Page 50 of Christmas All the Way

‘Yes, but we’re not famous,’ Keeley replied. ‘Anyway, I don’t mind people making the best of themselves. As long as they’re happy.’

Grace gave her a long look. ‘Spoken by a woman so gorgeous that she hardly even needs to wear make-up.’

‘Oh shush,’ Keeley said, nudging her. She decided to change the subject. ‘How’s the mulled wine?’

‘Very good,’ Grace said, taking a long sip from her gently steaming cardboard cup. ‘How’s the cider?’

‘Also good,’ Keeley replied. ‘I might even be starting to feel festive.’

Grace rolled her eyes. ‘I should hope so,’ she said in mock severity. ‘Do you have any idea how much work I’ve put into making this the most Christmassy Freezy Tye Christmas ever seen?’

Keeley squeezed her arm. ‘Yes, I do,’ she said. ‘And I really appreciate it. As does the rest of the village.’ She glanced over her head and smiled. ‘Speaking of the Grace Murphy Appreciation Society, here’s Raff.’

‘Where?’ Grace said, jerking around so sharply that she almost spilled her drink.

‘Relax,’ Keeley said, watching her in amusement. ‘He’s heading this way.’

As Raff wove his way towards them, Deke began leading the crowd in a slightly off-key rendition of ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’. Out of the corner of her eye, Keeley watched Grace doing her best to look completely indifferent and hid a smile. She’d known from the moment her friend saw Raff Caldwell that she’d very much liked the look of him and it seemed that getting to know him had not dimmed his appeal. Quite the opposite, in fact.

‘Hello,’ Raff said, arriving in front of them just as Deke warbled his way to the chorus. ‘It’s not snowing.’

He smiled at Grace, who beamed back. ‘Yes. Well done you.’

Keeley glanced back and forth between them, trying to decipher what was clearly a private joke. ‘I was just telling Grace what a brilliant job you’ve all done this year.’ She waved a hand towards the kissing booth, which already had a long queue. ‘That is especially inspired.’

‘I’ve got a friend who harvests mistletoe,’ he said, shrugging. ‘It seemed a shame to waste it.’

Keeley glanced over at the booth, where a pair of teenagers were enthusiastically kissing beneath a thick cluster of green leaves and white berries. ‘It’s definitely not being wasted. Will we see you under there later?’

Pink blossomed across his cheekbones. ‘I, uh, probably not.’ He gathered himself together and shot her a look. ‘I’ll be sure to bring some to Juniper Cottage on Sunday, though. In case you can find a use for it.’

‘Unlikely,’ she said flatly, then frowned. ‘Wait a minute. Is that Jesse Bairstow over there?’

Both Grace and Raff turned to follow her gaze. ‘Yes,’ Grace said, sounding furious. ‘What’s he doing here?’

‘Checking out the competition, I expect,’ Keeley replied. ‘I suppose there’s no law against that.’

Grace scowled. ‘There should be. Men like him shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy Christmas.’

The vehemence in her voice caused Keeley to blink. ‘Bit harsh, Grace. I know he’s a snake but—’

‘He’s worse than a snake,’ Grace snapped. ‘He’s a maggot.’

Raff laid a hand on her arm. ‘Forget about him for tonight. Don’t let him spoil things.’

Glancing from one to the other, Keeley narrowed her eyes. ‘What am I missing here? What’s he done to you, Grace?’

But her friend shook her head. ‘Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I just wish he’d stayed away, that’s all.’

Keeley’s frown deepened. ‘That’s not good enough. Clearly, he’s done something. Tell me what it is.’

Grace and Raff exchanged a long look. ‘Not here,’ Grace said, after a moment. ‘I’ll tell you later.’

At that moment, Deke reached the end of the song. ‘Yeah, baby!’ he roared to the crowd. ‘Do we know how to rock or what? Who’s ready to start the countdown? Let me hear you say YEAH!’

The audience cheered. Keeley saw Paul climb onto the stage holding a large button shaped like a Christmas present. He handed it to Deke, who swapped it for the microphone and gestured for Paul to angle it towards his mouth. ‘Christmas is about to begin!’ Deke bellowed. ‘In ten… nine… eight…’

Voices swelled in the night air as everyone joined in the countdown. When they reached zero, Deke plunged the button down and the Christmas tree exploded into light. Cheers mingled with gasps of delight as the twinkling lights glittered against the darkness. Keeley glanced at Grace and saw a mixture of pride and joy upon her friend’s face. ‘It looks amazing,’ she told her, beaming. ‘Well done!’