At least he had fixed my tap. Which meant I could turn that on without risk of a drenching, so I strolled into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, but decided to have a mug of hot chocolate instead.
After heating the milk and mixing it with the mint-flavoured hot chocolate powder, I topped it with whipped cream, added a chocolate flake, some chocolate sprinkles, and a few marshmallows shaped as stars, and dusted those with cocoa powder. It was almost a dessert as well as a hot drink.
I opened one of the bags of Adele’s cinnamon biscuits that I’d bought from her that afternoon, having already opened one earlier, to give Alec biscuits with his tea, all of which had been eaten. I’d just have two with my hot chocolate, but I’d take the bag with me, just in case.
By the time I had to leave to get to my parents’ house, the second bag was also empty. This cinnamon biscuit addiction was getting serious, and it was only the first day of eating them.
I had intended to drive, having only had one glass of wine with Marcus, but I needed to walk off those biscuits.
It was a bitterly cold evening and I wrapped my scarf around my neck and chin and pulled my bobble hat down further over my ears. My coat was thick and my boots were fleece-lined, as were my leather gloves, so it was only my eyes and nose that were exposed to the elements but when a car honked and pulled up beside me, Berry exploded with laughter.
‘Evening, Rudolph,’ she teased. ‘Will you light our way to the pub, with your bright red nose?’
‘Guess who’s going on Santa’s naughty list,’ I parried.
‘Hey, Noelle,’ said Paul.
I bent slightly to look in at him and remembered why I’d got a crush on him in the first place.
‘Hey yourself, Paul.’
‘Coming with us?’ Berry asked.
‘Where to?’ I queried.
‘The pub, Dumbo.’
‘Ah. I believe you’re getting your cartoon characters mixed up, but as for the pub, that’d be a firm, no thanks.’
‘Why not?’
I frowned at her. ‘Because I was drunk on Saturday, not drunk but did drink on Sunday, and I’ve had a large glass of white wine today. Expensive white wine I might add. That’s taken care of my alcohol consumption for the week, I believe. Fourteen units, remember?’
‘Who are you and what have you done with my friend, Noelle?’
‘Please come,’ said Paul, leaning across his sister. ‘I’d like to ask you something.’
That made it very tempting, and yet I said no.
‘I’m sorry but I really can’t tonight. I need to be at Mum and Dad’s before ten or they’ll lock me out. It’s nine forty-five-ish now. I checked just before you pulled up. Perhaps you could ask me tomorrow?’
‘Hop in,’ Paul said. ‘If you won’t come to the pub, at least let me give you a lift to your house.’
He didn’t have to tell me twice, and I opened the rear passenger door and climbed in.
‘Thank you so much for this. It’s really cold out there. They forecast snow but I think it’s too cold for that.’
‘Whatever,’ said Berry, swivelling round on her seat to look at me. ‘Paul wants to ask you out on a date.’
‘Oh!’ I shot a look at him and then back at Berry. Both were smiling. ‘Erm. Do you?’
‘I do,’ he said, nodding.
‘Well. That would be lovely. Thank you.’
‘See,’ said Berry nudging him in the ribs even though he was driving. ‘I told you she had the hots for you.’ And then she grinned at me. ‘I could tell. Although I’m disappointed you didn’t share your feelings with me. We’ll be sisters if this works out. And I’m sure it will. Imagine that. I’ll be auntie to your kids. All six of them. Paul’s always wanted lots of kids. This is going to be our best Christmas ever. I can feel it.’
Paul met my eyes in the rearview mirror and the look he shot me made me feel my entire future had been mapped out by Berry and her brother.
