Christmas

by Emily Harvale

  Coming Home

  to

  Merriment Bay

  Part Three

  Christmas

  Emily Harvale

  Copyright

  Copyright © Emily Harvale 2019

  All rights reserved

  Emily Harvale has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organisations, businesses, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Crescent Gate Publishing

  E-edition published worldwide 2019

  ISBN 978-1-909917-50-7

  Cover design © JR and Emily Harvale

  Edited by Christina Harkness

  Other Titles by Emily Harvale

  Highland Fling

  Lizzie Marshall's Wedding

  The Golf Widows' Club

  Sailing Solo

  Carole Singer's Christmas

  Christmas Wishes

  A Slippery Slope

  The Perfect Christmas Plan

  Be Mine

  It Takes Two

  Bells and Bows on Mistletoe Row

  The Goldebury Bay series:

  Ninety Days of Summer – book 1

  Ninety Steps to Summerhill – book 2

  Ninety Days to Christmas – book 3

  The Hideaway Down series:

  A Christmas Hideaway – book 1

  Catch A Falling Star – book 2

  Walking on Sunshine – book 3

  Dancing in the Rain – book 4

  Hall's Cross series

  Deck the Halls – book 1

  The Starlight Ball – book 2

  Michaelmas Bay series

  Christmas Secrets in Snowflake Cove – book 1

  Blame it on the Moonlight – book 2

  Lily Pond Lane series

  The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane – four-part serial

  Part One – New beginnings

  Part Two – Summer secrets

  Part Three – Autumn leaves

  Part Four – Trick or treat

  Christmas on Lily Pond Lane

  Return to Lily Pond Lane

  A Wedding on Lily Pond Lane

  Secret Wishes and Summer Kisses on Lily Pond Lane

  Wyntersleap series

  Christmas at Wynter House

  Merriment Bay series

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay – four-part serial

  Part One – A Reunion

  Part Two – Sparks Fly

  Part Three – Christmas

  Part Four – Starry Skies

  In loving memory of my grandmother, May, who encouraged me to tell stories.

  Table of contents

  Title

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Other titles

  Series info

  About this book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Coming Soon

  Also by

  Acknowledgements

  A note from Emily

  Contact

  This is a novel told in four parts and will form the first book in my Merriment Bay series.

  This is Coming Home to Merriment Bay-Part Three: Christmas

  The four parts are:

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay-

  Part One: A Reunion

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay-

  Part Two: Sparks Fly

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay-

  Part Three: Christmas

  Coming Home to Merriment Bay-

  Part Four: Starry Skies.

  My Merriment Bay series is interconnected with my Wyntersleap series. Each series can be read alone, but several characters appear in both series.

  Chapter One

  'Let me make sure I've got this right.' Natalia poured Amias, herself and her husband, Josh a large glass each of wine, and grinned. 'The stars were aligned. The bonfire was burning, giving off a welcome warmth in the cold, night air. Fireworks soared into a clear, black sky and you and Cat Devon were staring into each other's eyes. Yes?'

  Amias nodded. He felt like a naughty child being scolded by his sister. His younger sister, to make things worse. He was beginning to wish he'd stayed at the celebrations on the village common and not walked up the hill to Natalia's house which overlooked it.

  'Yes. I told you. It was the perfect night. Everything about it was perfect.'

  Natalia burst out laughing. 'Except for you, you absolute plonker.'

  Josh laughed too and shrugged when Amias glared at him. 'Hey. I'm with my wife on this one, mate. Even I would've taken the woman in my arms and kissed her.' He darted a look at Natalia. 'Not me, of course. I meant if I were Amias.'

  Natalia blew him a kiss. 'I know what you meant, my darling. And you're right. If I did a survey of every man on this planet, I think I could guarantee that 99.9% of them would say the same. But not my brother. Oh no. Despite the fact he's besotted with the woman, what does he do? After staring into each other's eyes, he says the fireworks are the best he's seen in years then asks if she's hungry and without waiting for her to respond, marches off to get her some food. And when he comes back and finds she's gone, he's surprised.'

  'I was nervous, OK? It was just too perfect. I wanted to kiss her. I told you that. I'm not an idiot. And I almost did. But as I moved closer, I could feel myself breaking out in a cold sweat and I just knew I'd make a complete and utter mess of it. When you've wanted someone for as long as I've wanted Cat, the thought that you might finally get to kiss her is monumental. You want it to be the best kiss ever. And that's not going to happen if you start doubting yourself. What if she didn't want me to? What if she slapped my face? What if she stormed off again? What if she called the police and accused me of sexual assault? That happens you know.'

  'You could've asked her,' Josh suggested.

  'What? Asked her if she'd mind if I kissed her?'

  'Yes. That way at least you would've known.'

  Natalia nodded. 'Josh is right. It would've taken the edge off the romance a bit but better that than do something she didn't want you to. Although if she was staring into your eyes as you said, then I think it's pretty much a certainty the answer would've been yes. Or if it had been me: “Yes, you bloody moron, of course I want you to kiss me.” Or words to that effect.' She gave him a Cheshire Cat-like grin.

  Amias furrowed his brows. 'It didn't occur to me to ask.'

  Natalia sighed. 'It never does. You burst in here without asking, every single time you visit.'

  He was disconcerted by the change of subject, but this wasn't the first time Natalia had admonished him for that. Was she trying to tell him he was getting on her nerves?

&
nbsp; 'I rang the bell tonight.'

  'You did. But did you wait to be invited in? Did it occur to you that we might be doing something? Like kissing, for example. And we may not have wanted to be interrupted.'

  Amias glanced from Natalia to Josh and back again. 'Are you serious?' He shook his head. 'To be honest, no. It didn't. I assumed you'd be sitting on your balcony watching the fireworks and celebrations. Which you were. And I've always just let myself in. If you don't want me to do that, perhaps you should lock the door. Or if you're sick of seeing me, just say so.'

  'Oh for God's sake, Amias. Don't get into one of your moods. We love seeing you. And we don't mind you letting yourself in. But it might be nice if you waited until we said you could. That's why we've got the video doorbell thing by the front door. So that we can see who's there and decide if we want them to come in or not.'

  He frowned. 'But as, more often than not, you leave the door unlocked, that sort of defeats the object, doesn't it? The whole point of that video doorbell is that you can turn away unwanted callers. They've only got to try the door handle to find out it's not locked and that they can walk right in.'

  'Yet no one does. Except you. Not even Dad. Everyone waits to be invited. And I thought I had locked it this evening, but I must've forgotten. Perhaps we should change the door to one that self-locks after entry. That way I wouldn't need to remember. I was brought up in a house where the front door was never locked. Day or night. That's a difficult habit to break.'

  Amias grinned. 'Yeah. But that was because everyone knew there was nothing in our house worth taking. Even strangers only had to look at it to see that. People used to bring us stuff because they felt sorry for us.' He shook his head and laughed.

  He could joke about it now. He had to. But when he was younger, he couldn't. Being what was referred to as 'dirt-poor' shouldn't be anything to be ashamed of but it definitely didn't make you want to invite friends round for tea. Not that his mum and dad could have afforded to have his friends round for tea. And especially not when his mum became sick, and he, his sister and his dad had to look after not just her, but also his granddad, who was crippled whilst serving his country in the second world war, and his gran, who had suffered with Alzheimer's since Amias was very young.

  And yet, for all of that, they were a happy family. A close family. A family who could deal with whatever life threw at them. Most of the time. And whose door was always open to anyone worse off than them. Not that there was anyone worse off than them. Not in Merriment Bay, at least. Or so it seemed to Amias in those days.

  His gran died when he was twelve, and his granddad, not long after. And as awful as it was, things actually got better. His dad got a full-time job and was bringing home a good wage. His mum got well and also found a job. She worked in the Spitfire Café and loved it there. Until she got sick again. For the final time.

  Cancer is a bastard disease. Why it had chosen his mum, not just once but twice, he would never understand. Gina Wells was the kindest, most loving woman you would ever meet, and yet breast cancer picked her, just a few years after Natalia was born. She'd beaten that after a long battle and a double mastectomy and was given the all clear. And then the tumour was found on her brain, eleven years ago. And this time, she couldn't beat it.

  Natalia's laughter brought him back from his melancholy thoughts.

  'Those were the days, eh?' She glanced around her lounge. 'Sometimes I forget that I actually own anything worth stealing. You're right. I should lock the door. But I know I probably won't.'

  Amias grinned. 'And you're right. I should wait until you or Josh say I can come in. But I know I probably won't. No. I'm joking. From now on that's what I'll do.'

  'Yay!' Natalia clapped her hands together and winked at him. 'That just goes to prove that leopards can change their spots. Now, to get back to the subject. As I've said repeatedly for the last eighteen years, it's time you made a change and let go of the past. It's time you dealt with your feelings for Cat Devon. So either tell her how you feel, or make a decision to get over her and make a fresh start with someone else.'

  'Someone else?' He sighed and shook his head. 'I've tried. Believe me. You have no idea how hard I've tried. But the truth is, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over Cat.'

  Natalia gently placed a hand on his arm. 'Then tell her that, Amias. Not us.'

  He sucked in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. 'OK, I'll tell her. I'll find a way to get her alone tomorrow night and I'll tell her.'

  'Are you seeing her tomorrow then? You didn't mention that.'

  'Yes. And that's the other reason I came here tonight straight after the fireworks. Cat and Kyra are coming to my place for dinner tomorrow and I'd like you two to join us.'

  'Sorry, mate we're–'

  'We'd love to come,' Natalia interrupted her husband. 'We were going into Eastbourne to the cinema, but we can do that another night. I'm not passing up the chance to see you and Cat Devon spend an evening together. You don't mind, do you darling?'

  Josh shook his head. 'Nah. I've only wanted to see this film for six months and I'm sure we can find someone to give the tickets to.' He pulled a face before smiling at her. 'I don't mind at all. If Amias' performance tonight is anything to go by, watching him during dinner tomorrow should be fun.'

  'Thanks.' Amias threw Josh a sarcastic grin. 'It's good to know it's not just my sister who finds my love life so entertaining.'

  'Hey, don't blame us,' Natalia said, mockingly. 'You're the one who keeps making a pig's ear out of every so-called relationship you've ever had despite the hours of advice we give you. Do us all a favour and make sure you do get Cat alone tomorrow. Tell her how you feel and then say something along the lines of, “I really want to kiss you right now.” Then wait and see what she says.'

  Amias knocked back his wine and reached for the bottle to top up his glass, but not before refilling Natalia's and Josh's glasses.

  'My wife is always right,' Josh said, winking at Natalia before giving Amias a sympathetic smile. 'I know how terrifying it is to tell a woman you feel is way out of your league that you love her so much it actually hurts to look at her. But I managed to summon up the courage to tell Nat how madly in love I was with her and look at us now.'

  'Absolutely.' Natalia nodded as a huge grin spread across her face. 'And Josh is right. I was way out of his league.'

  She blew her husband another big kiss and waved her left hand in front of Amias, the diamonds in her matching engagement, wedding and eternity rings almost blinding him.

  'Yeah, yeah. And if, after pouring my heart out and telling her how much I want to kiss her, she says, “Thanks, but I'd rather kiss fifty thousand frogs than kiss you”, do I just say, Oh, OK then. Perhaps we can still be friends?'

  'Amias!' Natalia tutted in frustration. 'You're already chickening out, I can tell. But don't you dare. Or I may end up having to tell her for you. You can't spend another eighteen years of your life keeping your feelings locked away. And besides, you're being ridiculous. Where would she find fifty thousand frogs?'

  Chapter Two

  'How's your headache this morning, Mum?'

  Cat looked up from buttering her toast as she sat facing the kitchen door, and smiled at Kyra. There was a definite spring in both Kyra's step and her voice.

  'My headache? Oh, yes. Um. The walk home helped to clear it and the early night did me a world of good,' Cat lied.

  Kyra seemed to accept that as she took a mug from the cupboard and poured herself some coffee.

  Cat hadn't had a headache at the fireworks last night. She merely used it as an excuse to leave the celebrations. And the truth was, she'd hardly slept a wink. All she kept seeing was Amias gazing into her eyes, his face moving closer to hers as fireworks exploded in the clear night sky around them and people screamed with excitement and cheered with pleasure. She really thought, for just one moment, that he was actually going to kiss her. He'd clearly come to his senses though and hurriedly said how great the dis
play was, then mumbled something about did she want some food? Then he'd rushed away like someone who had just had a narrow escape.

  She had felt so foolish; so despondent; so lost. There was no way she was going to stand there and wait to see if he came back. What if he didn't? She would look even more ridiculous then. She had tried to pull herself together, had searched the crowd for Kyra and having found her had lied about needing to go home due to a headache, when in reality it was heartache she was suffering from.

  'Where's Amias?' Kyra had asked, her eyes scanning the happy throng. 'You haven't had another row, have you?'

  'No. Um. He's gone to get something to eat but my head is splitting and I really need to go and lie down. Please give everyone my apologies. And wish Marcus good luck at Oxford.'

  'Er. Shall I walk home with you? Didn't Amias offer?'

  'No one needs to walk home with me. It's only a short walk and I've got a headache, not a twisted ankle. Have fun. Have you got your key?'

  Kyra smiled. 'Always a mum, even when you're not feeling well. Yes. I've got it. I hope you feel better. Shall I pop in and see if you're awake when I get home?'

  'I'll be fast asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning. Now I really must go. Don't be too late. And make sure Lucas or Marcus walk you home.'

  'Yes, Mum.' Kyra kissed her on the cheek. 'But how come it's fine for you to walk home alone, but it's not for me?'

  'Because I'm older and wiser to the ways of the world.'

  'Really?' Kyra grinned. 'That's what you're going with? But you're forgetting something. I can run faster.'

  Cat grinned. 'Then run home with Marcus and Lucas. Good night, sweetheart.'

  All the way home, Cat kept looking over her shoulder, wondering if Amias would have asked Kyra where she was and then come after her. But why would he do that? He was the one who had run away.