Page 4 of Yule Party on Sunflower Street

As he walked and warmed up a bit, he thought about the building he’d purchased at auction three months earlier. Working as a commercial property consultant had given him a good eye for an investment, and he was building his own property portfolio. The shop had been a bargain. It was clean and tidy enough, and although he knew it would benefit from refurbishment, it was fine to use in the meantime. The toilet issue was one he hadn’t been aware of, but it should be a simple enough fix for an experienced plumber. He’d called a local man, Ethan Morris, to see to it so it should be sorted this afternoon.

The sisters renting the shop for the festive period had seemed too good to be true. When he’d got the email regarding a pop-up Christmas shop, it had seemed like an early Christmas gift. He had plans for refurbishing the building in the new year, so earning some money by renting it on a short lease was perfect. Although he had no interest in Christmas himself, plenty of people did, and he hoped the sisters would do well over the festive period. He had no idea what they did for the rest of the year, nor did he care, as long as they paid the rent on time.

He passed the village hall, where lights shone against the gloom, and then the primary school, where children raced around in the yard, laughing and shouting despite the cold. Opposite the garage, he turned right then strolled along the path that led to the lake and picnic area.

He could already taste the freshly ground coffee beans and toasted cheese and onion bagel he was going to have as a late breakfast. There were some things about small villages that he did admire, and The Little Hut in the Hollow was one of them. After all, the owner had hit on a great business idea and Seth respected anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Perhaps that was why pretty Tara Warren had already managed to make an impression on him…

3

SADIE WARREN-PRICE

Later that afternoon, Sadie stood back from the shelf she’d been arranging. It looked good. In one of the boxes, they’d found some cute snow globes featuring festive scenes. She’d been unable to resist shaking them all and watching as the fake snow drifted down onto the tiny people, dogs and sleighs, creating a sense of nostalgia for her childhood that took her by surprise.

At thirty-one, she’d found that nostalgia crept up on her more often now and it was strange. Her childhood seemed so far away, and while she was happy to be in her thirties, she was also sad that she’d never get the simplicity of being a child back. Plus, her parents were getting older and that was unsettling too. Some days, she didn’t even notice, but others, she’d look at her mum and dad and realise how much they’d changed. Things like the softening of her dad’s once strong jawline and his burgeoning pot belly, as well as her mother’s grey hair and the fine lines around her eyes, were evidence of the passing of time. Her parents were wonderful people and she wanted them to be around forever. The thought that one day they might not be there was dreadful and she hoped they’d both live until they were way past a hundred.

‘That looks lovely.’ Tara placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘They’re so pretty I want to keep them all.’

Sadie giggled. ‘If we keep everything we like, we won’t make a penny. In fact, we’ll be in debt.’

‘I know.’ Tara sighed. ‘I just adore Christmas.’

‘Me too.’ And she did, but this year would be a strange one because her husband, Sander, was away with work. He often worked away; it was part of his job as an offshore engineer, but over the past two years of their relationship, they’d been lucky enough to spend Christmas together. This year, though, his rota had him working away until the new year. Sadie knew she was lucky having her sister and parents to be with because without them, Christmas probably wouldn’t be very pleasant at all.

‘Hey, you feeling blue?’ Tara slid an arm around Sadie’s shoulders.

‘I’m OK.’ Sadie forced a smile to her lips.

‘It will all be fine.’ Tara smiled at her. ‘We’ll make lots of money and have some fun here in the shop then we’ll have a lovely Christmas with Mum and Dad. Before you know it, Sander will be home.’

‘I know. I think I’m just feeling a bit vulnerable because of all the Christmas things.’

‘Well, I can’t help with that because I guess that’s what happens when you set up a Christmas pop-up shop, but I can get you a hot chocolate to make you feel better.’

‘Hot chocolate always helps.’ Sadie grinned. ‘As do you.’

Tara was her older sister by four years, but she often seemed older than that. She was sweet and fun but also very protective of Sadie and she always had been. She’d looked out for Sadie from the moment of her birth. Sadie had grown up knowing that if she had any problems, Tara would be there with a hug and a mug of something hot and comforting.

Tara had known this year would be rough for Sadie with Sander being away, so she’d suggested they make a go of the plan they’d had in mind for years. Sander had encouraged her too, telling her this was the perfect time to stop talking about her dream and actually do it. And here they were, less than seven weeks until Christmas, setting up their very own festive pop-up shop in a beautiful little village.

‘I’ll grab my coat and be right back.’ Tara went into the kitchen area, then returned with her jacket. ‘Do you want anything else?’

Sadie frowned as she thought about it. ‘Surprise me.’

‘Sweet or savoury?’

‘Sweet.’ Sadie smiled.

‘Coming right up!’ Tara opened the door and went to walk out, but a small black-and-white creature shot inside.

‘What the?’ Tara gasped.

Sadie screamed. ‘Oh my god!’

‘What was that?’ Tara closed the front door and ran across the shop to the kitchen where she’d left the door ajar.

‘A cat, I think,’ Sadie said, joining her sister.