Page 22 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

Their shared laughter was warm, rooted in mutual trust. It was why they worked so well as a couple.

‘Tell me more about this guy then and why you think he likes Tara.’

‘Well…’ Sadie told him about the way Seth had behaved in the shop and how he’d popped in more than once to say hello and brought them drinks and cakes on several occasions.

‘That does sound like a landlord going above and beyond,’ Sander said.

‘That’s what I thought. And Mum and Dad have noticed it too.’

‘Well, if they’ve noticed it there must be something there. And what about Tara? Does she seem keen on him?’

‘I think so. There’s a spark when they’re together and the way they look at each other is… not like they want to be just friends.’

‘Sounds like you could have a holiday romance on your hands.’ Sander scratched the stubble on his chin and Sadie shivered, aware of how good it felt when that stubble tickled her skin.

‘Could be. But only if Tara lets her guard down. I know she’s sworn off men since her relationship ended, but there’s no knowing when you’ll find the one, is there?’

‘True! Look at us.’

They smiled at each other as they both thought back to the day they met. Sadie had been doing the social media content for a wedding venue and Sander was there as a guest at a wedding. She’d noticed him because he was trying to fix a string of fairy lights on a tree outside. She’d asked what he was doing and he’d told her he was an engineer. She’d replied that he should ask for a refund on the money he’d paid for his degree, and he’d burst out laughing. He’d got the lights working eventually, then they’d gone to have a drink at the bar while the bride and groom had their first dance. They’d swapped numbers and Sander had phoned her as soon as she’d walked away from him. She’d known that he was the one she’d been waiting for all along.

‘You’ll always be my one, Sander,’ she said, sighing.

‘Ditto.’ He blew her a kiss.

‘So, tell me about your day,’ she said.

Sander’s days were pretty much the same, but she liked to listen to him talk. She hugged her knees to her chest and gazed at his handsome face, the stubble on his jaw that made him look quite rugged and the fine lines around his eyes. She knew exactly how he’d smell, and she wished she could bury her face in the crook of his neck and breathe him in, but there would be time for that. Leaving his arms when he went away was hard but snuggling into him when he came home was worth the wait.

‘And what about you?’ he said.

‘I’m going to restock a few things, then we’re going for a walk.’

‘You and Tara?’

She nodded. ‘We thought we’d eat out tonight instead of cooking in the flat.’

‘Sounds like a good plan.’

‘Tell me why you love me again,’ she said. ‘Then I’ll let you go.’

And so Sander listed all the things he loved about her and she listened, feeling like the luckiest woman in the world to have found the one. The one who got her and loved her for who she was. Even if they wouldn’t be together for Christmas this year, Sander would always be there in her heart.

12

TARA

Afew days later, Tara and her mum went for a wander around the village. They wrapped up warm and left her dad and Sadie in the shop.

‘How are you feeling, darling?’ her mum asked.

‘I’m good, thanks.’ Tara squeezed her mum’s arm where it rested in the crook of her elbow.

‘Are you happy?’

‘With what? Tinsel and Twine?’

‘No. Just happy?’