Page 19 of I’ll Be Home for Christmas

But Meg smiled and replied, ‘It’s fine by me. I’ll start in Winterbruck if you’re interested.’

It was just a shame that Sarah felt sure there was a reticence behind those words – probably due to the situation between Meg and Chrissie.

Part of Sarah felt like she was betraying her mum but the other part of her longed to spend time with Meg and get to know her.

Grumps insisted he clear up the dishes, and he and Meg disappeared into the kitchen while Sarah and Nanna had a glass of wine each. Sarah was about to ask whether Nanna was sure Meg wouldn’t find her tagging along annoying, and more to the point whether this wouldn’t make trouble if Chrissie found out, when she heard a noise beyond the window at the front of the house.

She walked across the room, past the sofa, to see what was outside. There was a man clearing the path.

‘Who is that?’ she asked Nanna.

Nanna came to join her. ‘That’s Jonathan.’ She knocked on the glass and waved and the man waved back.

Sarah felt it rude if she didn’t wave too. ‘Does he just clear the path and go on his way?’ It seemed odd that he didn’t knock.

‘Not always. Sometimes he’ll say hello, but quite often he’ll just get on with it. He’s our neighbour, moved in after his parents, the Lawsons, passed away. He’s been good to us. He’s taken us to appointments seeing as we don’t have a car any more. He does odd jobs around the property and makes sure we’re still alive and kicking. And every day, often twice a day, he does this and clears the path and out front for us.’

‘That’s really kind.’

‘It is.’ She stepped away from the window. ‘He’ll knock on the front door if he wants to, but he knows we don’t always expect it. He has his own life. But I do repay his kindness with food.’

‘I’ll bet he appreciates that.’

Nanna smiled. ‘I think he has enough of my cinnamon rolls in his freezer to last well into the New Year.’

Sarah suddenly took pause. Grumps had mentioned their helpful neighbour before in his letters, but Sarah hadn’t really registered his name. She didn’t remember ever having crossed paths with him on her visits, but now she felt sure the name Jonathan was somewhat familiar.

Meg had appeared behind them both without them realising and now she was looking out of the window too. ‘The guy clearing your path is hot, Mum. He looks like he’s got some muscles under that coat.’

Sarah giggled. ‘How can you tell?’

‘Intuition,’ said Meg with a conspiratorial grin. ‘His stubble suits him, and he’s tall.’

‘That’s enough now, girls,’ said Nanna as if Sarah and Meg were the same age. ‘Meg, close the curtains, keep the heat in. And stop talking about Jonathan.’

Meg reluctantly closed the curtains and then flopped down on the sofa.

Sarah turned the name Jonathan over in her head a few more times before something came to her and she said to Nanna, ‘Jonathan met my dad, didn’t he?’

Nanna nodded. ‘Jonathan was staying next door with his parents, and it was on one of the Christmases you came here with your mum and dad. Anthony spotted a proper wooden sledge by the Lawsons’ front door one day and he went across to talk to Jonathan about it. Turned out Jonathan had made it himself. He and your dad got chatting and the next thing we knew Jonathan had offered to make one for you.’

Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise and her emotions churned. ‘The wooden sledge I got when I was seven years old. I was so happy when I saw it by the tree. We took it out every day that we were here.’ And the memory had stayed with her ever since. Her mum had once told her as she got older that her dad had made it with someone’s help. Someone called Jonathan. She’d forgotten all about it until now.

Nanna kissed Sarah on top of her head. ‘Your dad told me he was useless with making things, but when he saw that wooden sledge, he’d wanted to give you one just like it.’

‘That was a really kind thing for your dad to do,’ said Meg. ‘And it was good of Jonathan to help.’

Nanna smiled at Sarah. ‘You were so excited. It was a great year for Christmas snow fall and you took it to Frostkinder Hill.’

‘The sledge is still in Mum’s loft. I wanted to keep it, give it to my kid one day. You know.’ Something her dad had helped to make, something she’d had as a little girl. She’d pass it down and it would be even more special because of its history.

‘I remember Frostkinder Hill,’ said Meg. ‘Chrissie and me spent hours there the first winter we were here. And we made a snowman family – or snowpeople. Not sure what you say.’

‘Snowpeople, I reckon,’ said Sarah. ‘Do you have pictures?’

‘Probably… somewhere.’

Grumps must’ve been eavesdropping because from behind them came, ‘I’ll get the albums.’