Page 5 of Christmas Magic at Inishbeg Cove

He gestured towards a blackboard on the wall adjacent with the menu handwritten in chalk.

‘Could I take the beef and Guinness stew please?’ She knew this might be the only decent meal she would get for a while.

‘You take a seat and I’ll bring it down to you.’

She sat into a snug near the fire and saw there was a socket. Thankfully she always carried a charger in her bag and she plugged in her phone which was almost dead. Although her laptop hadn’t much charge left, at least she would still be able to use her phone to check her emails. She looked around the pub and saw there were a few people having lunch. Some were in family groups, clearly starting their Christmas celebrations. She guessed lots of families had reunited for Christmas; maybe grown up children returning to the village from various cities or places around the world. She watched them as they interacted gaily with one another. Warm hugs and merry laughter. She wondered what that must be like. To have all your family gathered around and where everyone actually liked one another. It was surreal to think there were people who actually looked forward to Christmas day.

She didn’t have time to dwell on it, as soon the barman arrived down with her mulled wine. The heavenly aroma of cloves and star anise filled her nostrils as she took a sip and let the wine warm her cold bones.

The stew arrived a short time later and she devoured the tender beef that melted in her mouth and the creamy mashed potato it was served with. She finished the whole thing and was pleasantly full when she saw Conor entering the pub in his wellies and wax jacket.

‘So you seem be settling in well,’ he said taking a stool opposite her and leaning his folded arms onto the table.

‘It was delicious.’

When she had finished the mulled wine, he stood up and gestured towards the door. ‘Right then, my lady, your carriage awaits.’

She gathered up her belongings and followed him out. She was grateful when he carried the logs leaving her with just the groceries. They walked down the street to where he had parked the tractor and she braced herself for the smell as she climbed up into it. She held her breath, trying not to inhale through her nose as they drove up the headland.

When they arrived at the cottage, Conor turned off the engine. She opened the passenger door and hopped down. Her feet crunched over the snow as she made her way to the front door. She put the key in the lock and opened it. The first thing she did was check the light switch to see if the electricity had been restored. ‘Still not back,’ she groaned.

‘Look, Faye, you can’t spend Christmas here with no electricity,’ he said carrying the logs inside. ‘Why don’t you come up to the farmhouse. We’ve a generator so it’s business as usual up there. Mum won’t mind, she has loads of spare rooms. The more the merrier as far as she’s concerned.’

‘No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine where I am. Anyway I’m sure it’ll be back soon.’

‘I wouldn’t be so confident. It’s Christmas Eve so if they don’t reconnect you today, you’ll be spending Christmas in the dark. You won’t be able to put on the heating or even cook a turkey.’

‘Even if I had electricity I wouldn’t be cooking a turkey,’ she snapped.

‘Well whatever you like to eat on Christmas, goose or roast beef…’ he went on.

‘I have the stove, and the cooker has a gas hob so I’ll manage perfectly fine.’

He tilted his head to one side and looked at her dead on as if he couldn’t quite figure her out. Eventually he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Well you know where we are if you change your mind…’

4

The next morning, Faye rose, bracing herself for the chill once she pulled back the plump goose-feather duvet. Her breath fogged on the air in front of her and she noticed ice crystals had formed on the inside of the glass. She climbed down from the bed, slipped her feet into her slippers and wrapped her dressing robe snuggly around her before heading downstairs.

The first thing she did was light the stove once again to get some warmth back into the house. Then she boiled water on the gas hob to make herself a coffee. This is ridiculous, she thought as she waited for the water to boil. For the millionth time since she had arrived in Inishbeg Cove she wondered what the hell she was doing here? She thought about her modern, cosy apartment back in Dublin lying empty and wanted to cry. When she had managed to finally make something resembling coffee, she brought the mug down to the sofa and sat in front of the stove. She opened her laptop, knowing she didn’t have much time until her battery would go dead but she hoped to get a little bit more done on her strategy document for next year. She took a sip of the instant coffee and grimaced at its bitter after-taste; it was yet another reminder of what she was missing as she longed for the barista machine that she had at home.

She was working away through the document when she heard a knock on the door. She cast her laptop aside, put the mug down and got up to answer it. She found Conor standing outside. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling self-conscious that she was in her dressing gown while he was nicely dressed wearing a shirt beneath a knitted jumper and chinos. It was her first time seeing him out of his farming clothes and she had to admit her looked well. A fresh hint of stubble darkened his jaw.

‘Happy Christmas!’ he beamed at her, entering the cottage without waiting to be invited in. It took her a moment to realise that it was Christmas day. She had completely forgotten about it. He thrust a gift wrapped in gold paper and tied with green velvet ribbon into her hands.

‘W-what’s this?’ she asked taken aback by the gesture. ‘I didn’t get you anything…’

‘It’s just something small from my mum.’

She pulled on one end of the ribbon and opened the present to see it was a woollen scarf in a buttercup yellow colour. She lifted it out to admire it.

‘She knit it herself,’ he said proudly. ‘It’ll keep you warm in this weather anyway.’

‘It’s beautiful,’ she said, suddenly feeling overcome. ‘It was so thoughtful of her. Tell her I said thanks.’

‘Still no electricity then?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘I’m dangerously low on battery now.’ She gestured towards her laptop sitting open on the coffee table.