Saving Christmas in the Little Irish Village (The Little Irish Village #5)

Chapter 21

21

It was surprising how much colder it was sitting on the ground than when you were milling about, Hannah mused, feeling much-needed heat flood through her veins as she finished her cup of warming wine.

‘I need to spend a penny,’ Kitty announced.

‘I don’t see any public toilets, Nan, do you? And there’re too many people about for you to drop your drawers behind the cottage. What are you going to do?’

Kitty was clearly in a quandary and, fidgeting, passed Princess Leia to Hannah. ‘Here, take her. She’s not helping pressing on my bladder like so.’

‘Sure, Mam and Dad will give you a lift home, and Princess Leia will want something to eat after her walk earlier,’ Hannah said, holding the disgruntled miniature dog.

They all looked to where Liam Kelly, in his Father Christmas suit, was turning his pockets out and making the youngster to whom he was explaining himself cry when no treat was forthcoming. Nora was tapping her foot impatiently, eager for the off, but Hannah knew they’d not be going anywhere without Kitty.

‘No. That won’t do. They’ll kidnap me, so they will. I won’t be taken home against my will. Sure, the park’s only round the corner, and the council does a grand job keeping the toilets clean. You two will have to hold the fort until I get back, and don’t forget to sing the song.’

Hannah and Freya watched Kitty untangle herself before she leaned on their shoulders and pulled herself to her feet. ‘Here, pass me that lead. I’ll see to it your mam and dad take her home.’

Hannah held the lead up for Kitty, and the chihuahua nimbly climbed off her lap to stand obediently by Kitty’s side.

‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’

‘Mind how you go, Nan,’ Hannah warned. ‘There’s patches of ice about.’

‘You’re worse than your mam fussing like so,’ Kitty muttered, plucking her way over to Nora and Liam.

‘Good luck to them trying to talk her into going home and warming herself by the fire,’ Hannah said, spying Tom a short distance away.

She nudged Freya. ‘See your man in the tan, posh-looking belted trench coat on his phone?’ She’d bet it was a Burberry and cost a fortune.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘That’s Tom Flynn, the architectural project manager who’s ruining Christmas that I told you about.’

Freya glanced quizzically from her to him. ‘You never mentioned he was cute.’

‘Freya!’

‘What? He is.’

‘He’s only cute if you like the lanky, posh-coat type.’ Hannah shook her head at the very notion of him being fanciable. ‘Which I don’t. And besides, it’s irrelevant.’

Freya’s lips twitched. ‘You seem to have got his number. And it’s not irrelevant when you’re single.’ She studied him once more. ‘He’s definitely cute.’

‘Freya, you’re not that fickle-hearted, surely? You were crying over Oisin an hour ago!’

‘Not for me, you eejit. I need time to lick my wounds.’ Freya laid her hand on her chest dramatically. ‘I am a man-free zone, but you, well now, you’re footloose and fancy free, and they say opposites attract.’ Freya waggled her brows.

‘Either you’re a total lightweight regarding the wine, or you’ve completely lost the plot.’ Hannah’s lips formed a prim line.

‘Sure, he’d keep you warm wrapped inside his Burberry.’ Freya winked.

‘Right.’ Hannah decided this needed a line drawing under it. ‘You know you’re an honorary Kelly sister, right?’

‘Right.’ Freya looked pleased by the notion.

‘As such, I’m going to speak to you now as one Kelly sister to another.’

‘Fair play.’

‘Feck off with you, Freya.’

Laughter pealed. ‘Sorry, I asked for that. I’m just trying to take my mind off my desperate love life. And you know yourself when you’ve been upset and then get all giggly and stupid? It’s like an emotional release.’

The only thing Hannah could equate that with was when she’d been at the Feed the World with Bees Christmas drinks last year and had been laughing her head off one minute and crying into her pink gin the next over the state of the world. It was a back-to-front version of what Freya had just said. ‘Sort of. But for the record, your man over there represents everything I stand against.’

‘Got it.’ Freya saluted. ‘Although, me thinks she doth protest too much.’

‘Freya,’ Hannah growled.

‘Sorry. I’ll say no more.’

‘Good, and it’s nice to see you smiling, so I’ll forgive you. Besides this, here’s not how either of us envisaged spending our afternoon, and I am grateful you’re here with me, even if you’re more of a smart arse than Imo when she gets going.’

That raised another chuckle.

‘So there’s no one on the scene?’

‘Freya!’

‘I poured my heart out to you earlier.’

Hannah’s hesitancy was all it took.

‘Come on – spill the beans.’

‘OK, there is someone, but he doesn’t know how I feel. So I don’t suppose that counts.’

Freya pushed her for more information, and Hannah told her about Dylan. She was surprised at how good it felt to confess her feelings for him.

‘I admire his principles and other stuff. I mean, obviously. You can’t snog the face off a set of principles.’

Freya smiled at that. ‘The heart wants what the heart wants, but can I be honest?’

Hannah would have liked a top-up of the mulled wine for whatever was coming, and as none was forthcoming, her reply was a hesitant, ‘OK.’

‘It sounds like you’ve put this Dylan on a pedestal.’

Was Freya saying she hero-worshipped him? If so, she’d got it all wrong. She opened her mouth to correct her, but Freya took hold of her mittened hand and gave it a squeeze.

‘Take it from someone who’s wasted the last couple of years of her life on a man who wasn’t worth it. Move on even if it means looking for a new job.’

It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and Freya had never even met Dylan. He was worth the heartache.

‘Look, Kitty’s doing a runner.’

Hannah followed the line of Freya’s pointing finger. She watched her nan go, marvelling at her speed as she trotted toward the wall, antlers bobbing, while answering the questions Jeremy Jones, hot on her heels, fired at her.

‘She’s like the Pied Piper,’ Freya announced as others trailed after them, eager to see what Kitty had in store next. ‘Only instead of a magic pipe, she’s got a reindeer hat, and it’s not a cave, she’s leading them all to, it’s the public loos.’

Hannah would have laughed if she wasn’t sidetracked by Tom, who’d finished his call and was hurrying after Kitty.

‘I’ll give you a lift if you’re heading back to the Shamrock, Mrs Kelly!’ he called after her.

Then their view was blocked, but there was no mistaking the cry that went up a split second later.

‘Somebody help her! She’s fallen.’