From Paris With Love This Christmas

by Jules Wake

  ‘Not bad. Not bad.’ Her beady eyes assessed Siena. It was mildly terrifying, the older woman’s piercing raisin-eyed stare made Siena want to confess all her secrets. ‘You’ll do.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Siena felt like she was five.

  ‘You shouldn’t care so much.’ Nanna narrowed her eyes and looked over her shoulder to where Katie and Lisa were engrossed in a conversation of their own. ‘I can see.’

  ‘See what?’ asked Siena, nerves shimmering at the directness of her gaze.

  ‘Inside you’re like a mummy. Bound. Tight. Don’t be. When you get to my age, you don’t care what other people think.’ She grinned, a missing tooth making her look like a mischievous pixie. ‘Damn shame, I didn’t know that when I was your age. I’d have had a lot more fun. Now I’m too shagging old.’ She gave a wicked wink. ‘Now, run up another seam and let me have a look.’ She waited at Siena’s shoulder, the scent of lavender strong. ‘Put your foot down a bit. You’re not going to kill it. Although bloody stupid fabric. Trust our Lisa to choose the most difficult stuff to sew with. That’s why you need so many sodding pins.’

  When Siena slipped the silk and chiffon out from under the foot and neatly snipped off the ends of pink cotton, Nanna snatched it from her and, holding it up scant inches from her eyes, peered at the stitches.

  ‘It’ll do, although this flibbertigibbet will probably spill wine all over it first time out the traps. Wontcha love?’ she called over to Lisa.

  ‘What’s that Nanna?’

  ‘Nothing. I’m ready for my bed.’ Her face fell.

  ‘Don’t worry Nanna, we’ll soon get you back home.’

  ‘Hmph,’ she grumbled. ‘Don’t go keeping me up with all your noise and high jinks.’

  ‘No, Nanna,’ said Lisa crossing over to give her gran a kiss on the cheek.

  ‘When’s her boiler going to be fixed?’ asked Katie, once the older woman had left the room.

  ‘Not for ages.’ Lisa sighed. ‘She can’t afford it. Needs a new one and we’re saving but we need another six hundred pounds. I don’t mind having her here. I love her to bits. Not like she’s any trouble. Most of the time.’ She rolled her eyes and snorted in a very unladylike way. ‘When she’s not arguing with the milkman over the price of his milk. But she wants to be in her own home.’ She broke off. ‘I know she only lives two streets away but she really misses her neighbour, Laura. They’ve been mates for twenty years and have seen each other every day. I can’t imagine that. She wants to be in her garden; she grows prizewinning dahlias. I know there’s probably not much going on at the moment but she likes to potter out there every day. She never moans but she’s a bit down at the moment.’ For the first time, Siena saw the tiredness and sadness in the other girl’s face.

  ‘Once the weather warms up she can go back, she’s got an open fire in the sitting room but she won’t have any hot water. I reckon it’ll be spring before I’ll have saved up the rest and she’ll have put a bit more by. She’s only got her pension.’

  ‘What about your family?’ asked Siena. Not having hot water or heating for months seemed utterly ridiculous in this day and age. Was that what it was like when you had no safety net? Things became huge and difficult when with a bit of money they were so easily solved. It didn’t seem right.

  With a lift of her shoulders Lisa said matter of factly, ‘This is it. Mum died six years ago. Dad lives in Italy and is about as much use in the father stakes as a chocolate teapot. We’re fine, most of the time. Every now and then though a biggie hits you out of the blue.

  ‘Right, back to work, slave. You need to earn your Prosecco. How’s my dress coming along?’

  ‘Nearly there,’ Siena looked mournfully into her empty wine glass. ‘Although the supplies have dried up. So I might have to withdraw my services.’ She tipped the glass as far back as it would go, to suck up the very last drop. Funny, it wasn’t the best wine she’d drunk, in fact was possibly some of the worst, but it tasted fine.

  ‘Katie, crack open another one quick,’ called Lisa jumping up and grabbing the empty wine glass. She paused to drool over the dress. ‘It’s looking good.’

  Siena grimaced. ‘God I hope so. ’

  ‘Seriously, don’t fret. It if goes horribly wrong, it only cost a few quid.’ She stopped and waggled her eyebrows in what was supposed to be a menacing fashion but had Siena dissolving into giggles. ‘Although, I might want my Prosecco back.’

  When she stopped laughing, Lisa patted her on the shoulder. ‘We’ve got a backup plan.’

  ‘I know, the black dress is lovely and I have to admit, it will be a hell of a lot easier to alter. Have you always been this difficult?’

  Lisa nodded. ‘Of course.’

  ‘But this one is the one you really like and it suits you.’ More importantly Siena wanted to prove she could do this. It wasn’t real designing, it was modifying someone else’s work but she still wanted it to be right. Besides if she could get it right, Lisa would look stunning.

  ‘Right, try it on again.’

  ‘Again!’ Lisa pouted. ‘Do I have to? I’m sure it will be fine.’

  ‘Strip. Strip. Strip,’ chanted Katie, raising her glass. ‘Get your kit off for the girls.’

  Lisa gave her a withering stare. ‘You’ve been spending far too much time with Tom.’

  Siena waited, patiently holding up the dress. ‘Come on, we’re nearly there.’

  ‘Can we eat pizza and watch the film when this is done?’

  ‘You can, I’ll make a start on my coat.’ Siena felt rather excited about it. She’d planned to make a couple of changes to the design, like a proper designer.

  Lisa peeled off the casual loungewear she’d changed into when they got back and shimmied into the pink dress.

  ‘Whoa!’ Katie toasted her, slopping Prosecco down the side of her glass and then hastily licking up the drops. ‘That is lush. Oh Siena, make me one.’

  Siena laughed. ‘I didn’t make it, I fixed it.’

  ‘It’s … It’s …’ Lisa did a twirl and a little skip. ‘I love it.’

  ‘Don’t cry, you big wuss.’ Katie shook her head at Siena. ‘She looks bloody lovely though. Good job that, girl.’

  Siena looked longingly at the red coat. More of a challenge but if she could do as a good a job …

  ‘Go on, you know you want to.’

  ‘I thought you wanted to watch—’

  ‘As if, we always say we’re going to watch a film.’

  ‘We never do. Katie always falls asleep after the second bottle of fizz.’

  ‘Do not. Third maybe.’

  Siena smiled and grabbed the coat. Fingers crossed this would work as well as the dress.

  Chapter 14

  He’d planned to be more casual about it, but the minute Jason heard the key in the lock, he shot down the stairs. Lack of sleep tended to make him edgy. He’d chomped his way through half a pack of Rennies, after virtually giving them up in the last week. Worrying and having your imagination run away with itself rubbed your temper and your stomach lining raw. If she hadn’t swanned in wearing a new coat and carrying a couple of shopping bags, he might have waited until she got through the door.

  ‘Where’ve you been?’

  And she could stuff the round-eyed, innocent, pink-cheeked expression on her gorgeous face. He wanted to shake the living and dying daylights out of her cute little arse and clutch her to him at the same time.

  ‘Lisa’s?’ she sounded puzzled.

  At Lisa’s, of course, not dead in a ditch, not lying in a hospital ward, not any of the things he’d pictured in the middle of the night as he lay listening to every last crack and creak of the house, straining to hear a car or the squeak of the front door.

  ‘Of course you were at Lisa’s,’ he growled. ‘And I was supposed to know that, how?’ His blistering sarcasm could have stripped wallpaper.

  She paled but stood her ground for a moment, looking like Bambi about to spring away. He ignored the flicker of guilt.


  ‘You could have phoned.’ Anger had got the better of him. ‘Wait, no. Or even texted. You know, use that thing welded to your side.’

  In a gesture he was now familiar with she lifted her chin. Relief punched into him because he’d gone too far. Warrior Barbie had stepped up.

  ‘Don’t shout at me.’ She stood with her hands on her hips, with a pugnacious tilt to her head. ‘I told you this morning I’d be with Lisa all day.’ His annoyance faltered; had she? He couldn’t remember. He’d been half asleep after a night of no sleep because he couldn’t get her out of his mind. ‘If you were worried, say so. You don’t have to shout.’

  ‘Who said I was worried?’ he snapped. ‘I wasn’t worried. Why should I be worried?’ He really needed to shut up. Stop talking. Right now.

  His anger evaporated. ‘I was worried. After everything you told me last night, someone needs to worry about you. You could have been hurt, in hospital on your own. I don’t know, but you could have called.’ Oh shit now he sounded like his mother.

  ‘Jason. Make up your mind.’ Her voice softened as she said it, then in a firmer tone she added, ‘You made it quite clear when I came here that you weren’t responsible for me. More than clear. Remember?’

  ‘That was then.’

  ‘So what’s different?’ Puzzlement clouded her eyes.

  He sighed and rubbed at his forehead realising he’d made an absolute dick of himself.

  ‘That was before I knew what Yves had done. Before you got beaten up in broad daylight in the street. Before I heard how your mother spoke to you.’

  She took a step closer, her eyes locked on him. ‘You’re not responsible for me. I can,’ she gave a wistful smile, ‘stand on one foot at least. It will be two soon but you don’t need to …’ she shrugged, guileless, trust in her open gaze.

  ‘I might not be responsible for you but,’ he sighed wondering how it had happened, ‘I care what happens. We’re … we’re sort of friends.’

  Siena quirked an eyebrow. ‘Sort of friends. I’ve not come across that before. What’s a sort of friend?’

  He stepped away. Did they have to get into this now? He glowered at her, hoping it would make her back off a bit. Duh! He was the one that moved in on her. Definitely losing it. A relief then that she was being a typical woman. Had to analyse every last thing. Find a definition. Put things in boxes. He shrugged. ‘Friends, then.’

  ‘Friends?’ she looked amused.

  At his expense. ‘Friends,’ he growled and squeezed past her and walked off down to the kitchen. Surely she’d leave at that now.

  Thankfully, he heard her trot up the stairs, carrier bags rustling. Being friends was good. It wasn’t as if she were going to be here forever. God knows what would happen with her mother, but surely she’d come round eventually and they’d make up. In the meantime, judging by the new coat and purchases, Siena was starting to miss her old lifestyle. It wasn’t as if she’d want to slum it forever. He looked around at the small, homely kitchen. This wasn’t what she was used to. Being here was easy. Rent free and belonging to her sister. Siena might think she was on the first steps on the ladder of independence, but she still had this as a safety net.

  ‘Siena, what is the matter?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she answered distractedly, still frowning down at her phone.

  ‘Will you quit with the sighing and the tutting then?’

  ‘Sorry.’

  Jason turned back to the newspaper. Sunday afternoons were best spent with the rugby on the TV, a pile of supplements and a nice bottle of beer, peace and quiet.

  Three out of four wasn’t bad.

  Siena tutted again and pulled a long, disgusted face. Then looked up. ‘Sorry.’

  She turned up her nose, her features scrunched in concentration. Amused he watched the contortions of her face.

  ‘What are you trying to do?’ Exasperation finally won, he’d never watch the match at this rate.

  She sighed heavily. ‘I’m trying to do eBay.’

  ‘You mean use eBay?’

  ‘Yes. I want to sell something but I don’t want it to go for too little. I need to guarantee I get a certain amount for it, otherwise I don’t want to sell it.’

  ‘That’s easy, you need to put a reserve on it.’

  ‘Oh. It really is confusing.’

  ‘It’s probably not that easy on a screen that size. Would you like to borrow my laptop?’

  ‘I didn’t know you had one.’

  He felt the streak of colour flood up his face. ‘I keep it in my room.’

  ‘Ah,’ she nodded knowledgeably, ‘watching porn.’

  ‘No, I was not.’ He sounded about fifteen in his denial and immediately thought of sweaty episodes and magazines in his teens, best forgotten about, which made him blush even more.

  ‘There’s no need to be shy about it. I understand lots of men do.’

  She was such a bizarre mix. European candidness about some aspects of sex and then so naïve about others.

  ‘I was not watching porn.’

  It seemed petty to admit now that he’d deliberately kept his laptop out of sight, working on it upstairs when he needed to, so that he could keep out of her way the first few weeks, in the deliberate hope she’d get so bored and lonely she’d go home.

  ‘If you say so.’

  He rose and went to get the laptop. ‘Have you got an eBay account?’

  ‘I have now. It’s taken me ages to set it up on my phone.’

  ‘Log in on this and show me what you’re trying to do.’

  ‘Here, see. I’ve got as far as this.’

  ‘Right you need to say you want to set a reserve. How much do you want to set it as?

  ‘Six hundred pounds.’

  ‘Fuck, what are you selling? State secrets?’

  She gave him a frosty look. ‘My handbag.’

  ‘And it’s worth six hundred pounds? Fuck me.’

  ‘It’s worth more actually, but that’s the minimum I’d like to get.’

  ‘There’ll be fees on top. You have to pay eBay a percentage of the sale.’

  ‘OK, make it six hundred and fifty then.’

  ‘Short of cash after your spending spree this weekend?’ She looked at him puzzled. ‘I saw the new coat. Must have set you back a bit. I suppose going a whole three weeks without shopping must have been tough.’ Why was this stuff spilling out of his mouth? Why did he sound like the spoilt child? What she did with her money was her choice?

  He got the ice princess look.

  ‘Sorry. As long as you can pay your share of the bills at the end of the month, it’s nothing to do with me.’

  ‘No. It’s not,’ she said, her usual sunny smile surfacing. She also looked a tiny bit smug which rang alarm bells. He looked at the screen then back at her. Was she up to something? Or was he being paranoid. No, open book and Siena went hand in hand.

  Chapter 15

  ‘Right.’ Instead of gathering in the kitchen or propped up at the bar, Will had convened the team meeting in the restaurant around a table and had a pen and notebook in his hand.

  ‘Looks like important business,’ muttered Marcus. ‘That’s a strategy notebook if ever I saw one.’ He nodded seriously, making Siena smile.

  ‘Stop taking the piss,’ said Will chucking the pen at him. ‘We’ve got a do.’

  ‘What, a proper do?’

  Will ignored Marcus silliness. ‘An important do. Medical supplies company. The MD, Mike, has asked us to lay on lunch for a group of Japanese businessmen. Private dining, special menu. There’s a big deal riding on the visit and Mike wants us to put on a really good show. We’ll use the private dining room. I need ideas for the menu. Decorations.’

  ‘Teriyaki and sushi.’ Al rubbed his hands together. ‘Great.’

  Will looked pained. ‘No.’

  ‘Why not? It will make them feel right at home.’

  ‘Because, you great noodle,’ Marcus leaned against Al with a show of affection, ‘how would
you feel if you went to Japan and got served crap roast beef and soggy Yorkshires?’

  ‘I wouldn’t be serving crap teriyaki.’ He tossed his head and nudged Marcus back before looking at Will. ‘I could put an English twist on it.’

  Will shook his head. ‘No.’

  ‘I know a bit about hostessing,’ Siena piped up.

  ‘Hostessing?’ Will raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m intrigued.’

  ‘What? Is that like, you know, escorting?’ Al’s voice held a note of salacious horror.

  ‘No.’ Siena threw a napkin at him.

  ‘Al, does our Siena look like a hooker?’

  ‘How would you know what a hooker looks like?’ Al retorted.

  ‘Boys. Boys. Behave.’ Will shot them both the sort of look a primary school teacher might use.

  She’d started now, so she’d have to finish. She sniggered at her own pun. ‘I went to—’ She closed her eyes. If she it said really quickly she might get away with it. No, working with the three of them over the last few weeks, she knew they were going to rip the piss out of her – her English colloquialisms were coming along nicely.

  ‘Earth to Siena,’ sang Marcus and held up his hand opening his fingers to make the traditional Vulcan greeting which had become their private joke.

  ‘Here’s hoping Scotty will beam you up.’ She poked her tongue out at him. ‘I,’ she took a deep breath, ‘wenttofini‌shingschool.’

  ‘What? Run that by me again.’

  Siena groaned. They were going to drag this out, she could tell by the universal mirth that now lit their eyes.

  ‘You heard.’

  ‘No, surely not. Did you say you went to finishing school?’ Al emphasised every last consonant, the little weasel.

  ‘Finishing school?’ Will actually looked quite impressed now. ‘What do they finish?’