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

by Helen J Rolfe

  ‘Did you paint this?’ Scarlett asked.

  Holly grinned and looked to Mitch. ‘I didn’t.’

  ‘Guilty.’ Mitch lifted the coffee cup into the air by way of acknowledgement. ‘Bit of a hobby of mine. It needs work but Holly thinks it’s finished so she’s insisting we put it up inside.’

  ‘He’s far too modest,’ Holly reprimanded, but landed a kiss on Mitch’s cheek. ‘He’s a brilliant artist, and he made this frame too.’

  Nathan was even more impressed as he looked at the cedar wood surrounding the work of art. ‘Painting, frames and a Christmas tree business.’ He whistled through his teeth. ‘You’ve got your work cut out.’

  ‘Good job I enjoy what I do.’ Mitch knocked back the rest of his coffee, did up his jacket and pulled on gloves before the winter chill could get to him. ‘And as a side business, the painting and the frames do quite well.’ He told Nathan all about a couple of exhibitions he’d had in the city, how he sold frames in a few stores in Connecticut now business was picking up, as well as at holiday markets.

  ‘And what about this place?’ Nathan asked. ‘Is it a year-round job?’

  ‘It sure is. I sold off a bit of the land but the rest takes a lot of work. Lucky for me my son comes up regularly and Jude, a kid I’ve known a while, helps out. I recently opened up to the public to come choose a tree from here, so it’s been a bit of a change, especially with the markets in Manhattan to deal with too.’

  Holly had emerged from the cabin minus the painting but with a camera strap hooked around her neck. ‘I’m off to take some pictures of the Inglenook Falls markets. Scarlett, you’re welcome to join me if your dad doesn’t mind.’

  ‘Another time?’ Scarlett ventured.

  ‘I’ll hold you to that,’ Holly smiled.

  ‘Kyle is already out in the fields.’ Mitch picked up on the reason she didn’t want to go with Holly. ‘I’ll take you to him.’

  Nathan didn’t want to hang around like a spare part so he followed Holly up a different, much steeper, track to the one they’d come down to get here. She told him how she’d tumbled down it once before, which was how she’d met Mitch.

  ‘I literally fell into his life,’ she laughed, leading the way, avoiding any patches of ground between trees that had iced over. ‘It’s our little joke.’ She stopped and they turned so the little log cabin could just about be seen down below. ‘He’s a good man. I didn’t think so at first but he really is kind. He’ll look after Scarlett, so please don’t worry.’

  ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘Yes,’ she smiled. ‘Come on, this way is much quicker, Main Street is just up there.’ She pointed towards where a sunbeam highlighted a long path.

  They parted ways at the top and Nathan took in the beauty of Main Street, the roofs glistening in the wintry air, people huddled up against the season’s chill and chattering away to one another as they went about their business. There was none of the urgency of Manhattan, no battling a hectic city in a biting wind, and somehow the cold here still managed to coax a smile. He hadn’t thought places like Inglenook Falls existed anymore, but the charm of a small town was strongly present with its old-fashioned shops and creaking awnings, the little green where a group of kids chased each other, the vehicles that passed through Main Street with an apologetic politeness compared to the bullying traffic of Manhattan.

  He wasn’t meeting Amelia for another forty minutes so he walked towards the markets he could see in the distance and passed beneath the arched entrance sign, some of Mitch’s trees for sale on either side. It was early enough for the ground to still have the crunch of frost beneath his feet but the market was beginning to bustle with stallholders lining up their wares, greeting customers, making the most of the last few days before Christmas.

  When he saw Amelia Nathan hung back and watched her perusing the chocolate stall. He couldn’t deny how much he’d been looking forward to seeing her today, how it felt a bit like a date. On holiday or not, he’d found a woman he wanted to get to know much better. And he wondered whether she possibly felt the same way.

  Chapter Twelve

  Amelia

  Amelia waved over at Nathan when she noticed him hovering near the roast-chestnut cart. She let a laugh escape when he stumbled on the less-than-even grass beneath, looking as though he’d had one too many at this early hour.

  ‘I’m glad my clumsiness amuses you.’ He quickly righted himself and made his way over.

  ‘You were a bit comical, I’m afraid, arms waving everywhere.’

  ‘Not quite the impression I was going for.’

  ‘You’ve got to watch the ground here, it’s uneven and you can’t see when it’s frosty. I stumbled about ten minutes before you did.’ She looked around them, stallholders embracing the season, visitors milling and moving excitedly from one stall to the next. ‘What do you think to Inglenook Falls? Bit different to the city, isn’t it?’

  ‘Completely different, and in a good way. I’m glad I came.’

  She stood on tiptoes and pointed back towards the entrance, where across the street there was a small row of shops and you could just about make out signage for Cleo’s store. ‘That’s the Little Knitting Box, where I’ve been helping out as well as bringing boxes of stock over here from. Did you and Scarlett find the Christmas tree farm all right?’

  ‘We did, and I’m sure Scarlett is in good hands.’

  ‘You’re not worrying too much?’

  ‘Not right now, no.’

  The way he was looking at her suggested she was as much of a distraction for him as he was for her. His company would stop her worrying about Kyle so much. ‘Kyle said he’d be finished with Mitch around four o’clock.’

  ‘He’ll be exhausted after a full day. I wonder if Scarlett will attempt any lifting or chopping.’

  ‘You never know.’

  He seemed a lot calmer about them spending time together, which was a relief. She gestured towards the market stalls. ‘Were you looking for anything in particular today?’

  ‘I’m just killing time really.’

  ‘Come on, I’ve done the rounds already. Do you like cheese?’

  ‘As a matter of fact I do.’

  ‘Then I’ve just the place.’

  Over the next hour they savoured many of the tastes on offer at the winter markets, their first stop spent sampling cheeses, the stronger the better, although one variety nearly knocked his head off with the chilli hit he hadn’t expected. Amelia had done her best not to laugh too hard and cautiously took a bite of the same variety. They enjoyed a mulled cider each, tasted chocolates in all shapes and sizes, one so rich Nathan drew the line at having any more.

  ‘This is starting to become an eating holiday,’ he declared when they passed the knitting stall and waved a hello to Cleo.

  ‘They have the most amazing doughnuts at the end.’

  ‘No way, I’m done. And please tell me it’s almost time to warm up at the café, I can hardly feel my toes.’

  ‘Drama queen.’

  She loved how he was open to trying new things. Paul had always been what he declared a traditionalist. He liked fancy restaurants but kept his choices conservative; when he enjoyed wine he stuck to blends and varieties he knew. But Nathan seemed to go with the flow. Paul had never been able to handle spicy food so wouldn’t have tried a crumb of the hot cheese. Mind you, perhaps Nathan was regretting it given how quickly he’d downed the cider straight afterwards.

  They moved on to a stall with picture frames and Amelia told him this was Mitch’s work.

  ‘He’s a talented man,’ said Nathan.

  ‘It was once a secret hobby, according to Cleo – I’ve been with her all morning, she’s updated me on so much local gossip that I feel as though I could slot right in here as one of them.’

  They walked back to the entrance, where Mitch’s Christmas trees were being snapped up and Nathan was able to direct someone to the Christmas tree farm as they wanted to select their own. And wh
en both admitted they’d put a tree in their accommodation in the city, Amelia laughed. ‘I had no intention of doing so. I figured there would be so many to admire around Manhattan.’

  ‘Same here. I was going to make do with enjoying the tree in the communal lounge and the other in the dining room, but Scarlett was having none of it.’

  ‘Kyle hasn’t always had the best Christmases and I thought perhaps we both needed it.’

  ‘Why do you need it?’

  ‘Long story.’ She looked away as they walked across the street. ‘Why don’t we go to the café? Never mind your feet, my fingers are cold even through these gloves.’

  ‘New York winters are a shock to the system,’ he agreed. ‘I’ve heard February is worse.’

  ‘Still hoping for snow though,’ she smiled.

  Seated in Marlo’s and welcomed by a woman called Enid who wanted to know their connection with the town, they ordered a couple of coffees and passed on any food when she offered and so she left them to it. ‘I’m hoping to take Scarlett for an Italian meal tonight, if it’s not too dull for her to go out with her old man. She might get a better offer.’

  Amelia sipped her coffee tentatively but it was way too hot yet. ‘Are you asking me if Kyle already has plans?’

  ‘I suppose I am.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep him busy and I think he’ll be knackered anyway after working at the farm. I’m pretty tired myself after the early start, so I’m planning on Chinese takeaway from the place Cleo recommended. I’m going to eat it out of those quintessentially New York white cardboard boxes with the little metal handles.’

  ‘Sounds better than my idea. Maybe sitting in a swanky restaurant with my teen could be a step too far.’

  ‘Are you inviting yourself?’

  ‘I promise I wasn’t. And as much as Scarlett wants to see Kyle, she wouldn’t want me hanging around.’

  ‘Maybe another time.’ She was disappointed. Having adult company was nice. She hadn’t realised how taxing it would be emotionally to spend a lot of time not only with a teen but worrying about him too. Having Nathan there as a buffer and Kyle distracted with Scarlett would be a complete break from it all. Plus, Nathan was good company. And not bad to look at either. Cleo had been teasing her this morning about how long she’d chatted with him at the inn, but she had so much to focus on right now, getting involved would only complicate things.

  He relaxed against the back of his chair. ‘Tell me then, why do you need to get away from it all?’

  ‘A couple of reasons.’ Her coffee was still too hot to hide behind so she settled for clasping her hands around it instead.

  ‘I’m a good listener, promise.’ He held up a hand to stop her listing all the examples of this not being the case at all. ‘Try me.’

  ‘I went through a breakup six months ago. Since then I’ve been a bit all over the place.’

  ‘You don’t seem the type of person to fall apart.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say I fell apart, but I’d been with Paul for five years and I really thought he was the one. He’s a few years older than me, he was more settled than anyone else I’d ever been out with, he had his own place, he wasn’t a lad who was going to cheat. I’d had that experience once before.’

  ‘What went wrong?’

  ‘I still don’t know. He said we wanted different things. To me, we wanted the same, but clearly somewhere along the line I got my wires crossed. He also thought I put everyone else first, before him.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘Sometimes, yes.’

  ‘Have you seen him since?’

  ‘No. I moved out of his place, back to my flat after I gave my tenants notice, and slowly I’ve been getting back to normal. But it was what you might call an abrupt breakup. Usually there’s a more specific reason or there’s an affair. I still don’t feel as though I fully understand why he ended it.’ She grinned and shook her head. ‘Would you listen to me? You’d think I was the only person who’d ever been dumped. He gave me his reasons, perhaps I’m just choosing not to see them properly.’

  ‘You need to talk to him again, find out for sure. Then you can move on.’

  ‘I don’t know, maybe it’s better to be ignorant.’

  ‘Give me your phone, I’ll message him.’

  Giggling, she pushed his hand away and lowered her voice when Enid looked interested at the change in atmosphere. ‘You will not.’

  ‘But you still have his number, right?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So ask him. Text and demand an answer. What’s the worst he could do? Ignore you?’

  ‘He could reply and I might not like it.’

  ‘Then I’ll meet you in the city, get you horribly drunk and you can take it from there.’

  Her insides did a loop-the-loop at his suggestion of taking her out.

  ‘Come on, Amelia, get the closure you deserve.’ He nodded towards the phone she’d left on the table in case Kyle called.

  With a deep breath she picked up the phone, tapped out a quick message asking for an explanation and pressed send before she could change her mind. With a nervous laugh she put it face down on the table again as though by hiding the display she could avoid his reply when, or indeed if, it came.

  ‘Well done. Feel better?’

  ‘In a weird way I really do. I should’ve done that a long time ago.’

  ‘No, wouldn’t have worked, you weren’t ready. But now, you are.’

  ‘What makes you so sure?’

  ‘Whoever you were when you were with him, I get the feeling it wasn’t the same girl as the one sitting opposite me now. Am I right?’

  ‘I suppose you are.’ He barely knew her yet he was spot on. Connie had said something similar to her when she and Paul first broke up. She’d said that he was always trying to turn her into the person he wanted, the type of girlfriend who complemented him, rather than let her be a person in her own right. At the time Amelia thought her sister was being dramatic and she was too devastated to really consider what she meant. But now Amelia saw that perhaps Connie had made a really astute point. And it had taken Amelia thousands of miles and a stranger to point it out, for her to really get it.

  ‘So what’s the other reason?’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘You said there were a couple of reasons for you needing this break.’

  Sitting opposite him this close made her nervous, but she’d shared so much already, she may as well confide everything now. ‘I got into a bit of trouble at work.’

  ‘And what is it you do?’

  ‘I’m a youth worker.’ She waited for Enid to wipe the table next to them, wondering whether she was attempting to eavesdrop and feed the local gossip mill.

  ‘I’m not surprised, you’re a bit of a natural.’

  ‘I wouldn’t go that far, especially these days. My problem lately is that I get too involved in my cases.’

  ‘I would’ve thought that was a prerequisite.’

  ‘Calling a kid’s mother unsavoury names wasn’t exactly in the job description.’

  ‘What did you call her?’ The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement when she reiterated what she’d said. ‘I can see why she and your boss may have taken exception.’

  ‘I shouldn’t have shot my mouth off but I was frustrated. I guess that’s one of the drawbacks of the job. So much is out of your hands and even if a kid shows all the signs of reordering their life and turning themselves around, all it takes is a parent to start calling the shots and ruin all the hard work. I’m not saying it’s all parents, but a few don’t seem to understand that their kid has potential, they can have a better life. And when I see them deliberately sabotaging a kid’s efforts and making them feel awful about themselves, well, I get pretty annoyed.’ She took a deep breath when she realised she was getting agitated all over again.

  He smiled. ‘You do ramble when you’re nervous.’

  ‘What makes you think I’m nervous?’ But she already knew he
r cheeks had coloured inside out of the cold, in front of this man who was a pleasure to be with.

  ‘Your job sounds tough.’ His eyes never left hers when she braved looking up.

  This man seemed far removed from the one who’d confronted Kyle in the park on their first night here or the man who’d flipped out at the Inglenook Inn when he’d seen Kyle kissing Scarlett. ‘This holiday was an enforced break by my boss,’ she explained. ‘He told me to take time off, get some perspective. I’ll have to apologise to the parent I was brutally honest with, but getting a warning in my job wasn’t something I saw ever happening. I usually know when to back off before I overstep.’

  ‘What was different this time?’

  ‘I don’t really know, I guess I’m tired of it all. Paul ending things, Kyle getting into trouble, my sister relying on me. I think everything got a bit much.’

  ‘When you talk about Kyle, you sound like you’re the parent rather than your sister.’

  ‘Over the years it sometimes felt as though I was. Part of it was Connie’s doing, the rest most likely mine for never forcing her to be more accountable.’ It was a novelty to have a man take such an interest. Paul had never wanted to listen about Connie or Kyle, but then again, he’d seen enough over their time together to know the situation. ‘I don’t think Connie ever realised quite how much she’s relied on me, and talking on the phone to her helped. I think when we get back to England she and I need to sort a few things out. She knows she needs to step up for Kyle. I just don’t think she knows the right way to go about it.’ She let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding.

  ‘You and Kyle seem really close.’ He pushed his cup of half-drunk coffee far enough away that he could rest his elbows on the table and steeple his fingers beneath his chin, bringing him even closer and sending a zing of electricity through her body. ‘Surely being an auntie is like being a grandparent – you should get all the best bits and none of the crap.’

  ‘I guess I volunteered a lot of the time, or I never said no, so she’s always relied on me and it kind of gained momentum as Kyle got older. I think Connie sees my work experience as another reason to turn to me. I know she worries she’s doing a rubbish job at parenting.’