Chapter 50
It was four weeks to Christmas. Everywhere there were decorations going up, trees being heaved into place in town squares, lights being switched on by barely celebrities.
James and Felicity had vaguely thought about going to get a tree instead of the tiny selection of branches they’d gone for last year, and that was definite progress.
It even snowed a little in late November.
Only a little, not enough to cause any – shock, horror – disruption but enough to make things look wintry, which was just the perfect amount for Britain.
It had had the result of leaving everyone feeling even more festive than usual.
James and Felicity were booked to go away…
somewhere… on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of their meeting and rapidly becoming Felicity The Reformed Grinch’s favourite part of the Christmas season.
She still had no clue where they were actually going though, and it hadn’t helped when he’d told her to bring a mixture of clothes because the climate was “unpredictable”.
‘It’s not Scotland, is it?’ she said a little nervously.
‘Nope,’ was all he said in reply.
‘No offence to Scotland of course, but, you know.’
‘I know.’
Andrea and Harry were busy making the last-minute preparations for their move to Guernsey which was all booked for the second weekend of December.
This included navigating some very complex repatriation rules regarding Harry’s long absence from the island but he seemed to be taking it all in his stride.
In fact, they seemed very keen to have this semi-famous novelist back.
There had been no further mention of James and Felicity going over to join them, which was weird, but Felicity just assumed they’d all decided she hated the idea.
Which she didn’t entirely. But she’d made such a fuss it was a bit awkward to mention it now.
Perhaps they’d go and visit at some point and she could casually slip it into conversation.
Andrea was all of a flutter. It was a situation Felicity was finding highly amusing.
On this particular morning, Felicity arrived at work to find Andrea just standing in the entranceway, looking dazed. The dogs were barking their heads off but she hadn’t seemed to even notice.
‘Are you okay?’ she said over the din, putting a hand on Andrea’s arm so as not to frighten the life out of her.
‘What? Oh. Yes. Fine.’
‘I think the dogs want their breakfast.’
‘Yes. I suppose they do.’ Andrea gave no sign of moving so Felicity left her where she was, dumped her stuff in the breakroom and started on the feed rounds.
An hour later when it was all finished and the world was peaceful once more, she found Andrea in her office, still with that same vacant expression on her face.
Felicity sat down in the chair opposite her and studied her boss for a few moments.
‘Andrea? Are you sure everything’s okay?’
Andrea’s ice-blue eyes finally focused on her. ‘What? Oh. Yes. Fine.’
‘You said that before.’
‘Did I?’
This was very peculiar behaviour for anyone but especially for Andrea.
‘Is there something you need to talk about?’
To Felicity’s great surprise, Andrea’s pale eyes filled with tears. ‘I’m just going to miss this place so much,’ she said, with a sob.
Felicity had never ever seen Andrea cry before and had no clue how to respond.
She looked around the room for inspiration and felt tears spring to her own eyes.
This place held a lot of memories. Not least, it was in this office that she and James had shared that first ever Christmas lunch together, even if it was rather accidental and most of it got bought at the garage round the corner.
Yes, it was the place she’d first found James, but more than that, it was the place where she’d started to find herself after so many years of being lost.
Tears were rolling down both their cheeks now but they were smiling at each other across the room.
‘It’s a special, special place,’ said Felicity eventually.
Andrea let out a giant sob and wiped her nose on her sleeve. ‘I just can’t stop thinking about all the animals that have been through here over the years. All those little faces. All the little puppies and kittens. We even had a llama dumped at the front door once, that was quite the day.’
‘A llama?’ said Felicity, smiling through her tears. ‘You’ve never told me that story.’
‘Haven’t I?’ said Andrea. ‘It was quite early on. Poor thing got tied to the railing outside the front door overnight. It was here when I got to work, freezing cold and wet and skinny as hell, but he had the most gorgeous big brown eyes. We called him Inca.’
‘What happened to him?’
Andrea shrugged. ‘Saskia thought I was taking the piss when I called her to tell her I had a llama for her. Thought it was an April fool or something. But she came. They brought a horsebox and took him away. Not sure what happened to him, I’ll have to ask her. Wow, I’m going to miss Saskia too.’
‘Perhaps we need to throw you a going away party?’
Andrea rolled her eyes. ‘You know I hate parties. All those… people. Ugh. It was bad enough on the open day.’
‘I know you do but other people love parties. Apparently.’
Andrea laughed then. ‘You hate parties too, if you recall.’
‘I do. But I’d do it for you.’
‘That’s sweet but honestly, I don’t want any of that nonsense. Let me just close it down quietly and be on my way.’
‘So, you don’t regret it?’
Andrea wiped her eyes with a tissue and tossed her salt-and-pepper plait over her shoulder. ‘Moi? Je ne regrette rien.’
‘You know they speak English on Guernsey, right?’
‘I’m not an idiot. But you said some of the official stuff still happens in French. So, I thought I’d brush up on the old Duolingo just in case.’
‘Harry will be impressed,’ Felicity said with a smile.
‘Nonsense. He won’t even notice.’
‘He notices everything you do.’
‘I still have no idea why.’
Felicity shrugged. ‘That’s what you do when you love someone. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying that. My father, and my boss. What are the odds?’
‘Have you seen your father? He’s hot. In what world was I not going after that?’
Felicity stood up. ‘Yuck. That’s enough of the heart-to-heart, thanks. I’ve got work to do.’
‘Damn right you have,’ said Andrea, but her eyes were twinkling. ‘This place won’t run itself for the next few days.’
‘Roger that.’
And a few days was all it was. Despite Felicity’s constant pestering, Andrea wouldn’t consent to a party but they did have Saskia, Sophie, Charlie, Harry and James in on the last day to toast the centre and to help pack up the remaining stuff to accompany the animals on their voyage across the sea.
Most of the animals had been rehomed but amongst the remainder were two of the Disney puppies, Stitch and Sully, Marmaduke the cat, three of the lop-eared rabbits and Half Pint the pigeon.
‘No pigeon left behind,’ said Harry for the seventeen-hundredth time that day.
‘It wasn’t funny the first time,’ said Felicity, but her voice was full of affection. She had a dad who made terrible jokes. Life goal achieved at last.
They said their goodbyes with promises to see each other soon, and then Felicity and James headed home that night to make their own arrangements.
Soon enough it was Christmas Eve, two years to the day since Felicity and James first met, and it was time for kissing the cats goodbye and heading off to East Midlands Airport, which was decorated to within an inch of its life.
Felicity was even starting to feel a little bit festive for once, although she was still none the wiser as to where they were heading.
James had refused to even drop a hint. He at least seemed a little bit more upbeat than he had been.
Upbeat, or still a little nervous, or perhaps both at once.
The airport was clearly feeling a bit festive too, and there was not one or two but three fake plastic Christmas trees standing in the entrance foyer.
Shame no one’s thought to actually decorate them, thought Felicity grimly.
James collected their tickets from the fancy machine and made a big show of hiding them from her but she knew he’d have to cave and tell her soon.
He couldn’t exactly smuggle her onto the plane without her hearing any boarding calls or seeing the screens, could he?
They dumped their numerous bags full of Christmas presents and myriad clothing at the baggage drop and got through security with no toothpaste-related mishaps.
It was only a small airport and the security queue opened straight into the Departures lounge where the information board was ticking over slowly.
A few flights were cancelled due to freezing fog but they were still flying to some lovely places.
Alicante, Barcelona, Berlin, Geneva, Antalya, Channel Islands, Lanzarote, Cyprus, Naples, Rhodes, Santorini… Wait. Go back.
‘We’re not going to Guernsey for Christmas after all that, are we?’ said Felicity with a laugh as she stared at the list of gorgeous places.
She was expecting him to laugh back at her; how ridiculous, as if they’d be going to Guernsey when they could go to Gran Canaria. Right?
He wasn’t smiling.
‘Would that be terrible?’ he said, with a sort of half smile, half grimace that didn’t even remotely show off his dimple.
Felicity faltered. Her head was saying, Don’t react badly, don’t react badly, smile and say thank you. But her mouth said, ‘You are joking.’
James looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head. He was looking a little green around the gills.
Felicity took a deep breath. ‘We’re going to Guernsey for Christmas?’
He nodded. ‘We are. Is that awful? I thought it would be romantic. I thought… I thought you’d like it.’
‘I do like it. It’s a great idea. Lovely,’ said Felicity but she knew she didn’t sound convincing.
James’s face fell. ‘I thought you’d like to see Andrea and Harry, you know, help them get settled in.’
Felicity crossed her arms. ‘We literally just said goodbye to them like two weeks ago.’
‘I know. I was trying to keep a straight face.’
‘I cried and everything. You total git.’
‘Sorry.’
‘You don’t look very sorry. Stop smiling.’
‘Sorry.’
‘I need the loo. Wait here.’ And with that Felicity marched off to find the toilets before she said something she’d regret.
Guernsey. Of all places. What was he thinking?
She stared at herself in the unflattering toilet mirrors and took several deep and what were supposed to be soothing breaths but they only made her feel even more cross.
Cross and also excited. Maybe they were going to find their forever home.
Maybe he was taking her house-hunting. Still.
House-hunting at Christmas. That was new levels of bah, humbug, even for him.
When she got back James had found them some seats by the Channel Islands desk. He was looking suitably sheepish. Felicity sat down heavily beside him.
‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Didn’t mean to be ungrateful. I just thought we were… going somewhere else, that’s all.’
‘I know. I should have told you. I thought it would be a good surprise, really.’
‘I just, I haven’t been on Guernsey for Christmas since…’
‘I know. I thought it was high time we laid the ghost of hideous Christmas Pasts to rest.’
Felicity laughed lightly but her heart was pounding. ‘I’m sure you did. It’s a good idea, really. We’ll have a great time. And we’ll get to see Jessica the donkey again, what’s not to like?’
James smiled with relief. ‘See? Look at you pretending to be excited.’
‘How am I doing?’ said Felicity.
‘Not bad. Keep up the good work.’
‘Thanks.’
Well, one part was true. At least they’d get to see Jessica. Life wasn’t so bad, was it?