Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe (Pepper Bay #14)

25

Erin

Erin didn’t know Christmas Day could be so lively. Her mum never made much a fuss of the day. Sitting in Fran’s living room, surrounded by the Silvers, was a whole new experience altogether. Way more upbeat than Christmas Eve evening with them, which had been lovely.

The tree lights were on, festive tunes playing low in the background, a Christmas film was on the telly, wrapping paper all over the floor, and mince pies and chocolates covered the coffee table.

Erin was told to put her feet up for the day and enjoy herself, but she couldn’t just sit around watching Fran do most of the cooking.

She got up and headed for the kitchen. The aroma of a roasting turkey filled the air, making Erin’s tummy rumble. ‘Ooh, it smells good in here.’

Fran stirred some gravy in a pan on the stove whilst Rhett washed some plates and Finn pulled some wine out the fridge.

‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ asked Erin.

‘You can relax for the day,’ replied Fran.

One thing Erin didn’t like was feeling useless. She always kept herself busy in some way.

Fran must have noticed Erin’s expression change. ‘Or you could help Vivien set the table in the dining room,’ she added.

Now that she could do. Off she skipped to the room next door to see Finn’s fiancée laying out a large white tablecloth.

‘You come to help?’ asked Vivien.

Erin glanced at her baby bump and smiled at how happy Vivien looked. It made her wonder if her own face ever held a glow. ‘Yes, what would you like me to do?’

Vivien gestured at the wooden placemats. ‘You do those while I do the runner.’

As soon as the dark-red runner was down, Erin got to work. Stacked on a sideboard were lots of woodland-themed table decorations, and she knew from one glance how beautiful the table would look.

‘These are gorgeous,’ Erin said, holding a small hand-carved stag. ‘Don’t tell me, Heath made them.’

Vivien smiled, brushing back her long dark hair. ‘Of course. And the placemats, coasters and candle holder.’

Erin picked up the small yule log and placed some candles in the slots on top. She put it in the middle of the table, then helped Vivien roll some dark-red napkins, tying each one with string and fake berries.

‘When is your baby due?’ asked Erin, opting for small talk.

Vivien lovingly stroked over her bump. ‘Not till springtime.’

‘And I hear you’re getting married next month.’

‘Yeah. I really hope it snows. I’d love that kind of white wedding.’ Vivien laughed.

I could be basking in the sunshine then if I want. Do I want?

Erin ignored her chatty brain and went back to talking to Vivien. ‘Do you know, I’ve not been in your café yet. I’ll have to rectify that soon.’

‘The Silvers are the people I serve the least, thanks to Fran always cooking for all and sundry. She even does the breakfast up at the B&B now for my sister.’

‘It must have been nice growing up with stables.’

Vivien shrugged, lining up the cutlery. ‘Rhett’s the one who is horse obsessed. I never did take to it much. Don’t get me wrong, I love the horses, always have, and I can ride just as well as my big sis, but the Gatehouse Café was my dream.’

It made Erin think about her own dreams. Had they really been about bright lights and big cities or was that just a way of escaping her miserable life at home? It was starting to dawn on her it might have been the latter.

‘Are you excited to open the sweet shop in the new year?’ asked Vivien.

How could she answer when she kept changing her mind? ‘I think so.’

‘Change can be daunting,’ said Florence, entering.

Erin had only met her at Christmas Eve dinner but had heard beforehand that she too wasn’t a local, not that she needed telling. One look at Florence was enough to tell anyone she wasn’t from Pepper Bay, and it wasn’t just her designer clothes and posh accent. The woman had an air about her that screamed trust fund , even though Florence didn’t have one.

‘Do you feel settled here, Florence?’ asked Erin, admiring how well Florence wore red lipstick. She’d tried it a few times herself but felt it gave her more vampire vibes than luscious lips.

‘Yes, especially now I have a job.’

‘I read the story you released about Tyler’s attack. You covered it really well.’

Florence smiled. She was so pretty, and Erin couldn’t help but wish she had cornflower-blue eyes and ash-blonde hair.

‘How is Ty doing?’ asked Vivien. ‘I know he keeps saying he’s fine, but you live with him, so is he really okay?’

Erin nodded. It wasn’t her place to talk about Tyler’s state of mind. He seemed determined enough not to let the trauma take hold. ‘He’s much better now.’

Florence giggled. ‘I noticed you two look cosy together.’

Heat filled Erin’s cheeks. ‘We get along well, that’s all.’

And that’s all you’re getting from me .

Erin continued to make the table look magical for dinner. It was hard enough having the memory of feeling Tyler against her body interrupting her thoughts every five minutes without talking openly about whatever kind of relationship they had.

Florence started unboxing Christmas crackers. ‘Ooh, this all looks so lovely.’ She smiled at Erin. ‘I’m fortunate this lot have made me family.’

That’s what Tyler had told Erin, and although she was feeling welcome, she still wasn’t entirely sure if she fitted in with the mix.

Florence seems to be happy. Why can’t I stop overthinking this? What’s wrong with me?

Tyler entered, grinning like a kid who had just seen Santa. ‘Hey, need a hand?’

Vivien gave his arm a light squeeze. ‘You can sit and supervise if you must do something.’

‘I’m fed up with sitting.’

Florence took the empty cracker boxes out the room as Vivien pulled out a chair for him.

‘Do you want anything to drink, Ty?’ asked Erin.

‘I’ll get him some juice,’ said Vivien, smiling as she walked away.

Erin narrowed her eyes at him. ‘What are you really doing in here? I know you haven’t come to fold napkins.’

Tyler waved her closer and pulled out the chair next to him. ‘I wanted to give you a present in private.’

‘You already bought me something, and I love my handmade gloves knitted by Willow. She’s very talented. I wish I could knit.’

Tyler took her hand and placed a small box into her palm. ‘Here.’

‘Ooh, is it one of those little wooden fox trinkets from the gift shop? I think you know I’ve had my eye on those.’

‘Just open it.’

She did and was surprised to see a door key sitting on some green tissue paper. Holding it up, she frowned, confused. ‘What does this open?’

Tyler smiled warmly. ‘My front door.’

Erin’s heart did a backflip. ‘You’re giving me a key to yours?’

‘Yeah. I want you to stay, Erin. Stay with me. And not just while the flat is being sorted or your arm is in a cast. I want you to think about making it permanent.’

She met the hopeful look in his eyes. ‘Are you sure? We haven’t known each other long.’

‘I don’t care about time. All I know is, you make me smile. I didn’t think I was going to be happy again. I know it sounds daft, but it’s true. I’ve been walking around like a zombie this year, not knowing which way was up, then you came into my life and, well, everything changed. You make life better.’

Wow, no one’s ever said that to me before .

Erin was more used to Harvey telling her how wrong she made things. Never right. There wasn’t anything right about her according to him.

‘Ty, I don’t mean to tell you how you feel, but don’t you think this might just be a case of loneliness talking? What if this is just a rebound thing?’ she said quietly, not wanting him to think she was being harsh.

‘I can see where you’re coming from, but it’s not how I feel. I’m not going to dissect this. I’m just going with how I feel, and you make me feel. Don’t you see, before you, I lost my heart and couldn’t feel much at all. Life with Mandy was confusing and empty.’ He tapped his chest. ‘I don’t feel that way with you. With you, everything fits.’

It made sense, because she felt the same way, but unlike him, she questioned the connection, as she’d never felt she fitted anywhere, so it was strange to feel it happening to her.

‘Are you scared?’ he asked softly, taking her hand. ‘I know a lot has changed for you lately. I can slow this down. I won’t rush you at all. I just want you to know where I stand. How much I’ve fallen for you, and how I don’t want you to move out next year or anytime.’

Erin leaned closer, lightly brushing over his jaw with one finger. His words melted parts of her she didn’t know could melt, but could she take such a chance? Another opportunity awaited her far, far away, and no matter how sweet he was being, it niggled at her that perhaps his head was only in the clouds because Howie and Mandy had destroyed him and he needed an escape.

‘Dinner’s ready,’ called Fran, and lots of movement headed for the dining room, causing Erin to pull away from him.

She placed the key in her pocket and stood to help Fran bring in the food. ‘You rest,’ she told Tyler, lightly patting his shoulder.

It was handy being saved by the bell, or in her case, a cooked turkey, as she wasn’t sure what to say to Tyler. A talk about Australia was due, but now wasn’t the time, and if she told him she was having second thoughts about opening Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe, he might not want her to remain living with him after all.

All through dinner, Tyler was on top form, laughing and chatting away merrily. He tugged his cracker with Erin, and constantly smiled her way.

It was so wonderful being part of his family’s Christmas dinner. The joy was all around, and Erin had never enjoyed such a celebration.

Fran stood at the end of the large table and clinked a fork against her glass. ‘I don’t normally do this, but I want to say a few words this year.’

Silence fell, as all eyes were on the head of the family.

Fran cleared her throat. ‘We’ve had some downs this year. Rhett nearly losing the stables, theft in our home, and the break-in at our business. The café was burned down, and we thought we’d lost Viv. Tyler was stabbed, and my beloved husband passed away.’

Vivien sniffed, and Finn put his arm around her.

‘But,’ added Fran, ‘we’ve also had some blessings.’ She gestured at her eldest son. ‘Heath and Rhett’s marriage, then our Willow and Cody.’ She smiled at Finn. ‘My boy is going to be a dad, and our farm is as healthy as ever.’ She raised her glass to the ceiling as though saying something silently to the sky.

‘And,’ said Heath, standing and raising his own glass, ‘throughout it all, we’ve had the best mother anyone could ask for. So, here’s to you, Mum, for everything you do for us, for always being there when needed, and for all the love we have in us because of you. You’re the strongest person I know, and we love you.’

A ripple of applause filled the room, along with cheers and a few sniffles.

Erin felt overwhelmed by the love. It was so strong, she could feel it consume her heart. She reached out for Tyler’s hand under the table, knowing how grateful he must be feeling. If only she had grown up with so much love. Any would have been good.

She leaned close to his ear as he dipped his head her way. ‘We’ll talk about us after Boxing Day. Make some plans.’

He nodded and kissed her cheek, and Erin wasn’t sure what his family would make of that. Nobody seemed to care. They were all too busy eating and enjoying their day.

I shouldn’t have mentioned plans. He’ll think I mean about living together. Oh, flipping heck. Never mind. He’ll know soon enough, and then we’ll both know for sure where we stand. I hope .

Tyler gave her hand a light squeeze, and although he made all the chaos in her mind settle, she was still sure it wouldn’t last. Her past had taught her that much.

‘Merry Christmas,’ he whispered, making her smile. And as though he knew she had a dilemma, he quietly added, ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’

I hope so, Ty. I really do .