Page 6 of Christmas Magic at Inishbeg Cove

‘You’re not seriously working on Christmas day are you?’ he asked in disbelief looking over at the laptop.

‘Best day of the year if you need to get things done!’

‘Margo must be a right slave driver if she won’t give you Christmas off.’

Faye shook her head. ‘Margo wants me to take the time off but I find it’s a really productive time. I get loads done while everyone else is off.’

He looked at her incredulously.

‘What?’ she said.

‘So besides working, have you any plans for the day?’

‘Nope, I just want it all to be over and then the world can back to normal. It’s ridiculous the way everyone gets into a tizzy for just one day.’

‘You’re not a fan of Christmas then?’ he asked.

‘Definitely not. The sooner it’s finished the better.’

‘Okay, Scrooge.’

It wasn’t the first time she had been called that.

‘Look, Mum sent me down to ask you to come up to the farmhouse,’ he continued. ‘She does the best dinner. Nobody does roast potatoes like hers.’

‘I’ve already told you, I’m perfectly happy here.’

‘But she’s expecting you. She said there’s no way she’s allowing you to spend the day alone.’

‘Please thank her for her concern,’ Faye said primly, ‘but I’ve got plans.’

‘What? You’re just going to spend the day on your laptop?’ He shook his head.

‘And what’s wrong with that?’

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. ‘I’ve done my bit.’

She put her hands on her hips. ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well, it’s Margo… She’s asked us to check in with you and to make sure you’re okay especially when she heard about the power cut. Mum thinks that if you spend Christmas day alone, Margo will think we didn’t look after you properly.’

She groaned. ‘I don’t get why everyone is so obsessed with how I spend Christmas!’ She threw her hands up into the air in despair.

‘Please,’ he begged, bringing his hands together in a prayer, ‘just come up for an hour and I’ll bring you home as soon as dinner is finished. If you show your face for a bit, it’ll get Mum off my back and keep Margo happy too.’

Faye knew he wasn’t going to back down and the last thing she wanted was to offend Margo’s family. ‘Oh, okay then…’ she exhaled heavily. ‘I’ll go for an hour seeing as though you’re not going to take no as an answer.’

‘Great,’ he beamed. ‘If we go now, we’ll make it back for Gran’s sherry party.’

‘Woah, there a minute…’ She put her palms up to face him. ‘I said I’d go for dinner. You said nothing about a sherry party!’

He splayed his hands towards the ceiling. ‘But it’s a Flynn family tradition.’

‘I agreed to come for dinner, not a bloody sherry party too.’

‘Look, it’s on our way up to the farmhouse, it won’t take long I promise.’

‘Oh, alright,’ she snapped. ‘But I need to get dressed.’