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

Chapter 30

30

Hannah had dreamed of Mark Darcy, reindeer gilets and Tom. However, the dream had taken a darker turn when Dylan had appeared, rampaging down Main Street, throwing rocks through shop windows. It had been a relief when her alarm went off.

When she went downstairs for breakfast, there was no sign of Tom, and Mam told her he’d headed out early for a meeting. She shook off the last vestiges of the unsettling dream, and her spirits lifted. Tom had kept his word because he must have gone to meet his client! Things were looking up!

As soon as she’d finished her breakfast, she forwarded Dylan her letter to the Department of Agriculture and told him the tide seemed to be turning in her and Nan’s favour. She wanted him to know her way was working and to ensure he wasn’t planning to come to Emerald Bay this weekend.

An hour later, she was draping tinsel and various sparkly decorations about the bar with the assistance of Enda Dunne and Ned Kenny perched on their barstools. The pair of them were like annoying back-seat drivers.

Mam had roped her into helping with the Christmas decorations in the pub, given her refusal to go with Liam to pick the Christmas tree. He’d looked crestfallen, but Christmas tree farms, even ones a good hour’s drive away, were too close to home. She was betting she’d be expected to do the decorating honours when he returned with the biggest tree he could squeeze through the doors of the Shamrock in a little while.

That Tom, who’d returned from meeting his client as Liam had been about to set off, had eagerly agreed to keep him company and provide a set of strong arms for the carting of the tree had surprised her. It was disappointing to see him disappear again no sooner than he’d returned because she was desperate to know whether he’d spoken to his client as promised. It would have to wait, though, and she’d gladly left the two men to their mission, but not before asking if they could get Doris going on their way back.

Mam had insisted on draping purple tinsel around her neck like a glitzy scarf, and Hannah had laughed at the ridiculous headband with bobbing bells she’d donned. She wished she’d stop singing ‘Jingle Bells’, but the alternative would no doubt be her putting on Michael Bublé’s Christmas album, and she drew the line at that. Michael would get enough airtime on Christmas Day.

Dylan’s response to her message pinged in as Hannah inspected the tin Father Christmas that had stood sentry by the fire this time of year for as long as she could remember. She set him down on the hearth to read it.

His response to everything she’d told him about Tom being on their side and the letter she’d laboured over – the letter Tom had said was well written – saw her heart sink. He held firm to his talk-being-cheap ethos and was sceptical that the developer would roll over so easily. Her certainty that Tom would have talked his client into moving the project elsewhere wavered as she shoved her phone back in her pocket. If he’d had good news, surely he would have relayed it before going tree picking?

Kitty pulled her out of her thoughts then, or rather, the plate of mince pies she was wafting under her nose did. They were fresh from the oven and dusted in icing sugar, rapidly melting into the pastry. Hannah couldn’t resist. Perhaps this was the taste of Christmas she needed to put her back in the spirit of things. ‘Thanks, Nan.’

A voice drifted over from the bar. ‘Kitty Kelly, you’re a wonder in that kitchen, so you are.’

Hannah had to be careful that the minced fruit pastry she was about to swallow didn’t go down the wrong way as she witnessed the unseeable: Enda Dunne giving Kitty a ‘come hither’ look.

‘You’ve an icing-sugar moustache, you eejit.’ Kitty slid him a serviette and marched back to the kitchen.

Nan was strong, Hannah thought, watching her go. She took no nonsense off anyone. Right then, she wished she were more like her and had the guts to text Dylan back and say, You’re wrong – watch this space .

Hannah thought it was questionable whether the huge tree Tom and Liam had chosen would even make it through the door of the Shamrock. It was certainly entertaining watching them try, though! She only had her dad’s word that Tom was with him because all that was visible in the doorway was the tree. The poor fella would be freezing his arse off outside as he played push me, pull me with Liam and the world’s largest Christmas tree. She shook her head, and her mam, standing beside her, did the same. The only difference between them was Nora’s merrily jingling bells.

‘Liam, you’ve outdone yourself this year. Why did you have to go so big?’ Nora was perplexed. ‘Sure, that thing will take up half the pub. We’ll be fighting our way through the forest to clear the tables.’

Hannah leaned into her mam’s ear and whispered, ‘You know what they say about men who buy big toys, don’t you, Mam?’

Nora’s bells tinkled away once more as she shook her head, puzzled. ‘I haven’t a clue.’

Was she having her on? ‘You know, Mam.’

‘I do not.’

‘Think the opposite of what they say about men with big feet.’ Hannah waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

‘That they’ve very good balance?’ Nora eyed her daughter. ‘And why are you doing that thing with your eyebrows?’

‘Give me strength, Mam!’

‘Are you two going to stand there watching us struggle or get over here and give us a hand?’ Liam shot in their direction as if it was their fault he’d bought a tree so big he couldn’t get it in the door.

Nora, sighing over the ridiculousness of the situation, moved toward her husband to help, wrapping her arms around his waist. ‘You come and hold on to me, Hannah,’ she ordered.

Hannah attached herself to her mam.

‘Are you two even pulling?’ Liam bellowed.

‘Don’t shout at me, Liam Kelly, or I won’t help you,’ Nora bellowed back.

‘Shouting isn’t helping anyone,’ Hannah shouted at them both.

Tom’s muffled voice floated through the foliage as he enquired what was going on. ‘You do realise it’s minus something degrees out here!’

‘Sure, it’s like that children’s story about the enormous turnip where all the villagers get in on the act to try and pull it out of the ground,’ Ned Kenny said, chortling.

Enda was wiping his eyes, muttering about this being better than a day out at the gee-gees.

‘If you’re not going to help, pipe down, the pair of you,’ Nora flung at the two regulars propping up the bar. ‘Count of three we pull, OK?’

Liam, who saw himself as being in charge where the tree was concerned, got in before her. ‘One, two, three, heave!’

They all staggered backwards as the tree finally gave way with a splintering of branches and applause from Enda and Ned.

‘Hi there,’ Hannah greeted Tom, who looked dazed at finally finding himself inside the pub. He was still holding up the business end of the tree.

‘That was touch and go,’ he said. ‘I thought I’d have hypothermia by the time I got inside.’

Hannah decided she’d give him a minute to warm up before hitting him up about his client’s response to her email and putting her mind at ease where Dylan was concerned.

There were a few false starts, but the tree was finally positioned in pride of place. Liam performed a triumphant fist pump as he gazed up to where the tips of its dark needles grazed the timbered ceiling. ‘I’ll have to get you a footstool if you’re to decorate those,’ he said, half to himself and half to Hannah.

Yep, it was as she’d thought. She’d been given tree-decorating duty. Hannah crossed her arms over her chest. It would take her the best part of the day to festoon that monstrosity. If she were to take Tom to the famine cottage, she’d need to call in reinforcements.

‘Mam, will we make a start?’ Hannah gestured to the tree.

‘I said I’d help your nan with the baking she’s doing for the Christmas party her craft group is having this afternoon.’

‘Oh, right.’ Looking at the tree, the thought of the hours of decorating ahead was overwhelming.

‘I’ll help,’ Tom offered. ‘I can decorate the top half. You can do the bottom.’

‘Grand. That’s sorted then,’ Nora said, and Hannah was certain her mam had a smile of satisfaction on her face as she left them both to it.