Snowflakes on Silver Cove: A festive, feel-good Christmas romance (White Cliff Bay Book 2) (4 page)

She laughed but she didn’t remove her hand from his and he didn’t remove it either. There was something so incredibly sweet and natural about holding hands with her best friend. It had started to snow again, gentle flakes twisting and twirling in the night sky, and holding hands with this wonderful man under the snow made her smile and gave her the warm and fuzzies. The wind was up and the waves were crashing theatrically onto the beach, adding drama to the moment. She didn’t need to imagine romantic moments; she could find real romance right here. Dating George was going to give her exactly what she needed.

As soon as they entered the pub, George peeled off to talk to Seb, the landlord, and spying her friend Amy sitting in the corner, Libby wandered over to sit with her.

The huge Christmas tree sparkled and glowed next to Amy’s table with old-fashioned traditional decorations that matched beautifully with the simple Victorian-style décor of the pub.

Amy was reapplying a coat of deep red lipstick. She was so glamorous, Libby envied her. Even though Libby would always choose comfort over style when it came to clothes, she would love to have the confidence to dress as Amy did. Today, dressed in a fifties red and white flowered dress, with matching mile-high red stilettos, she looked gorgeous, her long black hair plaited with a flower at the end. But even when she worked behind the bar, she wore clothes like this.

Libby pulled at her hoodie self-consciously. ‘You look gorgeous, as always.’

Amy sighed as she put her lipstick back in her bag. ‘Well, at least you noticed.’

Amy’s eyes slid over to the bar and Libby followed her gaze to Seb who was laughing with George and Sally, the other barmaid. Seemingly this corner of the room didn’t even exist for him.

‘Do you not think you might be barking up the wrong tree?’ Libby watched how Seb was with Sally … was he flirting with her?

‘No, he likes me, I know he does, he just doesn’t want to show it. Especially not with Judith lurking around like a bad smell.’

‘I like Judith.’ Libby suddenly diverted her attention to stroke Jack, Seb’s dog, who had come over to see if they had any food he could scrounge. ‘You can’t blame her for still feeling protective towards Seb, for still keeping an eye on her son-in-law even though…’

‘…Her daughter’s been dead five years,’ Amy said with a groan. ‘I know, I know, don’t keep reminding me.’ She took the last swig of her drink before saying in a quieter voice, ‘Have you any idea how hard this is for me too – I’ve not only got to fight my way past a dead wife to get to him, but also the dead wife’s mother.’

‘Judith’s bound to be extra critical about any woman who she thinks is going to take her daughter’s place.’

Amy sighed, pulling Jack’s ears fondly. ‘She’s certainly extra critical of me.’

‘Well, you did set fire to her shed at your barbeque in the summer.’

‘I’ve paid for a new one, but the dislike set in before that.’

‘Oh yes, “Gnome Gate”.’ Libby giggled.

‘It’s not funny.’

‘It so is.’

Amy’s nephew, Charlie, had come to stay last summer, a twelve-year-old whirlwind of clumsiness, practical jokes and big freckly grins. He thought Judith’s gnomes next door were hilarious. Over the week that he’d stayed, he had moved several of them into provocative sexual positions. One poor gnome, bending down to get a frog from a pond, had suddenly found that another of the male gnomes had snuck up behind him and taken a shine to him. Judith had been horrified. Not the best way to impress Judith, especially when it seemed Amy had to get past her to get to Seb. Since Marie’s death five years before, Judith had taken it upon herself to look out for him and rumour had it no one was good enough to replace her little girl.

Amy sighed. ‘I don’t know, Lib, maybe it’s too complicated. Maybe I should just go out with someone nice and sweet instead.’

‘You don’t want nice and sweet, Amy, you want passion and love and complications. Nice and sweet would bore you.’

George appeared then, passing Libby her pint of cider and Amy her glass of red wine, before sitting down next to Amy, awkwardly arranging his legs over Jack who had decided to fall asleep under their table.

‘Hello, sexy.’ Amy kissed him on the cheek, as she always did, as she did to almost everyone she knew. He blushed, as he always did. ‘What’s new with you?’

‘Me and Libby are dating,’ he declared with a huge grin on his face. Libby laughed and Amy nearly spat out her drink.

‘Finally! It took you two long enough. You tell me not to date him, but it’s OK for you to,’ Amy said with a smile, clearly not bothered at all by this new turn of events.

‘What?’ George asked, taking a big swig of his ale.

Libby’s eyes widened as she suddenly remembered.

‘I told Libby I was willing to be your rebound sex after you divorced Josie earlier this year, but Libby told me I wasn’t allowed. Personally I think she’d be jealous of the amazing sex me and you would have.’

He choked on his ale, but quickly recovered himself. His eyes were almost accusing as he spoke to Libby. ‘Why, why would you deny me that? I like sex, especially the amazing kind.’

Libby laughed. ‘Ah now, you wouldn’t be able to keep up with Amy’s sexual prowess, she’d ravage you, leave you broken and beaten. I was saving you from her.’

‘I’d at least like to be beaten once,’ he muttered.

Amy smiled into her wine. ‘What was your reason … oh yes. “I want someone for George who adores him, who treasures him and loves him.”’

George’s scowl vanished. ‘Is that what you said?’

Libby blushed. ‘I just want you to be happy. Look, Nick is here.’

George glanced round and Nick waved at him and gestured to the table where they played poker every Sunday night.

‘Oh, I better go.’

Amy dug in her handbag and passed him a box of matches. ‘Here’s your poker money, win big.’

George grinned, took the box and slid out of the booth. He walked a few steps away before he came back and planted a kiss on Libby’s forehead. She couldn’t help the smile that burst on her face as he walked away. She turned back to face Amy who was watching her keenly.

‘I’m happy for you, Lib, George is wonderful and you two belong together. But does this mean you’re actually going to stay?’

‘No, we’re not really dating. George has his eye on the girl who has just moved into the flat above his, Giselle – he’s practising on me. It’s not real.’

‘And that’s why you’re grinning like the cat that has the cream?’

‘He just makes me laugh, that’s all.’

‘So you would never properly date him?’ Amy was pushing it and Libby didn’t know why. ‘You don’t fancy him, not even a tiny bit?’

‘No.’ Libby knew she was blushing. She knew Amy had seen it too. ‘I’m leaving in two weeks. Even if I did have a soft spot for him, I can’t pursue anything with him. I’d be in New York, he’d be here, how would that work?’

‘Well, maybe you don’t go to New York.’

‘I have to go for work.’

‘You and I both know that’s rubbish. There are hundreds of authors out there that never even visit the places they write about, and there are plenty more who just pop over for a few weeks to research.’

‘That’s one of the things I’m known for: rich settings and detailed locations.’

Amy fixed her with a look.

‘George is not remotely interested in me in that way,’ Libby said, suddenly feeling like she was protesting too much.

‘How do you know?’

‘Because I’m just his friend, he just sees me as one of the boys.’

Amy took a sip of her wine, eyeing Libby thoughtfully. ‘So, he practises on you and goes out with this Gazelle woman…’

‘Giselle, Amy, she’s not a deer.’

‘And where does that leave you two? The movie nights you two have, the long walks on the beach… You’re practically a couple anyway minus the sex and the kissing.’

‘I’d be happy for him. Giselle is lovely and I think she would be really good for him.’

‘You wouldn’t be jealous?’

Libby shook her head.

Amy gave her a doubtful look and Libby glanced over at George, ignoring the feeling of unease this thought suddenly gave her.

G
eorge watched
Libby talking to Amy and smiled. It was beyond stupid to get excited about dating, Libby because it wasn’t even real and she was leaving in two weeks, but he couldn’t stop the giddiness from bubbling through him.

‘Are you shuffling those cards or just giving them a hug?’ Matt asked.

George quickly returned his attention back to the table. Every Sunday night was poker night for George. He, Big Dave, Nick and Matt would play for big stakes. Last week he had ended up with the fewest matches at the end of the night and had to buy the others a round of drinks. Tonight he was determined to win back his pride. Nick came back from the bar with two pints and George dutifully shuffled the cards.

Suddenly the door burst open and Big Dave hurried through with his equally big wife. Big Dave rolled his eyes as he quickly left her side and joined George and the rest of the boys.

‘Women,’ Big Dave muttered, supping the pint that Nick had bought him.

‘She’s getting so big, Dave,’ George said, eyeing Kat as she tried, unsuccessfully, to squeeze herself into the booth with Amy and Libby.

‘Oh God, mate, don’t let her hear you say that, that’s all I get all day: “I’m so fat, I’m like an elephant”, and then later on: “I hate you, you did this to me”. But yes she is. I swear if she gives birth to a baby cow I wouldn’t be surprised.’

‘How late is she now?’ asked Matt, as he nibbled at his peanuts.

‘She’s not due till tomorrow, but her two sisters both had their first child really early so she thought she would follow suit. She’s so fed up and she’s still getting bigger. Nothing fits her any more and I’ve offered to take her shopping but she flat refuses to buy more maternity clothes when the baby should be here by now. But that’s why I was late; she couldn’t find anything to wear.’

‘Isn’t that… what you wore to this year’s Halloween party?’ George said, eyeing the large black dress, cut in triangles at the bottom.

‘Oh please don’t say that to her, I said no one would notice.’

‘I doubt anyone would dare say anything to her,’ Nick said, ‘not if they want to live … Oh, look lively.’

George, Matt and Nick all straightened in their chairs, instinctively covering their manhoods as Kat marched over to them.

‘You look lovely, Kat,’ Nick said.

‘Shut up, Nick, I look like a whale. Dave, are you going to buy me a drink or are you going to let your poor wife die of thirst?’

Big Dave stood, getting his wallet out of his pocket. ‘Of course, my love, I thought you had your purse.’

‘I forgot it. It’s not a problem, is it,’ she said coldly. ‘I mean, you’re the reason I’m this big, the least you can do is buy me a sodding drink.’

Big Dave took a wodge of twenties out and thrust them towards her. ‘Here, buy whatever you want.’

Kat snatched them from his hand and walked off.

Big Dave sat down heavily and sighed. ‘Let’s play poker, boys; I think she’ll want to go home soon.’

Matt quickly dealt the cards and George glanced over at Libby again. Even the fact that he had a useless three and five couldn’t dampen his mood.

G
eorge was doing badly
in poker. They’d been playing for about an hour and he was already borrowing matches from Matt who had won almost every game. George had won once, but he’d just ended up paying back the matches he had borrowed. He was studying his new hand when Libby came to sit with him. God, she smelt amazing.

‘How are we all tonight?’ she asked, beaming round at the other boys.

‘Now, come on, young Libby, we won’t have any of your cheating tonight, not when the stakes are so high.’ Big Dave indicated the large pile of matches in the middle of the table.

‘I’ll have you know that Libby is a well-respected member of this community,’ George protested, glancing down at her hands in her lap. She quickly gave the sign language symbols for A and Q and drew a heart on her palm. She eyed Nick then dusted her hands off. She had just told him that Nick had the ace and queen of hearts but nothing else worth worrying about. He smiled at her. There was something about her eyes tonight; she looked so happy it almost shone from her.

‘Well, if I’m not wanted here, I shall return to my table.’

She got up and walked off, re-joining Kat and Amy without a look back. He was unable to tear his eyes off her.

Nick clicked his fingers in George’s face. ‘Hey, what’s up with you tonight? I mean normally you stink at poker but this is a new level of bad even for you. Why do you keep looking over at Libby for? We all know you love her, that you’ve been in love with her for months, but why the sudden mooning all over her?’

‘I’m not mooning.’

‘There was definitely mooning,’ Big Dave said, and Matt nodded his agreement.

‘It’s nothing…’ George sighed. ‘We’re sort of going out on a date tomorrow.’

The boys collectively oooohed so loudly that Libby looked over at them, wondering what all the fuss was about.

‘Not a real date, she’s just letting me practise my wooing skills on her.’

‘You keep calling it wooing, and you’re never getting laid again,’ Matt said.

‘Keep wearing shit jumpers like that and no girl will be seen with you, let alone let you get into her pants,’ Nick said.

‘Shut up, both of you,’ Big Dave said. ‘This is a big opportunity for you, George, this is your one chance to make an impression on her, pull out all the stops and make her fall in love with you. Don’t screw it up.’

‘She’s not about to fall in love with me just because I take her out on a few dates. She’s had six months to fall in love with me, I don’t think she’s suddenly going to start now. Besides, she leaves in two weeks. Whatever her feelings for me, they aren’t strong enough to get her to stay.’

‘Maybe not, but you mooning over her like a love-sick puppy is definitely one way to put her off for good. Play it cool, man, and maybe she’ll let you practise your bedroom skills on her as well,’ Nick said.

Suddenly the date the next night had a whole new meaning. George knew it would never get as far as the bedroom but maybe Big Dave was right, maybe there was a small chance he could convince Libby he was the right man for her after all. All he had to do was find the balance between pulling out all the stops, making a great impression and playing it cool. He let his head fall into his hands. He was doomed before he could start.