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

Chapter Twenty Nine

On New Year’s Eve, the villagers gathered on the steps outside the Dog it was the cider.’

‘What?’

Chloe gave Nick the shortened version of what Liz had told them and he laughed out loud, before stopping abruptly, his eyes widening. ‘So, does that mean we’ve inadvertently entered “love potion” cider in the “innovative Cornish Cider” competition? Oh my God! Do you think we should call them? Withdraw from the contest?’

‘Too late.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I had an email twenty minutes ago to say that our Sunny Smile cider won third place!’

‘Wow! Really? Wow! I’m… shocked, and thrilled, and a little bemused, to be honest. Come on, let’s head inside and treat ourselves to a glass of Champagne.’

‘What? You’re not going to have one of my fizz & sparkle mojitos?’

‘Of course I am, but it has to be Champagne when the clock strikes twelve! I just know that next year is going to be the best year of our lives so far. But before we join the happy throng, I have a surprise for you. No, actually, I have two surprises for you, but you’ll have to wait another hour or so for the second one.’

‘What’s the first one?’

Nick laughed. ‘If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise. I hope you like it just as much as the amazing Christmas present you gave me. I…’ Chloe could hear the emotion bubbling in Nick’s voice and she was reminded of how thrilled she’d been to see his joy when she presented him with the Gibson SG Standard guitar in Heritage Cherry to replace the one he’d lost. ‘It’s the most thoughtful gift ever, and I promise to create the most fantastic music with it.’

Nick dropped a kiss onto her lips as they made their way through the snug and, to her surprise, around the back of the bar and into Liz and Gordon’s private living room where he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pointed to the door that led upstairs. A few moments later, Liz appeared cradling the cutest dark chocolate-brown Dachshund Chloe had ever seen, wearing a flamboyant red ribbon on his collar and a slightly bewildered expression.

‘Allow me to introduce you to Oreo. Oreo, this is Chloe, the most amazing woman in the world. I know you’re going to love her as much as I do.’

‘Really?’ Chloe gulped down on a surge of emotion. ‘He’s mine?’

‘Yes, he’s all yours.’

‘Oh, my… Thank you, thank you!’

Chloe reached out and took Oreo into her arms, holding him close and whispering soft nonsense words to reassure him that he’d arrived in a safe place where he would be loved and cared for, as well as allowed free rein at Fairholme Farm now that Mitzy had headed off for a canine adventure on the other side of the world.

‘I had a bit of help,’ said Nick, scratching Oreo’s head. ‘Holly told me that she’d searched the whole of the Southwest for him, and as you can see, she came up trumps.’

‘I love him.’

Chloe dropped a kiss on top of Oreo’s head and when she received a lick of appreciation in return, their partnership was sealed. She couldn’t wait for the new year to come so she could start a new chapter of her life in Perrinsby, surrounded by people – and now a gorgeous dog – that she adored and who she knew adored her, too. It had been a long journey, punctuated by bumps and blips, trauma and pain, but she was now where she wanted to be and she couldn’t be happier.

‘So, come on, tell me what the second surprise is?’

She saw Nick exchange a glance with Liz and she was a little perturbed when she saw Liz nod her head and Nick nervously brush down his hair. He gently took Oreo from her then strode towards the door, his free hand outstretched, before introducing himself to someone who was just outside her line of vision. To her surprise, instead of coming back to join her, he disappeared into the snug with Liz and the pup.

‘Nick? Where are you… Oh my God!’

Chloe’s hand flew to her mouth when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

‘Dad! Oh my God! Dad!’

She rushed forward and flung her arms around him, burying her head into his chest, inhaling the familiar fragrance of his cologne. Hot tears trickled down her cheeks, but she was laughing, too, as she looked up to scour his face, drinking in every feature from his slightly dishevelled sandy-blonde hair to the pewter-grey of his wise, kind eyes that showed signs of tiredness after travelling all the way from San Francisco.

‘What…. what are you doing here?’

‘I wanted to see my daughter. I wanted to tell you that I love you, that I missed you at Christmas, and I wanted to meet the man you’ve chosen to spend your life with. But before we go any further, I want to say that I had no idea what you’ve been going through over the last few years and that’s not okay. I should have been around for you, and I want you to know that from now on, I will be. I’ve put in for a transfer to the company’s London office and I hope to be able to spend many weekends and holidays with you, and with Martha, too.’

‘I love you, too, Dad.’

Chloe’s tears were flowing freely now, and she hugged her father tightly before ushering him into the snug and introducing him to the newest member of their family: Oreo. Joined by Nick, the four of them huddled together for an all-encompassing family hug, and Chloe’s New Year’s Eve was complete.

She had learned so much since that stormy night when she’d hit rock bottom:

That talking, communicating and sharing the ups and downs of life’s rocky road was the key to a happy and more carefree existence, a way to understand and to be understood.

That it was okay to not be okay, and from now on she intended to tell her family and friends when she was struggling, instead of painting everything with a false veneer of cheerfulness because she thought that was what they wanted to hear.

And that belonging means different things to different people. It could be a place, it could be a community, or it could just be one special person who provides that sense of security and acceptance for who we are, and Chloe was grateful to have found that in Cornwall, in Perrinsby, and, best of all, in Nick.

The End