Chapter 13 #3
At least she wasn’t battling the snow this time, though there was a hard frost, and every breath felt as if it was filled with ice. Coldest night of the year so far, the weather forecast had said, and though Zoe had wrapped up in anticipation of that, it still penetrated her coat too.
Windermere was alive with lights, a constellation shining from every shop window.
On a street corner, a brass quartet played carols, and a little further down the high street, a collection of stalls sold hot dogs, raclette, roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate.
The smell made Zoe’s mouth water, but food would have to wait because she had plenty to do first and a strict time limit she was only too aware of.
Despite having a lot of Christmas gifts to buy, Shabana’s leaving present had to be first. It was the easiest too because Lavender had been doing some digging on behalf of everyone in the office to compile a list of things Shabana had mentioned in passing (and in response to Lavender’s covert prompting) that she either liked or needed.
And so she headed straight to a colourful shop window filled with soft toys, beanbags and blankets adorned with ornate embroidery.
Lavender had shown her a photograph of a throw Shabana had been admiring, and Zoe had taken a screenshot so she could go straight in to ask for it.
As the assistant led her to the item, her gaze fell on another on display – one that looked very familiar.
It was then she realised that – though not identical – it was very similar to the one Alex had bought for Billie the previous Christmas, one he’d had shipped over from Spain especially.
It reminded her of how much she’d loved the gift and the effort, and also that Zoe had absolutely no clue what Billie might like this year.
She’d told Zoe not to bother, that she’d rather have stuff for Louisa, as if Zoe was going to take any notice.
Of course she was going to buy for Louisa, but there was no way she wasn’t going to buy something for Billie too.
The trouble was, she’d struggled to come up with something no matter how much she pondered it, and it made her realise how little she knew about what Billie wanted in general.
She didn’t covet expensive make-up palettes or designer perfumes, she bought basic skincare and didn’t always use it, didn’t fuss much about hair products, wore basic, practical clothes and didn’t care for booze either way.
Even if she did enjoy booze, she was still breastfeeding, on and off, and so wouldn’t have had a use for it anyway.
She enjoyed cooking and photography (when she had time) but already had everything she needed for those hobbies.
After going into half a dozen shops, Zoe settled on an elaborately decorated photo album.
It seemed a little too on the nose, but she simply couldn’t come up with anything else.
Louisa, however, was a different matter entirely, and Zoe spent far too much on her, unable to resist every cute toy or dress she saw.
She and Alex had made a pact not to buy anything expensive for one another and that they’d put the money towards a holiday instead, but she blew the budget for him too.
She’d bought books the previous year, uncertain whether he’d like them, but they’d been a huge success, and so this year she gathered every volume she could find about conservation and nature and paid on her credit card, deciding the bill was something she’d worry about in the new year.
As she was walking back to the car, her phone pinged.
Juggling her bags, she managed to get it out and saw a message from Rachel.
Attached was a photo of her at home with her baby, finally discharged from NICU.
Rachel was glowing, a far cry from the woman Zoe had tried to comfort on that first home visit only days ago.
Zoe smiled as she locked the phone and put it away again.
She’d reply when she got back to the car and had a spare hand to do it.
But she was glad that Rachel would have a happy Christmas after all, reunited with her baby and hopefully things going from strength to strength.
Zoe decided she would make certain to visit before the surgery closed for the break.
She was unlocking the car when her phone pinged again. This time it was Alex.
Where are you? You’ve been ages and I need to see your face. x
Zoe grinned as she hurled her bags into the boot before typing a reply.
None of your business, and you’re going to have to make yourself scarce when I get home because you can’t see what I’ve bought. x
Tell me it’s not loads!
It’s not loads. Happy? x
His reply was a laughing emoji, and as she slid her phone back into her pocket and got into the car, she was more excited for Christmas than she had been so far that year.
They’d had some wobbles in the lead-up, but they were almost there, and it was going to be wonderful – at least, if she had anything to do with it.