘It’s fine.’ She gave him a quick kiss then he went out into the hallway, leaving Grace smiling to herself.
Oli came as part of a package and she knew that. So the children arriving at that moment wasn’t a bad thing; it was probably how life would be. And she knew that she didn’t just want Oli, she wanted his children too and anything else that came with him. She would happily take on his grief, accept the life he lived before her arrival, love and care for his children and respect his memories, because no one came through life completely unscathed. And being with someone was about loving them and everything that made them who they were.
Grace realized as she sat on the sofa, gazing at Hope where she lay on her comfy quilt in front of the fire, that she really did want to give this a chance with Oli, Amy and Tom. And she was prepared, finally, to take a chance on loving them all.
Chapter 21
‘That’s the last one,’ Oli said as he pressed down on the Sellotape then slipped the small gift into Tom’s stocking.
‘Do you think they’re sleeping now?’ Grace asked as she pointed at the ceiling.
‘I doubt it but I’ll check.’
He left the kitchen and tiptoed up the stairs.
Grace held her breath and listened. Amy and Tom had been under strict instructions to remain upstairs, even if they heard an army come marching through the cottage.
A floorboard above her head creaked and she heard a yelp.
Hope raised her head from where she was lying on the quilt near the Aga. They’d brought her out to the kitchen with them, because Oli said he didn’t know if she’d try to climb the stairs and he didn’t want her disturbing the children. He also wanted to keep an eye on her in case she needed the toilet.
‘It’s okay, girl. He’ll be back soon.’
Hope lowered her head again and blinked knowingly.
‘I’m sure you understand me, don’t you?’
Grace blew a kiss to the greyhound just as Oli reappeared in the doorway.
‘Surprisingly, both sound asleep. I even waited to see if Amy was pretending but nope. Then I stepped on a Lego brick and it really hurt, but my yelp didn’t wake them. My father must have worn them both out.’
Grace snorted before she could stop herself. ‘Lego can be dangerous stuff. Perhaps Tom left it there to catch Santa out.’
‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised.’
When Paul had arrived with the children that afternoon, and found Grace there already, his eyes had lit up. Oli had explained that Grace had come to see Hope and that she was going to help him with festive preparations, but Paul’s smile had suggested that he thought otherwise.
‘Okay, let’s get the presents piled up in the lounge then I have a little surprise.’
‘What is it?’
Oli tapped his nose. ‘You’ll have to wait and see.’
They carried the two stockings and the gifts in their different wrapping paper into the lounge then set them out in two separate piles.
‘I’ll take the stockings up later when I go to bed. Now, you take a seat.’
‘No, let me help you.’
‘Absolutely not. Stay there.’
Oli disappeared then returned with Hope and her quilt and settled her in front of the fire. Grace watched as Hope stretched out then let out a long satisfied groan. She giggled. That greyhound noise would never cease to amuse her.
Oli entered the room carrying a tray.
‘Close your eyes.’
‘What?’
‘Grace, please, close them.’
She did.
‘Now you can open them.’
On the coffee table in front of the sofa was a bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes. Next to them was a plate of small circular crackers piled high with smoked salmon, cream cheese and a bowl of what appeared to be a rich dark chocolate mousse.
‘Oli… how wonderful.’
‘You’re wonderful and you deserve to be spoilt.’
‘It’s just perfect.’
‘Good. And… if you’re wondering, because I know it must be difficult sometimes, the flutes are brand new. I bought them recently, hoping you’d come here for champagne at some point.’
‘I hadn’t wondered that, but, thank you.’
Oli popped the cork then filled their glasses. He handed one to Grace.
‘Merry Christmas, Grace. May this be your first of many at Conwenna Cove.’
They clinked glasses.
‘I hope so.’
Grace sipped her champagne, savouring the crisp finish and the clean, pure flavour.
‘It’s delicious.’
Oli nodded.
‘Is everything ready for tomorrow?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘And what are you three doing for lunch?’
‘My father and Maxine are meant to be coming here. Would you like to…’ He leant forwards and put his glass on the table. ‘How do you feel about Christmas dinner?’
‘In what way?’
‘Well, do you want to spend it with your parents or would you like to join us?’
‘Oli, I would love to join you, but it’s my parents’ first Christmas here and I think I should be with them.’
‘Of course. I understand that.’
‘And you need to be with your family.’
He nodded, then ran a hand through his hair. ‘Silly, right, but I hate the thought of not being with you.’
‘It’s not silly, it’s lovely, and I would love to be with you too, but we can get together later on tomorrow.’
‘This is all quite difficult isn’t it?’ He took her hand.
‘It’s not a straightforward situation, but it’s not a bad one either.’
He gently stroked her fingers in turn then ran his thumb over her palm.
‘What’s wrong, Oli?’
‘I want to be with you but I feel… a bit guilty too.’
She wriggled closer to him on the sofa. ‘I’m sure that’s probably natural when you lose a partner.’
‘I do know that Linda would want me to live life to the full. She told me as much. But even so, it’s like I’m here living and she’s cold in the ground.’ He shook his head. ‘God, Grace you don’t need this. I just wanted to explain to you. I want to be with you, but I have to make sure that you want the kids too.’
Grace took a deep breath then released it slowly.
‘You, Amy and Tom come as a package deal and I wouldn’t want it any other way.’
He reached for his champagne again.
‘Well, here’s to the future and whatever it may bring.’
They both drank from their glasses.
‘Now, let’s eat that salmon. I’d hate for it to go to waste.’
They sat and ate in silence as festive images flickered across the TV screen and Hope eyed them from her quilt. Grace and Oli handed her some small pieces of salmon and she accepted them gently, licking her lips in appreciation.
‘We could get used to this Hope, couldn’t we?’
‘I could get used to this.’ Oli stroked her cheek. ‘I’d love to spoil you both on a frequent basis.’
When they’d finished the crackers, Oli lifted the champagne bottle. ‘More?’
‘I probably shouldn’t. I’m already a bit lightheaded and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to come back early in the morning and to see the children opening their presents.’
‘You could always stay?’
‘I could but I did stay recently… by
accident… and if I stay again, won’t the children get confused?’
‘Confused? They might do, I guess but they do like having you around.’
‘Well, I’ll go home now and come back early shall I?’
‘Okay. Great.’
Grace rubbed Hope’s chin then gave her a kiss on the head before going out to the hallway and pulling on her coat and hat. She stuffed her feet into her boots then picked up her gloves.
‘I’ll see you in the morning, then.’
‘Grace… hold on.’
Oli went to the chest of drawers, opened the top one and took something out then he returned to Grace.
‘Take this.’ He held out a key.
Grace stared at it. ‘You’re giving me a… key?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh… Oli… uh… Wow! That’s such a big step.’
‘It is. But Grace…’ He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. ‘Look, I realize how it looks but I was only giving you the key so you could get in in the morning.’
Grace slapped a hand to her forehead. ‘I’m such an idiot.’
He stepped backward then scuffed his foot on the rug. ‘No you’re not. I mean… I thought I was giving it to you for that but perhaps, deep down, I was hoping you’d keep it after tomorrow.’
‘After tomorrow? So you did mean…’ She bit her lip as dozens of thoughts raced through her mind. ‘I will have to go back to Cardiff in January, but then once I’ve sorted everything out—’
A floorboard on the landing creaked and they both froze, staring up into the darkness as if they’d been caught discussing something they shouldn’t. A few moments later, the chain flushed and there was the sound of the tap running. Oli and Grace stood still, waiting for whichever child it was to return to bed. When they heard Tom returning to his room, they both released the breaths they’d been holding.
‘I was going to say that I will be back and that I will definitely use this key. As long as you want me to have it.’
‘I really do.’
He leant past her and opened the front door so she stepped out into the cold darkness.
‘Merry Christmas, Grace.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow?’ she asked, her heart thudding as she didn’t want to leave him.
Christmas at Conwenna Cove Page 19
