Chapter 14 #3
Tom widened his eyes. ‘Well, I don’t think you’ve ever been quite so enthusiastic before, Mr Christmas, but that’s wonderful to hear,’ he teased. ‘When’s your next event together?’
‘On Saturday in The Mistletoe Magic Shop,’ Liam started.
‘If you want tickets, speak to Joe Abbott because it’s almost sold out!’ Clara finished, beaming at them both.
‘You sound just like an old married couple – finishing each other’s sentences,’ Tom joked and Liam’s eyes met Clara’s.
She looked oddly pleased. There was a glow about her – had been since their conversation in the kitchen.
‘Do you think there’s a future for you both?
Will you be back in Hollythorpe next year? ’ Tom asked.
‘Oh well,’ Clara stuttered, looking surprised. ‘I mean that’s a long while away, but…’
‘I don’t think we should be talking about next Christmas yet,’ Liam said and Clara gave him a grateful look.
Liam would love Clara to stay in Hollythorpe, but there was a lot for them to sort out if that was going to become a reality.
He was ready to admit he had feelings for her, suspected she might have feelings for him too.
But she’d only just broken up with Hudson and still lived in New York.
And the idea that Mia might be listening in now didn’t sit well with him either.
They were divorced, but she’d intimated that she might like to discuss getting back together, which wasn’t going to happen in a million years.
But if she thought he was developing feelings for someone else, she might make things difficult.
He’d hopefully sort things out with her when they met. Although he had no idea what she was going to ask for – or what he’d say. The idea that she wanted to see Charlie, that she might hurt his son, was foremost in his mind…
‘Oh, um, look, I brought you something from Eleanor at The Cosy Christmas Shop,’ Clara said, changing the subject and making Liam refocus on the interview.
He watched her reach into the pocket of her red dress and pull out a small elf-on-the-shelf toy complete with glittery earphones.
‘It’s a gift – an elf. She said you could keep it in the studio.
We all need a little mischief in our lives, apparently. ’
Tom took it and chuckled. ‘Oh, I’ve heard these have been appearing all around the village.’ He paused. ‘Many of them in The Reading Room Bookshop. I happen to know the bookshop owner,’ he added. ‘Ezra kindly comes in every fortnight to talk about his favourite reads.’
‘Ah…’ Clara nodded and grinned as the host popped the elf onto his microphone. ‘I think it’s a festive game. Eleanor enjoys bringing joy to everyone,’ she said. ‘There are plenty of elves in The Cosy Christmas Shop if any of your listeners want to join in.’ Her grin was wicked.
‘I’m sure Ezra will be very happy to hear that,’ Tom said, trying to hide a full-on laugh. ‘Oh, looks like we might have a caller,’ he said suddenly, adjusting his headphones. ‘Hello, who have we got here?’
There was a pause and a crackle on the line, then a gruff voice said, ‘Tell Mr Christmas some gifts aren’t meant for them.’
Liam grimaced. Was this his mystery messenger again?
Tom’s eyebrows rose. ‘Okay. Well, thank you for calling,’ he said. ‘Is there anything else you want to share?’
‘No!’ the voice said before the line went silent.
‘Okay…’ Tom said slowly before pulling a face at Liam. ‘Looks like we have another caller. Hello.’
‘Hello! It’s Doris Sparkle here. Can you hear me?’ a familiar voice rang out. ‘I’m calling from Evergreen House. Yes, yes,’ she added as more voices buzzed in the background.
‘Hello, Doris, nice to speak to you again,’ Tom said easily, winking at Clara, which gave Liam a jolt. ‘Doris is one of our most regular callers. What did you want to ask Mr and Mrs Christmas today?’
‘Oh, I wanted to see if they’d taken my advice,’ she said calmly.
‘What advice?’ Liam asked, confused. Doris had given him plenty over the years, but mostly it had involved eating more cabbage, doing yoga and playing cards with Charlie while he was young.
She had ambitions for him playing in Las Vegas one day – accompanied by her, obviously.
He glanced at Clara and saw her cheeks had gone bright red.
The older woman let out a long sigh. ‘Ah, it seems the answer is not yet, but there’s time. I also wondered when they’re coming to visit us again.’
Liam’s gaze darted to Clara. ‘Friday?’ he suggested and saw her nod.
‘Perfect,’ the older woman said and the chattering in the background grew louder. ‘Make sure you bring Figgy and Charlie too,’ she said before the phone fell silent.
‘Well, folks,’ Tom said, snorting out a laugh. ‘Looks like Mr and Mrs Christmas are set to have a busy few weeks. If anyone has a question they’d like to ask, you can call us here on—’ He proceeded to rattle off the radio station’s number as Liam sat back in his chair.
Christmas was shaping up to be even more busy than usual – but for the first time in a long time, he was enjoying himself. For the first time in years, he was starting to feel hope… but after the odd messages and call, he prayed his optimism wasn’t misplaced.