Page 39 of Christmas All the Way

At the mention of Jesse’s name, Ivy’s mouth thinned. ‘Exactly. The spirit of Christmas is about more than how much you spend. I hope the judges won’t be blinded by whatever ostentatious display he has planned.’ She sniffed. ‘He came back yesterday, insisting I should support Flaxwood’s bid.’

Grace’s heart sank, remembering how upset Ivy had been by his previous visit. ‘What did you say?’

‘The same thing I told him last time – that I consider the happiness of my long-term customers to be of paramount importance and prefer not to pick favourites.’ She sighed. ‘Not that it will matter when the rent goes up.’

Her expression was so bleak that Grace wanted to hug her. ‘Any official notice of that yet?’

‘No, but I expect it will come soon. He made it clear yesterday that my days are numbered.’

‘Have you spoken to Raff about it?’ Grace asked, wishing there was something she could do to help. ‘Or a solicitor?’

The older woman managed a weary-looking smile. ‘Yes, I told Raff last week. He was all for confronting Jesse but I told him that wasn’t the way. My solicitor says there might be a way to challenge it legally but he won’t know for sure until I receive formal notice of Jesse’s intentions.’ She rubbed her forehead. ‘I don’t know if I have the energy to fight. Part of me thinks it might be time to retire.’

‘Oh no,’ Grace cried, with genuine consternation. ‘Your talent – this place – is wonderful. Please don’t let someone like Jesse stop you from doing the thing you love.’

Ivy sighed again. ‘I do love Santa’s Secret – the customers, the displays, knowing we bring magic into so many lives every year. But I don’t enjoy the headache of running a business. The truth is I’ve been toying with the idea of handing the reins over to someone else for a while now.’

‘You’ve been planning to sell up?’ Grace said, trying to hide her shock. As far as she was concerned, Ivy was Santa’s Secret.

‘Or taking on a business partner – someone to do all the parts I’m not good at and allowing me to take more of a back seat. But I can’t do that now, not with the rent increase.’ She shook her head. ‘I think the universe is telling me it’s time to stop, although I’ll be very sorry to let you and Misha and everyone else down.’

Grace couldn’t believe what she was hearing. In the time she’d worked for Ivy, her respect and admiration for her had only grown, both professionally and on a personal level. The idea that she was being made to feel so wretched made Grace’s blood boil. She took a deep calming breath. ‘You have to do what’s right for you, Ivy. Don’t worry about us. We’ll be sad, of course, but we’ll be okay. None of this is your fault.’

Ivy nodded. ‘That’s what Raff said.’ Seeming to gather herself together, she squared her shoulders. ‘But it’s not a problem for today. Why don’t you pop over and see Sanjay, ask him to check the displays are all working?’

‘I’ll go now,’ Grace said, getting to her feet. ‘Thanks, Ivy. I really appreciate your help.’

‘It’s my pleasure,’ she replied warmly. ‘I’ve always had a soft spot for Freezy Tye.’

‘Better not let Jesse hear you say that,’ Grace said, grimacing. ‘He’ll add another nought to the rent increase.’

Ivy snorted. ‘He can try.’

Grace could picture his smug expression as he laid yet more bad news at Ivy’s door. It would be better if he never found out she was helping with Freezy Tye’s display, she decided as she hurried towards the warehouse to find Sanjay. What Jesse Bairstow didn’t know couldn’t hurt anyone.

Ruggles grew steadily busier as the first week of October came and went. Grace was in the habit of popping into the cafe for a sandwich at lunchtime but she had quickly learned not to venture there on Saturdays. The pumpkin patch had opened and while its ticket booth was nowhere near the entrance of the garden centre, the queue was often so long that it blocked the path. She could only imagine how busy it would be as the month drew on, and pumpkin passion reached fever pitch.

‘It’s a nightmare,’ Hettie said, as she rang Grace’s sandwich and carrot cake through the till in the cafe on Friday morning. ‘They have to employ security to make sure no one jumps the queue. Last year, a fight broke out over one of the pumpkins.’

Grace stared at her. ‘You’re joking.’

‘Nope.’ Hettie shook her head. ‘And you wouldn’t believe how pushy people get over the best Instagram shots. It wasn’t so bad when it first opened – everyone waited their turn and it wasn’t anything like as busy as it is now. This year, Jesse is offering a cash prize for the social media post with the biggest reach, which means the influencers are going all out.’

Something in her tone caught Grace’s attention. ‘You don’t think it’s a good idea?’

Hettie glanced around, as though checking no one was listening, and leaned closer. ‘No one does. We’re run off our feet most weekends but the people who visit the pumpkin patch aren’t interested in buying plants or garden stuff, so Jesse keeps making us work over there instead of doing our normal jobs.’

‘That doesn’t sound fair,’ Grace murmured sympathetically.

‘And then he gets cross when the queues build up in here and we don’t serve people quickly enough, or clear the tables properly,’ Hettie went on, her indignation rising. ‘How are we supposed to do all that when we only have half the staff we normally do?’

‘Sounds like Jesse isn’t very popular,’ Grace said, tapping her card to pay.

‘You can say that again,’ Hettie snapped. ‘I don’t know anyone who likes him much.’ Handing Grace the receipt, she glanced beyond her to the cafe door and her expression changed. ‘There’s old Mr Bairstow now. I wish he was still running things instead of Jesse. He knows how to treat people.’

Turning, Grace followed the direction of her gaze and saw an elderly man leaning on a walking stick, chatting animatedly with a tableful of customers. With a genial wave, he moved onto the next table and greeted them with obvious warmth. ‘I see what you mean,’ she said to Hettie. ‘Do you know why he’s stepping back from the business?’

Hettie sighed. ‘He had a bout of ill health in the summer – a bad scare that took a lot out of him. Jesse came back to run things while he recovered and never left.’ She folded her arms in clear disapproval. ‘I think he convinced Mr B he was too old to manage the business. Before we knew it, he was announcing all kinds of changes and telling anyone who’d listen how he was going to turn Ruggles into more than just a garden centre. He was going to make it a destination.’