'Thanks.' he gave a short quick smile. 'I probably should have wanted you first, shouldn’t I?'
She laughed. 'Maybe.'
'I just knew if I told you I'd be admitting it to myself and I naively thought if I didn’t make a big fuss over it, I might just be okay.'
'You'll be fine.' As their car rose to the top, the ride slowed to a stop and she glanced over the edge of the car, careful not tomake it swing too wildly. 'But there is someone else getting off now so if it gets too much you don’t have to stay on.'
He nodded. 'Is that why we've stopped.'
'Yep, people are swapping over.'
'And we're at the top? the very top?' His voice shook a little.
'Umm...' She grimaced. Did she tell him the truth?
'We are, aren't we?'
'Yes.' she whispered, unsure whether it had been the right thing to say. Looking around, she grinned. the view was amazing. She could see right across the farm, fir trees stretching for miles below them before farmland opened up, lit only by the full moon and the stars. 'Honestly the view is absolutely stunning. I didn’t realise the farm was so big.'
'Is it? the view I mean, it is really amazing?'
'It really is. From up here I can see right across the farmland and right to Penworth Bay.' She squinted. If her eyesight was better she would probably be able to pick out Elsie's bakery. She turned as she heard a long drawn out 'wow' next to her. Felix's eyes were open and although his knuckles were still white from his death grip on the bar, his expression had turned from one of pure panic to that of wonder. She rubbed the top of his hand. 'It's beautiful, isn’t it?'
'It is.' He shook his head. 'I hadn’t known what to expect but I hadn’t expected this.' He slowly turned to face her. 'I can kind of understand why people put themselves through going on something like this.'
'Haha, yep. for the adrenaline rush and the views.' Looking into his eyes, she reached out and ran the pad of her forefinger over his lips, tracing their outline.
Releasing one hand of the death grip, he cupped her cheek and leaned forward. As their lips touched the car lurched as the wheel began to move again and Felix pulled away, gripping thesafety bar again. Chuckling, he shook his head. 'For a moment there it felt quite romantic.'
'Until you thought we were going to plunge to our deaths.' Shaking her head, she giggled.
'Yes, that's exactly it.' Closing his eyes again, Felix inched his hand across the bar slowly until he was touching hers.
Watching him, Merri shook her head. How could she feel so much for this man in such a short space of time? Was it real or was she just getting carried away with the magic of Christmas? Whatever it was, she liked it and she was determined to enjoy it for as long as she could.
Chapter Ten
'I'll bring your coffees over in a moment. You go and get seated.' Merri smiled at Mrs Peters and her granddaughter.
'Thanks, dear. I appreciate that.' Picking up the canvas bag she'd placed on the counter whilst she'd ordered, Mrs Peters led the way across the bakery towards the table by the window, her granddaughter hefting two large carrier bags as she followed her.
As she turned back to the coffee machine, Merri heard the bell above the door chime. Apart from the usual rush around lunchtime, the day had been unusually quiet, and Merri had to admit she'd been relieved. She hadn’t got in until gone midnight last night. the Victorian market hadn’t closed until ten and then she, Felix, Nick and Gabby had spent a couple of hours sitting around the firepit chatting and swapping Christmas stories. It had been nice to listen to the traditions different families kept for the Christmas period. And it had made her want to begin one too. Not that she knew what. Or how.
She placed the first chai latte on the tray next to the two slices of carrot cake Mrs Peters and her granddaughter had chosen. Perhaps it would just be visiting Penworth Bay over Christmas. Or at least for a weekend leading up to the Christmas week. Or maybe she should think of something she could do at home. She could learn how to bake a Christmas cake or a yule log or something. That would probably be easier to continue the tradition than committing to holidaying down here every year.
Merri sighed as the coffee machine spluttered out another chai latte. The thought of going back to the flatshare with Aggie and her boyfriend filled her with dread, as did the thought of going back to working in the office with just her boss and Martha for company. She'd always been happy with her lot. Well, not happy, but thought she was getting by okay, but after volunteering her min the summer something had changed in her and she realised how much she enjoyed being around people. And this trip down here had only confirmed that for her.
'That was a very loud sigh.' Elsie frowned as she walked past and paused, two trays full of cupcakes in her hands. 'Everything okay?'
'Sorry, I was just thinking about my job back home.' Merri placed the second chai latte on the tray.
'Well, you know what to do. Speak to Carrie.' Elsie looked up as the door opened again and Felix came rushing inside. 'I'll leave you to it.'
Merri nodded before turning her attention to Felix. He looked more than a little flustered and his usual calm expression had been replaced with what Merri could only think of as mild panic. She looked him up and down, taking in his dishevelled appearance. 'What's happened? Is everything all right?'
Leaning his palms on the counter, he shook his head slowly, catching his breath. 'I've just come from the hospital...'
Cutting his sentence short, panic washed over her and she reached for his hand. 'Oh no, are you hurt? What happened?'
