‘You mustn’t believe everything Xander says.’
‘So I’m also not to believe that you head-butted a kid much bigger than you who was bullying Giselle at school.’
I cleared my throat. ‘I’d like to point out that we were seven and that I don’t condone violence. But we’d already tried reasoning with him. And have you ever seen Giselle cry? Even back then she was so feminine and delicate. It’s heartbreaking! I did what I had to.’
‘Fair enough. I also heard that the kid you nutted grew up to be the local policeman?’
I laughed. ‘Oh, you do know all the gossip, don’t you? Yes, he did. And he grew into a lovely man with a lovely family who totally agrees now that he was being a little … pain.’ I checked myself in time and received a grin in return that did nothing to help cool me in the slightest. ‘He says now that I was quite right to do what I did.’
‘So you don’t get speeding tickets even when you’re parked then, or anything like that?’
‘No. Thankfully!’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’
‘Right. I’d better get this little tyke home.’ Cal bent and lifted the boxes and then as he approached George started bending his knees.
‘You’re going to drop the lot in a minute,’ I said, coming up behind him. ‘Here, I’ve got plenty of practice ferrying sleeping nephews and nieces to cars. I’ll bring him for you.’
‘No.’ His reply was so sharp that I actually took a step back. Cal turned a little more. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it come out like that.’
I pasted on a smile, or at least half a one, and shrugged. ‘No problem. I was just trying to help.’
‘Yeah. I know.’ He ran a hand through the dark hair. ‘I know you were.’
‘Let me take the boxes then.’ I bent my knees to where he’d now put the purchases on the floor.
‘No, they’re pretty heavy.’
I blew out a sigh and stood, raising my eyes to him. ‘OK. Look. One, I’m stronger than I look and two, one way or the other you’re going to have to either leave George here whilst you take the boxes or leave him in the car whilst you come back and get them, and I don’t think you want to do either.’
His lack of reply was enough.
‘OK. So, you bring your son and I’ll bring these.’ I bent and scooped up the boxes, jiggled them into a better position, and peered around the side of the pile to see where I was going.
‘Are you sure you’re all right with those?’ Cal asked as George flopped softly against his shoulder.
‘Yes. So long as you’re not parked miles away, I’m fine.’
‘No, just down the road. Do you need to lock up or anything?’
‘No, it’s fine. Let’s just get going, shall we?’ The boxes were biting into my arms and I wasn’t about to show myself up by having to put them down again after I’d made such a song and dance.
Cal got the door and then led the way to a relatively new Land Rover Defender. He opened the boot and between us, him still with a sleeping child in one arm, we loaded the boxes into the storage area and wedged them in with a blanket and a coat so that they didn’t tip. He closed the door and went around the side, deftly popping his son in and securing him into his seat.
‘OK. Well, it was nice to meet you. Enjoy your purchases.’ I smiled and made to head off back to the shop.
‘Lexi?’ Cal called.
I turned and waited as he took the couple of steps towards me. There was a faint scent of aftershave now that he was close. Woody, masculine. Very him.
‘Look, I’m sorry if I snapped a bit at your offer earlier.’
‘It’s fine. I didn’t mean to cross any lines. I apologise if I did.’
‘No.’ He threw a glance back at the car, as if to check it was still there even though we were only two feet from it. ‘It’s me. I’m still pretty new to all this.’
‘All this?’ I queried.
‘People being kind, offering to help. Hell, even talking to one another for the most part.’
‘Right.’
‘I’ve hurt your feelings, which I would have felt a shit about anyway but after your kindness today, I feel a double shit about it.’
‘Honestly. Don’t give it another thought. I’m not.’
‘I think that’s a big fib.’
I tilted my chin up in defiance. ‘It’s not, I assure you.’ I think I was quite convincing until the big swallow I did gave me away.
A glimmer of a smile fleeted across his lips. ‘That’s what I thought. Look, I … it’s hard to explain. I just didn’t want George suddenly waking and find himself being carried along by someone he didn’t know then getting upset.’
‘It’s all right, Cal, really. You don’t have to justify anything to me.’
‘I think I do.’ He was watching me and once again the world around me seemed to melt into nothing. I’d never met anyone who could make me feel like I was the only one in the room before – even outside. And the thing was, I was pretty sure he had no idea he was doing it.
I took a deep breath, and looked away, feeling it to be the safer option. ‘OK. Let’s just agree that I didn’t mean to cross a line and you didn’t mean to bite my head off and move on shall we?’
The glimmer became more of a smile. ‘I think I’d like that.’
I smiled back. ‘Me too.’
‘Now get back inside before you freeze to death and I have something else to apologise for.’
I laughed, waved, and half ran along the narrow pavement before diving back into the warmth of the shop. As I did, Matt popped his head out from the back stock room.
‘There you are. Thought you’d abandoned ship.’
‘No, not yet. Just helping a customer to the car with his purchases.’
‘Good sale?’
‘Yep. Very good actually. I threw in a wreath for free because his little boy liked them.’
Matt put a mug of tea down on the desk in front of me and I wrapped my hands around it.
‘Ooh thanks, just what I need.’ I took a sip and then realised he was watching me. ‘What?’
‘You. You just make me laugh.’
I took another sip. ‘Do I dare to ask why?’
‘Well, you have this tough, tomboy outer layer –’
‘I do wear dresses sometimes, thank you.’
‘You know what I mean. You give off this tough-girl attitude, your job is predominantly male –’
‘My former job.’
‘Stop interrupting for two minutes, will you?’
‘Sorry.’ I made a zipping motion across my lips.
‘It just makes me laugh that you make people think things don’t bother you, that you’re tough as old leather – and we both know that’s not true. I just wonder why you always feel you have to do that. I can understand the work thing – why you don’t want to be all girly there. But you’re not as tough as you make out so why let people think that you are?’
‘Because it’s suited me. I’m not pretending to be anything I’m not anyway. I’m just not all feminine and girly like Giselle. She cries and looks beautiful. I cry and look like a red-faced, swollen-eyed, blotchy mess. It doesn’t quite have the same effect.’
‘I’m not saying you have to cry all the time. God forbid. I’m just saying you’re not as tough as you think you are … and that’s OK.’
‘Is there a point to this conversation?’ I asked, staring into my tea.
‘The family just wants you to be happy.’
I turned on the chair and folded my legs up into a crossed position. ‘The family? You know we’re not The Mob, right? And by happy, do you mean married?’
‘Well, not immediately. And not at all if that’s not what you want.’
‘I did want – once. Remember how well that worked out?’
‘So that means you keep yourself at a distance from everyone for ever?’
‘It’s a lot less hassle.’
‘And a lot more lonely.’
‘With a lot les
s heartbreak.’
‘And a lot less chance at joy.’
I glared at him because I’d run out of argument.
‘Look. I’m not necessarily ruling it out but there was hardly a lot of opportunity before. Liaisons were frowned upon in the team and there was barely time for anything like that anyway.’
‘Not entirely frowned upon.’ Matt shifted position on the wall as he snagged another biscuit from the tin and frisbeed one to me. ‘You were engaged to Marco.’
‘He was their top driver and winning them the championship, not to mention millions in sponsorship. The rules didn’t really apply to him so much. And I’d been working for a different team when we got together so they couldn’t say a whole lot.’
Matt shrugged his eyebrows.
‘Anyway. That’s all a bit irrelevant now. Besides, dating is the absolute last thing on my mind right now. Trying to find another job is rather taking priority.’
‘Have you heard anything?’
‘From Marco?’
Matt gave me an interested look. ‘I meant jobwise but we can go with that.’
‘Oh. No. I’ve got another enquiry out I’m waiting to hear back on but I don’t know if anything will come of it.’ I sighed and snagged another biscuit. ‘I’m really good at my job but it’s a small community. They all know what happened and as far as they’re concerned, the years of commitment I gave were all wiped out by one action. I don’t know if anyone will give me another chance.’
‘They’re idiots if they don’t.’
I smiled at my big brother. ‘Likely true.’
He gave me a wink, then scooped up my now empty mug. ‘You know you’ve always got a job here, don’t you? God knows we could do with the help.’
I nodded. I couldn’t lie. The thought had crossed my mind more than once. The past year, being off the circuit, had allowed me to get back a little more often and see my friends and family and I’d begun to realise just how much I’d missed it all. My friends, my family, even the shop. Matt rinsed the mugs in the sink and came back to lean on the wall.
‘Have you heard from Marco then?’
‘We’ve spoken a bit, yes.’
‘And?’
‘And it’s fine. It’s good. We’re in a good place. A better place. Back to being friends, which is maybe where it should have stayed.’
‘It was kind of a whirlwind.’
‘Yep. It certainly was that. But at the time I thought it was the right thing. What I wanted. What he wanted.’ I pulled my mouth to the side and gave my brother a look. ‘Seriously not very good at the whole relationship thing, am I?’
‘Aah, don’t you worry. These things usually take two. And who knows? We might even be able to find a bloke to put up with you if you ever decided to stick around here. Stranger things have happened.’
‘You know your comedic talent is wasted here, don’t you?’
Matt opened his mouth to reply and I rammed a biccie in it. ‘Conversation closed.’
Chapter Three
‘So! A little birdie tells me you met Cal?’
I was sat at the lime-washed pine table in Xander and Giselle’s kitchen decorating gingerbread men whilst Giselle cooked something deliciously French for dinner on the hob of her pink Aga.
‘Is that all right?’ I asked, carefully tipping one of the biscuits towards her.
Giselle glanced over. ‘Perfect! You know you don’t need to check with me. We used to do these together for the shop all the time.’
I pulled a face as I squidged the icing down the bag a little more. ‘I know. But I’m out of practice.’
‘It’s like riding a bicycle. It’ll all come back.’
I gave my gingerbread man a neat side parting. ‘If you remember, the last time I rode a bicycle with you, I ended up headfirst in a nettle bush.’
Giselle laughed. ‘Oh my, I’d forgotten that. You were in such a state! I felt so sorry for you. It must have been agony.’
Gingerbread man got mittens. ‘It definitely isn’t in my list of top ten favourite days, that’s for sure.’
Giselle tasted the sauce and made a fluttering motion with her beautifully long, false lashes. ‘Parfait!’ It always amused me how, even though she’d been over here since she was seven years old, there were times when she still dropped back into French. It wasn’t forced or affected. I wasn’t even entirely sure she knew she was doing it. But I loved it.
‘Good?’
‘Very. Just needs to simmer a bit longer. Xander should be home any time so it should be just about right.’
‘Good, because it smells delicious and I’m starving. This gingerbread man is, frankly, quite lucky he’s still got all his body parts.’
Giselle grinned and filled another icing bag before setting to work on the pile of biscuits that still needed dressing, ready for the shop.
‘So … like I said, I hear you met Cal Martin?’
‘I did. He came into the shop with his little boy. Although I didn’t realise it was him until he paid and I saw the name on his card.’
‘Bit gorgeous, isn’t he?’
I lifted my gaze and looked at her through my slightly overlong fringe. She waved her piping bag at me.
‘What? Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to observe beautiful things. In fact, it’s good for the soul. I just read an article on it. So?’
‘So, what?’
Giselle squirted her piping bag at me so that a blob shot out and landed on my face.
‘Oi!’
‘Answer then!’ She giggled as I felt around my cheek for the icing with my finger, found it, and ate it.
‘What do you want me to say?’
‘He said you had a nice chat and that you were quite the Santa’s Little Helper.’ She quirked a brow that was shaped, coloured, and tamed to within an inch of its life, yet still looked entirely natural. I made a mental note to drop into the local beauty salon and have a tidy-up.
‘I’d say a chat was overstating it a little, and I wasn’t being “Santa’s Helper”, little or otherwise.’ I flicked some icing back at her. ‘There was no way that teddy bear’s head was going to stay attached to its body for very much longer. I’ve repaired enough of my own – and my brothers’ kids’ toys – to know when immediate action is required. Plus, have you seen George? Can you imagine how heartbreaking that face would be as he watched his teddy’s head fall off and roll into the road, only to be flattened by a passing car!’
Giselle was looking at me aghast. ‘Well, for goodness’ sake, don’t say that in front of him! I’m upset just thinking about it.’
‘Sorry. Anyway, it’s not going to happen. It’s all secured now.’
‘He is a cutie, though. I agree.’
‘Cal?’
Giselle raised an amused eyebrow. ‘I was referring to George but if you like …’
‘No. Carry on.’
‘To be honest, both of them are. There’s definitely been a clamour of play date requests since he moved to the village.’
‘He is a sweet little boy and seems very well mannered too.’
‘True. But I think the parent is a fair bit of the draw to be honest. A few of the mothers have been quite put out when his childminder has taken him instead, and I got a death glare once when I turned up with him. The woman tried to cover it up but not quite quick enough.’
‘You took him to a play date?’
‘Yes.’
‘Wow. Cal must really trust you. George fell asleep in the shop and I offered to carry him the few steps to the car whilst he took the shopping and he practically bit my head off.’
Giselle tilted her head a little and pushed out her bottom lip. ‘Yes, he did mention that. Felt quite bad about it, I think.’
I waved the comment away with my piping bag. ‘It’s fine. He apologised. It just shows how much he must value you to trust his son with you like that.’
‘Well, I guess we’ve got to know him quite well since he moved here. At
first, he wouldn’t accept any invites but I can be quite persistent.’
‘No!’ I did a mock shock expression and Giselle squinted one eye and aimed her piping bag at me. I hid behind a naked gingerbread man.
‘Anyway!’ she said, grinning. ‘Eventually he gave in and now he comes over for dinner a fair bit. George will snuggle up on the sofa with Sophia and is usually asleep within moments of his bedtime.’
Sophia was Xander and Giselle’s incredibly cute cockapoo and was quite possibly the laziest dog in the world, so the fact that she would snag an opportunity to lie anywhere with another warm body didn’t surprise me at all.
I lowered my biscuit shield. ‘He did say something about not being used to people being nice or something. What was that all about?’
‘Had a bit of a rough childhood, from what I can gather.’ Xander’s deep tones drifted through moments before he followed them in his socked feet.
I let my friends have their moment of greeting as I concentrated on giving my latest creation a matching stripy hat, mittens, and wellies.
‘All right, Muppet?’ Xander said, and bopped a kiss on my temple. ‘They look good.’
He reached his hand down towards the biscuit in front of me and I gently elbowed him away.
‘Come on, just one.’
‘No. They’re for the shop. Plus your beautiful wife has made something delicious for dinner and you’ll spoil your appetite.’
I knew for a fact that this was unlikely. Xander and I had been best friends since literally the day we were born and he’d been a dustbin from day one. It still amazed me thirty-odd years later that he could pack food away and not be the size of a house.
‘She won’t mind.’
‘Yes, “she” will!’ Giselle looked up from the pan she was now stirring, one hand on her hip.
Xander threw me an “oops” glance. ‘Maybe after dinner then,’ he conceded, winking at Giselle. ‘Where’s the dog?’
‘Asleep on my feet under the table. At least I’m assuming that’s what’s keeping them warm.’
Xander bent down. ‘Yep. Honest to God. I think we got a cock-a-sloth by mistake. I’m supposed to be greeted by a happy little dog, pleased to see me after I’ve had a long, hard day at work.’
The Best Little Christmas Shop Page 3
