I was packing up the few remaining Christmas decorations when I heard Alec’s voice.
‘Don’t ever ask my daughter to tell you how I feel about you. If you want to know how I feel, ask me, not my eight-year-old child.’ He threw a twenty pound note on the table. ‘And never, ever try to bribe her to do that. She is not a pawn to be toyed with. Or a monkey you can get to dance for you. Or a man to kiss you, when you want to be kissed because you don’t have thedecency to tell some guy you no longer fancy him. I thought you were special. I was very much mistaken.’
‘I didn’t bribe her. She was the one who … never mind. Melody is lovely and bright and smart and I really like her. I gave her those reindeer decorations because I wanted to. Not because of anything she may or may not have told me. So keep your bloody money.’ I stuffed it in his hand. ‘I know I’m not deemed to be worthy to be your special friend, but I would’ve made a better job of looking after Melody than that woman did today. She was looking at stuff on a stall way over there and Melody came running over to me all on her own. So I’m not the only one you’ve made a mistake about.’
‘She did what?’ He gave me a quelling look.
‘Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you. That was a joke.’
‘Really?’ His mouth twitched at one corner.
‘Yes. The woman told Melody to stop at the other stall with her but Melody wanted to come here, so she did. She has a mind of her own. But the woman didn’t check to see where Melody was. And to be honest, she didn’t seem bothered when I took Melody back and told the woman she had lost her.’
‘You … you took her back to Clare?’
‘If that’s her name then yes. Of course I did.’
‘Then thank you for that. I owe you an apology.’
‘You owe me nothing. Go and find yourself another special friend.’
‘Don’t get mad with me. You’re the one who got the wrong end of the stick. And you’re the one who kisses guys to make other guys jealous.’
‘I didn’t do that. I did it to stop him asking me out. I thought it was the best thing to do. But I accept it was stupid and I was wrong. In my defence, it’s been a weird and rather emotional few days. How was I to know your wife was dead? No one told me. You didn’t tell me. I’m not a bloody mind reader. I heard youon the phone calling someone sweetheart, and yes, I jumped to conclusions and assumed you weren’t single and that you were just trying to get me into bed or something. And how was I to know I’d fall head over heels for you despite the fact you’re a pain in the arse and sarcastic and … and … far too gorgeous and sexy. Now leave me alone so that I can go home and get drunk. And yes, I drink. Add that to the list of why I’m unsuitable to be your special friend.’
I thought he’d leave, but he didn’t. He stood his ground and stared at me for what seemed like an eternity as I packed up my boxes.
‘Need a hand with that?’
‘Nope. I’ve got it. Why are you still here?’
‘The truth? I’m not sure. I came here to tell you to stay away from my daughter, but it seems my daughter is as drawn to you as I am.’
‘Your daughter is drawn to my reindeer decorations, not me.’
‘Nope. I found those in her rucksack when I was looking for her hat. I asked her why she had them and she said you’d given them to her. I was cross because I didn’t know why you’d done that. And then she asked me why you couldn’t be my special friend and that she’d love it if you could be And I got angry. I thought … well, I’m not sure what I thought. I asked why she wanted you to be my special friend and she said it was because she likes you a lot and that you’re pretty and you talk to her more than Clara does.’
‘As I said before, I really like her too. Melody not Clara. I’ll stay away from Melody though if that’s what you want.’
‘I’m not sure what I want. That’s not entirely true. I know what I want but I’m not sure it’s wise. Yet, there’s something about you that’s hard to resist. Since the first time I saw you, I’ve felt drawn to you. As angry as I was on Thursday, I still couldn’tstop thinking about you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you all week.’
‘Well, I’m sorry about that.’
‘Don’t be. I like having you on my mind. But is this real? Can I trust how I feel? I can’t make a mistake. I’ve got Melody to think about.’
‘You’re not making any sense. First you come down here and yell at me and then you tell me you … well, it sounds as if you want to ask me out.’
‘What can I say? You make me mad. You make me happy. You’ve made me feel things I never thought I’d feel again. And I think we both know I want to take you to bed. I think you want me as much as I want you. I’m pretty sure you do. But is this lust? Or is this … more?’
‘Don’t ask me. I’m the woman who makes stupid decisions. So I’d say the only way to find out, is to try it and see.’
‘Don’t just stand there, mate,’ a passer-by said, nudging Alec on the arm. ‘Kiss the woman. Look up.’ He pointed upwards and winked and we both spotted the mistletoe hanging above our heads from a wire crisscrossing the market.
Alec looked me in the eye and a devastating smile spread across his gorgeous mouth.
‘I don’t think either of us can argue with that. It’s tradition, after all.’
‘It’s bad luck not to. I’d rather not have any more of that, thanks. My boiler played up and so did my tap, and everything comes in threes, so I’d rather kiss you than take a chance on something else going wrong or breaking down.’
