The Leap Year Proposal

Chapter Two

Ellie

Christmas Eve

Ellie was working from home when her phone rang.

‘Ellie, it’s Trish.’

‘Hi. Are you looking for the proofs for next year’s brochure? They’re not quite done.’

‘No, nothing to do with the proofs. Since I won’t see you today, I’m calling to tell you I’ve handed in my notice.’

‘You’re joking!’ Ellie loved working for Trish. She was a great boss, who made her staff work hard, but she wasn’t a slave-driver. They respected her and she was decent, plus she gave praise where it was due.

‘No, I’ve been headhunted by a luxury holiday company. Elite Holidays. Do you know it? They want me as managing director.’

Ellie recalled seeing their stand at a trade show.

‘Yes, I’ve heard of it. Congratulations. That’s a major step up for you.’ She hesitated a second then said, ‘But we’ll miss you so much.’ Her voice caught. She truly meant it. Who would be marketing director now?

‘Thanks, and it is. Anyway, apart from wanting to keep you in the loop, I also thought you should know I’ve spoken to Mike.’

‘Oh?’

‘Yes. I made it clear I’d like you to take over from me.’

‘Wh-a-a-t? But I don’t have the—’

‘Yes you do,’ Trish cut in. ‘In spades. It will still have to go out to interview, but hopefully that’ll be a formality. You know the way this place works.’

She did indeed. ‘So, when do you finish up?’

‘Oh, I have to give the usual three months’ notice, so end of March.’

Ellie was quiet for a second as she tried to take it all in.

‘I don’t know what to say. I mean, I know it’s not in the bag yet, but thanks for championing me.’

‘You’re welcome. Also, although as you quite rightly put it, it’s not a dead cert, I’m confident enough of your success that I’d like to offer you the possibility of shadowing me for the next few months, let me pass on my knowledge to you, introduce you to my contacts, that sort of thing.’

‘That would be great, thanks.’

‘There’s one more thing. The powers that be have decided that the new marketing director is to work out of the Manchester office.’

‘Oh!’ Ellie’s bubble burst almost immediately. That was that then.

‘Is something wrong?’ Trish asked.

‘No, no, nothing,’ Ellie lied. ‘Quite the opposite.’ Now she was protesting too much.

‘In that case, once you’re back in the office, we’ll discuss it in more detail, but for now, I’ll let you get back to work.’

‘Thanks, Trish. I really appreciate it.’

‘No problem. Merry Christmas.’

‘Merry Christmas, Trish.’ Ellie stared at the phone for a full ten seconds before she hung up, still in shock. The promotion she’d been after for, literally, years had landed almost at her feet but with a sting in the tail– she’d have to leave Scotland, and Scott.

Now she really did have a dilemma.

‘Sorry I’m late.’ Scott swept into her flat laden down with bags, kicking the door closed with his foot. As he reached her sitting on the sofa, laptop on her knees, he leant over and kissed her on the lips, before holding the bags up. ‘Here you go. M&S Christmas dinner for two. We’ll just have it today instead of tomorrow.’ He frowned. ‘You still working?’

‘I know, I know. I’m nearly done. I promise. But since you didn’t arrive when I expected, I just kept on working.’

‘The traffic was crazy. I mean, I know it’s Christmas, but it was nose-to-tail. We’re going to a party in an hour and a half. Aren’t you getting ready?’

‘Well, yeah, but I’m not going to put on my dress until just before we go, am I? Don’t want to get my dinner down myself.’

‘Fair point,’ Scott said. ‘Right, let’s get this party started. I’ll hop in the shower and you can open the wine and let it breathe. Then laptop off. Do you hear?’

‘All right, bossy.’ Ellie softened when he kissed the nape of her neck as she turned round to face her screen again.

‘I don’t know if I can face going out now,’ Ellie said as she stroked her stomach. ‘I am absolutely stuffed.’

‘There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I won’t go there.’

‘Oh, please don’t. I certainly couldn’t think about that right now. I can barely move. Pass the remote, will you?’

Scott laughed. ‘And I’m supposed to be the old fogey in this relationship.’

‘You are, but your metabolism is higher than mine. Either that or I’m just greedier. I honestly think if I move, I might explode. Can we just sit quietly for a bit? We can go out later. It’s Christmas Eve. We should be staying in to watch Elf, Miracle on 34th Street and The Holiday, anyway.’

‘If you’re going to make me watch romcoms, I need more wine. In fact, I may need some gin.’

‘Ha, ha. It’s not that bad. Let’s settle in for the film, then later we can go to the party and arrive fashionably late.’

As Scott returned with his gin, Ellie snuggled into him, careful to keep the remote her side of the sofa. She didn’t want to end up watching Diehard or some fantasy movie. She laughed at the realisation Scott probably thought her romcoms were fantasy– no reflection of real life. But it was the season of goodwill and she wanted to feel that warm glow that permeated the world at this time of year. She could honestly do without going out to the party. It was a colleague of Scott who had engineered it all, since their department hadn’t had a Christmas party this year, and he’d suggested they bring partners. She was beginning to wish they’d just gone on their own. She’d quite happily watch back-to-back films on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas morning with Scott, but they’d committed to going now.

Christmas Day

‘Merry Christmas.’ Scott stood over the bottom of her sleigh bed, two mugs of tea in his hands.

‘Merry Christmas,’ she said sleepily as she took in the welcome sight of liquid sustenance and a potential hangover cure. Someone was bungee-jumping on her head. How much had they drunk last night? She knew she should have stayed home.

Scott set the mugs down on the pine bedside table, then climbed back into bed and hooked an arm around Ellie’s waist. Dormant parts of her began to wake as he moulded his body the length of hers. The hairs on his chest tickled her back and she finally flipped over to find he was every bit as turned-on as she was. As he traced kisses down her throat, she feared the tea would have to wait.

Afterwards, as they lay entangled in the sheets, sweat encasing their bodies, Scott said, ‘Oh, I almost forgot, present time.’ He delved beneath the bed and came back up with his hand behind his back. Ellie had squirrelled his present away in the bedside cabinet and took the opportunity to remove it from its hiding place.

‘Me first.’ She handed over the carefully wrapped box, containing the Hugo Boss watch he’d been banging on about for ages.

Scott ripped off the shiny paper like a child on…well…Christmas morning. ‘Aw, Ellie, this is just the one I wanted. Thanks!’ His excitement made Ellie beam at him and gave her a warm glow inside. He placed the Ambassador on his wrist and admired it from every angle then said, ‘Now you.’

Ellie took the envelope he held out, and undid the flap. She opened the card and out fell fifty pounds’ worth of vouchers for her favourite outdoor clothing shop. Useful, but not the most romantic gift ever. Exactly the same as he had bought her for her birthday in June, even down to the amount. She couldn’t help but feel a little dejected, yet she did her best to hide her disappointment.

‘I thought you could put it towards a new North Face jacket.’

‘Yes,’ said Ellie, distractedly. Did he have anything else to give her? She’d been dropping hints for months about wanting to go to see The Toussaints in concert. And if not, what of the other five presents she had bought him? Could she give them to him or would it look ridiculous? The watch itself cost two hundred and fifty pounds, and whilst she knew that had been an extravagance, she’d seen a light in his eyes when he looked at it in the jeweller’s window, that would have rivalled the Christmas lights in London’s Carnaby Street. Sure, the other presents were smaller: a Ralph Lauren shirt, a joke present of a cuddly reindeer, a subscription to The Economist , a Christmas jumper with everything on it– from Christmas puddings to candy canes, Christmas trees to snowflakes– and last but not least, tickets to the 3-D planetarium in Bristol. That would also involve trains or planes and a hotel stay. Maybe they could go Dutch on that.

Scott hopped out of bed. ‘Right, I’m going for a shower.’

So that was the end of the gift-giving then. Perhaps she would give him the remainder of his presents throughout the day.

She pulled the duvet up around her and eyed the voucher. Why did she never learn? Every year she thought maybe he would put some actual thought into her gift, but he seemed to be making less effort, not more. Did familiarity really breed contempt? Or was he just one of those men who were rubbish at choosing presents for their partners? It was so frustrating. She tried to take her mind off her disappointment by thinking of seeing the excitement on Rosie’s face later as she told Ellie Santa had been and showed her the presents he’d brought her.

Her niece was three now and for Ellie, Christmas was all about the kids. She’d love to have her own, in time. It was ridiculous that in six years of being together, Scott had always managed to sidestep the topic of having children. That said, the future itself seemed to be a taboo area. Every time Ellie made even the slightest noise about where they might be in a few years’ time, Scott would say they were fine as they were. With a sigh, Ellie swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went to make proper coffee. She needed it.

‘You look really good in that dress,’ Scott said when she re-entered the room. Once he had finished in the shower, Ellie had luxuriated in the bath for half an hour then tamed her shoulder-length brown curly hair as much as was possible. The forest green vintage dress she wore set off her emerald eyes perfectly and made her feel Christmassy. All that was missing was a pair of reindeer deely boppers, which she had stashed in her bag, and she was ready to go.

Scott put his arms around her, pulling her towards him, an all-too-familiar glint in his eye. ‘How long until we have to leave for your parents’ house?’ he said.

‘An hour or so,’ breathed Ellie, her disillusionment with her gifts evaporating for now. She looked up at him. Scott was over a foot taller than her, and had a rugby player’s shoulders, which made her feel so petite and feminine next to him.

An hour later, they resurfaced. And as Ellie dressed, she smiled to herself at their second lovemaking session– the man was insatiable– but her thoughts soon turned to the dissatisfaction she’d been feeling lately with her life overall. She loved her job as a marketing executive for a major travel firm, and she was, hopefully, on track to be the next marketing director, if her conversation with Trish was anything to go by. She had a loving, close family and she had plenty of time to indulge her adrenaline-junkie hobbies. But something was missing– she was ready for commitment. Wasn’t Scott? Why did they never discuss it? Surely that couldn’t be normal given how long they’d been dating. Ellie knew she could let this stew in her brain for days, weeks, months, but equally she knew she had to do something about it– she needed to call in the big guns– Chloe would know what to do. And she’d start on her plan of action this very afternoon if she could get her sister alone.

‘Merry Christmas, sweetheart.’ Ellie’s mum enveloped her in a hug and only released her to accost Scott. ‘Scott, dear. Come in. Lovely to see you. Give us a hug. Merry Christmas.’ When her mum let him go, she said, ‘The others are in the living room. Help yourself to a drink.’

Turning back to Ellie, her mum guided her into the kitchen, then said, ‘What happened to the new shirt you bought him? That thing he’s wearing is like a bag of rags compared with the Ralph Lauren one.’

‘Shh, he’ll hear you.’ When her mother continued to wait for an explanation, Ellie blew out a breath and said, ‘If you must know, I haven’t given him all his presents yet.’

‘Why not? It’s two o’clock. We’ve always opened our presents on Christmas morning.’

‘I know, but I just haven’t. I gave him the watch and I’m keeping the others until later, OK?’

Her mum’s eyes narrowed. Ellie knew her mother could smell a rat at ten paces, but she wasn’t having this conversation now. She was looking forward to Christmas dinner, and she didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere. Plus, she was hoping to talk to Chloe and spend time with Rosie. As if on cue the mini-whirlwind spun into the room.

‘Auntie Ell, Auntie Ell,’ she screamed, her blonde curls, as unruly as Ellie’s own, bouncing everywhere in her excitement.

‘Hey, gorgeous girl!’ Ellie knelt down, picked up her niece and smothered her with kisses, making her shriek. ‘Where’s Mummy?’ she asked when she’d lowered her to the ground.

‘In there,’ Rosie announced, dragging Ellie towards the living room.

‘Hi, sis.’ Ellie bent down and kissed her sister’s cheek then nodded at her brother-in-law, Mitchell, who was perched on the end of the couch, pretending to listen to her dad but secretly watching whichever Ice Age movie was on in the background, presumably for Rosie. Her dad could bore for Scotland on two topics– fly fishing and carpet bowls– and he liked to do both at every opportunity. Poor Mitchell was too nice to change the subject, so he let her dad witter on. Scott, who had endured her dad’s anecdotes in the past, and had learned his lesson, had strategically positioned himself next to Chloe.

‘Does anyone want a drink?’ Scott asked. A chorus of yeses went up and shortly afterwards, Scott disappeared into the kitchen armed with his mental list. Ellie slid onto the sofa beside Chloe. ‘Can we talk after dinner?’

Chloe arched an eyebrow. ‘Everything OK?’

‘Yeah, just looking for some advice.’

‘No problem. Aargh! Rosie, don’t jump on Mummy like that.’

‘Your nipple has popped out,’ Ellie whispered, leaning forward to shield Chloe from the others’ view as Rosie jumped up and down on her mum.

Mortified, Chloe pulled her wrap dress back together, adjusted her bra and plonked her daughter on the floor. ‘Go rescue Daddy.’

Rosie ran straight to Mitchell and pronounced, ‘Daddy, I’m rescuing you, like the brave knight with the princess!’

‘Rescuing me?’ Mitchell’s eyes crinkled in amusement.

‘Yes, Mummy said I had to.’

‘Out of the mouths of babes,’ muttered Ellie as Chloe avoided her father’s gaze, which could have rivalled Medusa’s in the turning people to stone department.

‘Drinks, ladies.’

Ellie could have kissed Scott. His timing was perfect.

After dinner, and once they were in the kitchen alone, Chloe turned to her. ‘Spill!’

Taken unawares, Ellie said, ‘Wha—?’

‘Ellie, when you were born, I somehow knew I would always look out for you, even though I was only two, so what’s going on?’

‘Well…it’s…it’s…I don’t know if Scott and I want the same things.’

‘Has something happened? Have you had a fight? I’ll kill him if he’s hurt you!’ she growled.

‘No, nothing like that. It’s just, where are we going? We’ve been together six years and we don’t even live together. The only time we spend a full night together is if we go on holiday, or on special occasions.’

‘Hmm. And that’s not enough for you any more?’

Ellie sighed. ‘No, I don’t think it is. I mean, we have all the freedom we want, we go on our lovely two-week long-haul holiday, but we spend most of it on the beach or by the pool, so we could be anywhere. And we get drunk and go clubbing and have a good time, but is that it? Is that the sum of my life?’

Chloe eyed her. ‘Have you discussed this with Scott?’

Ellie shook her head. ‘No, I just had the epiphany this morning.’ Pausing to think how to phrase it, she finally said, ‘Whenever I try to talk about anything more than another holiday six months from now, he clams up.’

‘Els, this isn’t like you. You’re a straight-talking girl. And Scott loves you.’

‘Does he? Sorry, yes, of course he does, and I don’t do insecure, but I can’t be held in this no man’s land until he wakes up and decides to make things more permanent.’

‘Does he make you happy?’

Ellie hesitated then finally said, ‘Yes.’

‘Happier than anyone before?’

‘I think so.’

‘Well, either you continue things at his pace, which is making you unhappy, or you take the initiative, sit him down and talk it through. But before you do so, ask yourself one thing.’

Ellie stared at Chloe, but when her sister didn’t elaborate, she said, ‘What?’

‘What if his answer isn’t what you want to hear?’

Ellie bit her lip. She had been thinking the exact same thing herself.