Glasses clinked mid-air, well wishes were exchanged, and between the merriment Darcy met Myles’s gaze across the table. Whatever had gone on before, they’d somehow worked as a team today. A look of understanding passed between them, and Darcy wondered whether she was the only one who didn’t think he deserved a second chance.
*
Christmas lunch went without a hitch. There was a charged atmosphere filled with chatter, laughter and most of all new friendships the guests at the Inn had secured. The O’Sullivan boys told jokes from the books Santa had given them, Holly had everyone gasping in shock when she told them about her brother who tried to be Santa one year and went as far as climbing onto the roof and was about to attempt the chimney when their dad put a stop to it. ‘I thought he was going to dive head first,’ she said. ‘I was terrified!’
Darcy sat next to Martha for the dinner and managed to switch off from being the boss, the hostess, and enjoy the occasion for what it was: a gathering with new friends, full of good food and cheer. She wasn’t sure she’d ever work in a big hotel again after this and wondered whether this job would be the trigger for a lot of changes in her life.
Nobody backed off when it came to clearing the table. In fact, guests were clamouring to be helpful taking plates away, glasses to the kitchen, picking up debris from the floor.
Myles and Darcy left the dessert preparation for now. Every guest was too full to eat more food and some went out to see the snow in Manhattan, others went for a walk in Central Park, and the Cunninghams settled in the lounge to enjoy the tree and fireplace.
Back in her apartment with the laptop, Darcy snatched her chance to FaceTime Sofia and Gabriella. Their Christmas looked as spectacular as the one Darcy was experiencing, with a white scene playing out beyond the warmth of the house. Kyle spent most of the conversation tugging at his grandma’s arm to try to persuade her to take him out in the snow.
‘Darcy, you’ve done really well. I’m proud of you,’ Sofia’s voice beamed all the way from Switzerland.
Darcy hadn’t told her about Holly yet. She’d save that for when Sofia returned, once the piece was finalised. Holly, albeit under the influence of champagne, had agreed to read the article to Darcy over the telephone before it went to publication. She did it for a select few, she’d told her, but not many, and Darcy had thanked her profusely, although she doubted she needed to worry any more after today’s celebrations. Holly seemed to be embracing the day entirely and already seemed a more laid-back version of the woman Darcy had first met.
‘I need to make some changes, don’t I?’ Sofia was still smiling, but clearly the time away from the Inn had made her see it in a new light.
‘Not too many, but we’ll talk about some ideas when you’re home.’
‘We will. And I’ve been thinking about making this a bit more permanent.’
‘Living in Switzerland?’
‘No, no.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m talking about you working at the Inn. I’ve enjoyed this time with Gabriella and it’s made me realise how many hours I put into my job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I’ve done it, but I need to make sure I prioritise other areas of my life. Maybe we could talk about you having a part share in the Inn. I have no idea how we could work it out, perhaps we need to see a financial advisor.’ Sofia threw her hands up in the air the way she did when she had no idea what was going on. ‘But whatever happens, what do you think? Could you see your involvement in the Inglenook Inn becoming more long-term?’
Darcy grinned at how excited Sofia was. ‘I would absolutely love that.’
‘Then it’s settled. We’ll talk. But for now, I must go. I have snow angels to make. And Darcy…Merry Christmas.’
‘Merry Christmas, Sofia.’
Darcy checked her hair, added some lip gloss, smoothed down her skirt and popped her heels back on. She’d kicked them off whilst she lay on the bed chatting with friends across the miles.
Downstairs the Cunninghams were laughing around a laptop resting on Martha’s knees and Darcy gave them space. But it didn’t seem that Martha wanted any and she called Darcy over. ‘Come and say hello.’
Darcy saw they were Skyping someone and she waved to a man, a woman and a couple of kids. She realised it could only be Myles’s brother and his family. ‘Merry Christmas,’ she said to them.
‘Merry Christmas!’ they all chimed back. The woman moved closer to the camera. ‘So you’re the infamous Darcy.’ She earned herself a nudge from the man, who must be Winston, and she lost her balance and ended up falling onto the kids’ laps, which they found hilarious.
‘Sorry about her,’ said Winston, ‘but it’s lovely to meet you.’
‘Thank you. It’s nice to see you all.’ She was aware of her proximity to Myles and wondered if it was making him as nervous as it was making her.
‘I hope my family are behaving themselves,’ Winston continued. ‘They have a tendency to make Christmas an interesting affair.’
Martha giggled and Myles seemed pleased that the teasing was taken in good spirits.
‘They’ve been on their best behaviour,’ Darcy confirmed.
‘They’re loving the Inglenook Inn. Careful, or we may all come over next year. How about it, kids? Christmas in New York?’
Wide eyes and yelps of ‘Yay! Oh please, can we?’ rang out and Darcy laughed, leaving the Cunninghams to it.
The O’Sullivans came through the door brushing off snow, chattering about the snowman they’d made a few blocks away with some local kids; Vanessa and Zach came in from a walk and said they needed at least another hour before dessert because they were so full.
Darcy swept the hallway with the broom. She longed to step outside and walk a few blocks, take a deep breathful of the season and enjoy the feeling of snow on her cheeks, look up at the sky while flakes cascaded down at her and twirled round. She settled for hovering at the top of the stoop, with the front door open to the world. She wished a merry Christmas to Mrs Armstrong from number twenty as she came home from wherever she’d been to, she waved at a stranger on the other side of the street, because it was Christmas after all.
When she felt someone behind her, she knew it would be Myles.
‘We did it.’ He was standing so close she could feel the heat from his body against the cold of the outside, and she wasn’t shivering at all.
‘I’m sorry, Myles. I’ve not been very pleasant to be around.’ She looked down at the top step, clear of snow where it was protected by the arched doorway above. The rest of the steps were white with a collection of footprints slowly being covered by fresh snowfall.
‘No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I got you into trouble in London. I’m sorry I sent a horrible email because I was so ungrateful when you were only trying to help.’
‘I was interfering and it was wrong.’ They both gazed out across the street. It was easier to talk this way.
‘You were, but your intentions were right. I overreacted. I’m so used to being the one in charge, nobody putting a foot wrong around me.’ He leaned closer. ‘Except my family, but that’s another story.’
Darcy smiled. ‘You all seem really happy now.’
‘Mum needed my forgiveness, but she couldn’t ask for it.’ He swallowed hard. ‘And I couldn’t give it until I understood what had really gone on. And that has taken more years than I care to admit.’
She turned to him. ‘So you’re converted? You love Christmas again?’
‘I wouldn’t go that far.’ He grinned. ‘But it’s growing on me. Mum gave me a gift.’
She’d noticed him holding a small present wrapped in gold paper with an ice-white bow. ‘What is it? Haven’t you opened it?’
‘I did open it. But I re-wrapped it myself.’ At her confusion he said, handing her the gift, ‘I’m giving it to you.’
‘What is it? Another caramel macchiato?’
Smiling, he said, ‘Like I said, I know things about you.’
‘I still can’t work out how you knew that litt
le bit of information. Were you inspecting my takeaway cups after I’d thrown them in the trash?’
‘Not quite. It was your friend Isabella.’
‘Isabella told you it was my favourite coffee? When?’
‘She slipped a note under my door suggesting it may be a way back into your heart.’
‘The sneaky thing.’ Darcy shouldn’t be surprised. Her friend had suffered the frustration of Darcy’s insecurities when it came to relationships for a long time now. She probably saw it as a last resort. ‘So what is it then?’ She looked at the gift once again.
‘You don’t understand the present ritual if you’re asking me that. Open it, Darcy.’
She took a deep breath as the wind picked up and blew the waves of her hair across her face. Myles reached out a hand and moved the strands out of the way as she pulled back the paper.
‘It’s…cute,’ she said, looking at a little snowman on skis.
His laughter filled the muffled sounds of the street. ‘It was mine when I was a little boy. I thought it had been thrown out, but Mum kept it all these years. It means a lot to me and I’ll tell you the whole story another time, but I wanted you to have it.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it isn’t an expensive pair of earrings, Darcy. This is something you could probably pick up for a few dollars at a bargain store. But it means something to me. It has enormous sentimental value, and…well, I guess I’m trying to show you that I’m not trying to extinguish your independence. What we did in there…’ He tilted his head back towards the inside of the Inn. ‘…that is what I want. It’s been a long time since I let anyone into my life. I think we’re more similar than you realise. I want someone who will be my partner, who I can support and who supports me. I guess what I’m trying to show you is that you can still be you, Darcy, but it doesn’t mean to say you can’t let anyone else be a part of the bigger picture.’ He looked down at the ground beneath their feet. ‘I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I?’
Holly picked up the tail-end of the conversation as she arrived back at the Inn and trudged up the steps, her boots collecting snow. ‘You could be doing a better job, Myles,’ she said.
Darcy grinned. They were all very much on a first-name basis after last night’s festivities and today’s lunch.
‘Here,’ said Holly, reaching into a plastic bag. ‘I think I can help you both. I bought this because I thought it might be fun,’ she said with a mischievous smile. She took out something Darcy instantly recognised, stretched up above the doorway but couldn’t find anything to push the mistletoe into.
Without taking his eyes from Darcy, Myles reached out a hand and Holly, understanding, placed the mistletoe onto his palm. Standing even closer to Darcy, he lifted it above both their heads as the breeze swirled snowflakes their way, landing on the shoulders of his sweater and fluttering onto her miniskirt.
Darcy was vaguely aware of the other guests crowded in the hall of the Inglenook Inn, as keen as they both were to see how this worked out.
‘What do you say, Darcy Spencer? Do you want to be part of a team?’
She smiled. ‘Well now, that really does depend.’
He closed the gap between them some more, the warmth of his body now against hers, his lips inches from her own. ‘Oh yeah? On what?’
‘On whether I’m the boss or you are.’
His hand reached up through her hair and clasped the back of her neck as he gently pulled her closer still. ‘Oh I think we all know who’s the boss.’
And with that he kissed her deeply. And Darcy knew she’d been right all along. This was going to be the most perfect Christmas ever.
THE END
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank my friend, Pam, for an unforgettable trip to New York this year. Neither of us realised we were going on a walking holiday but we covered so much ground in Manhattan clocking up a total of almost eighty miles in six days! Thank you, Pam, for letting me take a ridiculous amount of photos along the way and for selling me as an author when it looked as though I wouldn’t be able to see the Grand Ballroom at The Plaza. One day I might hire you as my permanent PR person!
Thank you Katharine Walkden for the brilliant editing job, yet again. You are so thorough and I feel as though I’m learning a lot along the way, which can only be a good thing! I’d also like to say thank you to my proofreader, Edward, for catching punctuation mistakes and helping me polish the manuscript to the final version I can share with everyone.
Thank you, Berni Stevens, for a beautiful cover design that fits perfectly for book two in the series. It’s exactly what I wanted, and I love it.
As always, thank you to my husband and children for their unwavering support even when I get stressed when deadline time is looming. I love you all to bits and hope I continue to make you proud.
And lastly, a huge thank you to all of my readers who support me along the way. I love hearing from you via Facebook, Twitter, my website or when you review on Amazon, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn.
Helen J Rolfe
About the author
Before she started writing books, Helen J. Rolfe worked in I.T. until she came to her senses and studied journalism and writing. She wrote articles for Women’s Health & Fitness magazines as well as newsletter content and media releases for a not-for-profit organisation. In 2011 the fiction bug bit and Helen has been writing fiction ever since.
Helen J. Rolfe writes uplifting, contemporary fiction with characters to relate to and fall in love with. Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn is her tenth novel.
Find out more at www.helenjrolfe.com, and follow her on Twitter @HJRolfe.
Christmas at the Little Knitting Box
(New York Ever After, Book 1)
Christmas is coming and New York is in full swing for the snowy season. But at The Little Knitting Box in the West Village, things are about to change …
The Little Knitting Box has been in Cleo’s family for nearly four decades, and since she arrived fresh off the plane from the Cotswolds four years ago, Cleo has been doing a stellar job of running the store. But instead of an early Christmas card in the mail this year, she gets a letter that tips her world on its axis.
Dylan has had a tumultuous few years. His marriage broke down, his mother passed away and he’s been trying to pick up the pieces as a stay-at-home dad. All he wants this Christmas is to give his kids the home and stability they need. But when he meets Cleo at a party one night, he begins to see it’s not always so easy to move on and pick up the pieces, especially when his ex seems determined to win him back.
When the snow starts to fall in New York City, both Cleo and Dylan realise life is rarely so black and white and both of them have choices to make. Will Dylan follow his heart or his head? And will Cleo ever allow herself to be a part of another family when her own fell apart at the seams?
Full of snow, love and the true meaning of Christmas, this novel will have you hooked until the final page.
In a Manhattan Minute
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… but when the temperature dips, can Manhattan work its magic?
Jack exists in a world that has seen its fair share of tragedy, but also success and the wealth that comes with it. One snowy night, he crosses paths with Evie, a homeless girl, and it changes everything.
Three years on, Evie’s life is very different. She’s the assistant to a prestigious wedding gown designer, she’s settled in Manhattan, has her own apartment and friendships she holds dear. But the past is lurking in the background, threatening to spoil everything, and it’s catching up with her.
Kent has kept a family secret for two decades, a secret he never wanted to share with his son, Jack. And even though she doesn’t realise it yet, his life is inextricably tangled with Nicole’s, the woman who was his housekeeper for thirteen years and the woman who helped Evie turn her life around.
It’s Christmas
and a time for forgiveness, love and Happy Ever Afters. And when the snow starts to fall, the truth could finally bring everyone the gift of happiness they’re looking for.
Snowflakes and Mistletoe at the Inglenook Inn Page 28
