Christmas Promises at the Garland Street Markets: A feel good Christmas romance (New York Ever After, Book 5)

by Helen J Rolfe

  Ruby brightened even more as they went through a rack of wedding gowns, each one heavy to move aside. They talked colour themes. They looked through A-line dresses, ballgown style – the ultimate fairy-tale dress with the full floaty skirt – they looked at the more bouffant styles, those with a bustle, some with box pleats. The store had so much it was quite overwhelming.

  Serenity gave them their space but when she sensed they needed help she was there, adjusting the tape measure that had slipped slightly from its position hanging around her neck. ‘May I ask where the wedding is going to be?’

  ‘I haven’t sorted that yet,’ said Cleo. ‘Having it next December is as far as we got.’

  Serenity blew out from between her lips. ‘You sort this one out,’ she told Ruby. ‘She wants a December wedding and hasn’t booked it yet? Good luck.’

  Ruby giggled.

  ‘Do you think I’ll get somewhere?’ Suddenly Cleo felt the urgency.

  ‘If you’re flexible with days you might, but don’t leave it much longer.’

  ‘Can I help you choose somewhere?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘You know what?’ She touched a hand to Ruby’s long hair, almost the same shade as her own. ‘I’d really love that. We could make this our project. I’m going to need a lot of help as I’ve got way too much to do as usual. My fault, I keep saying yes to things.’

  ‘Like the market.’

  ‘Do you mind me doing it?’ Cleo asked when she got the feeling the reminder had jolted something for Ruby.

  Ruby shook her head and got straight back to dress discussions with Serenity as though she was a mini wedding planner. They looked at gowns with beading, lace, tulle, those for a fuller figure, others for the petite bride, some for women who were an hourglass shape. They waded through white, cream, blush pink and champagne dresses and Cleo was none the wiser as to what she wanted to go for.

  Serenity swooped in with the offer of a glass of fizz but Cleo turned it down in favour of treats at a café very soon.’ She tried to gauge whether Ruby was getting fed up or not but she seemed more animated than she’d been in a long while. Cleo would have to thank Amelia for the very simple suggestion of making a day for her and Ruby, just the two of them. It was obvious when you thought about it, but Cleo had needed someone else who wasn’t involved to point her in the right direction.’

  ‘OK, Ruby, I think it’s time to move on and look at bridesmaid dresses.’ Ruby’s smile warmed Cleo’s heart.

  They went through the bridesmaid dresses on display, Serenity explaining that plenty were hired or they could be specially made if needs be. There were so many colours, some gorgeous, others hideous, although Cleo was thankful Ruby didn’t voice her opinions of those too loudly but instead shared a little smile and moved on to the next.

  Ruby’s enthusiasm grew when they saw the midnight-blue dress hanging at the end of a collection. It had a scoop neck, lace and tulle, beading, and Cleo knew from the little girl’s reaction that it was exactly what she was looking for.

  ‘How about we go buy some bridal magazines from the kiosk we just walked past?’ Cleo suggested to Ruby. ‘We’ll buy a big notebook too, and then we can sit in a nice café, drink hot chocolate and make more plans.’

  ‘Mum said I wasn’t to badger you all afternoon, what with the market stall.’ Ruby’s gaze dropped from the dress to the floor. ‘She told me to call her if you had to get back.’

  ‘The market stall is in good hands,’ Cleo assured her. She thought Prue knew the deal but she clearly hadn’t listened to Dylan properly. ‘You’re stuck with me for the rest of the day, Amelia and Kaisha have the Garland Street markets covered, and we’ll go home on the train together. But only when we’re ready.’

  Before they left the boutique Cleo booked another appointment for January, on a Saturday so Ruby could definitely come along too, and Serenity told her, ‘Promise me you’ll book your venue before I next see you.’

  ‘I’ll make sure she does,’ said Ruby, making Cleo share a smile with Serenity at how beyond her years the little girl sounded. The Ruby who’d always been so amenable and had loved Cleo from the start was still in there somewhere, she just knew it.

  They picked up four bridal magazines, plenty to leaf through in the café, and Ruby found a pretty A4-sized notebook plus a pen with a big fluffy pink topper on the end for them to use to make their plans.

  Ruby had already scribbled plenty in the notebook by the time Cleo brought over their order of hot chocolates topped with a swirl of fresh cream and a bowl of marshmallows on the side.

  ‘This magazine is all about themes,’ Ruby told her as she flipped through the pages pausing when something caught her eye.

  ‘Colours, you mean?’

  ‘No, themes,’ she said with exaggerated impatience. ‘There’s something called rustic, what’s that?’

  ‘Darcy’s wedding was rustic, casual too, and very beautiful.’

  ‘You could have a garden wedding.’

  ‘In winter?’

  ‘Or romantic, or vintage. Why don’t we brainstorm venues?’

  Cleo’s laugh nearly blew the cream from the top of her drink as she lifted it to her mouth. ‘Since when do you use the word brainstorm?’

  ‘I heard Dad talking with someone on the phone the other day.’

  That explained it. ‘Right, then let’s brainstorm.’ She tried to turn serious but Ruby sounded way beyond her years with this discussion, something Cleo felt sure was an influence from Prue, who thought a ten-year-old needed to eat out at classy restaurants and have their nails and hair done rather than run around in the woods or kick through great piles of leaves in the fall like Dylan and Cleo would let her do. ‘Where do you suggest?’

  ‘There’s the new hotel with the spa,’ Ruby began. ‘Mom took us for pedicures and manicures.’

  ‘The Corbridge Hotel might be a bit too fancy for what your dad and I are looking for, but write it down.’ It could be an option and the foyer was indeed beautiful, especially with the roaring fire and ornate surround.

  ‘What about Central Park?’

  She smiled at her little organiser. ‘I’d love to have it somewhere so beautiful, but it’s a little far out for our local guests to go. But jot it down anyway,’ she encouraged, ‘you’re on a roll.’

  Ruby seemed pleased with how this was going too.

  ‘There’s a manor in Bampton,’ Cleo suggested, ‘smaller than the hotel, but it could work. I think they do weddings on the veranda.’

  Ruby scribbled it down. ‘What about the same place as Darcy?’

  ‘It’s an option, it was a stunning venue, but I think I’d rather have something different to my friend.’

  Ruby didn’t write it down. ‘I didn’t like having my party at the same place as a girl in my class. She had her party first so everyone had already been when it was my turn.’

  ‘That sucks.’ They carried on brainstorming. Cleo thought hard. ‘Write down Country Club. There’s a club about twenty miles out of Inglenook Falls and I know they do amazing functions including weddings, large and small, so that might be an option.’

  ‘What about the Plaza?’ Ruby’s eyes widened.

  Cleo stopped drinking her hot chocolate. ‘‘I think it’s way out of my budget.’

  ‘Can I write it down anyway?’ Ruby’s pen was poised.

  ‘Sure. That’s what you do when you brainstorm. You write down whatever comes to mind, then go back to the ideas and work out if they’re feasible or not.’ And as they carried on talking , it was more about this, the bonding between them both rather than the choice of venue that had Cleo wanting to make the moment last.

  ‘Would you get married in England? Like in a big castle or something.’

  ‘It didn’t really cross my mind. Our lives are here, and with your grandad and Teresa coming over next winter it seemed a good time to do it here.’

  Ruby flipped the page of the notebook. ‘Can we talk about dresses?’

  ‘We’re done with loc
ation?’

  ‘For now.’

  Cleo smiled. ‘Fair enough. So are we talking your dress or mine?’

  ‘Yours first.’ She turned serious as they ploughed through various styles, colours, cuts and photographs of accessories. ‘What colour if you can’t wear white?’

  ‘And why wouldn’t I wear white?’ Cleo quizzed.

  Ruby shrugged. ‘Mum says if you’ve been married before, then you can’t. And you’re not allowed a veil either.’

  Prue. Again. Bonding like this, she’d almost forgotten Ruby wasn’t her own daughter, but facts were facts, and Prue would always be there butting in when it wasn’t wanted.

  ‘I think once upon a time that might have been the case, but nowadays you can do anything.’

  ‘Like getting married under water, or in a windmill, or on a beach.’

  ‘Exactly. Although it might be a bit cold to head to the beach in December,’ she smiled.

  They carried on planning, flipping through the pages together, Ruby totally on board. But Cleo wasn’t daft. She knew that as time went on and the wedding approached, Prue would be doing her best to come between them in whatever way she could. Jealousy had reared its ugly head and while Dylan thought his ex-wife had moved on and wasn’t interested in what he did anymore, Cleo could tell that she still harboured some resentment and seemed intent on doing what she could to upset the equilibrium they’d managed to achieve with their blended family.

  Maybe Amelia had some advice about ex-wives as well as the psychology of kids. Because she could really use some pointers right now.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nathan

  If he could turn back the clock he would’ve kept his big mouth shut with Scarlett the night he admitted his true feelings, how being a dad had come at totally the wrong time and if he could’ve done it differently he would have. But his biggest regret in life wasn’t that they’d had a baby, it was that he’d been too immature to handle it properly and had been absent at times when he really should have been around. And being pulled up on that particular failure by his own daughter hurt more than anything.

  Breakfast at the Inglenook Inn was a quiet affair this morning, as it had been for the last week since he and Scarlett had had the confrontation, and it wasn’t making for a pleasant holiday.

  ‘I’m sorry about what I said,’ he told Scarlett, again. He’d tried so many times to apologise but she was stubborn, something he knew she got from him.

  ‘About not wanting me, you mean.’

  ‘You’re sixteen, not six, I know you don’t believe that.’

  ‘I suppose not.’

  He hated to admit it but maybe it was time with Kyle and without her dad that had calmed Scarlett down. She hadn’t said that was who she was seeing, how she was filling her free time, but it was kind of obvious. ‘Not being there for you when you were little will always be my biggest regret.’

  ‘Is that why you’re so overbearing now?’

  ‘I wouldn’t say I was overbearing, but I guess it’s why I’m so obsessed with trying extra hard to help you make good decisions.’

  ‘And not make the same mistakes,’ she added for good measure.

  ‘I want what’s best for you.’

  ‘And what about school? Do you think I’m making a mistake wanting to take my passion for art further? I’ve been looking at universities, you know.’

  ‘I know, I’ve seen you googling them. I’d love to be involved if you’ll let me.’ He scraped together the last mouthful of toast and egg sunny side up, its yolk smeared across the plate. ‘We could go look at some. I can take some days off work, make sure you’re making an informed choice.’

  ‘Sounds good, unless it’s all a ploy to make me choose something I don’t really want to do.’

  ‘I’ll do my best to embrace what it is that you want, and how about we make the choice together?’

  She didn’t seem keen. ‘This is why we never talk about it. It always comes down to what you think I should do. You say we’ll choose together, but together really means I get an opinion, but your word will be final.’

  He didn’t have a chance to deny it before she stropped away from the dining room, past the Christmas tree decorated just as beautifully as the one in the lounge. He put his cutlery together on his plate as Darcy appeared with a coffee.

  ‘I didn’t order that,’ he told her.

  ‘You didn’t but I’m bringing it anyway. And my company if you need it, though happy if you don’t.’

  He gestured for her to sit down. ‘What is it with teens? One minute you feel like you’re making headway, the next…’ He looked towards the empty hallway his daughter had just stomped along to get to the stairs that would take her up to their suite. ‘This holiday seems to be pushing us further apart rather than closer together.’

  ‘From my experience, daughters and fathers will always fall out when it comes to boys. I can’t say my dad was ever that happy when I brought someone home. Even when I introduced Myles to the family, Dad took a while to warm to him. It’s a dad thing.’

  ‘It’s hard, that’s what it is.’

  ‘It must be hard being a single parent,’ she said.

  He added cream to his coffee but no sugar. ‘It is.’

  ‘Girls need their mom. Myles told me about your wife, I’m sorry.’

  ‘Thank you. It’s not been the easiest of roads for Scarlett. I know I haven’t helped matters but since Dawn died I’ve been doing my best.’

  ‘Are you worried about her interest in Kyle?’

  ‘I don’t want Scarlett to make the same mistakes as her mum and I did.’

  ‘And you think she might with Kyle? Have you told her?’

  ‘Yes, and I shouldn’t have done because she twisted it around to mean I didn’t want her.’

  ‘She surely doesn’t believe that.’

  ‘No, of course she doesn’t. But she did use the conversation to point out how crap a dad I was to her when she was little. I was young and I didn’t handle the responsibility all that well. I went out a lot, I partied, I did as many extra hours at work as I could.’

  ‘A career can be a great escape, take it from someone who knows. But for what it’s worth, Kyle doesn’t seem a bad kid and he seems to really like Scarlett. And Mitch is impressed with the job he’s doing helping at the Garland Street markets. He’s even invited Kyle out to Inglenook Falls to help at his farm and see what it’s all about. I think the kid needs a focus. I’m not here to sell him to you, but maybe give him a chance. I’m pretty sure he won’t be kissing Scarlett again without checking where you are first.’

  ‘I’m really sorry, again, that I made such a scene at the party.’ He cringed, thinking of all their faces when he lost his temper.

  ‘Don’t be silly, you did no such thing.’ A smile began to form.

  ‘What’s that look for?’

  ‘The Inglenook Inn actually has a bit of a history.’

  ‘In fist fights?’

  ‘No, in romantic liaisons. Myles and I hated each other when we first met – long story – but he proposed on the stoop on Christmas Day. Mitch and Holly took a while to get to where they are now and they made it up here at the inn when he surprised her at one of our parties. A couple here for Thanksgiving got engaged by the Christmas tree. Maybe this place is a good omen for Kyle and Scarlett.’

  ‘You’re saying I should let this thing between them run its course.’

  ‘Why not? They’re young, they’re having fun.’

  ‘You might be right.’

  ‘Don’t forget to make time for yourself too.’

  ‘I’m seeing plenty while I’m here.’

  ‘That’s not quite what I meant. A certain woman, also from England, seemed taken with you at the party.’

  ‘Amelia? No, we were just talking.’

  ‘Trust me, the look she gave you told me it could be more than that. Don’t shut yourself off to possibilities, that’s all I’m saying.’

  When Darcy
got on with the task of talking with Rupert about the menu for that evening, Nathan headed up to the suite. Scarlett had pulled on sparkly socks and was sitting by the tree using her phone. He wondered what would happen if he was brutally honest about what really frightened him about Kyle. But how could he? He may have wronged Scarlett by not being there for her when she was little, but how could he explain the extent of his fuck ups? How could he tell her that what really worried him about Kyle was that he saw a lot of himself in the boy and he didn’t want her dragged into any kind of mess. Nathan had been lucky, his parents had stuck by him and bailed him out countless times, they’d set him on a path to sort his life out. If they hadn’t, he may have ended up living a totally different life; he could’ve got himself into so much trouble he would’ve ended up in prison, not university. And Scarlett wouldn’t have wanted to have known him then.

  *

  The tension between Nathan and Scarlett didn’t ease much when they headed to the Guggenheim Museum. He tried to make conversation when they arrived in the foyer with its spiralled layers going up and up and people looking down at them as they made the adventure all the way towards the top.

  He did his best to make semi-intelligent remarks as they looked at painting after painting, sculptures he was indifferent to. But what the visit did do, as he watched his daughter talking with someone who worked there about a particular artist she admired, was bring it home to him how fast she was becoming her own person. She always had been independent-minded but now he was starting to see that it was time to embrace her opinions more, respect them even, and, while guiding her, let her make her own decisions. He needed to work out the magical balance between laying down the law and backing off enough to let her find her way.

  When they emerged from the building and the bite of the New York winter got them both straight away, Scarlett suggested they go to see Carrie’s brownstone, from Sex and the City. She’d gone from art lover to television devotee in an instant. ‘Let’s do it before the rain starts again,’ she urged.

  An hour ago the heavens had opened and it had been lashing down as they took refuge in the café area of the Guggenheim and wondered how long they would have to hover to avoid getting a soaking when they left. ‘Why don’t we walk round the Central Park Reservoir first? I need a breather before we go full-on into tacky girls’ television mode.’