‘Hello?’ called Emily from the hallway. Zach rushed back to her.
‘Sorry, Em. This house is a bit spread out. I’ll give you the grand tour in a mo,’ he said, beckoning her to the kitchen.
‘Please treat the place as your own,’ said Lottie, joining them and biting the leg off an already headless gingerbread man. ‘Gingerbread?’ She offered her the tin.
‘Last year Nana made a treehouse out of gingerbread. It was incredible,’ said Zach.
Emily took a gingerbread body part from the tin. ‘I wanted to come last year but my mum had won a hamper and she wanted us all to go to hers.’
‘Last year?’ said Lottie, failing to hide her astonishment. She widened her eyes at Zach. She had no idea they’d been together that long. She spoke to her brother regularly and he’d first mentioned Emily a few months ago. He’d definitely been playing this low key for quite some time.
‘You must have thought I was his imaginary girlfriend. It’s taken so long for us to meet up, what with so many of your family being ill,’ volunteered Emily, trying to bite into her gingerbread and having to have a second go at it.
Lottie opened her mouth to query Emily’s statement but Zach was waving frantically from behind Emily’s back. She’d challenge him on that one later. It was reassuring to know that Emily wasn’t just a fling, but the fact Zach had kept her existence quiet for so long troubled Lottie a little.
‘I’ve made up all the beds so take your pick,’ said Lottie, wagging a finger at Zach out of Emily’s eyeline as they all walked back to the hall.
‘Blue room free?’ he asked, picking up their bags and mouthing ‘Thank you’.
‘All yours. Camp bed and sleeping bag for Jessie are on the landing. And I’ve put the dolls in the box room.’
‘Excellent,’ said Zach, ushering Emily up the stairs.
‘Dolls?’ asked Emily.
‘Nana collected them,’ explained Lottie.
‘They are the creepiest things you’ve ever seen,’ said Zach. He took the stairs two at a time like he’d used to as a boy and it made Lottie smile. Lottie turned to head back to her to-do list in the kitchen as the front door opened and an icy wind blew in her mother.
‘My God, this place is grim. I can’t believe the cost of a taxi from Stow.’ Angie wheeled in her case and slammed the door shut behind her. ‘Hello, darling,’ she said, eventually turning her attention to her daughter.
‘Hi, Mum. Good journey?’ They air-kissed over the briefest of hugs.
‘Bearable. If I’d known Zach was already here I’d have got him to pick us up.’
‘Us?’ questioned Lottie, observing her mother, alone, taking off her expensive-looking coat.
As if answering the question, the old oak door burst open again and in strode a man whose age, Lottie guessed, was far nearer her own than her mother’s. ‘This is Scott,’ said Angie, proudly pulling him to her side.
‘Hiya,’ said Scott, flicking his auburn hair out of his eyes. Lottie blinked rapidly. He was good-looking and had a warm smile.
‘Hello,’ said Lottie, aware that she was staring at the unexpected guest.
‘Do close your mouth, Lottie. You don’t want people to think you’re simple,’ said her mother, handing Lottie her coat. Angie kissed Scott in a way no child would ever want to observe of a parent. Lottie pulled her eyes away and busied herself with folding and refolding the coat.
Her mother finally stopped snogging Scott and scanned Lottie with a critical eye.
‘What?’ asked Lottie. She was wearing her favourite Darth Vader Christmas jumper and flashing Christmas tree earrings. She could sense the disapproval cascading over her in waves. ‘It’s Christmas so flashing earrings are acceptable. And I love this jumper.’
‘Nothing, darling. Don’t be defensive. It’s very you, and I can see it’s much-loved.’
‘Here,’ said Scott, pulling two large bottles of champagne out of a bag slung over his shoulder. ‘’Tis the season to drink Bolly, Fa la la la laa la la la laaa,’ he trilled.
Distracted from Lottie’s outfit, Angie giggled like a child. ‘He’s so much fun. Isn’t he fun?’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Lottie, reaching to take the bottles and inwardly freaking out. This was one more person to feed at breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next two days – not to mention the fact that she didn’t have a gift for him.
‘Sorry, we’ll need those,’ said Angie, intercepting the bottles at lightning speed. ‘I assume I’m inmyroom?’ Angie was already heading upstairs.
