Cosy Nights & Snowball Fights (Little Duck Pond Cafe #36)

CHAPTER THREE

‘Oh!’ My astonished face must have been a picture.

Ellie gave a nervous laugh. ‘You must think I’m mad, but I had to see what it would look like. I was wide awake at five and I started to think about Christmas, so I got the decorations out of the garage and drove straight along here.’

‘Well . . . gosh . . . it’s lovely!’

‘I couldn’t resist it,’ she rushed on. ‘I was at the garden centre with Maddy and Katja last weekend and they were getting rid of last year’s old stock. So I saw this tree on sale and I had to buy it. I could picture exactly how it would look in that corner over there, and I just knew the customers would love it. So I acted on impulse and handed over my credit card.’ She slapped both hands on her heart and gazed dreamily at me, and I could swear her eyes were glassy with tears. ‘I just love Christmas. Don’t you?’

‘Er... yes. Oh, yes. Absolutely. Most wonderful time of the year,’ I lied. ‘But are you... is it staying up? The tree?’

‘Oh, no!’ She laughed. ‘No, September’s a bit early, even for me.’

‘Right.’ I felt my shoulders relax.

‘November probably. I’ll wait till then, although Maisie will be pestering me to put it up long before that, I’m sure.’ She smiled fondly at the mention of her stepdaughter, and this time, her eyes really did well up. Laughing, she brushed away a tear. ‘Maybe I’ll give in to her and put it up next week. Christmas is mainly for the children, after all.’

‘A Christmas tree in October ?’ I couldn’t help myself. It just came out, in a more panicky tone than I’d intended.

‘Not really.’ Ellie smiled, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. ‘Just ignore me, Laurel. I’m all a-flutter at the thought of all the lovely festivities, that’s all. Right, better get the tree down again before we open up. Or the customers will think I’m completely off my rocker, starting the celebrations this early!’ She started picking baubles off the tree at a fair old rate, placing them into a box on the table nearby. I helped, smiling through slightly gritted teeth as she burst into song, a jolly rendition of ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ filling the café.

‘Who was that guy in the kilt?’ I asked, when blessed silence descended once more.

‘Oh, that was Marcus. He’s a proper joker. So funny. Local radio celebrity. He was hoping to catch Maddy but she’s a bit late this morning.’ She glanced at her watch.

‘Oh. Right.’

I was about to enquire about the other younger guy when Ellie added, ‘Marcus is Maddy’s dad. Her biological dad.’

I nodded. ‘That makes sense.’ So Maddy was the daughter who was getting married.

‘Not long now,’ smiled Ellie. ‘Until the wedding.’

We got back to undressing the tree, and between us, we managed to have everything packed away before eight-thirty when the café opened. It didn’t bode well, though. A boss with a passion for Christmas?

It would no doubt be wall-to-wall fairy lights and tinsel-with-everything the minute October was shown the door...

*****

‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Maddy when she walked in two minutes later, bearing a box that was overflowing with the dreaded tinsel. ‘After you texted to say you were giving your lovely new tree a trial run, I thought I’d hunt out some decorations.’

A feeling of mild nausea settled inside me, as I watched them ooh-ing and aah-ing over the sparkly contents, pulling out baubles and snowmen to dangle from the branches. Everyone was going to be Christmas-crazy from now on. Even the people who weren’t keen would be talking about it, and I could imagine all too clearly how it would go: I can’t believe they’re playing Christmas music in the shops already! I’ve got dozens of nieces and nephews – it’s going to clean me out! And don’t get me started on having to make a bloody Christmas card list!

‘This is the best one,’ Maddy was saying. ‘I bought it last Christmas.’

She passed the tree decoration to Ellie, who looked at it and laughed.

‘It’s good, isn’t it? You can borrow it for the café tree.’

‘But won’t you need it for your own tree?’ Ellie dangled it aloft on her finger and as I glanced at it, my insides shifted uneasily. It looked horribly familiar.

Maddy grinned. ‘I don’t think we’ll have time to put our tree up this year.’

‘Ah yes. Of course.’ Ellie nodded. ‘There’s a certain Christmas Eve wedding to prepare for.’

‘And we’re off on honeymoon on Boxing Day, so it’s not really worth having a tree.’

‘What do you think, Laurel?’ Ellie suddenly turned and held out the decoration, so I was forced to go over and look at it.

Just as I’d thought, it was Marvin from the popular Christmas movie Home Alone , grinning through the cat flap. It had been our all-time favourite movie – Gavin’s and mine. He’d bought me that very decoration for our tree one December.

Somehow I managed a smile. ‘Brilliant. Just got to... um... empty the dishwasher.’ Escaping to the kitchen, I went straight to the window, which was open a crack, and gulped in some fresh air.

Of all the tree decorations in the world, why did it have to be that one?

It was Sod’s Law, of course. Nothing personal. Although right now, it really did feel as if the universe had it in for me. A Christmas tree and Marvin on the same day...

‘Are you okay, Laurel?’

It was Maddy, looking concerned.

‘Yes.’ Straightening up, I pasted on a smile. ‘I’m fine, thanks. Just a bit hot, that’s all. All this... um... Christmas excitement. Right, dishwasher!’

I began briskly unloading plates, and by the time I eventually turned, thankfully Maddy had gone. Christmas was arriving just as I was starting to get my life back. Would I ever be able to escape the past and move on?

My love-life had never been anything to write home about, but then I’d fallen for Gavin and I really thought my luck had changed.

As I leaned against the counter, still feeling shaky after my encounter with Letterbox Marvin, a flood of memories started crashing in...