Page 12 of The Christmas Star

Joyce shook her head.

‘You’ve put him on a flight to Nial’s like you suggested?’ Hattie said.

If Joyce had booked Richard on a flight, I hoped she planned on joining him. Video calls might be better than nothing, but they weren’t the same as Joyce being able to physically hug her son and his family.

‘Even better.’ Joyce clapped her hands. ‘I’ve booked us on a cruise.’ She squealed. ‘A festive cruise. We leave on Christmas Eve.’

My eyes widened in surprise. Despite having a reputation for getting things done, even I’d have needed more than two days to pull that off. ‘I’m impressed.’

Hattie put a hand up to her chest. ‘Me too. But how? At such short notice.’

‘Sally at Elite Travel found it for me. Through one of her special contacts, of course.’

Wishing I could sail off into the sunset, it was good to know at least one of us was going to have a great Christmas. I nudged Joyce’s arm. ‘I hope you’ve got a couple of posh dresses. You know, for when you dine at the captain’s table.’

‘How does Richard feel about this?’ Hattie asked.

‘Unless he’s prepared to lose a whole lot of money, it doesn’t matter how he feels.’ Joyce wiggled her shoulders in excitement. ‘I waited until it was arranged and paid for before I told him.’

‘A woman after my own heart,’ I said.

‘I’m so excited, you wouldn’t believe. It’s years since I’ve had a holiday.’ Joyce rose to her feet. ‘I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you?’ She gave us a little shimmy. ‘Cocktails all round, is it?’

Hattie and I watched Joyce turn on her heels and head to the bar. Richard’s retirement had been quite the ride, and it was good to see her with a spring in her step.

‘I’d rather a cruise than Christmas at the Mayhew’s,’ Hattie said.

I considered what I had in store. ‘Think yourself lucky. At least you’ll get to celebrate. Apart from watching the King’s College Choir with Mum, which she insists on every year no matter what, I’ll be spending mine making PowerPoint slides.’

CHAPTER 9

Two White Christmas Mojitos were enough for me and leaving Hattie and Joyce to enjoy their third, I’d collected my laptop and Christmas shopping from the car to make the trek to Mum’s on foot.

My mind continued to flit between getting on with my presentation and leaving it until after Christmas. But deep down, I knew if I wanted to make sure I could pay my bills, time was short and I needed a head start.

I scolded Rory for not giving me more warning. If he had, I could have had everything I needed with me. Like enough clothes to see me through to the new year. Instead, I’d have to waste what now seemed precious hours going home for it the following day. Not that there was any point complaining. It was what it was.

You’ve got plenty of time, my inner voice yet again said. January is ages away.

I ignored it. On a professional level I was too much of a perfectionist to present anything substandard and personally, I wanted to show Rory and Callum just who they were dealing with.

The estate agent in me was always on duty and as I admired my surroundings it was obvious why Settledown was popular amongst house buyers. As well as a real community spirit, it had everything its residents could need. A pub, a doctor’s surgery, grocers and a variety of independent retailers, and with its olde worlde charm it was spectacularly picture postcard pretty, especially at Christmastime. On top of an abundance of glowing decorations, a majestic brightly lit Douglas fir sat like a beacon on the market square and every shop had gone all out to impress with their window displays.

That year’s theme was Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and The Mouse King, and I couldn’t help but smile at how much effort local traders had gone to. They’d brought to life a host of clockwork castles, Princess Pirlipats and doll kingdoms. My favourites scenes were the ones with the little mice peeping out from behind perfectly wrapped and ribboned gift boxes.

Leaving civilisation and streetlamps behind, I pulled the torch from my handbag and switched it on. Frost glistened in the moonlight, and although I knew it was a layer of rime, the hillsides looked covered in snow. Sheep huddled together next to drystone walls, and the only sound was the to-wit-to-woo of a tawny owl in the distance. I felt a sense of calm and solitude and for the first time that day I could properly breathe.

I didn’t know if it was the cocktails talking or the result of a terrible day, but as I walked, I found myself wondering if it was time to swap city living for country life. I knew if both were priced right, selling my flat and investing in a little cottage would be easy enough and the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became.

I could adorn the house with roses grown in my very own garden and have a vegetable patch overflowing with produce. In winter, I could make soup on an Aga in my farmhouse-style kitchen and sit in my very own snug, book in my lap, next to a roaring wood burner or open fire. I’d always wanted a dog and readily pictured myself playing ball with a lolloping Labradoodle in the garden. Admittedly, life as a singleton could be lonely at times and as I meandered along, even the prospect of finding a man to share my slower pace of life seemed appealing.

I sighed. As if that was ever going to happen.

I’d yet to meet a Henry Cavill lookalike who was intelligent and funny and who prided himself on self-awareness. A man who, when it came to his relationships, put in the same amount of emotional and practical labour that he took out. Someone who’d drop everything, no matter the consequences, for the people he loved and who was passionate about his career and hobbies, to the point he could make even the most boring of details sound interesting. I let out a laugh. ‘Keep dreaming, Erin.’ In my experience, men like that didn’t exist.

I looked up at the night’s sky to see a shooting star and pausing in my step, I watched it blaze across the Milky Way. With its long tail trailing behind, it seemed to go on forever before burning out. I’d never seen anything like it and was captivated.

I shivered, which brought me back to my senses, and glancing around, as beautiful and romantic as my surroundings were, they suddenly had an eeriness to them. Unable to see or hear anything untoward, I shrugged off the feeling and carried on walking.