Epilogue
If it wasn’t for the tempting spicy scent of mince pies filling the air, Gage would find it hard to believe it was Christmas Day again and time for another Spirit of Christmas dinner.
The venue had moved back to the pub because of its added space.
Forty people had signed up, but they would feed closer to sixty because last year’s helpers had all volunteered to pitch in again.
Tamara had volunteered to make the desserts other than the Christmas puddings, so in between baking for the busy café she’d whipped up endless batches of mince pies, several extravagant sherry trifles and bowls of fresh fruit salad.
Rocky was steaming his homemade puddings in the pub kitchen while he oversaw the rest of the meal, with help from Becky and Monica.
His own family would join them later to eat.
‘You haven’t got time to muse on what a wonderful life you have.’ Tamara had sneaked up behind him. ‘I’m not referring to that awful, sappy Christmas film it’s almost impossible to avoid on the telly over the holidays either.’
‘Do I have time for this?’ Gage whipped a sprig of mistletoe from behind his back and held it over her head.
‘Always.’ Her floury hands wrapped around his neck and drew him into a lingering kiss. ‘I’m glad we decided to close for the week and reopen after New Year.’
‘We need a break and it’s not like we’ll lose much business because everyone’s skint.’
They generally did a good job of balancing running two businesses with their private life.
The successful café had brought more business to the bookshop, and vice versa.
It helped that he’d taken Emily on full time at the bookshop after she’d finished college.
His niece had done brilliantly in her A levels and she’d decided to take a gap year before going to uni.
She wanted to work and save as much money as she could to avoid taking out any big loans.
Emily had cleverly used social media to offer artists and craftspeople display space at the shop and café.
They chose a new one every month to showcase and keep things fresh, and they took a small cut of the sales.
A military-history group met on the first Monday of every month, traditionally the quietest day of the week, which was another big success.
The newest experiment, set to start in January, was opening at six o’clock twice a month to host local writers who needed a quiet space to work.
And then of course, there was the book club.
That experiment had gone well and they’d decided to continue meeting there.
‘I was thinking about everything that’s happened since last Christmas,’ Tamara mused. ‘At Easter there was Evelyn and Quinten’s second wedding party. Amy and Tessa’s beach wedding in Jamaica was awesome too and definitely gave me the travel bug. Scotland was fab as well.’
He’d been touched when she’d chosen to have her specially designed Wemyss pig wear a green beret and Royal Marines insignia. Embarrassingly she christened it Gorgeous Gage and now it sat pride of place on her dressing table.
‘You didn’t think much of your time in Normandy, I know.’ Her gentle teasing didn’t diminish what had been a poignant trip for Gage and Taff, and one he would never forget. ‘I’m so glad you took me to meet Grandmama Louise before she passed away.’
‘She thought a lot of you.’ Gage’s smile was tinged with sadness. It had hit him hard when the old lady had died, but at least he’d had the consolation of knowing they had reconnected before it had been too late.
‘Don’t forget little Freddie’s arrival,’ Gage added.
‘How could I? He’s such a darling.’
Everyone had been thrilled when Melissa and Nathan’s dream had come true with the arrival of Frederick William Kellow in late August. Named after Daphne du Maurier’s husband, Frederick Browning (something Nathan strenuously denied, but no one really believed) and Melissa’s father, the little boy had Nathan’s auburn hair and his mum’s grey-green eyes.
‘Do you think next year will be any quieter? It will, surely?’
‘Quiet? I don’t think so, Mum.’ Toby breezed in, clutching Chloe’s hand.
‘We’ve got some news. We’re pregnant. Due in early July.
We’d planned to wait a bit longer because Chloe takes her finals in late May, but she says it’ll be fine and I’m sure it will.
She’s a trooper.’ Pride radiated off her son.
‘Oh, my God, that’s wonderful!’ Tamara’s grin couldn’t be wider. ‘Am I old enough to be a granny? And that’ll make you a granddad. How does that sound?’ She beamed at Gage.
‘I’d love to be able to say that, but I’m not really entitled and—’
‘You certainly are,’ Chloe said firmly and Toby nodded, backing her up. ‘Our child will be incredibly lucky to have you in his or her corner.’
Gage lowered his head, overcome with emotion.
‘You might not be quite so thrilled about our other news.’ Toby’s expression turned serious.
‘Chloe’s accepted an incredible job offer after she graduates, but the company is in York so we’ll be moving.
I’ve applied to do a geriatric-care course at one of the hospitals and if I’m accepted, they have a nursery on site for the baby. ’
‘It’s a great opportunity for you both. Congratulations.’ Gage surreptitiously squeezed Tamara’s hand and she collected herself enough to sound equally enthusiastic.
‘We’ll obviously have to give up Gwartha-an-Dre, and Melissa’s decided now is a good time to sell the house.’ Toby looked unsure. ‘We’ve heard you say that living over the shop has its drawbacks, so might it suit you?’
‘In what way?’
Gage suppressed a smile in case Tamara thought he was laughing at her. ‘They’re suggesting we might consider buying it.’
‘Us?’
‘Why not? You’ve always said, apart from Nathan’s house, it’s your favourite. You could have the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of. The renters are moving out of your house soon, so you could sell it and we could pool our money. It should be easy enough to get a mortgage.’
She looked shell-shocked.
‘It’s a lovely old place and walking distance from the shop.’ Gage turned to Toby. ‘We’ll talk about this properly after Christmas when we’ve got time to sit and think it through.’
‘I’ll have a word with Melissa and let her know there’s a possibility we might be interested,’ Tamara said. ‘How are you feeling, Chloe? I didn’t think to ask.’
‘Incredible. I haven’t been sick at all, have I?’ Chloe grinned at Toby. ‘My nurse here is very happy about that. He cleans up enough puke at work, don’t you, dear?’
Toby nodded, but his adoring look said otherwise. A brief wave of regret washed through Gage for the baby that Victoria never had.
‘It’s time we started carrying stuff over to the pub,’ Tamara said briskly.
No doubt she’d read the way his mind was going.
Although he’d carry it in his heart always, they were in complete agreement that expanding their family wasn’t something they wanted to pursue.
Their lives were already wonderfully full.
After they’d packed off the young couple, he caught hold of Tamara’s arm. ‘You okay?’
‘I will be.’ She blinked hard. ‘I would never hold Toby back and I’ll support them a hundred per cent. I’ve never clung on to Toby and I’m not starting now. Let’s go and celebrate Christmas and all it means with the friends, neighbours and family we’re fortunate enough to have around.’
* * *
‘Pixie? Oh my God, what an awesome surprise!’ Tamara set down the two heavy glass bowls of trifle on the nearest table and flung her arms around her old friend. ‘When did you arrive? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming for Christmas? How long—’
‘She still talks just as much, doesn’t she, Gage?’ Pixie laughed.
‘I did try to warn you.’
Tamara swung around to face him. ‘You knew Pixie was here.’
‘Maybe.’ He tweaked a smile.
‘Bob and Maria wanted a week off to visit their daughter back in Liverpool before she emigrates to Canada, so I agreed to run the pub for them while they’re away. I’ve got a fortnight off college, so it’s all good.’
‘You sneaky thing. Fancy not telling us.’ Tamara glowered at Gage. ‘Well, most of us anyway.’
‘I only found out because Pixie happened to ring Bob while I was getting a drink one night and the man’s a bit chatty, so he ended up telling me.
’ He looked shamefaced. ‘Bob said she wanted to surprise people and asked me not to say a word.’ Gage nodded at the boxes of mince pies he was carrying.
‘I’ll take these into the kitchen while you chat a bit more. ’
After he’d disappeared, Pixie beamed at Tamara. ‘You look amazing. Love suits you. And Gage seems a different man. That’s your doing.’
A flush crept up her neck. ‘We’re both different. In the best sort of way. He’s a lot more relaxed and able to socialise far easier with people. He’s settled. Content.’
‘No wedding bells yet?’
She shook her head firmly. ‘We’re fine as we are.’ She’d only shared her plan with one other person and needed to keep it that way a little longer. ‘I must get on. There’s lots to do and people will start arriving soon.’
The next hour was a whirlwind of activity, but somehow by noon everything was in place. The first diners started to trickle in and soon every seat was taken. Christmas music played quietly in the background and the hum of lively conversations filled the pub.
Monica popped her head around the kitchen door. ‘We’re ready when you are.’
Tamara had been designated to give this year’s welcoming words. ‘Happy Christmas, everyone. It’s wonderful to see you all here and I know we have a feast ready for us. I’ll follow Quinten’s example from last year and quote Charles Dickens from A Christmas Carol, “God bless us every one.”’
There was good-natured jostling as people queued for the buffet and soon everyone was tucking in. Gage had saved her a seat, so she squeezed in by him.
‘What’s up? You aren’t eating.’
Tamara put on a smile, and picked up her knife and fork.
‘Just catching my breath, that’s all.’ She stabbed a bite of turkey and popped it in her mouth.
‘Mmm, it’s lovely and moist.’ It took some determination but she ploughed through the whole lot, all the way down to the last sprout.
‘I’m off to help with the desserts.’ She put a hand on Gage’s shoulder before he could stand up to join her.
‘You stay there. You’ve done enough and there are plenty of people in the kitchen already. ’
The only person she’d confided in was Monica, because she couldn’t sneak the extra-special dessert she had made past her eagle eyes. Tamara retrieved it from the fridge now and set it on the counter to add the last decorative touches.
Rocky, Laura and Karen stopped what they were doing to give her curious looks, but she ignored them and picked up the platter with its gorgeous vintage Royal Worcester ‘Village Christmas’ design, another of her Etsy bargains, and pushed out through the swing door.
Tamara set the platter carefully down on the end of the bar and tapped a knife on a glass to get everyone’s attention.
‘I hope no one will mind if I hijack things for just a few minutes.’ She beckoned Gage over. ‘Will you come and join me?’
His reluctance was obvious, but he did as she asked.
‘Everyone knows we’re business partners, and the other kind too as well.
’ Her cheeks heated. ‘This is my way of asking you to take it a step further. I created this Mistletoe Promise dessert specially for us. You’ll see there are two different sides.
Mine is a cinnamon-spiced vanilla cheesecake with a sweet biscuit base, topped with glazed cranberries and pistachios.
Your side has a tortilla-chip base and a savoury cheesecake filling made with grated Gruyere, green chillis and green onions, garnished with chopped red and green peppers.
But see how it comes together in the middle — just like we have.
Even the sprigs of imitation mistletoe in the centre are a combination of sweet green fondant and fresh parsley.
’ She giggled. ‘I wouldn’t actually recommend eating those. ’
‘What are you asking?’ Gage said huskily.
‘I know I told you once that I didn’t want to get married again and you’ve never really said one way or the other . . . Sorry, I’m rambling.’ Here goes. ‘Life’s too short not to seize every moment and every bit of love we’re offered — so marry me, Gage, because you’re all I want, for always.’
The stunned expression washing across his face wasn’t how she’d imagined this might go.
Agonisingly slowly, it was replaced by a smile.
A glorious, heart-stopping smile she couldn’t resist and never wanted to.
Tamara’s heart thumped, her breath came in short puffs and she thought she might faint if he didn’t answer soon.
‘You’ve got more courage than me because I’ve been carrying this around for weeks, waiting for the right moment.’ Gage pulled a small red box from his pocket. ‘I even had a word with Toby and he’s on board.’ He nodded towards her son, standing at the back of the room.
Toby smiled broadly and gave a big thumbs-up.
‘I told him my plan too!’ Tamara couldn’t believe her son managed to keep both of their secrets. ‘So, is that a yes?’ she said playfully.
‘Of course it is.’ Finally he kissed her, and the pub erupted in celebration. ‘I’m thinking of a honeymoon in Oz maybe?’
Emotion gripped her throat and for a moment all she could do was nod. ‘Haven’t you forgotten something?’ She waggled her left hand in the air.
Gage turned the vivid scarlet of someone who’d fallen asleep sunbathing and was paying the price.
‘If you don’t like it, we can get something different.’ He flipped open the lid. ‘It’s a pink diamond.’ Another blush. ‘A bit of a nod to your pig fetish.’
It was as if the deep-pink, square-cut diamond in a simple platinum band winked at her. ‘OMG, it’s perfect.’ Tamara beamed. ‘Like you.’
‘I hope you never find out how untrue that is,’ Gage joked and slipped it on her finger.
They were swamped with people all rushing to congratulate them and over the crowd she caught sight of Pixie’s satisfied smile.
‘Happy Christmas, Mr Bennet.’ Tamara draped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
‘Happy Christmas, soon-to-be Mrs Bennet.’ Gage returned the kiss. ‘I believe I need some of that Mistletoe Promise cheesecake. A slice from both sides.’
‘Me too.’
THE END