Page 33 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

‘Do you see your parents regularly?’

He gave a small nod. ‘Most weeks. Dad is retired but was a carpenter. He’s still handy for odd jobs though. Mum is a retired nurse and she is constantly busy. She’s in the WI, supports pupils at a local primary school with literacy skills, bakes for the local homeless centre and watches my sister’s children when she works.’

‘You have a sister?’

‘Colleen. She’s older by three years. She’s married with two daughters aged ten and eight. They’re cheeky to their uncle at times but good girls.’

Tara glanced at him, catching the softening in his voice when he spoke about his nieces. ‘Funnily enough, just like you, they love Christmas. And so does my mum.’

‘And they haven’t managed to persuade you to like it more?’ she said.

Seth laughed. ‘Not for want of trying though.’

‘So do you normally spend Christmas Day with your parents?’

‘And my sister, her husband and the girls. It’s always chaotic, noisy and exhausting. By the evening, I’m glad to go back to my quiet flat to be alone with my thoughts.’

Tara could understand that desire for peace and quiet, but she also liked the sound of a busy, fun-filled Christmas. Having children around always made the festive season even more special.

‘I just can’t see why everyone spends six weeks building up to one day and then spends the rest of the year paying for it.’ Seth glanced at her.

‘It’s not like that for everyone,’ she said, feeling a bit stung. ‘Some people treasure the Christmas decorations they buy and bring them out year after year. My mum and dad always have done and it’s one of the things I love about the holidays.’

‘My parents are the same.’ He laughed softly. ‘Mum still has these old cardboard snowmen that we made one year out of toilet rolls. And snowflakes cut out of paper that she still insists on sticking on the windows even though they’re yellow and curling at the edges.’

‘Your mum sounds like a gorgeous person.’ Tara clasped her hands in her lap. She loved hearing about people’s festive traditions.

‘She is.’ He nodded. ‘I’m very lucky to have such a great mum. I don’t always appreciate her as much as I should and my sister tells me off for it. She says I should spend more time with Mum and Dad because they won’t always be there.’ A muscle in his jaw twitched.

‘It’s a horrid thought, isn’t it?’

‘Awful.’ He gave a small shake of his head. ‘I just can’t imagine a world without the pair of them, even if they have driven me mad over the years with their fussing, worrying and nagging.’ He sighed. ‘Not nagging. I shouldn’t say nagging because it’s just them worrying about me and telling me to be careful and all that.’

‘Oh, I understand that. Mum in particular is a worrier. Dad has chilled out a bit now but when I was growing up, he was always telling me to drive carefully, make sure I had petrol in the car so I didn’t need to stop at a garage at night and to turn all the plugs off before bed. Once, when I was fourteen, he phoned the police because I was late going back to a friend’s house.’

‘The police?’ Seth grimaced.

‘I was staying at a friend’s house, and she said her parents always let her stay out late. We decided we’d take advantage of this and have a fun Saturday night. We went out and spent the evening with some lads from school. I think we had some drink… some disgusting alcopops… and there was the usual teenage flirting and showing off. But when we went back to hers, the police were outside the house, and my dad was there with a face like thunder.’

‘Uh oh…’

‘Exactly. Dad was furious. He’d phoned her parents on the landline and asked to speak to me, and they’d said we were still out. That had not gone down well, and so our parents went out looking for us. When they couldn’t find us, they phoned the police. It was mortifying.’

‘What happened?’

‘Dad took me home and I was grounded for a month.’ She frowned at the memory. ‘I was furious because I said my friend’s parents were cool with her staying out late, but my dad was not amused and would not back down. So that was it. For a month.’

‘Were you often grounded?’ he asked.

‘Not often but every time I was, I had steam coming out of my ears.’

They both laughed and Tara relaxed into the comfortable seat a bit more.

‘Are you warm enough?’ he asked.

‘I’m OK.’

‘Do you want the heated seat on?’