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

Chapter Seventeen

To Chloe’s delight, and relief, over thirty people turned up at the Dog a cream leather clutch printed with various iconic books.

She watched Hannah – also wearing a cocktail dress, except hers was a good few inches shorter than Audrey’s – rush forward to greet her mum with a kiss and one of Chloe’s Mince Pie Martinis, followed by a more uncertain Joe, who didn’t seem to know whether to kiss Audrey on the cheek, too, or shake her hand. In the end, he plumped for an awkward hug.

The only person missing from the party was Jake, and Chloe couldn’t fail to see how disappointed Hannah was, especially when Liz told her that he was at a house party organised by one of the people he was going travelling with. However, she refused to let it spoil her evening, and studiously worked her way through every one of the cocktails, before sampling all three of Martyn’s ciders.

‘Do you want to try the cider cocktail Nick and I made?’ offered Chloe.

‘Sure.’

Chloe handed Hannah a glass of the Sunny Smile cider and waited for her friend’s verdict.

‘Well?’

‘It’s…’ Hannah began, clearly trying hard not to wrinkle her nose. ‘I’m sorry, Chloe, it’s not my favourite cocktail of the night.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Chloe laughed, indicating the still-full bottles, ‘I don’t think you’re the only one to think that. Never mind, it was just something Nick and I wanted to try. You should have tasted the lemon-mint one – it was even worse.’

‘I’ll second that,’ said Nick, joining them. ‘It tasted like my great aunt’s perfume! But all is not lost; there are over two dozen herbs and spices stored on the shelves of Aunt Ruth’s pantry for us to experiment with.’

‘Talking of experiments,’ said Hannah, glancing over her shoulder to check that her mum wasn’t in the vicinity, before lowering her voice. ‘Did you speak to your aunt about that missing biscuit ingredient yet, Nick?’

‘No, not yet, sorry.’

Chloe heart gave a nip of sympathy when she saw the desolation written on Hannah’s pretty face. Despite her attempts to pretend she was okay about Jake choosing to be somewhere else that evening, now that Chloe was standing next to her, she noticed how much care Hannah had taken over her appearance; her makeup was flawless, her long blonde hair teased into an elegant up-do, and the fragrance she had chosen was fresh and floral.

Fortunately, Hannah’s mood bounced back quickly, and her lips stretched into a cheerful smile. ‘Then call her! Email her! Fly out to Australia to see her! I’m desperate.’

Nick laughed. ‘I promise I’ll try again tomorrow.’

‘Thanks, Nick. Can I ask you both another favour, please?’

‘Of course.’

‘Liz tells me that you’ll be at the dress rehearsal on Tuesday.’

‘That’s right,’ said Chloe. ‘I’m helping Fran with the costumes and Nick’s the production’s sound engineer and Foley artist.’

‘Great. I’m in charge of the refreshments, and, as Jake is one of the performers, I know he’ll definitely be there. So, would you be able to make another batch of those fairywand biscuits you brought over to the bookshop the other day, please? Mum told me that she and Joe taste-tested them for you, and they both loved them.’

‘Really?’ said Nick, casting a glance across the room to where Audrey and Joe were deep in conversation, both of them having helped themselves to a bottle of the Sunny Smile cider, which they were clearly enjoying. ‘That’s interesting. I wonder if maybe we might have inadvertently stumbled on—’

‘Of course, Hannah, we’d be happy to make you a batch.’

‘Thanks, guys.’

Hannah wandered off to collect a Cranberry Gin Sour from the table next to a life-size Rudolph with an illuminated red nose, then, seeing her mum and Joe were sharing what looked like a private joke, she spun on her heels and headed out of the snug and into the main pub area to talk to Ryan from the art gallery.

‘What’s going on? Why did you interrupt me?’ asked Nick.

‘Because I knew what you were going to say.’

‘What?’

‘That maybe the fairywand biscuits work?’

‘I wasn’t… Okay, I was, but what’s the problem?’

‘I didn’t want you to give Hannah false hope.’

‘It might not be false hope.’

‘We both know the recipe said the herb was called “T diffuser”, not fairywand. Anyway, I thought you didn’t believe in things like that?’

‘I don’t, but when I see Audrey and Joe staring into each other’s eyes like two star-crossed lovers over there, it would be remiss of me not to reconsider my position on the efficacy of my aunt’s recipe. I vote we make that batch of fairywand biscuits for Hannah, but with the proviso that she only gives them to Jake.’ Chloe saw the twinkle of mischief in Nick’s eyes as he continued. ‘We can’t have the whole cast thinking they’re taking part in a dress rehearsal for a romcom instead of a pantomime, can we?’

Chloe rolled her eyes at him. She wanted to believe that there was something in the story Fran had told them about Ruth’s romance biscuits being the catalyst to all three friends marrying the men of their dreams, but the sensible side of her brain had to accept that the explanation Nick had espoused – that the biscuits were just a small part in a romance-filled evening – was probably more likely.

The rest of the evening rushed by in a whirl of cocktail and cider tasting and convivial conversation, and by the time nine o’clock came round, only Chloe and Nick, Fran and Derek, and Liz and Gordon, remained in the snug.

‘Why don’t we adjourn to the dining room?’ said Liz, when she’d wiped down the last table in the snug. ‘I’ll treat everyone to one of my lasagnes.’

‘Thanks, Liz, but is it okay if Chloe and I take a raincheck?’ said Nick as he finished placing the last bottle of Chloe’s elderflower liqueur into a cardboard box. ‘I have something else planned for us tonight.’

‘You do?’ said Chloe. ‘What is it?’

‘It’s a surprise. Come on.’

Chloe embraced Liz and Fran, thanked them for their help in ensuring the evening went off without a hitch, then followed Nick out of the Dog there’s lots to choose from. There’s also a wool blanket over there on the piano stool, if you need it, and here is the remote control. When you’re ready, just press the red button.’

‘What are we watching?’

Nick grinned, his eyes shining at Chloe’s obvious delight.

‘Your favourite Christmas film, of course.’

When Chloe pressed the button and she saw Elf ’s introductory credits appear on the screen, she experienced an unexpected whoosh of emotion. Tears smarted at her eyes, and she was forced to swallow down hard to prevent herself from crumbling into a soggy mess. She knew Nick’s views on all-things festive – songs, decorations, food, and films – so she was especially moved by his thoughtfulness, for his taking the time to set this up for her because he remembered she’d told him how much she loved the film.

As Nick poured their wine and settled into the seat next to her, she felt comfortable in his company, as though they were old friends about to watch the best Christmas movie ever made together. But she knew it was more than that; she realised the connection she had felt when she had first met him had deepened, become stronger, more intimate, even though her head was telling her to be cautious because after Tuesday’s dress rehearsal, she probably wouldn’t see him again.

‘Okay, are you ready to watch your very first Christmas film?’ she asked.

‘As I’ll ever be.’

‘Don’t say that! I can absolutely guarantee you’re going to love it!’

Chloe certainly enjoyed every minute of the iconic film, but she enjoyed it even more than usual because she got to witness Nick’s reaction to the many comedic scenes, laughing with him at Buddy’s hilarious fish-out-of-water antics. When the movie finished, she was overflowing with such an abundance of Christmas spirit that she couldn’t stop herself from jumping from her chair and giving Nick a joy-filled hug.

‘Thank you, that was the best evening I’ve had for a long time.’

‘Me, too.’

‘Really?’

As Chloe pulled back from their embrace, Nick met her eyes and held her gaze for a few seconds longer than she expected. She saw him move forward slightly, then reconsider, before reaching for his wine and taking several gulps.

‘Of course. Do you have any other recommendations?’

‘Are you telling me that you like Christmas movies now?’ Chloe laughed. ‘Who are you, and what have you done with Nick “Bah Humbug” Harper?’

‘A person can change their mind about something, don’t you think?’

‘I do. I do.’

Chloe dropped back into her armchair, and the warm, cosy ambience that suffused the air in the library – and the fact that they were now onto their second bottle of wine – seemed to soften her habitual reticence about asking people personal questions for fear of them making similar enquiries in return.Despite feeling close to Nick, she realised that she still knew very little about his background beyond the fact that he’d split up with his girlfriend in the summer, and she was keen to rectify that.

‘What do you think you’ll do when your sabbatical is over?’

‘Go back to Guildford, I suppose.’

‘I assume life is very different there than it is here in Perrinsby.’

‘Yes, you can say that again.’

‘So, what exactly do you do there? I know you said you were in project management when you lived in London. Did you continue in the same line of business when you relocated?’

‘Something like that. It was only a few weeks after Louise and I separated, and to be honest, starting over again in a new town wasn’t the best decision I made. I should have taken my time, waited until my head was straight, instead of rushing into something that I might regret later.’

‘Do you regret moving to Guildford?’

‘No. Do you regret relocating to Blossomwood Bay?’

‘No, I loved it there.’

She paused to take a sip of her wine. The feeling of mellowness had intensified, and she felt cosseted, soporific almost, and suddenly, inexplicably, she was ambushed by an overwhelming urge to wrench away the protective shield she usually hid behind and open up; not just about one selective part of her life – like her relationship with Harry – but about everything, to empty the coffers that were overflowing with painful events and guilt-ridden trauma. Then maybe, just maybe, she’d be able to start over again with a fresh slate.

‘I spoke to my friend Holly earlier.’

‘The one who’s keeping an eye out for a dog for you?’

‘Yes, that’s right. She told me that, apart from the people who run the community beach hut, I’m the only one out of the eight original business owners who’s planning to return to the boardwalk when it’s finally reinstated. Holly’s one of my best friends, and yet I still couldn’t bring myself to tell her that… well, that I’m not planning to go back either. I can’t.’

‘Why not?’

Chloe inhaled a breath, determined to slay the demons that had been living inside her head, rent-free, for the last five months. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest, and her hands were suddenly clammy, but she forced herself to say the words that she’d wanted to say out loud but had been too cowardly to do so until now.

‘Because… the fire that destroyed the boardwalk was my fault.’