An Unexpected Christmas (6 page)

Ella
and I had wrapped up warm for the fifteen minute walk into the village. It was
bright and clear but bitterly cold and the clouds that loomed over the hills
looked suspiciously like snow clouds. I hadn't seen a white Christmas in a few
years and the thought exited me. Even at twenty eight I loved the thought of a
white Christmas, crisp white snow covering everything, building snowmen and
sledging, it all still excited me.

The
village was quaint and picturesque in a way that made me want to buy a cottage
and get a dog, and settle down in a simpler life. It had everything you could
need, a small supermarket (if you could call it that), a cafe for a caffeine
fix, a hairdresser which doubled up as a spa, and of course the most important,
the pub. 

We
reached the Hare and Hound and I followed Ella through the heavy wooden door.
We were greeted by a roaring fire and cheers from somewhere in the corner, I
looked towards the noise and saw a table of five people, three men and two
women, wave over. Ella waved back then nudged me toward the bar. I looked
around and smiled to myself. I loved a country pub, they always felt so snug.
Intimate and inviting, usually decorated in rich warm colours as this one was,
and they always had a particular smell, like real ale and chips. Once Ella and
I had been served by the very busty but friendly barmaid we wandered over to
the table the cheers had come from and pulled up two seats from a nearby table
to join the group.

Ella
introduced everyone. There was James and Victoria who had been married for just
over a year, and were expecting their first child. Where James was fair
Victoria had an exotic look about her and I could tell their baby would be
adorable. Then there was Sally who had been at school with Ella and who was,
also, incredibly beautiful - I was starting to feel a little like the ugly
duckling. The other two men were Daniel and Roddy who were locals but as the
community was so small had become good friends. Roddy was built like a rugby
player and looked like he could throw you across a room but the smile he sent
Ella and I said that he wasn't rough or cruel but kind and caring. I was
sitting with Ella on one side and Daniel on the other. He was handsome; with
short dark hair, dark eyes and a friendly smile, but I couldn't stop myself
from comparing him to Nate. It was a habit I had developed over the past year
or so, whenever I met a guy I thought I could be interested in I would compare
his appearance, and then his temperament, with Nate Hamilton. Now I knew the
real Nate it made my comparison much more severe; Nate was taller, but with
Daniel sitting I couldn't tell by how much; Nate was slender and well defined,
but Daniel looked like he hit the gym on a regular basis and had the shoulder
muscles to prove it. Daniel was someone I would consider dating, if I was being
honest with myself, but the thought of spending as much time with Nate as I
could was more appealing than thinking about someone I could potentially date.
Interested or not, I was on holiday and it would be rude not to be at least
friendly towards him.

'So
Daniel,' I turned a little towards him and received an eager smile. 'Can I ask
what you do?'

'You
can. I'm a lawyer.' He lifted his pint and took a drink then placed it back on
the beer mat in front of him.

'Really?'
As soon as my shock came out of me I wanted to pull it back in; it was such a
rude way to respond to him telling me what he does for a living and I could
feel my cheeks heat slightly.

He
chuckled and leaned back in his chair a little. 'You sound surprised.'

I
sent him an apologetic look. 'Sorry, It's just you don't really look like a
lawyer.'

'And
what exactly do I look like?' He had leaned forward again and smiled at me.

'I'm
not sure, a rugby player?' He laughed and I couldn't help but laugh too,
'Sorry.'

'No,
no, don't apologise, I do actually play rugby. Not professionally, just for the
local club but I get what you're saying I'm not your typical forty-something
balding portly lawyer.'

'So,
where do you practice? Do you work in London?' I took a sip of my gin and tonic
which was refreshing in the warm pub.

He
shook his head. 'No, actually I took over my dad's firm last year here in the
village. I do occasionally pop up to London for work.' He looked down at the
table and lowered his voice slightly, 'We should go for a drink sometime when
I'm there.'

He
looked back up at me and smiled. He seemed a little shy asking and I could see
the anticipation in his eyes, waiting for my answer. What was I doing? Daniel
was the sort of man I should be dating. He was cute, had a great job, and he
seemed really nice. Maybe I should agree to go for a date; I knew nothing was
really going to happen with Nate. Last night I had thought he was about to kiss
me and maybe he would have if his phone hadn't rang but who was I kidding, I
was so far out of Nate's league I was in a whole other solar system. Daniel was
the sort of man I should say yes to, so why was I holding back? 'I'm not sure.'

'How
about I let you know the next time I'm in town and you can say yes then?' His
smile changed to a cheeky grin and I couldn't help let out a small laugh.

'Alright,
that sounds okay.' His cheeky smile was replaced with a genuinely happy smile
and I thought that maybe going for a drink with him wouldn't be such a bad
idea. 'So, besides the lawyering and the rugby, what else are you into?'

'I
rock climb in the summer and I try and take a trip to Switzerland every year.
The range of climbing is huge because of the different types of rock they have.
And the country is stunning.'

'I
have never been but I have always wanted to go.'

'You
should. It really is a beautiful country and the food is great - especially the
cheeses and chocolate, although not together.' I couldn't help smile at his
enthusiasm over something he clearly loved.

Ella
leaned over towards me then. 'April, Roddy just told me a cute story about the
kids in his class.'

I
turned my attention towards Ella and Roddy who I noticed were sitting a little
closer together than they had been. I shifted my gaze to Roddy, 'You're a
teacher?'

'Yeah,
I teach year 3 at the local primary school.' He smiled at me and I thought he
looked like he would be a really nice teacher. I would have guessed that he was
a little older than me, in his early thirties, but he had a boyish smile and
with his blonde hair slightly on the long side it made him look a little
younger. He had bright blue eyes and if this was the guy that Ella had
mentioned in her drunken state then I couldn't blame her for being attracted to
him.

'So
what's the story?'

'Well,
we had our annual Nativity last week which we have in the church as a bit of a
service for the kids and their parents, anyway halfway through
Away in a
Manger
the kids playing Mary and the Angel Gabriel started fighting over
who should hold baby Jesus. In the end the little lad playing Joseph grabs the
doll from the both of them and holds it up and shouts, 'It's not Jesus any more
it's Brian'. I thought I was going to get it in the neck from the Head but
luckily she saw the funny side.'

I
laughed at Roddy's story. 'I would have been mortified if that was my kid.'

'His
mum was a little embarrassed but at least she will remember it and can bring it
up when he's older.'

The
conversation continued to flow easily the rest of the afternoon. We ordered
food, and more drinks, and I found out that James and Victoria just couldn't
settle on a baby name and their little boy was either going to be called Samuel
after James's dad or Jeremy after Victoria's, I was certain they would come to
a compromise as Samuel Jeremy Mason  sounded like a good strong name to me.

'Ella,
Where's Nate? I thought he might have joined us?' My head snapped up at the
sound of his name coming from Sally's lips.

Ella
looked at me, a questioning look on her face. 'Could you pass the tomato
sauce?' I asked quickly.

'You
don't like tomato sauce.' Her eyes narrowed.

'I
meant the vinegar.' I smiled at her, hoping she would drop any questions of my
mistake. She took a second then reached over and passed me the bottle and
turned her attention back to Sally.

'Nate
had some work things to sort out otherwise you know he would be eating his way
through a steak and ale pie.'

'When
are we going to see him?' I tried to turn my focus on to the food in front of
me but Sally's eagerness to see Nate had made me lose my appetite and fill my
head with questions. Did she like him? Did he like her? Had something happened
between them before now? Why was I so jealous of a woman I didn't know?

'He's
coming to the carol service so will be in the pub before and after. You know
it's tradition.' Ella smiled at Sally and I just continued to move my food
around my plate with my fork. I needed to get a grip, I had no claim to Nate
and I would be a fool to think I had a chance anyway. I needed another drink.

'Does
anyone want another drink?' I stood up from the table and everyone looked up at
me. It seemed everyone was alright so I wandered over to the bar and waited.

'What
can I get you hun?' The barmaid from earlier asked.

'Just
another gin and tonic please.' She sent me a smile then set about fixing my
drink. I took a deep breath. I probably shouldn't be having another drink I
could feel a headache forming in my temples which usually meant I was stressing
out about something.

My
drink was placed I front of me and I paid then took another deep breath before
heading back over to the table.

'The
house is really coming along. We have nearly finished the kitchen then it's
just the living room and the baby's room, which we're leaving until last
because we can't decide on a colour. James wants it to be blue but I was
thinking that yellow might be a nicer colour.' I was glad the conversation had
turned away from Nate and back towards Victoria and James and how excited they
were for their baby's arrival.

'I
think yellow is a great colour for a nursery.' Ella looked really excited for
her friends and I knew she wanted a family of her own; it was something we had
chatted about not too long ago and she had started getting a dopey look on her
face whenever she was around babies.

'I
always thought green would be a nice colour for a baby's room.' Green was my
favourite colour and I had let myself think what it would be like to paint a
nursery in a calming green for my own baby one day. I pushed the thought away,
it seems I was trying to do that a lot recently, not thinking about the things
I wanted.

'Oh
green, I didn't think of that.' Victoria smiled and leaned back in her chair
and rubbed her swollen belly. I would guess she was about six months pregnant
and that her baby's room was now probably going to be green.

After
our table was cleared and I had finished my drink I leaned over to Ella. 'Hey,
I'm not feeling too good, I'm going to go.'

'Oh,
are you okay? Do you want me to come with you?'

I
stood and lifted my coat off the back of my chair. 'I'm fine; just need some
fresh air I think. You stay, I will see you later.'

'Are
you going?' Daniel was looking up at me with concern on his face.

'Yeah.'
I sent him a small smile.

'Are
we going to see you before the carol service? We usually have a drink before.'

He
was sweet, and cute, and I wished I felt anything towards him but it seemed my
heart had other ideas. 'I will be there.' I turned to the rest of the table,
'It was really nice meeting you all. I will see you later.' I smiled then
headed towards the door.

Pushing
the pub door closed behind me I buttoned up my coat and pulled the collar up
around my neck, cursing myself for not wearing my gloves. I pushed my hands
into my pockets and headed along the road towards Maggie's cottage.

I
took my time walking down the main road towards the house. It was so beautiful;
I had never been this far south before and even though it was freezing cold the
sky was a bright blue, but the snow clouds had gotten a lot closer and I could
almost smell that fresh powdery scent that lingered just before a snowfall.      I
walked along the main road of the village and passed a couple of small shops I
hadn't noticed when we drove past. There was an adorable little florist with
rows of Poinsettias in the window, a dress shop with party dresses draped over
mannequins and a sweet shop. When I reached the cafe I stopped and pushed the
door open. I moved around the small tables, there was only one other person in
the café - an older looking gentleman who was happily tucking into a scone, and
I made my way over to the counter.

'Good
afternoon, what can I get for you?' The lady behind the counter was only a
little taller than I was and wore a very floral dress with a crisp white apron
over it. If I had to guess she was in her early fifties and had a warm,
friendly smile on her face.

'Do
you serve coffee to go?' I kept my fingers crossed, after a couple of gins I
could really do with some coffee and it may keep me warm for the walk back.