The South West Series Box Set

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  ***

  Puddings, pies, charades and several hours later, James’ assembled family decided it was time to head home. Having text Gina that she wouldn’t be back that night, Lee had settled in for a fun, family Christmas evening - and found she had enjoyed it far more than she would have imagined, considering almost everyone there was a new acquaintance for her.

  “Do you need a lift anywhere, Lee?” Mr Knight asked; Lee shook her head.

  “No, thank you for offering though - I’ve got my car.”

  Thankfully, no-one commented on the fact that she had obviously drunk at least one too many glasses of wine to drive home, and that there was no way James would have ever let her drive home after too many drinks. Lee was glad; she didn’t really want his lovely family to think about her staying the night with their son.

  “Ooh, would you look at how much snow has settled!” Tamsin said as they stepped into the cold night air. “Haven’t seen that here for years!”

  “Make sure you drive carefully - watch for anyone driving erratically, or where you might skid.”

  “Yes, James,” she said, with a roll of her eyes and a hug for him. “Thanks for having us!”

  Compliments for the food, congratulations for Janet and Jack, wishes of a Merry Christmas and ‘nice to meet you’s to Lee filled the air, and Lee and James stood out in the snowy garden until the two cars had driven off slowly down the drive, leaving dark black tarmac in their wake, which was quickly being filled by freshly falling snow.

  A misty aura hovered in front of the full moon, blocking the light a little but making it seem even more mystical in the process. Lee found herself drawn to it, watching as the clouds were slowly blown over it; the whole world went darker for a few seconds until it was revealed again. She remembered clearly being a kid and convincing herself she had seen Father Christmas flying across a similarly bright moon one Christmas Eve when she’d been seven or eight. She smiled at the memory; the magic of Christmas had always been strong. She’d thought, when she fled Bristol six weeks ago, that this would be the worst Christmas ever… now she wasn’t so sure. It was definitely different - so much had changed in those six weeks - but it most certainly wasn’t all bad. It might be the most unusual Christmas yet - but she definitely didn’t think it was the worst.

  James’ arm snaked around her waist, and she leant her head on his shoulder, shivering slightly in the snow but enjoying the magical feeling of a white Christmas. James began to hum the old Christmas tune, and she smiled and turned to face the voice, then whipped her head back round - out of the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she’d seen something fly across the moon…

  “What’s up?” James asked, looking confused.

  “Nothing…” Lee said. “Just a bit of Christmas magic, I think.”

  Chapter 18

  When Lee woke up on Boxing Day morning, she didn’t wonder where she was. Although she had only spent one night in this bed previously, she found herself waking up with James curled around her, and as her eyes flickered open and spotted those exposed wooden beams on the ceiling, she felt completely at peace with the world.

  For several minutes she didn’t move, but soaked in the feeling of being held in James’ strong arms, against his muscled, bare chest. She revelled in the sensations, resisting the temptation to run her smooth legs against his athletic calves; as much as she wanted to feel him against her, she wanted to let him sleep for a little longer. Last night… last night had been incredible. A few too many drinks, that was for sure; a passionate night that had begun with wine, ended with champagne, started in the kitchen, then the bathroom, then up to the bedroom… Lee almost blushed at the places round the house that their clothes were sure to be found.

  She knew that James had to work a shift from three that afternoon, and a hangover certainly wouldn’t help him with that - let alone a lack of sleep. But the temptation to stroke his face, his hair, to wrap her arms around his waist was strong.

  It wasn’t long before his eyes flickered open, and when he saw Lee’s eyes open and watching him his lips split into a wide grin.

  “Good morning,” she said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  James shook his head. “No, don’t worry - how’re you feeling?” Lee knew he must be referring to the alcohol they’d consumed the night before.

  “Not as bad as I was expecting - although I’ve not attempted to get out of bed yet!”

  “I wish we didn’t have to,” James said, and he smiled that smile that made Lee’s heart flutter inside her chest.

  “It’s already ten o’clock though,” Lee said, “And you’ve got work this afternoon!”

  James pressed his face into her shoulder, his breath tickling slightly and causing her to giggle. “If we could stay in bed all day, I would,” he said.

  “Christmas wishes were yesterday,” she said - but for once she wasn’t feeling any Boxing Day blues after her favourite holiday of the year was over. No, far better than any Christmas presents was the knowledge that she’d made a decision about James - and the excitement in her chest when she thought of continuing some sort of relationship with James made her sure that she had made the right decision.

  “Come on - I’ll make you breakfast.” Lee sat up, and then remembered she was totally naked - and had no clothes anywhere in reach. As at peace with the world as she was feeling, she wasn’t quite ready to walk naked in front of a man she had slept with a handful of times. She blushed, and turned to James. “Have you got anything I can wear?”

  James grinned, and leant over to a side drawer next to his bed. Lee grinned as she glimpsed his bare bum beneath the sheets, and he passed her a t-shirt and a pair of his boxers.

  “Thanks.” She managed to slip into them without losing any dignity, she was fairly sure, and padded softly across the bedroom carpet, downstairs to the kitchen. She smiled to herself as she saw the Christmas tree, with two new ornaments added: the felted black dog, and the delicate glass ballerina. It had been last night, after his family had left and before they’d consumed the last of the champagne, when James had reached under the tree and presented her with a small, blue and silver package. She opened it excitedly, and when that same glass ballerina that had sparked their conversation in the garden centre had rolled out, she’d nearly had tears springing to her eyes. When she pulled the tiny parcel out of her handbag and handed it to him, his look of surprise when the felted dog ornament was revealed made her laugh. She was amazed that both of them had had the same idea – and that neither had spotted the other! James had immediately hung his on the tree, and since Lee wasn’t planning on heading home that night, hers had joined it. Now, in the morning light, they still glinted with a little of the magic of the night before.

  Whilst she was certainly no great cook, she thought she could whip up something semi-decent for breakfast, and she began to rummage in the very full fridge to see what her options were.

  Cooking in the strange kitchen certainly took longer, as she searched for a jug and came back with colander, but twenty minutes later she was fairly pleased with the two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon on toast that she had assembled. She checked a few drawers for a tray, as there was no way she could carry it all upstairs without dropping it, and finally found one on top of the fridge. Laden with the plates, two cups of coffee and cutlery, she ascended the stairs carefully and nudged the bedroom door open with her foot.

  At first glance, she thought James had fallen back to sleep, but on feeling her sit down on the bed his head lifted a little - and he grinned when he saw what she was carrying.

  “I didn’t think you were actually going to bring me breakfast!” he said, sitting up carefully to avoid knocking the tray.

  “Where did you think I was?”

  “I don’t know - shower? Run away after being grilled by my crazy family?”

  Lee grinned and began to cut into her food, surprised she could be hungry at all after the massive feast they had eaten for their Christmas dinner. “
Ah, they’re not so crazy.”

  “I’m sorry they asked so many questions,” James said, in between mouthfuls of food. “I know they can be a bit… intense.”

  “They care about you - that’s not so bad, is it?”

  James smiled and rolled his eyes, wolfing down the rest of his breakfast. “Mmm, that was just what I needed. Thank you…” He leant over and kissed her on the lips, not caring that she hadn’t yet finished her breakfast.

  “That’ll teach you to drink too much on Christmas day!” Lee said putting both their plates on their floor and curling up in the crook of his arm, letting out a deep sigh. James placed a kiss on the top of her head.

  “If getting drunk on Christmas day leads to sex all over the house and breakfast in bed - I’m afraid you’re not doing a great job at putting me off.”

  ***

  Outside the snow had stopped falling, and although everywhere was a frosty white, Lee thought it looked safe enough to drive. The radio news she’d listened to while she’d cooked breakfast had said there was likely to be more snow later in the day, but for now the sky was a cloudless blue. In front of them, Lee and James’ breath swirled in a cloud of smoke, and those clouds met as they moved in for one more kiss.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow - our beach date, remember?” Lee said.

  “I know… drive safely, okay?”

  Lee nodded, and pulled him down for another ‘one more’ kiss. “If you want to come round after you’ve finished… you’re welcome.”

  “I don’t even have your address!” he said, and she promised to text it to him once she was home.

  They drove off in convoy, James insisting on leading the way in case the roads were icier than he’d initially thought. He hooted as he went off towards Kingsbridge, where he was working that day, and Lee drove slowly through the sleepy town centre, where most people were still snugly burrowed away in their houses.

  The flat door was not enough to stop the Christmas music that was blaring inside, and Lee shook her head with a grin and unlocked the door. Gina was dancing round the living room in her pyjamas, a Christmas classics CD playing and a mug of coffee being danced around with rather dangerously.

  Lee watched for a few minutes, feeling amused by her flatmate’s lack of inhibitions, before clearing her throat. When that wasn’t heard, she shouted: “Hey!”

  Gina jumped, then smiled when she saw who it was and lowered the volume of the music. “Hey! Sorry, just enjoying the Christmas spirit for another day.”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had been imbibing a little too much Christmas spirit!”

  “Nah, that was last night - especially when I came back to a cold, empty flat!”

  “Sorry, sorry - I drank too much last night too, if it’s any consolation.”

  “Details, please!”

  “Coffee, please!”

  “Deal.”

  Coffees in hand, they settled on the sofa and Lee shared a few choice details from her Christmas day.

  “And so I decided that, here or not, I want to give whatever this is between us a shot. So we’re going to date - here, Bristol, wherever - and see what happens.”

  “I’m pleased for you, Lee,” Gina said, sipping her coffee. “You seem so happy - I didn’t understand why you were planning on it being a finite thing. Now I just need to persuade you to stay here…”

  Lee didn’t answer; she’d given every answer she could to that one, and she didn’t want sadness about leaving to tinge the remaining time she planned to spend here. Besides, it wasn’t like she was never coming back…

  “I met his family, too,” she said, sure that that piece of information would distract Gina. “And the night ended with our clothes littered across his house!” She blushed, but knew for definite that Gina would be hooked by that one.

  “Get you!” Gina replied. “Is he good in bed? You can tell he’d be muscled under that uniform…”

  “I’m not giving you all the details - but I certainly haven’t been disappointed!”

  “Lucky cow.”

  Lee couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such an open, entertaining discussion about her love life. She guessed that there hadn’t really been enough sex in recent months with Nathan for it to be a topic of conversation - and they weren’t exactly the kind of chats she had at work. She couldn’t remember when she’d last socialised outside of work, either… not before coming here.

  “Anyway, I was going to cook Christmas dinner yesterday - but then I ended up eating at James’. So I thought I’d cook it today, for the two of us, if you’re up for it?”

  “Second Christmas dinner - yes please! We’ve got a bottle of wine in the fridge too, that’ll help shift the hangover!”

  “I’m not promising much,” Lee said. “I’ve never actually cooked a Christmas dinner! But I’ll give it a go.”

  Soon the Christmas music was back on and Lee had changed out of her clothes from the day before into a fresh pair of jeans and a long floaty top. She shoved her hair up out the way and entered the kitchen to start getting food ready. The turkey she knew needed to go in early - when she checked the timings, she realised she had underestimated somewhat. “It might be eight o’clock by the time this is ready!” she shouted through in warning to Gina - but she wasn’t sure if she was heard over the loud Christmas music.

  Humming along to the tune, she began to chop vegetables and potatoes, before remembering she hadn’t texted James her address. It would be nice to see him… perhaps he’d stay here the night. She presumed Gina wouldn’t be bothered!

  As she grabbed her phone from her coat pocket, which was hung on the rack in the hallway, there was a knock at the door. “Turn it down Gina!” she shouted - but the volume didn’t change, so she presumed she was unheard again. She opened the door, fully expecting it to be a neighbour complaining about the noise - and nearly shut it again in shock.

  There in front of her, his dark skin contrasting against his light grey coat, was Nathan. There were flecks of snow in his hair, and he wore a slightly pained expression, although he smiled when she met his eye.

  “Hi, Lee. Happy Christmas.”

  She was shocked on so many levels, and a myriad of questions ran through her mind. Why was he here? How did he know where she lived? Why did he have to come now, when she felt happy, when she was moving back to Bristol in a few days?

  “Nathan,” she finally said, unsure which of these questions was the most important. “How did you know where I live?” It was blunt - but it was the one that was bothering her the most.

  “Your mum,” he said with a shrug. “I went round there, begged her to give it to me - she didn’t want to, so don’t blame her.”

  “Why are you here?” It seemed odd that she was speaking to the man she had been married to, the man she had loved, the man she had thought she had known everything about, in the hallway of a block of flats, and in such staccato sentences. But that was where they were.

  “I need to talk to you Lee - can I come in?”

  Part of her wanted to say no; to protect her little haven from the negativity that surrounded him in her mind. But she knew she couldn’t, and so she let him in, watching as he screwed his face up to the deafening blast of Christmas music. She felt like she was betraying herself to do so, but she scurried into the living room and switched it off.

  “Hey!” Gina said, turning to scowl at her. “I was listening to that!”

  “Nathan’s here…” Lee said, raising her eyebrows and opening her eyes wide. Gina’s eyes widened too and her mouth formed an o.

  “I’ll scram,” she said, grabbing a half-eaten packet of crisps from the table and taking it with her to her bedroom. Before she closed the door, she turned round and whispered: “Are you okay?”

  Lee nodded, although she wasn’t sure if that was the truth, and the bedroom door shut. And then Nathan was there, in the living room, having taken an inordinately long time hanging up his coat; she guessed he’d heard her having
a conversation.

  “Do you have company?” he asked, glancing around the living room. She could almost see him judging the brightly coloured throws and the mis-match of furniture.

  “Just my flatmate,” she said, sitting down on the sofa without offering him a seat or a drink. He sat down anyway. “Why are you here, Nathan?” She could hear the exhaustion in her voice; she’d had enough of these feelings, enough of feeling upset and confused over the way her life had panned out. She’d made a decision to move on - and him turning up here certainly wasn’t helping.

  “I made a huge mistake, Lee.” He reached across the sofa to take her hand, but she moved it from his reach; she wasn’t ready for that. He carried on regardless. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I see now I was an idiot - just thinking that the grass was greener. What we had was good, and I ruined it all. Please, Lee - please say I haven’t ruined everything.”