The Christmas Spirit

by Susan Buchanan

  Dear Miss Cowan

  Further to your recent interview and after careful consideration of an extensive candidate list...Rebecca’s heart sank. She hadn’t got it. There had been too many other well-qualified candidates. Steeling herself, she read on, ‘we are delighted to offer you the position as Assistant Manager of The Melbourne Gallery. Please call Mr Melbourne directly to arrange a start date. Your contract is enclosed. Please read your terms and conditions carefully, sign and date both copies and return one copy to us in the envelope provided.

  Yours faithfully

  Janine Burns (PA to Dominic Melbourne)

  She’d got it! She’d got it! She couldn’t believe it. Dancing around the living room, waving the letter in the air, Rebecca almost hurdled the coffee table. She jumped up and down on the sofa, then bounced off and immediately called Hannah.

  A gurgling noise came over the phone. ‘Hannah? Are you gargling with mouthwash or something?’

  ‘No, I’m in Glasgow, just heading into the underground. How you doing?’

  ‘Fan-bloody-tastic! I got the job! I got the bloody job!’

  ‘Becks, that’s fantastic! Well done. I knew you could do it.’

  ‘I can’t believe it.’ Rebecca still had difficulty taking it in.

  ‘Well, you deserve it. Congratulations. Listen, I can’t hear you that well. I’ll call you later, so we can go celebrate.’

  ‘No worries.’ Rebecca hung up and stared again at the letter. Here was real cause for celebration. She had two calls to make. One to Dominic and the second to Ethan. She wanted to keep the flat now. With the extra salary, she could afford it.

  You couldn’t move in Sugar and Spice for exhausted shoppers laden down with overflowing shopping bags. Jacob and Natalie were rushed off their feet, but they were in fine festive spirit, and so it seemed were the tired shoppers. Only five more days until Christmas. Jacob was going to have to buy Tabitha’s present on Sunday, as it was his only day off. He decided he ought to buy a gift for Natalie, too, but what? And it wasn’t as if he was flush with cash, and what if she felt awkward if she hadn’t bought him something? But they were such a team, the two of them, so he wanted to buy her a little something.

  Natalie was overjoyed; everything was coming together. Rebecca had popped in earlier and sworn her to secrecy as she picked up a coffee and a piece of cake to go. She’d got the job and said Sugar and Spice had been instrumental in her applying in the first place. Rebecca couldn’t thank Natalie enough. Her face radiating with happiness, it was clear that this step up was exactly what she had needed.

  Stanley, too, had been in earlier to buy some Irish soda bread and some slices of the day’s Christmas cake - bolo polana - a cake made from potatoes and cashew nuts, native to Mozambique, and which tasted much better than it sounded, Natalie assured him.

  When prompted by Natalie, he’d talked at length about how great the old folks’ Christmas party had been. Everyone had deemed it the best Christmas party they’d ever had. They’d all been a little bit tiddled later on, but no-one had been arrested, he’d joked. Stanley had gone on to tell them that his grandson had come over from Canada for Christmas and that wasn’t all, he was getting married here on Christmas Eve. It warmed Natalie’s heart to see how the old man’s face glowed and how the good news had shaved ten years off his age. He’d promised to tell the soon-to-be newly-weds about Sugar and Spice and hoped they would come by and try out some more of the speciality cakes.

  The Christmas tree was still going strong and the items which adorned it continued to draw comments of approval and questions as to their origin from the bakery’s patrons. Two gifts had materialised underneath it. Jacob noticed them but said nothing. On Sunday he’d buy his own.

  ‘Ethan, I can’t believe you,’ Rebecca almost screamed down the phone. ‘It’s only been a few days. You know how much I love that flat. I had to convince you it was the right one for us. You weren’t even that bothered. Can’t you just speak to the lawyer and put it on hold until I can speak to mine?’ Rebecca cajoled.

  ‘It’s too late, and anyway, I can’t just chop and change to suit you. I’m glad you got your promotion. Really, I’m pleased for you, but just let the flat go.’

  Rebecca, deflated, hung up. Thanks, Ethan, you know just how to burst my bubble, as always.

  A day that should have been full only of celebration had now been tinged by disappointment. She knew Ethan; once his mind was made up, there was no changing it.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  21st December

  ‘So, I thought perhaps we could have a little party here on Monday.’ Natalie ran her idea past Jacob. ‘What do you think?’

  Tabitha, who had become almost a permanent fixture and who subsisted solely on pieces of cake and multiple decaf lattes, interrupted her before Jacob had a chance to answer.

  ‘Did I hear you say party? That’s a great idea. I can’t go to any proper parties this year. No point. I can’t drink. But a party here would be perfect.’

  She turned to Jacob, to see if he would agree.

  Jacob supposed it couldn’t do any harm. Tabitha was as excited as a little girl. He began to see what the following year would be like when they would have a baby present at Christmas, although he supposed the baby would be too young to take it all in - the year after, perhaps.

  ‘So what did you have in mind?’ asked Jacob, wondering how much more Christmassy they could make the bakery, which was already festooned with holly, mistletoe, and Christmas decorations from every possible space, not to forget the sumptuous Christmas tree.

  ‘Well, I thought we could make some special Christmas treats in miniature - similar to those we made for Meredith - a selection of those we made throughout the month. Those and some sandwiches, sausage rolls, vol au vents, and some hot and cold drinks ought to cover it.’

  ‘But won’t that cost a lot of money for all the ingredients?’ Jacob frowned.

  ‘Tsk! No. I’ll take care of that. I think we give the customers a free afternoon where they can come and try the bakery’s wares. That way we might get even more new customers after Christmas.’

  At this Jacob looked doubtful, but shrugged, ‘You’re the boss.’

  ‘Right, that’s settled then,’ Natalie winked at Tabitha. ‘Tabitha, perhaps you can help me come up with some ideas for drinks?’

  ‘Love to,’ and Tabitha took the piece of paper and the pen Natalie proffered her.

  A party. Yes, a party was exactly what was needed, Natalie thought.

  Sugar and Spice invites you all to its FREE Christmas party - 1pm-5pm Monday 23rd December

  Christmas cakes from around the world, prizes, music, and plenty of festive cheer

  We’d love to see you there.

  Sophie read the sign on the door as she pushed it open to go in and have her daily caffeine fix; oh OK then, she admitted it, her daily sugar fix, too.

  What a great idea. I wonder...

  When things had quieted down later that afternoon, Natalie called Mrs Williams to see how her progress was going and also to tell her about the party. She didn’t want her hearing about it from another source. She needn’t have worried. Mrs Williams thought it was a wonderful idea and congratulated Natalie on her quick thinking.

  ‘Why didn’t I think of that myself?’ she said.

  Natalie then broached the other matter she’d called about. Mrs Williams trusted Natalie’s judgement, as she had heard such good things from her regulars who had called to check on her well-being or popped in, bringing her homemade cooking, since she was still largely indisposed.

  She had no hesitation in agreeing to Natalie’s proposal.

  ‘Sophie, come in,’ Amelia ushered her in the front door. ‘What are you doing here at the weekend?’

  ‘Meredith asked me to come by as she has something she wants to discuss with me.’

  ‘She didn’t mention anything about you stopping by. Let me take your coat. It’s boiling in this house.’ She held out her hand
, as Sophie removed her scarf, coat, and gloves.

  ‘It’s certainly not boiling out there,’ Sophie remarked with a grin, ‘But yes, what a difference as soon as you come in here.’

  Sophie was still in awe of Amelia’s house. It was like something out of an interior design magazine. Everything was so beautiful. She was admiring the cornicing on the ceiling in the atrium, when she was almost bowled over by a gorgeous golden retriever.

  ‘Oh what a beautiful dog. Come here, boy.’ Sophie scratched Sheba under the chin.

  ‘Girl,’ said Jasper, coming up behind Sheba.

  ‘Ah, sorry, girl. She is, though, gorgeous, I mean; her coat is so healthy-looking.’

  ‘You a dog person?’ Jasper asked, curling Sheba’s leash around his fingers.

  ‘Well my grandparents always had dogs, although I’ve never had one myself. I’d love to, but it’s just not feasible with the hours I work,’ Sophie explained, stroking Sheba’s silky coat.

  ‘Ah, there you are,’ Meredith said warmly. ‘I thought I heard your voice. Amelia, is there somewhere private, apart from my room, where Sophie and I can talk?’

  ‘Sure, use the downstairs study,’ Amelia suggested.

  ‘Thanks. So, how are things?’ Meredith asked Sophie as they headed towards the study. Sophie noticed Meredith was scrutinising her intently and tried not to gulp. She’d always tried to avoid direct eye contact with her in the past, when it was clear something was on Meredith’s mind. She rarely came off better for it. Sophie began to rhyme off a list of things Meredith might want to know about the goings-on in the company, but Meredith stopped her by raising her hand. ‘No, Sophie,’ she smiled, ‘how are you? How are you coping? You’ve had a lot to deal with unexpectedly.’

  Bewildered, Sophie mumbled that she was fine, just a bit busy. ‘So,’ Sophie asked, trying to steer the conversation away from herself. ‘Did you get your presents wrapped?’

  ‘Yes, I did, thanks.’

  Still that warm smile. It was quite unnerving when you weren’t used to it.

  ‘Did you forget anything?’ Sophie asked, wondering if that was why she was here.

  ‘No, I don’t think so. Why don’t you sit down, I have something I need to talk to you about.’

  Truly worried now, Sophie perched on the end of the chair opposite the walnut desk, behind which Meredith now sat, swinging on the leather swivel chair.

  ‘The thing is, Sophie, I’ve had a chance to think about things, really think about things whilst I’ve been ill...’

  Oh God, she’s going to sack me, thought Sophie.

  ‘And I’m going to be cutting back the hours I’m working, taking the occasional holiday...’

  What? Had she heard right? Sophie’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Maybe Meredith had suffered more of a bump on the head when she’d fallen than first thought.

  ‘And although I’ll be delegating some of my workload to some of the department heads, I was thinking about creating a new position - someone to act as liaison between the department heads and myself.’

  Right, Sophie was thinking, and?

  ‘I’d like that person to be you. It would include some of the extra stuff you do for me currently, but you would no longer be a PA. In fact one of your first tasks would be to find me another PA. There would be more responsibility and recognition and a considerable increase in pay.’

  At the ‘considerable increase in pay’, Sophie’s ears pricked up. Had she heard right? Was Meredith offering her a promotion?

  ‘I hope you’ll see this as the step up you deserve and that you’ll accept.’ Meredith fixed her once again with that disconcerting stare.

  ‘I-I-I don’t know what to say,’ Sophie stammered, because honestly she was lost for words. It hadn’t occurred to her that Meredith might ever promote her. She had barely tolerated her until last week, hadn’t shown her much if any respect until then. Maybe she’d had a near death experience with this bout of pneumonia, that must be it. No doubt Sophie would find herself back as PA in a few weeks’ time, but for the moment she’d just humour her.

  ‘That sounds great,’ she finally got out.

  ‘Excellent. Here’s a list of the items I need you to address ASAP with regard to informing other departments about your new appointment, and I’ll leave it to you to choose the correct channels for organising your replacement. Here are the terms of your contract. If you could type that up for me in the company’s usual contract-speak and pass it to Legal for authorisation, we’ll be good to go.’

  Sophie was flabbergasted. It was actually happening. Meredith was finally trusting her with something of her own.

  ‘I-I-I don’t know what to say,’ she stuttered again.

  Meredith said, ‘Then say yes.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good, now that’s sorted, there’s just one more thing.’ Meredith withdrew an envelope from her bag.

  ‘Oh?’

  ’Your Christmas bonus.’

  ‘But we don’t give Christmas bonuses.’

  ‘We do this year, but I’d be grateful if you’d keep the contents of the envelope confidential.’

  ‘Of course. Thank you.’

  ‘No, thank you.’

  Sophie stood there as if Medusa had turned her to stone.

  ‘Well, aren’t you going to open it?’

  ‘What? Oh yes, sorry.’ Sophie opened the envelope and withdrew a cheque for five thousand pounds.

  That really did render her speechless. She’d reckoned maybe a hundred or even two hundred quid, but five grand? Bloody hell. By the time Meredith uttered the next sentence Sophie had pretty much spent it.

  Meredith had seen behind the rosy glow of Sophie’s cheeks, due to the cold outside, how pinched her assistant’s face really was, the dark circles under her eyes and she knew that Sophie must be running herself ragged in her absence, trying to keep everything ticking over. She was glad she had finally rewarded her and chided herself for not having done so beforehand.

  ‘Jacob, I wanted to talk to you about something,’ said Natalie, as she took off her rubber gloves and massaged moisturising cream into her hands, once all the customers had gone.

  ‘OK.’

  ‘I need to head home unexpectedly; family issues.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Jacob was wondering how he would manage on his own until she got back.

  As if reading his mind, Natalie said, ‘I won’t be coming back. I was only ever meant to be here on a short placement. Mrs Williams was meant to be returning to work full-time, but I spoke to her yesterday and she’s still not well enough. ‘

  ‘That’s not so good.’

  ‘No, it’s not. The thing is, even when she is better, she doesn’t want to work full-time, so she’s decided to appoint a manager.’

  ‘Oh.’ Jacob hoped he would get on as well with the new boss as he did with Natalie. ‘So when’s the new boss starting, then?’

  ‘He already has,’ Natalie smiled expectantly at him.

  After a moment’s pause, Jacob said, ‘Me?’ his surprise evident. ‘But I’ve only been here two minutes.’

  ‘Well, more like three weeks, but who’s counting?’ said Natalie. ‘The important thing is you know what to do, the customers like you, and you’re enthusiastic.’

  ‘But I can’t bake!’

  ‘Not a problem. Nuala’s broken leg is a lot better. She’ll be back in on the twenty-seventh to help you and to bake the cakes, but you’ll be responsible for everything else, including her.’

  With the realisation that this wasn’t a wind-up, Jacob’s face broke into a huge grin, showing off cute dimples which Natalie had only noticed before when he spoke to Rebecca.

  ‘Mrs Williams won’t regret giving me the chance, I promise you, and thanks. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be working here at all.’ Jacob gave Natalie’s arm a friendly squeeze.

  ‘Nonsense. You did it all by yourself. It was you who plucked up the courage to ask for the job in the first place. All I did was act as in
termediary. Anyway, there are things we have to discuss before I work my last day on Christmas Eve, so we had better make a start on your training tomorrow.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ Jacob grinned, ‘I can’t wait to tell Tabs.’

  ‘Do I look all right?’ Rebecca appraised herself in front of the mirror in the Ladies’, where about a dozen girls were vying for space to reapply mascara, lipstick and eyeliner.

  ‘Fantastic. Now let’s get out there on the pull.’ Hannah dragged her friend, laughing, by the hand, back out into the throng at Stefan’s thirtieth birthday party. Hannah had been Stefan’s neighbour when they were teenagers and they had hung out together. Since her invitation had said Hannah plus one, and she had no current boyfriend, she’d decided Rebecca could do with a night out, especially after that git Ethan had been immutable about not letting her buy out his share of the flat, now that it was already in the hands of the lawyers. Rebecca needed perking up.

  Stefan’s party was bound to be full of young, eligible men. Hannah knew Rebecca wasn’t interested in a relationship, since she was still trying to disengage herself from the mess of the previous one, but a snog with a random stranger at Christmas could only lift your spirits and Rebecca was an extremely pretty girl, even if she didn’t know it. She was bound to attract some male attention.

  They weaved their way back to the bar. Standing with his back to Rebecca was Ethan. She’d know the set of those shoulders anywhere, plus he was wearing the purple and white shirt she’d bought him for his birthday. Just as well she could tell him from the back, as his face was almost completely covered by the blonde locks of a lycra-clad woman who definitely wasn’t just a platonic friend.