Fifteen
Fortunately for both me and Marcus, although Adele wasn’t thrilled with me kissing her new boyfriend, she did seem to understand why I’d done it.
‘Perhaps you could explain it to me then,’ I said with a sheepish smile. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking, and if I could go back in time and do it again, I wouldn’t. I’d just tell Paul I’d changed my mind and I didn’t want to go out with him.’
‘That would’ve been much simpler,’ said Adele. ‘But love makes us do strange things.’
‘Love? I’m not in love.’
She and Marcus exchanged looks. We were having drinks and supper in Marcus’ cottage, on Thursday evening, after the market had closed, and he opened more of that exquisite wine.
‘I think you are,’ she said. ‘I know what unrequited love feels like and I recognise the symptoms.’
‘I knew you two would fall for one another,’ said Marcus. ‘It’s odd how we can often see why others would make a perfect couple but when it comes to ourselves, we rarely see what’s right in front of our nose.’
‘There’s no chance of Alec and me being a couple now. But I don’t know why he didn’t simply tell me about his dead wife.’
‘Maybe for the same silly reason you didn’t simply tell Paul you weren’t interested. He wasn’t thinking straight.’
‘He thought you knew,’ said Marcus. ‘If he speaks to me again, which I believe he will because I’ve already sent him an email explaining, and Adele has signed it saying she’s fine with what happened, I’ll tell him once more that you had no knowledge of his marital status. I have put that in the email but it’s not the same as saying something face to face.’
‘Thanks, Marcus. You’re a good friend.’
‘Just don’t ask me to kiss you ever again,’ He threw me an amused stare.
‘No, don’t,’ said Adele.
‘I promise I won’t. But could I ask you both to help me with my Christmas tree, please? The one for the sitting room. I’m having it delivered tomorrow but I’m not feeling as festive as I should and I could do with some company while I’m decorating it. I know I didn’t help you, and I’m sorry. This is selfish, I know.’
‘We’ll gladly help,’ said Marcus.
‘And I’ll bake some cinnamon cookies,’ said Adele.
‘I’ll bring wine,’ added Marcus. ‘I could invite Alec and see if he’ll come. I could say Melody is welcome.’
‘No. I think he needs some time to see how he feels,’ I said. ‘And to see that you and Adele are fine, and that we’re all still friends.’
I didn’t think I’d see Alec again for a while – if at all, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw him on Saturday at the Fairlight Bay Christmas Market.
I was feeling happier and more festive having put the Christmas tree up in my sitting room on Friday with help from Adele and Marcus. We’d played Christmas music, and sang along with all the songs we knew. We’d eaten festive treats like Adele’s cinnamon cookies and some of my own Christmas cookies, plus sausage rolls, mince pies, chocolate log, and various festive-themed cheeses. We’d drunk Marcus’ wine, as well as some port with the cheeses, and that might have added to my mellow feeling on Saturday morning.
I’d taken photos of the finished tree on Friday, and all the decorations on the outside of all three cottages, and sent them to Madi, and she’d sent several photos of the decorations at Apple Orchard Farm. It was as beautiful this year as it had been last year.
The cottages on Midwinter Lane looked truly sensational this year, now that Adele and Marcus had gone to great lengths to make their cottages both as bright and as Christmassy as possible. Adele might have been struggling financially but both myself and Marcus gave her decorations to put up on Far Cottage, and once the local authority had also hung festive wreaths on the lampposts on the lane, this part of Midwinter Ridge was warm and bright and beautiful.
I was ensuring my display of Christmas decorations on my stall at the Fairlight Bay Christmas Market was as welcoming and enticing to shoppers as I could possibly make it, when Alec’s daughter, Melody came bounding up to my stall. I recognised her immediately.
‘Hello, again,’ I said looking around for her dad, who was nowhere to be seen. ‘Who are you here with today?’
‘Daddy’s friend. You look pretty. Are those earrings for sale?’ She was pointing to my dancing reindeer earrings.
‘Yes. There’s a stall in this market that sells them. I’m not sure where it is today but it will definitely be here somewhere. Who’s your daddy’s friend? And where are they?’
She spun around on the spot and held her arm aloft waving her hand as if she were holding a wand.
‘Erm … Somewhere.’ She shrugged. ‘We were walking towards your stall and she said she wanted to stop and look at some pretty soaps and that I should look too. But I wanted to come and see your Christmas decorations.’
‘She? Your daddy’s friend is a woman?’
‘Uh-huh. But she’s not as pretty as you.’ She tipped her head to one side. ‘What’s the difference between a friend and a special friend?’ She picked up another reindeer decoration and hugged it to her. ‘This is so pretty. I’m going to ask if I can have it.’
‘A friend and a special friend? Well, a friend is someone a person knows and likes. A special friend is someone that person likes a lot. Like a best friend. Or a girlfriend. Why do you ask? Is this woman a special friend of your daddy’s?’
‘Oh no!’ She shook her head vehemently. ‘She’s a friend Daddy pays to look after me when he’s working and when Nanna and Granddad can’t.’
I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Oh. A baby sitter, you mean?’ She glowered at me and I added hastily, ‘No. Not a baby sitter. You’re not a baby, are you? You’re a young lady. So she’s your friend too.’
Melody shrugged. ‘A friend, yes. But not a special friend.’
‘Does your daddy have any special friends?’
Okay. I know I shouldn’t have been putting his daughter through an inquisition, but how else was I going to find out?
Again she shook her head. ‘No. Not at the moment. He said he thought you might be a special friend when he told me about you on Monday, but now he says he was mistaken.’
Out of the mouths of babes, as the saying goes.
But at least he’d told her about me.
‘What did he say about me?’
She looked up and met my eyes as if she knew I was asking something that she probably shouldn’t tell me.
‘You can have that reindeer decoration for free, if you tell me. It’ll be our little secret.’
Had it come to this? I’d resorted to bribing a child. Were there any depths I wouldn’t sink to?
She beamed at me. ‘Truly?’
‘Yes.’
She leant forward and so did I.
‘He said that he’d met a very pretty lady that he liked, and that he was hoping she might become a special friend, and he asked how I would feel if he asked her to join us for ice skating next week when the ice rink opens. I said that would be nice.’
‘For skating? That would be nice. How do you know he was talking about me?’
‘He said the lady’s name was Noelle. Your name is Noelle. I’ve never met a Noelle before. Would you like me to tell you why he thinks he was mistaken?’
She had popped the reindeer decoration in her little rucksack, and now she was fiddling with another reindeer one. This kid was smart. I might be being played.
‘If you want to.’
She met my eyes and hugged the second reindeer. I smiled and waited and she eventually let out a sigh. Kids can’t keep secrets. I knew she wanted to tell me.
‘It was on Tuesday. He wasn’t as happy as he was on Monday and when I asked why he was sad, he said it was grown up stuff but nothing for me to worry about.’
She kissed the reindeer and made a little face. I remained silent and she gave an even bigger sigh.
‘Then when I asked if his special friend might want to come to the tree lighting with us next Saturday, he said that he was mistaken about her and that she might not be a special friend after all.’
She placed the reindeer gently back on the table as if she knew she’d lost her leverage.
‘You can have that one for free too. But don’t tell your dad, okay?’
She nodded madly and her smile was huge. ‘Thank you, Noelle. I won’t say a word. Bye-ee.’
‘Bye, Melody. Wait. Let me take you back to your … friend. You shouldn’t be running around here on your own.’
I walked her back to Berry’s stall and Melody pointed the woman out.
‘I think you might’ve lost someone,’ I said.
The woman gave me an odd look and then glanced at Melody and shrugged.
‘Don’t wander off again, okay,’ I said to Melody. ‘Your dad would be worried if he knew. Promise me, Melody.’
‘Okay. I promise. Thank you for my reindeer.’
‘You’re welcome.’
I really liked that kid.
I spent the day feeling depressed that I was no longer considered suitable to be Alec’s special friend, and that I’d missed out on what might’ve been a wonderfully romantic Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony next Saturday, and also an equally romantic evening skating on the ice with Alec holding my hand and Melody holding his.
I was packing up the few remaining Christmas decorations when I heard Alec’s voice.
‘Don’t ever ask my daughter to tell you how I feel about you. If you want to know how I feel, ask me, not my eight-year-old child.’ He threw a twenty pound note on the table. ‘And never, ever try to bribe her to do that. She is not a pawn to be toyed with. Or a monkey you can get to dance for you. Or a man to kiss you, when you want to be kissed because you don’t have the decency to tell some guy you no longer fancy him. I thought you were special. I was very much mistaken.’
‘I didn’t bribe her. She was the one who … never mind. Melody is lovely and bright and smart and I really like her. I gave her those reindeer decorations because I wanted to. Not because of anything she may or may not have told me. So keep your bloody money.’ I stuffed it in his hand. ‘I know I’m not deemed to be worthy to be your special friend, but I would’ve made a better job of looking after Melody than that woman did today. She was looking at stuff on a stall way over there and Melody came running over to me all on her own. So I’m not the only one you’ve made a mistake about.’
‘She did what?’ He gave me a quelling look.
‘Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you. That was a joke.’
‘Really?’ His mouth twitched at one corner.
‘Yes. The woman told Melody to stop at the other stall with her but Melody wanted to come here, so she did. She has a mind of her own. But the woman didn’t check to see where Melody was. And to be honest, she didn’t seem bothered when I took Melody back and told the woman she had lost her.’
‘You … you took her back to Clare?’
‘If that’s her name then yes. Of course I did.’
‘Then thank you for that. I owe you an apology.’
‘You owe me nothing. Go and find yourself another special friend.’
‘Don’t get mad with me. You’re the one who got the wrong end of the stick. And you’re the one who kisses guys to make other guys jealous.’
‘I didn’t do that. I did it to stop him asking me out. I thought it was the best thing to do. But I accept it was stupid and I was wrong. In my defence, it’s been a weird and rather emotional few days. How was I to know your wife was dead? No one told me. You didn’t tell me. I’m not a bloody mind reader. I heard you on the phone calling someone sweetheart, and yes, I jumped to conclusions and assumed you weren’t single and that you were just trying to get me into bed or something. And how was I to know I’d fall head over heels for you despite the fact you’re a pain in the arse and sarcastic and … and … far too gorgeous and sexy. Now leave me alone so that I can go home and get drunk. And yes, I drink. Add that to the list of why I’m unsuitable to be your special friend.’
I thought he’d leave, but he didn’t. He stood his ground and stared at me for what seemed like an eternity as I packed up my boxes.
‘Need a hand with that?’
‘Nope. I’ve got it. Why are you still here?’
‘The truth? I’m not sure. I came here to tell you to stay away from my daughter, but it seems my daughter is as drawn to you as I am.’
‘Your daughter is drawn to my reindeer decorations, not me.’
‘Nope. I found those in her rucksack when I was looking for her hat. I asked her why she had them and she said you’d given them to her. I was cross because I didn’t know why you’d done that. And then she asked me why you couldn’t be my special friend and that she’d love it if you could be And I got angry. I thought … well, I’m not sure what I thought. I asked why she wanted you to be my special friend and she said it was because she likes you a lot and that you’re pretty and you talk to her more than Clara does.’
‘As I said before, I really like her too. Melody not Clara. I’ll stay away from Melody though if that’s what you want.’
‘I’m not sure what I want. That’s not entirely true. I know what I want but I’m not sure it’s wise. Yet, there’s something about you that’s hard to resist. Since the first time I saw you, I’ve felt drawn to you. As angry as I was on Thursday, I still couldn’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week.’
‘Well, I’m sorry about that.’
‘Don’t be. I like having you on my mind. But is this real? Can I trust how I feel? I can’t make a mistake. I’ve got Melody to think about.’
‘You’re not making any sense. First you come down here and yell at me and then you tell me you … well, it sounds as if you want to ask me out.’
‘What can I say? You make me mad. You make me happy. You’ve made me feel things I never thought I’d feel again. And I think we both know I want to take you to bed. I think you want me as much as I want you. I’m pretty sure you do. But is this lust? Or is this … more?’
‘Don’t ask me. I’m the woman who makes stupid decisions. So I’d say the only way to find out, is to try it and see.’
‘Don’t just stand there, mate,’ a passer-by said, nudging Alec on the arm. ‘Kiss the woman. Look up.’ He pointed upwards and winked and we both spotted the mistletoe hanging above our heads from a wire crisscrossing the market.
Alec looked me in the eye and a devastating smile spread across his gorgeous mouth.
‘I don’t think either of us can argue with that. It’s tradition, after all.’
‘It’s bad luck not to. I’d rather not have any more of that, thanks. My boiler played up and so did my tap, and everything comes in threes, so I’d rather kiss you than take a chance on something else going wrong or breaking down.’
‘Thanks. I suppose fending off bad luck is as good a reason to kiss me, as doing so to stop someone asking you out. Who would you kiss to stop me asking you out, just out of interest?’
‘No one. Because I’d rather like you to ask me out. But then I do make stupid decisions.’
He reached out a hand and took one of mine in his.
‘By the way, I know a good plumber if you do have anything else break down.’
‘Good. Because the last one left me in a bit of a mess. Personally speaking.’
He took my other hand in his.
‘I came here to shout at you, not to kiss you. How did we end up here?’
‘I don’t have a clue. But I know where I’d like us to end up.’
He smiled again. ‘Me too.’
And then he pulled me in close and looked deep into my eyes.
‘I can’t make any promises other than I don’t cheat and I’m not looking for a fling. But I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, not even my wife and I loved her deeply. If this is going where I hope it is, I’ll be in this for life. I need to know if you feel the same. And more importantly, if you’re prepared to love Melody as if she were your own child. Because we come as a package and that’ll never change.’
‘I don’t cheat either, but I have made some silly mistakes and jumped to conclusions. I want a family. I want to love someone with all my heart and for them to feel the same about me. As for Melody, I already love her, I think. I may even like her a teensy bit more than I like you, sometimes.’
‘That’s understandable, Melody’s easy to like. I can be hard work.’
‘Oh so can I. Just ask my mum.’
We gazed at one another.
‘I’m scared,’ he said. ‘I’ve never been scared before. It’s been a while since I’ve kissed anyone and I don’t want to screw this up.’
‘I’m scared too.’ I was remembering that awful kiss with Paul. ‘I don’t want to screw this up either.’
‘I suppose one of us will have to make the first move, and I guess that should be me.’
‘How very macho of you. I’m happy to take the lead if you don’t think you’re up to it.’
‘Oh, I’m up to it.’
‘Are you sure? Because I can imagine how stressful it must be to be so handsome and sexy and for everyone to have such high expectations of you.’
‘You’ve got high expectations? How high?’
‘At least a fifteen.’
‘Out of twenty? That’s not high.’
‘Out of ten. Now shut up and kiss me. Because until you do that we can’t move onto the next bit.’
His mouth hovered just an inch or two from mine.
‘The next bit? What’s that?’
I ran a hand inside his coat and let my hand trail up his back. His muscles tensed beneath my touch.
‘I believe I have a problem with the shower in the ensuite in my bedroom.’
‘Oh really? What’s wrong? Wait. If you knew that you wouldn’t need me.’
‘Oh I need you. Because you’re the problem. You’re not in my bedroom. And you should be.’
His mouth was on mine in a second and his kiss was like nothing I’d experienced before. It was deep and passionate and it seemed to reach right into my soul. This was a kiss to die for. This was a kiss to make me feel that all the heavens and the entire universe existed just so that we could share this kiss. This was a kiss I wanted to experience over and over again for the rest of my life.
And from the way Alec was reacting, I was pretty certain, he felt the same.
This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
And I couldn’t wait to spend it with Alec and with Melody.
I didn’t even care what Mum and Dad might say. But I knew Gran would be thrilled.
And I couldn’t wait to tell Madi.
Although … maybe I’d just send her a very quick text and tell her I’d call her tomorrow.
I had a gorgeous man to make love with.
And that was going to keep us both occupied for some considerable time.