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

by Helen J Rolfe

  ‘Fair enough. You gave me art, I’ll give you a scenic walk. But can we at least eat something before we go on a trek?’

  They found a hot-dog vendor and ordered one each with the lot – onions, mustard, sauce – their fingers enduring the cold without gloves until it was time to screw up the napkins and drop them in the nearest bin.

  They headed into Central Park and even the dreary day couldn’t detract from the beauty of the green space in the middle of Manhattan.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘this way.’ Everyone seemed to be walking or running in one direction around the lake so they followed on and talked about the park some more, what it would look like beneath a foot of snow or when it was icy, they discussed movies they’d seen it in, they talked about snow back in England, school closures when the country came to a halt, how different it was taking a holiday in winter compared to summer.

  They completed the loop of the reservoir, found the exit and he ushered them towards the nearest subway station on 86th Street on the Upper East Side.

  Once the train had whisked them all the way to 14th Street Scarlett began to wonder where they were going. ‘It’s not much farther,’ he told her. ‘Follow me.’

  He led her into the Chelsea Market, the building that housed eateries and small businesses. The smell was wonderful, the atmosphere electric. Behind glass partitions pizza slices were lined up ready for selection, a bakery sold loaves in all shapes and sizes, they were tempted by gelato despite the season, brownies, cupcakes, in this modified building that retained its industrial structure. An Italian eatery offered a range of pasta, different sauces, an abundant choice of cheeses. The markets had pictures on the walls, a signpost for businesses in dark wood with touches of colour, a delicatessen selling things they’d never even heard of and a waterfall unique in its tranquillity. And then they saw it, the sign for the Lobster Place, Seafood Market.

  Scarlett was forever pestering him at home to cook more seafood. She was a much bigger lover of the cuisine than he was, but as they stood at the tables at the back taking apart their lobster and dipping pieces into garlic butter, Nathan was sold. It was hands down the best he’d ever tasted.

  When Scarlett checked her watch for the fourth time – he’d been counting because despite their chatter she was visibly distracted – he asked, ‘Somewhere you need to be?’

  ‘I said I might stop by the Garland Street markets and see Kyle,’ she admitted, eyes not leaving his, most likely waiting for a reaction.

  ‘Fine, let’s go.’

  ‘Seriously?’

  ‘Yep, wouldn’t mind going there myself.’

  ‘Dad, no way. Not if you’re going to start on him again. Just forget it.’ She got back to devouring the remaining pieces of lobster.

  ‘I’m not going to start on him. There’s something I want to do, that’s all.’

  He checked his maps on his phone to make sure they knew which direction to go but when they set off she didn’t delve into his reasons for wanting to go there. He knew he’d made a fool of himself at the party that night and he was embarrassed, particularly because it had happened in front of Amelia, who he’d been enjoying getting to know. Darcy’s comments about a connection between them had been something he dismissed but deep down wondered if she’d read the situation just right. Because the fact was, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  They reached the knitting stall first and it didn’t take long to spot Amelia pushing a knitted item into a bag to hand to a customer. Her dark hair poked out from beneath a burgundy hat and he could see puffs of white air coming from her mouth as she spoke from inside the Swiss-style hut. He didn’t know how these traders managed to stay out in the elements for hours on end, although surely it was good business for nearby cafés and coffee carts.

  ‘I don’t need an audience,’ he whispered to Scarlett before Amelia saw them. ‘You wander and I’ll meet you at the far end by the Christmas tree stall in twenty minutes.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘Never you mind.’

  Amelia spotted him as soon as Scarlett left him to it and she waited until her customer bustled off happy with their purchases. ‘I hope you haven’t come to yell at me again.’

  ‘I’ve come to apologise actually.’

  She couldn’t have looked more surprised. ‘So you admit you overreacted and made a bit of a fool of yourself.’

  ‘Steady on, I’ll apologise, but I’m not going to grovel.’

  A rebuke was on the tip of her tongue, he could tell, but she pressed her lips together firmly for a few seconds and then told him, ‘Fair enough. Apology accepted. But it’s not really me who needs to hear it. He’s at the Christmas tree stall.’

  ‘That’s my next stop. Scarlett’s already headed down that way so she’s probably warning him.’ He picked up some ruby-red gloves with sparkly silver thread running through them. ‘While I’m here, can I take these? For Scarlett’s stocking,’ he explained.

  Amelia softened a little, her green eyes less on the alert for trouble. ‘I miss those days as a kid. The excitement, the anticipation. What else are you putting in there for her?’

  ‘So far I’ve got chocolate, earrings, a keyring of a yellow New York taxi and a miniature manicure set.’

  ‘I’m impressed.’

  ‘You should be.’

  She looked away when another customer cleared his throat as he waited to pay for a sweater. ‘I’d better get on, see you later.’

  He hoped he would. He could’ve stayed chatting to her for much longer.

  When he finally reached the cluster of Christmas trees surrounding the hut and spilling out onto most of the sidewalk, he hung back again. Kyle and Scarlett were talking, laughing about something, and she looked happy, relaxed in his company. Scarlett leaned in to smell the tree Kyle was about to put into the netting machine and it tugged at Nathan’s heartstrings as he remembered how Scarlett had always done the same thing as a kid. She’d toddle up to the tree, right close so her hair got caught on the spiky pine needles, she’d close her eyes and inhale the scent of Christmas. And then she’d turn and smile, the biggest grin across her face. When she was really little it had been a moment that solidified how glad he was she’d come along, despite being unplanned, regardless of whether he and Dawn were ready. And when her mum died it had been the little moments like that that had kept him going.

  From here, Kyle didn’t look like a bad kid as he sipped on the hot drink Scarlett must have taken him. Perspective…that was what his current train of thought called for. It was a shame he hadn’t had any that night at the inn.

  The second Scarlett saw him she came over and hooked her arm through his. ‘Ready.’

  ‘I need to have a word with Kyle.’

  She was trying to pull him away. ‘What? No, you talked to Amelia, that was enough wasn’t it?’

  ‘I’m afraid not.’

  ‘Dad…’

  ‘Don’t worry, he’ll be in one piece when you get back.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll go get us a mulled cider each.’ But she didn’t look at all sure when she walked away.

  Nathan waited for the customer to take the tree Kyle had netted and when Kyle saw him waiting with no Scarlett around to leap to his rescue, he looked as though he was preparing to stick up for himself, standing tall, chest pushed out like a pufferfish doubling in size when it felt threatened.

  ‘Can I have a word?’

  Immediately defensive, Kyle’s only response was, ‘Why?’

  ‘I wanted to apologise. I was out of order at the party.’

  Kyle lined up Christmas trees to cover the gap that had just been made by the sale, feigning nonchalance the best he could now instead of looking ready for a fight.

  ‘Scarlett seems to like you,’ Nathan tried again even though Kyle had his back to him. ‘I think we got off on the wrong foot.’

  ‘You accused me of stealing, when you saw me in the park.’ He was fiddling with the bottom branches of a tree Nath
an suspected didn’t need attention at all.

  ‘Kind of understandable given our history, though, don’t you think?’ He got no response. ‘I’m sorry if I got it wrong this time.’

  When Kyle stood up to full height he wasn’t far off Nathan’s six foot two. ‘If you got it wrong?’ Pufferfish was back.

  ‘Look, I’m trying to apologise. I made assumptions at the park, and I really shouldn’t have gone off at you at the party. But I do worry about my daughter. And that’s the part I won’t apologise for.’

  Kyle backed down. ‘She’s a nice girl.’

  ‘I know she is.’ And he wanted her to stay that way. She was good at school, she worked hard, she was carving out a future. Kyle on the other hand had a past that had left him angry and, from what Nathan knew already, it was enough to give him cause to worry. He never wanted Scarlett to be collateral damage in whatever was going on in Kyle’s life.

  Scarlett appeared and thrust a cup of hot mulled cider into his hand, probably in case he was tempted to manhandle Kyle. Which he wouldn’t. He was just a kid.

  ‘Everything OK?’ Scarlett looked from boyfriend to dad and back again.

  ‘We’re good, aren’t we, Kyle?’ said Nathan.

  Kyle shrugged but it must’ve been Scarlett’s influence when he held out a hand to Nathan. ‘No hard feelings,’ he said.

  Not yet there weren’t. But Nathan shook his hand anyway.

  *

  Nathan did his own thing for the next hour. He wandered along to Union Square Park. Although wandered probably wasn’t the right word. With Christmas less than a week away the crowds in Manhattan seemed to have doubled. The streets were full of colour, life, excitement, but he wasn’t brave enough to tackle these holiday markets. Instead, he was content to absorb the atmosphere from the perimeter. A tree with coloured lights illuminated the velvet sky interspersed with towering blocks that made up the city. He watched a street entertainer, a one-man band playing a bright-red guitar, blowing into a harmonica, using feet attached to strings to play the drums fastened to his back. And when he’d had enough of sightseeing, Nathan eventually made his way back to the Garland Street markets, where he’d agreed to meet Scarlett at the Christmas tree chalet.

  When Amelia beckoned him as he sneaked a glance at the knitting stall when he walked by, he couldn’t say he was sorry. She handed her customer some change and turned to him. ‘Did you catch up with Kyle?’ She was a good auntie and her commitment to family was something to admire. He’d had his parents in his corner his whole life; it was good that Kyle had someone to look out for him too.

  ‘I did.’

  ‘And…’ Her impatience was amusing.

  ‘Are you worried things got heated?’

  She battled a smile. ‘A little.’

  ‘Don’t worry, we’re cool.’

  ‘Cool? Just like that, you’re fine with him, with him and Scarlett?’

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far, but they’re on holiday, I’m going to do my best to appreciate the location and the time away from work and stop worrying so much.’

  ‘Liar.’

  His laughter echoed around the inside of the chalet, mingled with puffs of cool white air against Manhattan’s chill. ‘I’m doing my best here, all right?’ He was about to ask her how business was going, settle into a conversation like the one they’d had at the inn when they were relaxed and getting to know each other, when his phone pinged with a message from Scarlett. ‘She wants to head out to Connecticut tomorrow,’ he related. ‘Although I’m not sure why when she’s in New York City. Seems like the dull option to me.’

  Amelia pulled a face. ‘That’s possibly my fault.’ She straightened a purple sweater at the front so it sat comfortably next to a smooth mint-green one. She tucked in the sleeve beneath a sky-blue woollen cardigan that a customer must’ve unravelled. ‘Scarlett and Kyle came by a minute ago on their way back from grabbing hot chocolates and she heard us talking about going to Inglenook Falls.’

  He took a deep breath as he made the connection to something Darcy had mentioned to him once. ‘Kyle is going to the Christmas tree farm,’ he concluded, adding Darcy’s name to the mix to explain how he already knew.

  ‘I think it’ll be good for Kyle to spend the day at the farm. Mitch said he’ll let him use the axe to chop up logs they sell there too.’

  ‘Does he realise how hard that is?’

  ‘You’ve chopped wood?’

  ‘Tried it once.’ He flexed his muscles but his jacket was zipped up tight, which didn’t make it easy. ‘You’re right, though, a bit of grafting will probably do him good. Although you’re not really selling the idea to me, sending Scarlett off with a boy I’m unsure about and one who will soon be wielding an axe.’

  ‘Give him a chance.’

  ‘I think he might’ve refused my apology had Scarlett not been standing there.’

  ‘He takes a while to warm to people, especially those who might have prejudged him.’

  ‘Can you blame me when we’ve crossed paths before?’

  ‘I guess not.’ She broke the conversation to sell a fawn scarf with matching gloves to a customer and when the transaction was made said, ‘He’ll move on soon enough, he’s not one to hold a grudge. And he and Scarlett might think they’re all grown up but really they’re still kids, and vulnerable at that.’

  ‘They have all the confidence, not always all of the common sense.’

  ‘Totally agree,’ she smiled.

  ‘There’s a first time for everything.’

  Amelia was a beautiful woman when she wasn’t scowling or when his vision wasn’t clouded by a teen about to get his own teen in trouble. Her wavy dark hair was held in place beneath her woolly hat and every now and then she swished a bit away from where it was making her chin itch. She wore deep-red lipstick he’d noticed at the party but here it seemed brighter, glossier beneath the light globes dotted at intervals up one side of the pointed chalet roof and down the other.

  ‘I’d be happy to watch out for Scarlett tomorrow,’ Amelia assured him. ‘I’ll be in Inglenook Falls checking out their markets, catching up with my friend Cleo at her knitting stall. Scarlett can spend time with Kyle or with me and it’s only a small town, she’ll be very safe.’ She served another couple of customers and when he told her he should go to meet Scarlett she stepped out of the chalet after him. ‘Why don’t you join us tomorrow? Come to Connecticut.’

  ‘Scarlett would love that,’ he laughed.

  ‘Don’t make out you’re only going to keep an eye on her. Tell her you want to see Inglenook Falls for yourself after you heard so many good things about it at the party.’

  ‘Which I did. It sounds like a slice of America that’s a little different to the big city.’

  ‘Exactly. And this way you get to spend time with your daughter, you see a new place, and you won’t be pacing the sidewalk here, wondering what she’s doing and whether Kyle has mastered the use of an axe.’

  ‘OK, you’re on.’

  ‘Great,’ she smiled. ‘Then we’ll meet you both in Inglenook Falls. Kyle and Scarlett can text the exact arrangements.’

  ‘Or we can too, if you give me your number.’ He was pretty sure he noticed a contented smile as she took out her phone and texted him when he told her his own number. ‘Sorted, see you tomorrow.’

  And when he walked away he felt as though he’d just arranged a date. Only it wasn’t an official date, and they’d have a couple of teenagers on the periphery.

  *

  Scarlett took his suggestion of going with her to Inglenook Falls well. And now here they were. It was ridiculously early, a few days before Christmas Eve, and the journey here had granted them icy scenery, glistening frost and the promise of snow on the air. Inglenook Falls was as quaint as it had sounded from the descriptions, and as they walked from the station and saw the green sign welcoming them to town, he could see a green space dusted in white ahead of them, a bandstand with lights and garlands wound around it. They ha
d a brief check-out of Main Street and its café, a handful of shops, and got their bearings before they found the track that they needed to follow to reach Mitch’s Christmas tree farm.

  Mitch was already standing on the porch of the little log cabin, leaning against one of the posts and sipping a cup of steaming coffee. ‘Welcome!’ He raised his other hand as he stepped down to greet them. ‘You found the place OK?’

  ‘Easy enough.’ Nathan shook his hand in greeting. ‘It’s pretty wonderful out here.’

  ‘Bit different to the city, eh?’ Mitch held up his cup. ‘Coffee?’

  ‘No, don’t want to put you to any trouble, I’ll head off to the café. I saw one on Main Street.’ He had plans to meet up with Amelia, not that he’d let it slip to Scarlett. On the train this morning he’d gazed out of the window wondering how he could’ve gone for years in England never finding anyone to get serious about, yet here in another country entirely he’d found a woman he was interested in getting to know better. Maybe that was why holiday romances were a thing. Your guard was down, you were more open to possibilities.

  ‘Enid at the café will sort you out,’ Mitch advised, ‘but don’t go for a brownie, they’re addictive.’

  ‘I appreciate the warning.’

  The pretty auburn-haired woman, Holly, who he’d met at the party emerged from one of the sheds next to the log cabin holding a big painting .

  ‘What’s it a painting of?’ Scarlett asked Holly, her interest piqued.

  ‘It’s Main Street, Inglenook Falls.’

  ‘We saw the bandstand on our way here,’ Scarlett smiled. ‘Although it was dusted in frost, not like this painting where it’s bathed in sunlight. I love the contrast.’

  Holly pointed out the bakery on the painting, Marlo’s café, and the gap leading to a guesthouse that was set back enough that they hadn’t noticed it earlier when they were on Main Street itself.