Chloe’s Cornish Christmas (The Blossomwood Bay #7)

Chapter Thirteen

Chloe clutched the two Tupperware boxes while she waited for Nick to unfasten Mitzy from the back seat of the Range Rover. They were about to head across the village green towards Fran’s hair salon when she spotted Joe disappearing through the door of the Bookworm Boutique .

‘Do you mind if I have a quick chat with Joe before we go to see Fran? I thought he might have called me with a quote by now,’ said Chloe, trying to ignore the knot of anxiety that had formed in her chest. ‘I hope that doesn’t mean it’s bad news.’

‘I’m sure he’s just been busy.’

Chloe smiled but she was still worried, not only about how long it would take to source the part – if one were needed – but she also wanted to know how much it was going to cost so she could plan for the expense. She only had one more cocktail-making session in her diary between now and Christmas, back in Blossomwood Bay, and there was also the unexpected cost of the additional bottles of spirits she’d need for the panto-promo event.

She hated being financially challenged, but she knew there were people in a much worse position than she was. At least she had a roof over her head at the moment, but for how long depended on Joe, and she wanted to be prepared. However, despite her despondency at her empty bank account, her spirits lifted when she stepped into Hannah’s emporium of bookish delight and heard the bell tinkle to welcome her.

‘Hi, guys,’ said Joe, who was staggering under the weight of a cardboard box full of what looked like children’s Christmas books. ‘Hannah’s not here at the moment, I’m afraid. She’s out with the mobile library in Spring Park. She should be back soon, though, if you want to wait. Oh, have you met Hannah’s mum, Audrey?’

‘No, but it was you I—’

‘Audrey!’ Joe called through a door into the back room. ‘Come and meet Ruth’s nephew, Nick, and his friend, Chloe. They’re staying up at the orchard.’

Chloe smiled at the woman who emerged from the door behind the bookshop’s café counter. There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind that this was Hannah’s mum. She, too, had straight blonde hair – hers cut into a neat chin-length bob with one side worn behind her ear – and the same friendly smile that lit up her whole face. She wore a smart dark-green apron embroidered with the bookshop’s name and logo and was holding an Agatha Christie book in one hand and a box of Tregothnan teabags in the other.

‘It’s good to meet you both. Hannah tells me she and Fran have roped you into organising an event to drum up interest in the pantomime.’ Audrey laughed, her blue eyes twinkling. ‘I’m sorry about that; she’s got so many events and activities on the go at the moment I don’t know whether I’m coming or going! Did she also invite you to the Bookworm Boutique ’s monthly book club?’

‘Yes.’

‘What about the “Date with a Book” night?’

‘Yes, that too.’

‘And I assume you’ve both been cajoled into buying tickets for the pantomime?’

‘Better than that,’ said Nick, only just managing to keep the sarcasm out of his tone. ‘I’ve been granted the honour of being the production’s sound engineer and Foley Artist.’

‘Well, that’s fabulous news. What about you, Chloe? Please tell me you haven’t been lumbered with the part of Oak Tree No. 3 ?’

‘No, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I won’t be here.’

Chloe glanced at Joe, whose expression switched immediately from amused interest in their pantomime-related conversation to decidedly uncomfortable, and her stomach dropped down to her toes.

‘Joe?’

‘I’m sorry, Chloe, I spoke to the suppliers this morning and they said they won’t be able to get the part to me until the beginning of next week. I also called a couple of friends in the trade to see if I could source one from them, but there’s nothing doing. It’s that time of year; things get busy in the vehicle repair side of the business. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it looks like you’ll be in the village for a little longer than expected. I hope that’s okay.’

Chloe had mixed feelings about the situation she found herself in. She didn’t doubt that Joe was telling her the truth, but the sceptical imp on her shoulder still wondered whether Liz had had a word with him, as she had threatened, to delay Chloe’s departure from Perrinsby. However, she could hardly complain about being forced to hang around in a luxury countryside retreat for a week, surrounded by local residents who had welcomed her with open arms, not to mention included her in their myriad activities.

Wasn’t that what she’d always wanted?

So why was she in a rush to leave?

‘It’s fine, Joe.’

‘Good, good. So, what’s in the boxes?’

Joe pointed to the two Tupperware boxes that Chloe had placed on the counter next to the glass domes showcasing Fran’s mince pies and her various Christmas-themed cookies.

‘Oh, just a few biscuits we made for Hannah,’ said Nick, earning himself a stern warning look from Chloe. ‘We were hoping to ask—’

‘Wonderful! I love homemade biscuits, don’t I, Audrey?’ Joe’s eyes lit up and before Chloe could stop him, he had peeled off the lid of the green Tupperware box and was peering inside. ‘What flavour are they?’

‘Actually, Joe, those cookies are for Fran,’ said Chloe, groaning inwardly when she realised he’d chosen Nick’s fairywand biscuits rather than her lavender-flavoured ones. ‘Why don’t you try one from the yellow—’

‘Oh, I’m sure she won’t mind if I have a couple with my afternoon cup of tea.’ To Chloe’s consternation, Joe helped himself to two of what could potentially be Ruth’s romance biscuits then paused and glanced at Audrey who was smiling at his enthusiasm. ‘Oh, sorry, where are my manners? Audrey, would you like to try one of these biscuits? They do smell delicious.’

‘I’d love one, thanks. I’ll put the kettle on.’

While Audrey scooted around to the other side of the counter, Chloe tried again.

‘Actually, Joe, I was about to say that Nick and I had a bit of a competition this afternoon over who could make the best biscuits using one of his aunt’s… signature recipes. We thought that Fran, being Perrinsby’s premier cookie connoisseur, could act as the judge. The prize is dinner at the expense of the loser.’

‘I’m not sure Fran is the best person to make that decision,’ said Audrey, placing a china teapot, a milk jug, and four mugs advertising a recently published historical romance novel on the counter in front of them. ‘Let’s just say that her taste in biscuits is a little… quirky.’

‘You can say that again,’ Nick muttered.

‘Hey, why don’t Joe and I judge them instead?’ continued Audrey as she poured their tea, adding a splash of milk to hers before taking a sip. ‘We have no idea whose is whose, and we’d be honoured to undertake such an important task, wouldn’t we, Joe?’

‘Absolutely. Shall we start with these in the green box?’

Chloe watched in abject horror as Joe and Audrey spent the next ten minutes imitating the judges from The Great British Bake-Off as they assessed appearance, texture and taste and even symmetry while making such comments as “it’s a good crisp bake”, “is this oregano?” and the classic “there’s no soggy bottom here”.

Chloe could see Nick’s lips twitching as he tried not to laugh at their deliberations, and she prayed he wasn't going to confess to them the reason behind their biscuit marathon that afternoon because she knew Hannah would be mortified if her mum and Joe knew the details.

‘Okay, Audrey, have you made your decision?’

‘I have, Joe.’

‘So, is it the green box biscuits or the yellow box biscuits?’

‘It has to be the green box biscuits for me.’

‘Me, too. So that’s unanimous. Whose biscuits are in the green box?’

‘Mine,’ said Nick, clearly delighted by their verdict.

‘They are a little unusual, though,’ said Audrey. ‘What herb did you use?’

‘Actually…’

Chloe was just about to step onto Nick’s toe when the door chime tinkled, and when she saw who the visitor was she rolled her eyes in exasperation. Why couldn’t Fran have arrived at the bookshop twenty minutes earlier so that the farce they’d been forced to endure could have been avoided?

‘Hey Fran, come and join us. Chloe and Nick have been having a festive fun bake-off this afternoon and they asked us to judge the biscuits they’ve made. Both are melt-in-the-mouth delicious, but you’re the expert, see what you think,’ said Audrey, pointing to the two Tupperware boxes, which now only had two biscuits left in each.

Fran glanced at Chloe, then Nick, then back to Chloe, and it was clear she knew precisely what they had done. ‘Do you think I could have a cup of tea first, Audrey? I’ve just got back from the Cash the biscuit idea had been just one part of a full-on romantic encounter, not just a quick “coffee and a biscuit” encounter.

‘That’s a really lovely story, Fran.’

‘And it’s all thanks to your aunt, Nick,’ said Fran, reaching across the table to give Nick’s hand an affectionate pat, before helping herself to one of Chloe’s biscuits. ‘By the way, I hear that you’re planning a cocktail-tasting event to sell a few more pantomime tickets and raise a bit more money for the costume and wig hire.’

‘Wig hire?’

Fran sighed. ‘Our star of the show, Goldilocks, is a local actress, Sukie Sarenden. We’re lucky to have her – she’s been in a couple of soaps and a crime drama set in Cornwall – but the problem is, she has pink hair, and while I am all for expressing individuality with our choice of hairstyle and colour, it’s probably not the best idea for the eponymous character in this particular pantomime to have pink hair, otherwise it would be called Pinkilocks , and it just doesn’t have the same ring.’

‘Oh, I don’t know…’ began Nick.

‘You wouldn’t believe how expensive it is to hire all the costumes and props we need for the production, and we mustn’t forget there’s the goodie bags we give out to the children at the matinee to pay for, too. I don’t suppose you can think of a way to expand your panto-promo evening to include something else that might boost the coffers further?’

Chloe got the distinct impression that Fran already had an idea of how they could do that. In fact, she suspected Fran had discussed the event at length with Liz, and they had come up with a plan.

‘No, do you have any ideas?’

‘Actually, I do. I’ve spoken to Liz, and she’s agreed to let you use the snug at the Dog one flavoured with lavender and one flavoured with an herb we found in Ruth’s pantry called “fairywand”.’

‘Oh, I love that name! And next time, bring more than one, eh?’

‘We brought half a dozen,’ said Nick. ‘It’s just that—’

‘Yes, yes, we’ll do that,’ said Chloe, earning herself a nod of approval from Fran.

Who knew how Hannah would react if she found out her mum and Joe had already sampled the biscuits and were currently giggling like a pair of schoolchildren as they watched the group of women leave the bookshop carrying a variety of passion-filled literature and racy romance novels.