‘Yeah. Handwritten note no less. I’ll probably go along to the next one. Show willing,’ he said with a smile.
Blythe frowned. ‘It was the HCCC meeting.’
‘CCC?’ he said with a grimace. ‘Sounds like the KKK but without the pointy hats?’
‘Actually, no, nothing like that. Look Sam, the thing is—’ But she was interrupted by something moving in her eyeline. The hanging basket was swaying and yet there was no breeze. A furry ginger leg appeared over the edge of the basket as Turpin stretched. He must have got onto the garage roof and climbed into it from there.
‘There he is,’ said Sam, spotting him too. ‘I think those flowers are past their best now.’ He pointed to the squashed remains in the swinging basket as Turpin leapt onto the wheelie bin and then to the ground. Turpin paused to eye Sam suspiciously before continuing over to his bowl and starting to eat.
‘If we’re going to be virtual neighbours, perhaps we should get to know each other a little better,’ said Blythe.
Sam pulled his chin in. ‘Ah, awkward, you seem like a lovely woman but I’m just out of a relationship and—’
‘Goodness. No!’ Blythe held up her hand for emphasis. ‘I meant we should talk to each other, get to know each other. Nothing else.’
Sam was looking confused. ‘Why would we do that if not to date?’
‘Because you’re going to be living in the village. You’re part of the community now. It’s okay, I was just being friendly. If you’d rather not…’
He seemed to relax a little. ‘Okay. I’m originally from Kent. I dropped out of university and I hate Marmite.’
‘And Christmas,’ she said tentatively.
‘That’s right.’ His jaw tensed.
‘Because it seems a shame that you’re missing out on all the festivities and what really is a lovely time of the year.’ His expression hadn’t softened so she tried to sell it a bit better. ‘I mean, who doesn’t love getting together with family and friends over roast turkey and a cracker.’
‘It’s just not my kind of thing,’ he said at last.
She nodded. ‘But maybe it could be.’
He was looking perplexed. ‘What is it with you and Christmas? Do you have a side hustle going in Christmas trees or elf outfits?’
‘Hmm.’ This was it. It was time to come clean. ‘The thing is that in Holly Cross we celebrate Christmas.’
Sam sighed out a breath. ‘That’s fine. I’m sure it won’t interfere with me.’ He picked up his mug and Blythe waited until it was safely back on the table before she continued.
‘You see Holly Cross is the Christmas village.’ He shook his head as if not following what she was saying. ‘It’s famous for its Christmas lights and Christmas trees and Christmas fayre and…’ With each word Sam’s complexion seemed to go darker but that could have been a timely cloud.
‘When you say famous?’
‘People travel to see the lights. If you google Holly Cross Christmas…’
Sam already had his phone out and Blythe knew the second the pictures had loaded because his eyes popped wide like he’d sat on something sharp. ‘Bloody hell!’
Sam paced up and down the patio. Each time he neared Turpin, the cat gave a low warning hiss. ‘I can’t bloody believe this.’ Sam raked a hand through his hair, making a bit stick up at an odd angle but Blythe didn’t feel it was a good moment to point it out. ‘This is a nightmare.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ she said. ‘But do you think there’s the tiniest possibility that you’re over-reacting? Because it’s just a few weeks of the year and—’
‘Weeks?’ Sam was virtually shouting and his eyebrows were pulled so tight he almost had a monobrow. ‘This just gets worse. And I’m not over-reacting. You sold this house under false pretences.’ He jolted as if a memory had actually struck him. ‘You even asked me if I liked Christmas and, if I remember rightly, I explained fairly categorically that I didn’t. And yet, you said nothing and went ahead and sold me this cottage.’
‘Because this is the perfect property for you,’ said Blythe.
‘Not if it’s in the middle of the most Christmassy village in the world.’
Blythe wobbled her head. ‘Most Christmassy in this country. There’s a place in America that…’ Sam was glaring so hard it was quite unnerving. ‘That’s probably not relevant.’
‘There should have been some sort of disclaimer or it should have come up on the searches,’ said Sam as he continued his pacing.
