by Heidi Swain
I raised my eyebrows.
‘I challenge you to eat just one slice,’ I taunted her, knowing full well that she was destined to fail. ‘If you eat just one teeny tiny slice, I’ll . . .’
‘You’ll what?’ she giggled.
‘Do anything,’ I foolishly blurted out.
‘Anything?’
‘Yep,’ I said, folding my arms, safe in the knowledge that I didn’t need to worry about whatever she came up with because I wouldn’t have to do it. She couldn’t settle for just one slice if her life depended on it.
‘All right,’ she said, holding out her hand for me to shake. ‘You’re going to regret that.’
‘I very much doubt it,’ I yawned. ‘So, tell me, what exactly is it that I won’t even have to begin worrying about doing because you won’t be able to control yourself when the jam and butter comes out?’
Anna looked at me and then out of the window to where Gabe was fiddling about with something in the courtyard.
‘OK,’ she said, her eyes shining with mischief, ‘if I eat just one slice of this loaf, then you have to kiss gorgeous Gabe under the mistletoe at the greenery gathering.’
‘Don’t be so ridiculous,’ I snapped.
‘What, are you scared?’
‘No,’ I swallowed, ‘of course not.’
‘What then?’
‘It’s just a bit childish, isn’t it?’
‘So?’ she shrugged. ‘If you’re so convinced that you won’t have to do it then what are you scared of?’
‘I just said I’m not scared,’ I reminded her.
‘So, shake on it then.’
‘But why would you want me to kiss him?’ I asked, stalling for time.
‘Because I think you want to kiss him,’ she said, looking straight at me.
‘Don’t be stupid.’
‘And I think he wants to kiss you too.’
‘Of course he doesn’t,’ I hissed, ‘and do I need to remind you—’
‘That you’ve just come out of a disastrous relationship,’ she cut in. ‘No, no reminder necessary. But you told me that you were reprising the old fun-loving Hayley that we all know and love and I thought a bit of mischief like this would be right up her street.’
I didn’t think she was being very fair on Gabe, but then it wasn’t going to happen, and I couldn’t have her thinking she’d got the better of me, or getting wind of the fact that I liked Gabe rather more than I should.
‘Give me your bloody hand,’ I snapped, squeezing her fingers perhaps a little too hard. ‘There. Happy now?’
‘Oh, ever so,’ she said, with a grin while she rubbed the blood back into her fingers.
‘Anyway, you won’t win,’ I reminded her as Dorothy nudged between us and laid the luscious loaf on the table. ‘You won’t be able to resist.’
I watched Anna like a hawk at mealtimes that day and not one crumb more than her allotted single slice passed her lips. Dorothy was desperate to get more down her, but she refused all offers with her eyes laughing and firmly fixed on me.
I refused to acknowledge her restraint and took up the slack. I crammed in far more butter-covered slices than were good for me and sent up a silent prayer to the winter gods that my so-called friend would forget all about our silly bet between now and the annual greenery gathering.
Chapter 18
With so much going on, it wasn’t too difficult, most of the time, anyway, to compartmentalise my confused feelings for Gabe, and I also managed to put my silly bet with Anna to the back of my mind, although I made sure I did nothing to remind her about it. I spent a couple of chilly afternoons out in the grounds sketching the fern garden and summerhouse, my mind’s eye turning them into a snow-encrusted and fairy-lit magical grotto, and next up was the shiny sleigh that Angus kept locked away in a barn for eleven months of the year.
I couldn’t resist running my fingers lightly along the glossy red paintwork and giving the sleigh bells a little shake before I settled down to draw. The tinkling attracted the attention of Gabe and Bran who happened to be passing on their way back to their cottage.
‘Show yourself, elf!’ called Gabe, poking his head around the door.
I popped back up and peeped over the top of where, in a few weeks’ time, Santa, aka Angus, would be sitting, resplendent in his fur-edged red suit and massive black boots.
‘Hey, Hayley,’ said Gabe. ‘Long time no see. Have you been avoiding me?’
It had hardly been a long time, but I had been trying to keep out of his way for the last few days. The conversation we had on the way to town kept popping back into my head at inopportune moments, in spite of my efforts not to think about either it or him.
‘Oh man,’ I said, walking around the sleigh again to make sure I had picked the best angle and opting to brazen Gabe’s observation out. ‘You sussed me.’
‘I thought so.’
‘It’s been what, three days?’
Thankfully, he decided not to make more of an issue out of it. After all, three days really wasn’t all that long, even if we were living and working within spitting distance and could have tripped over each other at every meal time. Had one of us chosen to take her meals at the table with everyone else that is, rather than tucked away in her studio on the pretence of putting in a few extra hours to get her new job underway, instead.
Consequently, Gabe’s next question was pretty astute.
‘How are things working out in the studio?’ he asked. ‘Jamie said you’ve been pretty full-on with the project. I can’t wait to see the results.’
I still hadn’t shown anyone what I had come up with so far, but I would have to soon in case they didn’t like the style I had gone for and I had to start again. I had always been so secretive about my work that it was a hard habit to break, and I had no idea how I would feel seeing the designs launched into the wider world. As long as my name didn’t appear on them, and no one other than the few of us at the hall knew they were mine, then I was hopeful I’d be able to handle it.
‘The studio’s amazing,’ I told Gabe. ‘I couldn’t get anything done to begin with because I just kept wandering about admiring everything.’
‘It is a beautiful space,’ he agreed. ‘Jamie told me you’ve always loved it. He said you used to read your celebrity magazines in there.’
‘I didn’t realise anyone knew about that.’
‘Apparently there are no secrets here.’ He smiled wryly.
He was definitely right about that. I wondered if Jamie had told him anything else about me.
‘I’ve always admired the construction of the place and the intricate work in the stained-glass panels, as well as reading about who was falling out with who on CBB,’ I told him a little defensively.
‘What’s CBB?’
‘Never mind.’
‘That’s what I like about you, Hayley,’ he went on.
‘What?’
‘You’re an enigma.’
‘An enigma,’ I laughed. I wasn’t entirely sure what the word meant, but I was fairly certain he wasn’t slagging me off. ‘Am I?’
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘just when I think I’ve got you sussed – when any of us thinks we’ve got you sussed, actually – you pull another surprise out of the bag.’
‘Well,’ I said, ‘I like to keep folk on their toes. There’s nothing more boring than being predictable.’
‘Well, no one could ever accuse you of that.’
His voice was as thick as treacle and I didn’t dare look up at him for fear of what I would see written across his face. So much for his insistence that he was out to avoid anything that made him happy. I was pretty certain that he knew just as well as I did, even if we weren’t prepared to admit it, that the pair of us getting together would make us both very happy indeed. Perhaps he had decided to put me in the cream cakes category when it came to working on practising what he preached? Maybe he had come to think of flirting with me as a ‘small bite of happiness’?
The memory of Anna’s words ab
out him wanting to kiss me quickly joined forces with him tipsily asking me if he could the night we had shared a packet of sparklers, and the realisation that he might still secretly want to began to play havoc with my insides.
I refused to let myself ponder on the fact that my friend had also said that she thought I wanted to kiss him back. God help the pair of us when it came to gathering the greenery and she skipped up with a bunch of mistletoe.
‘Good,’ I told him bluntly. ‘Mission accomplished then. Now, if you don’t mind, I really do need to get on.’
‘Would you rather we didn’t watch?’
‘I would love it if you didn’t watch. In fact, I’m insisting on it.’
‘Fair enough,’ he shrugged with a smile as he looked at his watch. ‘I suppose I better get on. I’m due in town soon. I’m taking Bran to meet the V-E-T.’
I wasn’t sure if it was necessary to spell it out, but then Gabe had been in possession of his huge hound for such a short amount of time, he probably didn’t know how he’d react either.
‘There isn’t anything wrong with him, is there?’ I asked, my desire to forge ahead forgotten.
‘No,’ Gabe quickly explained. ‘Not as far as I can tell, anyway. I just thought it was about time he was registered somewhere and had a check-up. He wasn’t being very well looked after when I found him. I daresay he’ll probably need worming at least.’
‘And what about you?’ I asked.
‘No,’ said Gabe, with an amused frown. ‘No worms here, as far as I can tell. Well, I haven’t had an urge to scrape my backside across the cottage carpets so far if that’s what you were getting at.’
‘Of course that’s not what I meant,’ I burst out, laughing. ‘What I meant,’ I went on, ‘although I didn’t express it very clearly, was that it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to register yourself with a doctor.’
‘Right,’ he grinned.
‘Just in case you do get the urge to drag . . .’ I began but stopped as I caught sight of Dorothy heading in our direction.
‘You’re heading to town aren’t you, Gabe?’ she asked.
‘Yes,’ I said, biting the inside of my mouth to stop myself laughing, ‘he needs to pick up something to help with the worms.’
‘Worms?’ frowned Dorothy. ‘They can take care of themselves, can’t they?’
Gabe and I both started to laugh and Dorothy looked confused and a little annoyed.
‘Ignore her, Dorothy,’ said Gabe soothingly.
‘I do try,’ she said, looking at me over the top of her glasses, ‘but it’s getting harder and harder these days, especially now she’s practically living in my pocket.’
‘Now, now,’ I said, knowing I couldn’t possibly let her get away with that, ‘sharing the sitting room was your idea. You’ve only got yourself to blame when you find me pottering about in my underwear every morning.’
‘Lucky Dorothy,’ said Gabe, looking me up and down.
His efforts at self-denial were failing dismally, but I was determined to neither blush, nor get further drawn into the flirtatious, back and forth banter I usually favoured. Where Gabe was concerned, I reckoned that would be far too dangerous and would quite likely lead somewhere he might tell me he didn’t want to visit after all. He had talked about me being full of surprises, but given what he had said in the woodshed about being embarrassed by his forthright behaviour the night of sparkler-gate, he could be quite a match for me when the mood took him.
‘That’s enough of that,’ said Dorothy. ‘All I want to know is if you can give me a lift or not, young man?’
‘Yes,’ said Gabe, smiling over the top of her head at me. ‘Sorry, Dorothy. Give me five minutes and it will be my pleasure to escort you into town.’
‘Well, that’s all right then,’ she said, transferring her shopping basket from one arm to the other. ‘I’m off to see the girls in the Cherry Tree Café to ask them if they’d like the catering spot next to the ticket kiosk during the Winter Wonderland weekend.’
I was certain Jemma would be delighted to finally discover what Wynthorpe was planning, if nothing else.
‘That sounds like a good idea,’ Gabe enthusiastically agreed. ‘Although probably not for my waistline.’
He could have been skating on thin ice openly admiring Jemma’s baking prowess, but fortunately Dorothy wasn’t one to take umbrage when it came to her young friend’s baking skills.
‘But won’t it be a bit chilly?’ he asked. ‘Serving tea and cake under a gazebo in the middle of winter. They’ll freeze and who will run the café while they’re here?’
‘Don’t worry about that,’ I told him as I quickly scrolled through the photos on my phone. ‘They’ve got a pretty big team and this little beauty for outside catering.’
‘Oh wow,’ said Gabe as he squinted at the screen, ‘that’s quite something.’
Dorothy leant in to take a look too.
‘It’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ she smiled. ‘Reminds me of the caravans I used to see on the roads when I was growing up.’
The converted vintage van and bespoke awning had proved a popular choice for all sorts of outdoor events in and around Wynbridge and even further afield. It would make an ideal addition to the Winter Wonderland and would be great to include on the map and in the promo material.
With Lizzie’s creative crafting skills, I knew it would be beautifully styled for the occasion and would definitely add a quirky, but sophisticated, wow factor to the courtyard area for when visitors arrived. However, I hoped I could sketch it from the photos on my phone. If Jemma agreed to come onboard I didn’t much fancy having to ask for a private viewing. Turning up with my sketchbook and pens would soon blow my cover.
‘A young lass up the road converted it,’ Dorothy explained to Gabe. ‘She’s got a whole field of these that folk come and take their holidays in. It’s a really thriving little business.’
‘Glamping in the Fens,’ smiled Gabe. ‘Who’d have thought it?’
‘Her name’s Lottie Foster,’ I told him. ‘She goes out with the V-E-T you’re supposed to be seeing this afternoon.’
‘Crikey,’ he said, whistling for Bran. ‘At this rate I really will be late. Come on lad, let’s go and get you MOT’d.’
‘And while you’re about it,’ I called after him, ‘ask Dorothy to give you directions to the doctors. Worms or no worms you should have registered by now.’
Dorothy looked disapprovingly from one of us to the other but thought better than to ask.
The conversation at dinner that evening was abuzz with talk of Winter Wonderland plans and I decided to forgo eating in isolation in favour of joining in with the fun. Dorothy was the first to share her news.
‘I spoke to Jemma,’ she told us as she served up and passed around plates of fragrant korma resting on soft pillows of fluffy rice, ‘and she was very keen to come onboard.’
A look passed between Angus and Jamie and they both breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness for that,’ said Jamie. ‘I thought they might be too busy, what with their Christmas-bakes-and-makes stall on the market.’
‘That had crossed my mind,’ nodded Dorothy, ‘but apparently Ruby and Steve are going to be back in Wynbridge for Christmas and Jemma has a new lad working in the café who’s happy to help out, so she was confident they’ll be able to cover everything.’
The Cherry Tree Café empire had been steadily growing since Ruby, another Wynbridge local, had made such a success of the festive market stall, and what with that and the mobile tea room, I was certain Jemma’s cupcakes were poised to take over the world. Well, a large part of East Anglia, at least.
‘I wonder if they’ll have a theme this year?’ Anna mused.
‘Reindeer would have been wonderful,’ sighed Angus wistfully.
Clearly, he still hadn’t come to terms with missing out on the opportunity to personally welcome Rudolph to Wynthorpe.
‘She could have baked reindeer-shaped cookies w
ith red sweets for the nose,’ he carried morosely on.
‘Have you thought about what you’ll be making yet, Dorothy?’ I asked in an attempt to distract him with the sweet treats his own cook would be conjuring up.
‘Well,’ she said, finally taking her seat at the table, ‘there’ll be the usual, of course, but I rather fancied having a go at making some old-fashioned sweet things this year.’
‘Such as?’ asked Gabe.
‘Sugar mice,’ she said dreamily.
‘Now they’re a real blast from the past,’ piped up Catherine.
‘With real cotton tails,’ Dorothy continued.
‘Health and safety,’ Jamie mumbled, but no one took any notice.
‘Sugar plums,’ Dorothy went on, ‘ginger snaps and perhaps some sort of candy cane. That kind of thing. Things that will really appeal to the kiddies, as well as plenty of pastry swirls, laced with cinnamon for that extra festive flavour.’
‘That all sounds wonderful,’ said Mick.
‘And not just for the younger visitors,’ Angus beamed, suitably mollified by talk of excessive sugar.
‘But for the child in all of us,’ agreed his wife, sounding every bit as delighted as her husband.
‘So, that’s the eats all sorted,’ I said, thinking how I could incorporate some of what Dorothy was suggesting on the adverts and flyers. Perhaps candy cane bunting would work around the edges.
‘Yep,’ said Jamie, consulting the notepad he seemed to have permanently glued to his hand these days. ‘We’re really getting there, now.’
‘And I have a proposal,’ said Gabe, sounding unusually apprehensive. ‘If you’re still looking for an attraction with a wildlife sort of twist.’
We all turned to look at him and I was surprised to see him looking, well, choked would be the best way to describe it. I wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed, so I might have been wrong. After all, talk of childish sweet treats wouldn’t usually stir up so much emotion, unless you were Angus of course, but to my eyes, Gabe looked just a little too bright-eyed.
‘Always,’ said Angus, rubbing his hands together and everyone else nodded in agreement.
I joined in when no one else asked if he was all right. Clearly I was reading too much into it. Perhaps he had just choked on a grain of rice or something.
