Page 19 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

He smiled back, admiring the glow in her cheeks and the joy in her gaze. It struck him that she was truly beautiful. He’d noticed that she was pretty, of course, but now he realised exactly how stunning she was. He didn’t tend to make a habit of noticing attractive women because he was far too busy to think about such things. Or so he told himself regularly.

‘I brought drinks and treats,’ he said, setting the carrier and box on the counter.

‘Oh wow!’ Sadie said. ‘Thank you!’

‘Sadly, I can’t take credit for them. Pete sent them from The Little Hut in the Hollow. He wanted to send an official welcome. He would have come himself, but he had customers.’

Seth wished he’d thought of bringing drinks and biscuits, but then he could do it another day. For now, this was Pete’s kind gesture.

‘Well thank you for bringing them.’ Tara reached for a cup. ‘Oh… Are they all the same or…’

‘I think so. Apart from that one.’ He tapped the one with SH on the lid. ‘I think that’s my coffee.’

‘Are you going to join us?’ Tara asked.

‘Oh… Only if that’s all right.’

‘Of course it is!’ Sadie said. ‘I’ll give Mum and Dad a shout. They’re in the back resting their feet. They’re not used to standing on them for so long.’ She giggled, then went through to the back leaving Seth alone with Tara.

‘It’s going well then,’ he said softly because there were customers browsing the shelves behind him.

‘Yes!’ She chewed at her bottom lip. ‘I’m so relieved. When I got back from my walk, the shop was full. Mum and Dad have been rushed off their feet.’

‘I knew it would work out for you,’ he said. ‘And today is just the beginning.’

Tara held his gaze and his heart stuttered. He meant that it was the beginning for their business, but something deep inside him whispered that if he was willing to take a chance, this could be the beginning of something else too…

10

TARA

‘Where did that week go?’ Sadie asked as she placed a mug of coffee in front of Tara.

‘I have no idea.’ Tara shook her head.

‘Hopefully things will pick up again,’ Sadie said before blowing on her coffee.

‘Hmmmm.’ Tara went to the shop window and stared out at the dark street. It was just after 8.00 a.m. and still dark enough to feel like night. It had rained all week so she’d been trapped inside, and it seemed like all their customers had been too.

Tara opened the door and stepped outside. The air was cold and damp and not at all festive. With November drawing to a close, she had hoped to wake to a cold, crisp day, the kind that made people want to prepare for Christmas, but the weather had more of the gloom of January about it.

She walked across the street and turned back to look at the Christmas shop. The name Tinsel and Twine sparkled and the lights on the trees twinkled prettily. The shelves were well stocked, the baskets too, and it looked, to Tara, like a cosy little Christmas shop.

And yet… Following a successful first weekend, things had slowed. She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning as she thought about what could be wrong. What did they need to adjust to pull in more customers? Had they chosen the wrong location for their pop-up shop? Should they be glad they had a temporary lease and that they would be able to move on as the new year bells tolled?

She shivered. That wasn’t it. Wisteria Hollow was close to London, and it had good footfall in terms of locals and tourists. It was a lovely location and the shop itself was perfect.

So was it simply the weather? Would things pick up soon?

Or did they need to do something to bring in more customers? Something that would get the village involved too?

Tara liked Wisteria Hollow. She liked the people she’d met and the walks she’d been on. She liked the pretty cottages and village hall, the green where she’d heard that locals held annual events and the other shops in the village. They did well, so why shouldn’t Tinsel and Twine?

She sipped her coffee, the steam rising from the mug into the cold air. Sadie came out of the shop and crossed the street to join her.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked as she wrapped Tara’s coat around her shoulders. ‘You’ll catch a chill out here without your coat.’

‘I’m thinking.’