Chapter 15
CLARA
Clara eyed the huge box sitting on Liam’s back seat as they got into the car after the radio show had ended.
She’d had fun this afternoon – more than she’d expected.
She was also grateful that Liam had come to visit her beforehand so he could apologise.
It had been a revelation – Hudson had never said sorry in the whole four years they’d lived together and she’d got so used to it that she hadn’t expected anything different.
She also appreciated that Liam had refused to allow her to forgive him without making him work for it.
The whole conversation had made her reflect, made her really think about what she deserved and needed going forward.
It had also made her realise she was falling for Liam.
‘The box is full of decorations,’ Liam told her as he started the car, clearly noticing that Clara had been staring at it, lost in her thoughts.
‘Eleanor put some together for me while we were talking in her flat.’ His cheeks flushed again.
The colour suited him – and was complemented by the Mr Christmas suit.
‘I’m woefully behind on my festive preparations,’ he admitted.
‘I’m not sure Mr Christmas should admit to that,’ Clara teased, as Liam drove out of the car park and turned right – clearly intending to drop her back at Eleanor’s shop.
‘As your festive wife, I’m wondering if I should offer to help,’ she said tentatively, feeling her stomach bunch as she waited for him to respond.
Would Liam cross a new line and invite her to his home? ‘You want to?’ he asked as he stopped the car at a crossroads. If they turned right, Clara knew they’d be heading in the direction of The Cosy Christmas Shop; if they went left, she guessed they’d be going to his house.
She held her breath until he indicated, then turned left and her stomach fluttered.
‘I’d love some help, and you can meet Charlie properly this time.
But—’ Liam cleared his throat. ‘Promise me, once you’ve seen the state of my house, you won’t run screaming to Eleanor.
’ Liam was joking, but there was a roughness in his tone that suggested he was genuinely worried.
‘If there are more of those chocolate brownies, I won’t even notice the mess,’ she promised. ‘Will Figgy be there?’
Liam had dropped the dog home after their conversation in Eleanor’s kitchen. He’d had to change and had confided that he was worried Figgy wouldn’t behave in the small studio. Since Tom had been wearing a cashmere jumper, Clara suspected he was right.
‘He’s with Jenny, my neighbour. Charlie’s with her too.
She picked him up from preschool for me,’ he told her.
‘They’ll be at the house. They often stay there while I’m out and that’s been a lot lately.
Too often,’ he added with guilt in his voice.
Clara didn’t know what to say to make him feel better, but was surprised by how much she wanted to.
Instead, she sat silently as he steered the car into a small cul-de-sac and parked up in the drive of a pretty house with a double fronted facade.
‘This is lovely,’ she said as Liam opened the car door and immediately opened hers too. She let him help, wishing she’d changed out of her Mrs Christmas dress when the front door burst open and Figgy came bounding outside, swiftly followed by the young boy Clara had seen in the Santa Paws Pet Shop.
‘Daddy!’ the child shrieked as he ran into the driveway. The child wore a Christmas jumper and socks patterned with dinosaurs and as he drew closer, he bounced and leapt into Liam’s arms.
‘Sorry, sorry!’ an older woman, who Clara recognised from the pet shop, shouted from the door.
‘He’s been so excited to see you. His socks are going to be covered in snow.
’ She was wearing jeans and a Christmas jumper that matched Charlie’s.
She was around seventy with a rigid white bouffant of hair and a face that looked like it smiled regularly.
‘We’ve been baking,’ she told Liam, giving Clara a wide smile.
‘Mrs Christmas! It’s so lovely to meet you again. I’m so sorry about the other day.’
‘It’s fine and please call me Clara,’ she said as Liam carried Charlie to the house before putting him on the ground. He swept an arm, indicating Clara should join them inside, then headed back to the car.
‘Daddy!’ Charlie yelled and Figgy let out a loud bark.
‘I’m just picking up the decorations Eleanor gave me,’ Liam explained.
‘I’m Jenny Musgrave. I live there.’ Jenny pointed to the house next door which was similar to Liam’s – aside from the fairy lights glowing inside and out. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ She indicated that Clara should follow her into Liam’s door.
‘I’m not thirsty, thank you, though.’ Clara immediately slipped off her shoes and put them beside Charlie’s wet socks, then padded along the hallway, pausing to slide off her coat and hang it on one of the bulging hooks.
Figgy momentarily dropped his Christmas pudding so he could sniff it and whine.
‘Come into the sitting room,’ Jenny said, darting through the door on her left just as Clara heard Liam shut the front door.
She followed the older woman into a large bright room with high ceilings – it would have been stunning if it weren’t for the piles of toys on the floor or the undecorated Christmas tree sitting to the right of the television.
The room opened out into a spacious dining room with a table and chairs in the centre.
There was a sideboard and a stack of boxes filled with toys.
Everything was covered in stuff: from piles of washing, to half-built Lego sets, to garages heaped with cars.
There was also a mound of papers piled up beside a computer on the table.
It was clear from the clutter that Liam was juggling a lot of balls and for the first time, Clara appreciated how tired he must be.
She turned and saw him put the box next to the tree before opening the lid.
‘Wow!’ Charlie cheered as he bounded over and reached inside, immediately pulling out a bauble in the shape of a dog. ‘Figgy!’ he shouted and hung it on one of the bottom branches.
‘You should probably put the fairy lights on first,’ Jenny suggested.
‘Don’t worry – let him have his fun and I can rearrange it after,’ Liam said in a low voice, as his son pulled a giant blue bauble from the pile and hung it next to the other one.
Liam moved closer to Clara. ‘I’m guessing he’s going to hang them all on the bottom branch,’ he whispered.
‘He hates it when I help with anything, so I’m just going to let him get on with it.
I’ll definitely need you to help me sort it out later, though. ’
Clara nodded, watching the small boy. ‘He looks like you,’ she said. He had the same sandy-coloured hair, the same jawline. He’d be as stunning as his father one day.
‘Poor kid,’ Liam muttered.
‘Hardly,’ Clara snorted, and when she glanced at him, he looked flustered.
‘Dad!’ Charlie shouted, dropping the bauble he was holding and turning around. ‘Granny Jenny said I can have a sleepover at her house tonight, can I?’
‘Well, I feel like Granny Jenny might prefer to have a night in on her own,’ Liam said, swivelling to frown at the older woman. ‘You’ve been incredible but—’
‘Oh, my cousin dropped off some Tom and Jerry DVDs earlier.’ She widened her eyes and nodded to Charlie. ‘Someone spotted them and, well, you know how bloodthirsty he is.’ She grinned.
‘We’re going to have a movie night,’ Charlie said, giving his father a toothy grin. ‘The mouse and cat chase each other – they’re funny.’
‘We can do it another night if it’s not convenient,’ Jenny suggested, looking concerned. ‘I know you’ve not seen much of him, but I thought you might appreciate some time…’ Her attention darted into the dining room. ‘To get yourself sorted for Christmas. But—’ She pulled a face.
‘No, it’s… it’s actually really good of you.’ It was clear Liam was torn. On the one hand, Clara knew he was struggling to keep up. On the other, it was clear he felt guilty about not seeing Charlie enough.
‘I can help with everything to make it quicker,’ she offered. ‘It makes sense since I’m already here?’
Liam’s lips curved. ‘That’s not really fair. Besides I’m used to doing things for myself…’
‘Well, she is your festive wife,’ Jenny said, smiling gently.
‘The least you can do is cook her a meal. And that Christmas movie’s on Netflix at the moment – you know that famous one with Hugh Grant.
Just in case you need something to keep you occupied.
’ She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
‘You could put that on while you get yourself sorted,’ her voice raced and her beam intensified as her attention flickered between them, her meaning clear.
‘It’ll do you good to have some time for yourself. ’
‘And we can watch Tom and Jerry and have dinosaur pasta instead of Daddy’s yuk,’ Charlie said cheekily.
‘Enough of the “yuk”, young man. Vegetables are good for you,’ Liam muttered, going to ruffle his son’s hair.
‘Are you sure?’ His forehead creased as he checked with Jenny and Clara in turn and they both nodded. ‘Well, if you insist, but I warn you—’ His gaze rested on Clara. ‘I’m going to cook and I’ll expect you to eat all of your vegetables. No excuses.’
‘Yuk,’ Charlie repeated as Clara laughed and the boy went back to hanging baubles, bunching them together.
‘It’s a deal,’ Clara said, smiling, feeling something inside her click.
Something was happening between them, Clara could feel it. And for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t being pushed or cajoled. She was exactly where she wanted to be. And whatever happened tonight, she knew she was going to be alright, actually.
Clara sat on Liam’s sofa holding a bowl of roasted vegetables with pasta in the shape of cars as she watched Liam put the final touches onto the Christmas tree before standing back.
‘Ta da!’ he said as he switched on the fairy lights and a mass of sparkling white, pink and blue bulbs threw sparkles across the room.
After Charlie had packed his favourite pyjamas and toys and headed next door with Jenny, Clara and Liam had spent half an hour undecorating the bulging lower branches, before filling the tree back up.
Eleanor had packed the box she’d given to Liam with all her favourite sparkly ornaments, and had even included an elf that Liam had placed in the centre of the mantlepiece, wrapped around a golden candlestick.
‘I can’t help feeling that thing is going to do something evil while I sleep,’ he said, staring at it suspiciously. ‘How about we hide it in the bookshop when Ezra isn’t looking?’ He turned towards her and grinned wickedly before his eyes dropped to her half-full bowl.
‘Don’t you like vegetables, or is it the pasta – not a fan of cars?’ he said, grinning. ‘Charlie’s gone off that shape, it’s all about dinosaurs now.’
She chuckled. ‘I love vegetables – they are not at all yuk – and the car pasta is worthy of a Michelin star, I was just—’ She filled the spoon and ate a mouthful because that way she wouldn’t have to explain she’d been far too interested in watching him than in the food.
As soon as Charlie had left, Liam had popped upstairs and changed into jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, making Clara wish again that she’d brought a change of clothes.
She’d never had a thing for men in jeans, but the way Liam filled them out, the way the T-shirt hugged his frame, drawing attention to the muscles on his arms and forearms, accentuating the ripples across his chest made her stomach feel like it had been pumped full of bees.
She gulped down the mouthful of food. ‘It’s good. The pasta’s lovely – vegetables too.’
He beamed. ‘Right answer – you can have a brownie when you’ve finished.
Charlie found the star sprinkles this time and used the entire pot, so they’re crunchy but taste great.
’ He smiled. ‘Thanks for helping today.’ He glanced around as he sank onto the sofa beside her and picked up his bowl, scooping a little out.
‘Sorry we couldn’t sit at the table but…
’ He glanced into the other room. They’d tidied a lot of stuff, but most of it had been transferred into the dining room for later, including some of Charlie’s gifts which Liam was hoping to wrap.
‘I enjoyed it. It feels like Christmas now.’ More like the kind of family Christmas she’d always wished for. ‘You haven’t opened your cards,’ she said, nodding at the pile on the coffee table which she’d discovered under one of Charlie’s jumpers.
Liam put his bowl down as music began to play on the TV and Hugh Grant started to shimmy along. Clara loved the film but given the choice between watching Hugh or Liam, there really was no competition. ‘Do you want to help?’ he asked, handing her a couple of envelopes.
‘Yes, please.’ She paused. ‘Do you really want me to open your Christmas cards?’ she checked, wondering how many were waiting for her back in New York.
Since her family and Hudson’s didn’t really celebrate Christmas, she’d often only receive one during the festive season – and that was from Eleanor. She sniffed the envelope, smelled pine needles and grinned, although it was probably just Liam’s tree.
‘I do,’ Liam said, sliding a couple more in her direction.
‘We can put them on the mantlepiece, just tell me who they’re from so I can make sure I actually send one back to whoever it is this year.
’ He pulled a face. ‘I didn’t write any last year, and I can’t remember if I did the year before.
Eleanor told me it was about time I got my act together and she’s included a box of cards with the decorations. ’
‘I can help you write them if you like?’ she offered as she opened the first card. ‘This one’s from Mrs Brown.’
Liam smiled. ‘She’s a customer, one of my favourites because she always bakes me gingerbread cookies and then tells me she hates them, so I have to bring the whole lot home.’
‘Are they better than trifle?’ Clara teased.
‘Nothing’s better than trifle, Clara,’ Liam said, his voice husky, making the bees start buzzing in her stomach again.
She cleared her throat and watched Liam slide open a couple of envelopes and add more cards to the growing pile. She turned back to her stack and opened the next card, which immediately dumped glitter all over her lap.
‘It’s from Doris Sparkle.’ She laughed. ‘Hence the sparkles, I guess. She says Merry Christmas, come and visit her soon and make sure to bring your beautiful wife.’ She flushed.
Liam chuckled. ‘She’s incorrigible. She’s tried to marry me off more times than I can count, but she’s never tried quite this hard before. Her daughter was the first, but she was already married. You’d better watch yourself.’
Clara didn’t respond. She didn’t mind being matched with Liam even in the fantasies of an older woman. Instead, she opened the next card and frowned.