The woman with the pram was approaching the counter, one of the wicker shopping baskets we provided for shopping, currently decorated with tinsel, was balanced on the hood of the pram.
‘Good morning!’ I said to the young mother, taking the basket from her. ‘Did you find everything you were looking for or is there anything else I can help you with?’
She gave me a wide smile and thumbed at the door. ‘Yes, I think so. Although if you could tell me where I can get one of those for my sister’s Christmas present, that’d be great.’
I smiled widely, joining in the joke, and began mentally repeating my mantra again. Unfortunately, it definitely didn’t seem to be working.
***
The deep voice behind me made me jump and only luck stopped me banging my head on the open bonnet in a classically slapstick manner.
‘My informants tell me you’ve had your head under there for the past four hours.’
I stood up, avoiding the bonnet, and turned to face Cal, who was leaning against a long workbench to my left.
‘Sorry. Do you want to lock up? I can go. I just sort of got carried away.’
Cal gave a faint smile and shook his head. ‘No. I just came out to see how you were getting on.’ He pushed himself off the bench and came closer to the car. He leant one arm on the wing gently and lifted the other, resting it lightly on the edge of the raised bonnet. Awkwardly, this gave me a perfect view of an ultra toned tricep muscle, and a peek at similarly toned abs as where his T-shirt rode up a little..
‘Wow. You’ve really been getting stuff done. Don’t hang around, do you?’
I wiped my hands on a rag I’d had dangling from my pocket. ‘There’s not a lot of time to hang around in the pit. I guess I just got used to working at speed. Although, I’ve been given a head start. You’ve already made good progress on her from what I could see.’
‘I was doing an order for some parts from a guy anyway. He deals a lot in Jags so it was no problem.’
I knew that being able to take advantage of Cal’s connections in the industry was helping me enormously with sourcing the bits I’d need to complete the restoration properly. Even with things coming to a head last week and our friendship now looking decidedly worse for wear, I knew he was unlikely to charge me what he should for any parts and labour he used, if at all. Which was exactly why I now had, in the boot of my car, two cardboard boxes full of enough Christmas decorations to satisfy even the most – or least, depending upon which way you looked at it – discerning of five-year-olds.
‘Well, thank you. I might actually get this done in time to take Dad out on Christmas Day after all.’
Cal dropped his arm from the bonnet as I reached for the stay to release it. Shutting it carefully, I rubbed a couple of greasy marks from the paintwork and stood back. Its years of sitting in the barn at the back of our house had taken its toll and the once bright red had now dulled and succumbed to the odd scratch and mark.
‘Once you’re done, a respray would finish it off.’
‘It would. But that might have to wait for a bit. Maybe that could be next year’s Christmas present.’ I wasn’t about to tell Cal that I’d had to dip substantially into my savings this year. Work this past year had been fairly sporadic and not terribly well paid. I had convinced Mum and Dad and my brothers to pay me minimum wage as my parents were flat out refusing to take rent money, assuring them I could dip into my savings if necessary. They weren’t thrilled but had eventually agreed. The new job would give me a better regular income but it was still less than what I had been earning, and renting in the expensive area where the factory was located was going to take a substantial bite out of my monthly salary.
Cal looked thoughtful, running his hand over the curves, and I stared at the car, hoping it knew just how lucky it was.
‘We’ve got the spray shop here. Just pick a colour and when you’re ready, I’ll get it done.’
‘Cal, you don’t have to do that.’
‘I know I don’t. But I’d like to.’
‘Cal –’
‘Your parents, your whole family really, have done a lot for George and I since we moved here. So –’ he stood back up to his full height ‘– if your mind is doing something crazy again and going off into a panic, you can stop. I’d like to help out as a thank you for that. So I’d be doing it for them. Not you.’
‘Right. No, of course. I didn’t think …’
Cal slanted his gaze to me and I stopped talking. Of course he wasn’t doing it for me. Why would he be?
The workshop was quiet now, the other mechanics having left some time earlier. I finished tidying my tools and tucked them in a spare space on the bottom shelf of the workbench.
‘Are they OK there?’
‘Sure.’
‘I’ll get out of your way now.’
‘You’re not in my way.’ He shrugged, looking at me.
He was doing that thing again, making the rest of the world disappear.
‘No … I meant …’ January couldn’t come too soon for me. Truthfully I hated the thought of Christmas, and my time at home being over but getting some distance between me and someone easily qualifying for the county’s sexiest man was probably a good thing.
‘Oh! I have some decorations for you in the boot of my car. Like you asked?’
The smile transformed his face. ‘Great! I’m getting asked about twenty times an hour about them at the moment. I told George you were on the case.’
I laughed. ‘No pressure then. Hopefully he’ll like them. With a bit of luck you won’t think they’re too much.’
‘Hey –’ he spread his hands as we walked to my car, him having now drawn the doors and locked the workshop back up ‘– it’s only once a year.’
‘Once you’re finished putting all this lot up, you’ll probably be glad of that!’
Cal waited as I lifted the boot lid. ‘Is my house about to become a full-on grotto?’
I lifted out one of the boxes and put it into his waiting arms. ‘I’m afraid so,’ I replied, pulling out the second one.
‘Do you want me to take that one too, or are you bringing it in?’ I gave him a wary look under my lashes at the suggestion. ‘George would love to see you,’ he added.
I let out a sigh. ‘That was low blow.’
‘I seem to remember you using him to get me to hand over my keys when I was too tired to drive once before.’
‘That was for your safety.’
‘And this is for George’s happiness.’
He raised his eyebrows, daring me to question. OK. I could do this. If he could be casual about it all, then so could I. At least on the outside.
‘OK.’ I hefted the box up, turning slightly as Cal made a move to take it from me. ‘I’ve got it. Lead the way.’ Cal studied me for a moment, assessing. His mouth tilted at the corner just a fraction and I knew he’d seen straight through me. But right now, I didn’t care too much. If George had missed me even half as much as I had him, then I was doing the right thing.
‘Lexi!’ George scooted along the hallway, leaving Martha looking on, and charged towards me. With perfect timing, Cal whipped the box out of my hands, allowing me to drop to one knee and hold out my arms for a hug.
‘I haven’t seen you for aaaaages!’ George said into my shoulder, his little arms wrapped as tight as they could be around my body.
‘I know. I missed you.’
‘I missed you too!’ he said, pulling back. ‘I know Daddy missed you too because he hasn’t been very smiley this week.’ George gently lifted my plait and began using the end of it like a paintbrush on my shoulder. ‘Are you and Daddy not friends any more?’
‘Of course we are.’ Cal stepped in before I had to, and I flashed him a grateful look. ‘Now, how about letting Lexi get up off the floor?’
‘OK,’ George said.
I stood and he snuggled against my hip.
‘I’ll be going now then, Cal,’ Martha said, having quietly observed the
scene as she wrapped up against the bitter evening. ‘Nice to see you again, Lexi.’
‘And you, Martha.’
She smiled but Mama Bear was definitely back in play. And I guess if George had noticed his Dad wasn’t quite himself, there was no doubt Martha had seen it too. I got the feeling that Martha didn’t miss very much at all.
‘There’s some stew on the stove for you all. George had his earlier but there’s some crumpets in the breadbin if he’s a bit peckish before bed.’
George began pecking at my leg, gigglng at the word. ‘Peck, peck.’ I chuckled and rested my hand at the back of his head.
‘May I have a crumpet whilst you have dinner with Lexi, Daddy?’
‘Oh, I’m not staying for dinner, sweetie.’
Immediately, three sets of eyes focused on me. George’s were pleading, Martha’s assessing, and Cal’s … Cal was just waiting to see my next move.
‘Ohhh!’ George clung a little tighter to my leg and his bottom lip stuck out as he peered up at me.
I fixed Cal with a look. ‘OK, that’s not fair.’
His mouth twitched with a smile. ‘Nothing to do with me.’
Vainly I turned to Martha. She was pulling on her second glove. ‘It’s very good stew,’ she said, nodding and smiling at Cal as he opened the door for her. Derek’s car sat waiting in the drive – the engine running – and Cal gave him a wave, which he returned. ‘I made it myself. Good for warming up. Goodnight then, everyone.’
George separated himself momentarily from my leg, exchanged a hug with Martha, and then fixed himself back on to me. We waited until Martha was in the car, gave her a wave, and then Cal closed the door. Silence enveloped us … for about thirty seconds. There was, after all, a five-year-old in the room.
‘What are those?’ George said, unpeeling himself from my leg and plopping down in front of the boxes Cal and I had brought in from the car.
‘Decorations. Your dad said he thought your house could do with a few more.’
‘That was my idea!’ George grinned, his hands delving through the contents of one box.
I’d had an idea that the little boy would be hands on with this task, quite literally, so had been careful to include only non-breakable items in the choices I’d made. ‘I think it was a very good one then!’
George began delving into the other box. ‘Can we really put all these up, Daddy?’
‘Why not?’
Quickly pushing himself up from the floor, his son began jumping up and down, cheering. It was hard not to get caught up in his festive joy.
‘So are you staying for dinner?’ Cal asked casually, as he scooped George up and bounced him on his arm.
‘Please say yes!’ George added.
My stomach growled, echoing in the hallway. George giggled and a smile hovered around his father’s mouth.
‘Your tummy is hungry,’ George said.
I let out a sigh, knowing when I was beaten. ‘It does rather sound like that, doesn’t it?’ In truth, I was starving.
‘Is that a yes?’ Cal raised an eyebrow.
‘Yes. It is. Thank you.’
‘Good.’ He put George back on the floor and sent him off to tidy up his toys.
‘Did you want to go and wash up a bit before we eat?’ He hesitated and I caught the smile he was trying to hide. ‘I’m assuming you are actually wearing something under those overalls.’
I rolled my eyes and he laughed. There was still a hint of awkwardness but it seemed to have dissipated a bit, with little George being an excellent catalyst in that department, and I was glad of it. Atmospheres weren’t my thing. I didn’t even know they were a thing for years. They simply weren’t tolerated in our household. People said what they needed to, it got discussed, debated, settled, and we moved on. We didn’t tiptoe around on eggshells – we tramped right over them in great, hobnail boots.
‘Bathroom’s through there,’ Cal said, pointing to a room further up towards the extension on the house that appeared to house the bedrooms. I headed in and, locking the door, stripped off my overalls. Next came the jeans and T-shirt and finally I yanked off the thermal vest and leggings I’d had on under both of them. Cal’s workshop was heated but it was still a workshop, a bit like a posh barn, and I’d needed the layers.
I knew this invitation tonight wasn’t anything romantic. It was an attempt at repairing bridges, and preventing any extra collateral damage in the shape of our families. Finding a way to be together easily again, now we knew that being together as perhaps we might have once hoped wasn’t an option.
I cast my eye over the discarded underclothing and smiled. Had I thought there was still the chance of something between us, probably the simplest, and most effective option would have been to go back out there in my thermals. They were enough to kill even the most ardent passion stone dead. I had a quick splash around and pulled my T-shirt and jeans back on, bundling the rest of the items into a ball, which I then took back and left in a small heap by the front door, ready to pick up on my way out.
Following the trail of a delicious aroma, I was led into the kitchen where George was already sat at the table, tucking into a buttery crumpet, and Cal was stood in front of the hob, stirring a pan.
‘That smells so good,’ I said, wandering over and peering past him.
‘Martha’s an excellent cook. I keep telling her she isn’t here to cook for me, but it seems to fall on deaf ears.’
‘Are you complaining?’
‘God, no. It’s lovely food without exception. But she’s George’s childminder, not my personal chef. I don’t want it seeming like I’m taking advantage of her.’
I laid a hand on his arm briefly. ‘She doesn’t think that. She cares about you, and I think she enjoys cooking. When she told me she’d made the stew herself, there was pride in her voice. I think she enjoys sharing that talent with you, as well as George.’
‘Maybe you’re right.’
‘I am right.’
He switched the hob ring off and turned to look at me. ‘You seem very sure.’
‘I know. Which lately is something quite unusual, so make the most of it and just enjoy Martha’s stew.’
‘If you pass me over those bowls, we both can.’
I handed him the bowls and we took them, now full of steaming stew to the table. George had finished his crumpet and was glugging a glass of milk. Putting it down empty on the table, he grinned at me and automatically I pulled a tissue out of my pocket and gave his buttery chin and milky smile a wipe.
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’ And then I remembered George wasn’t one of my nieces or nephews and I was still on slightly wobbly ground with his father. I looked up tentatively, wondering if I’d overstepped, whether Cal had been about to tidy up his son when I barged in and did it before him, but he was happily tucking into his stew and just pointed with his spoon at the bowl, making an appreciative face.
A short time later, we’d both finished our bowls and all three of us were sat on the floor, poring over the decorations I’d brought with me. George was playing with a stuffed toy reindeer, trotting him around us both as we pulled the last few items out of the boxes.
‘You really ought to be in bed, young man,’ Cal said.
George stopped in his playing momentarily. ‘Ohhh, but Lexi’s here.’ He gave his father a look that completely melted me but obviously Cal was made of sterner stuff.
‘Five more minutes.’
George considered his dad, working out whether he could wangle longer I imagine, but experience obviously told him to take what he could get.
‘OK. Can we put some decorations up before I go to bed?’
‘We can.’
‘And then can Lexi read me a story?’
Cal didn’t look at me, and I could see the glimmer of concern on his face. ‘We’ll see. Lexi’s had a busy day and is probably tired.’ He stood, pulling me up with one hand and George with the other. ‘Maybe another time.’
I kept my eyes off Cal and pretended to concentrate on considering where the decorations might look best in the room. I knew he was keeping a distance between me and his son. Being civil, and even friends again, I hoped, was acceptable but there was a line I wouldn’t be allowed to cross. And I understood. Agreed, even. We both knew it wasn’t likely I was going to turn down the job I’d been offered, even though I knew it was going to take all the reserve I had to leave the village again and walk into a new job, with everyone there knowing I’d screwed up and effectively been demoted. But I would just have to deal with that.
In my eyes, I hadn’t screwed up. That was the one thing I was sure of. I was needed and I came. That wasn’t screwing up so far as I was concerned. Sometimes your heart told you what to do and you had to follow, whatever the consequences. It wasn’t often I did that but in that instance, there’d been no question. I stole a glance at Cal and tried to tell myself that following my heart this time would absolutely be the wrong thing to do. I just wished it would start listening.
‘Right.’ Cal looked at the piles now in front of us. ‘I literally have no idea where to even start with all this.’ He looked down at me. Stood in my socks, he was well over a foot taller and George and I both craned our necks back to meet his bewildered eyes.
‘Well then you’re very lucky I’m here, because I know exactly what to do.’ I grabbed one of the piles and held out my hand to George. ‘Come on, you, how about being my little elf helper for those five minutes before your bedtime?’
‘Yay!’ George took my hand and began jumping along as I headed into the main living area and set to work.
When the five minutes passed, I saw Cal glance at the large clear-numbered clock hanging on the wall and then back at his son who was engrossed in helping me attach a garland to the mantelpiece. I caught his eye and he gave the smallest of nods. It was Saturday tomorrow so both of them could grab a bit of a lie-in if needed.
As I pressed the switch concealed at one end of the garland, which I’d secured away from any possibility of being accidentally pulled off, the entwined white fairy lights began to twinkle. George gave a little gasp of joy, his eyes wide with excitement. Small arms were flung around my neck and he hugged me. Automatically I cuddled him back. I knew all this was just going to make it harder when I came to leave and honestly, I didn’t even want to think about any of that right now. I just wanted to enjoy the moment.
The Best Little Christmas Shop Page 18
