Chapter Nineteen #2
Amy flushed with pride. Marnie was one of her favourite people. ‘Georgie helped too but he stayed at home with Mummy tonight.’
‘And how is Mummy?’ Marnie asked.
Amy grimaced. ‘She’s coughing and spitting stuff and when she blows her nose it actually sounds like a pig.’
‘Oh dear! Poor thing.’ Marnie looked at Jen. ‘I’ve got a little care pack at home for her, I’ll pop round with it tomorrow maybe.’ She focused back on Amy. ‘But at least you get to be here with Auntie Jen! Now. Can you see where your lovely house goes?’
She lifted Amy up so that she could see into the window.
Jen took in the creation; a mini Babblebrook, complete with cotton-wool snow, the duck pond on the green, and the church, station and row of shops, all made from gingerbread.
The gingerbread café was exquisite, with snow on the roof, a little robin perched on top and the sign perfectly piped in red icing.
Far too Christmassy for her liking, but even she had to admit that the mini village was kind of cute.
Amy placed her house in the row of cottages by the station.
‘Super-dooper!’ Marnie said, and Amy jumped up and down in excitement.
Jen laughed. ‘Brilliant! Thanks, Marnie. Right, let’s go and look at the snacks, shall we?’
Amy had spotted Lottie, who’d already put her house in the window, and ran over to the play area to meet her, helping herself to an iced biscuit in the shape of a snowman from the plate that had been placed there.
Jen watched as Ted laughed and joked easily with the children as they debated who should be the one to place the gingerbread school in the display.
It was an altogether more tasteful affair than Amy and George’s house, featuring piped icing snowflakes and icicles and a little Father Christmas on the sign.
She helped herself to a glass of mulled wine and a brie and cranberry roll as she watched the girls colouring a picture of some elves together.
The children could make Christmas cards in the café, she thought, if she got together some resources.
Nothing too messy, the parents probably wouldn’t appreciate that.
But some red card for Santas, with cotton wool for beards, that kind of thing.
Christmas trees from green card, they could just use Pritt Stick and sequins to decorate them.
‘Thinking of craft activities?’ a voice said at her shoulder.
Jen started, and turned to find Marnie smiling at her. Her daughter, Lauren, had taken over window duty for a while.
‘Oh – I was actually! Are you some kind of mind reader?’
Marnie laughed. ‘Ha, well, you mentioned it, that’s all, and I’ve heard on the grapevine that you organised a brilliant activity for the children in Ted’s class, those lolly-stick gingerbread houses. So I guessed.’
The man from the wooden decorations stall came over and put his arm around Marnie’s waist. ‘She might as well be a mind reader, though, she just has an instinct for people, this one.’ He smiled with so much pride he looked like he might actually pop.
‘You’ve met Andrew?’ Marnie asked, looking equally proud.
Jen nodded. ‘The nutcracker guy,’ she said, and immediately wished she hadn’t. Sounded wrong, somehow. But he just gave an easy smile, and held out his hand for her to shake.
‘The lolly-stick craft woman!’
Jen laughed. ‘Wow. You really can’t do anything here without everyone knowing, can you?’
‘The children were just raving about it when they came in after school, that’s all,’ Marnie said kindly.
Jen supposed if people were going to gossip about her, it could be worse.
‘I was thinking of doing something more with the children’s area, I just never seem to have the time!
But now I know you’re so talented, I’m wondering if you’d mind helping me out? What do you think?’
‘Oh – well . . .’
Jen hesitated. What was the point? She wasn’t going to be sticking around in Babblebrook for long, and she was wary of getting involved in something like this; it brought back memories that she’d rather forget.
But the truth was, though she’d stayed to help with the children while Julia was ill and Dan was away at the conference, a part of her was glad of the excuse.
She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the children when she was just getting to properly know them, she was enjoying spending time with Ted, and being here made it much easier to see how things went with Anthony.
Even the thought of leaving quirky little Babblebrook, with its chocolate-box prettiness and friendly, gossipy, supportive community, left her feeling hollow.
The idea of returning to her small apartment and noisy flatmates was losing its appeal.
‘I was just thinking of something simple, you know, so we could set it up and they can do it on their own,’ she said.
‘Sounds perfect!’ said Marnie. ‘I knew you’d be the tip-top person to ask. Maybe we could have a natter about it tomorrow?’
Jen found herself nodding, and already planning what to do, as Lauren hollered from the window, and Marnie politely excused herself.