I'm Glad I Found You This Christmas, page 19
As Ellie and Gail organised hotdogs, burgers, and Christmas pudding for the children, Maggie introduced Renee to her new friends. John and Ted kissed one cheek each, Linda warned her not to let Len give her any eating advice, and Emma greeted her with a large glass of mulled wine, because ‘You’ll probably need one after dragging that lot all the way up from Cambridge.’
The children and Renee were staying in a dormitory a short walk from the village square. Andrew delivered their luggage on the back of the snow-plough, and Ellie took the children on a quick tour of the village, leaving Renee to relax for a while.
‘So, when’s he going to show?’ Renee said. ‘I can’t wait to have a look at him.’
Maggie sighed. ‘I don’t know what’s going on, Ren,’ she said. ‘I mean, it’s Christmas Eve. Yesterday I was effectively dumped. I spent the morning wearing a man’s clothes after helping him save a reindeer from a river. He’s gorgeous, and kind, and intelligent, and strong, and basically everything else. I’m a school leaver who works in a clothes shop five hundred miles away.’
‘You’re smiling.’
‘What? No, I wasn’t.’
‘You were. What does your intuition tell you? Does he like you or not?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Maggie! Just grab him!’
‘I knew you’d say that. It’s not quite as easy in practice as it is in theory, though, is it?’
‘Ah, you’re making things way too complicated. It’s Christmas.’
‘He said he wasn’t interested in a holiday romance.’
‘Why does it have to be a holiday romance?’
‘Because I live in Cambridge!’
‘You rent a pokey flat above a greengrocer.’
‘I like my job.’
‘But you don’t like the Thundercloud, do you?’
‘No, but—’
‘There’s a Next in Inverness. All you have to do is fill out a form.’
‘What? How did you—’
‘I checked on the internet. Stop putting walls in the way. You remember how we completely lucked out on finding this place? It’s fate, Mags. And anyway, if he’s too hard to get, I’ll have a word with him.’
‘You’re the best, Ren.’
‘What are friends for?’
The music suddenly cut out. Maggie looked around as a hush fell over the crowd.
‘What’s going on?’ Maggie asked Emma, who was standing nearby, drinking a paper cup of something that smelled like wine but had a chocolate flake sticking out.
‘You’re going to love this. It’s time for the big man.’
‘What, you mean—’
‘Yep.’
Blustering and panting, Ellie ran up to them, a group of grinning kids at her shoulder. ‘We had a snowball fight in the park,’ she said. ‘But we’re back. I think they’re all here.’
Renee did a quick headcount. ‘All good,’ she said.
‘Great. Make sure they don’t go anywhere.’
Ellie ran to the stage and took the microphone. Breathlessly, she said, ‘It’s Christmas, everyone! I’d like you to welcome the man who makes Christmas Christmas. Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Santa Claus himself!’
There was a great rustling of tiny bells that seemed to come out of the forest. Everyone turned to look up the street at a glow that had appeared through the trees. It was coming closer, moving around the bend in the road, and then it was there, a great, majestic sleigh lit by hundreds of fairy lights and pulled by ten magnificent reindeer. At the reins sat a man in a shining red suit, his white hair glowing under the lights, and in the sleigh behind him was the largest sack Maggie had ever seen.
‘No way!’ one of the boys shouted. Then they were all whooping and cheering as the sleigh made its way down the road and pulled to a stop in the middle of the village square.
‘Who wants to meet Santa Claus?’ Ellie called from the stage. ‘Make a line, please.’
Gail, Sally, and a couple of others ran through the crowd, pulling all the children forward and organising them into a ragged line. Santa Claus, sitting high up on his sleigh, waved to the crowd as they cheered.
‘Is that him?’ Renee asked. ‘He’s a bit old.’
‘No! That’s, um, Santa Claus. He’s not … here.’
But even as she said it, a man jumped down from the back of the sleigh with a smaller bag that bulged with angular items. He opened a door in the sleigh’s front and lifted a hand to help Santa climb down.
He was wearing a forest green elf’s outfit, complete with pointed boots and a hat.
‘Henry,’ Maggie said, unable to keep the smile off her face. ‘He always appears in the strangest of places.’
‘Oh, that’s beyond awesome,’ Renee said, holding Maggie’s arm as she jumped up and down. ‘Please, please tell me that’s him.’
‘That’s him.’
‘Oh, wow! What a dish! Look at the way his muscles bulge through that … what do they call those things? A habit? A waistcoat? And he’s so cute. Oh, you’re such a great couple.’
‘We’re not a couple.’
‘You should be. He’s adorable, just like his brother.’
As Maggie made a mental note to introduce Renee and Andrew later, Henry looked up, spotted her in the crowd, and smiled.
‘He totally just checked you out.’
‘No, he didn’t, he was looking at, I don’t know, Ted or someone.’
‘You’re such a liar. He’s smitten.’
Helped by some crowd marshalling by Gail and Sally, Santa Claus made his way to the stage, his helper elf trailing along behind him with the bag of presents. Jim was keeping a hand on the reins of the front reindeer, occasionally allowing a curious boy to pet one.
Santa sat down on a chair as Ellie came across with a microphone.
‘Welcome to our town,’ she said. ‘I guess it’s been a long journey?’
Santa laughed. ‘Oh, it’s been wondrous,’ he said in a deep, bellowing voice. ‘I’m back in my favourite place in the world.’
‘And we’re very happy to have you, as always.’
As Ellie put Santa through a series of questions, then fielded some from the kids—the most amusing of which was ‘Do you have frogs in the North Pole?’—Henry squatted nearby, holding the bag, occasionally casting glances out at the audience.
‘So, he’s a vet, a poet, a musician, a professional chess player, and he makes his own jam?’
‘I’m not sure about the jam.’
‘And on top of everything, he’s an elf, and his dad is Santa Claus.’ Renee jumped up and down. ‘Oh, you’ve totally lucked out.’
‘And I’m a thirty-something nobody from Cambridge barely making above minimum wage. What could he possibly find interesting about me?’
Renee nudged Maggie in the ribs. ‘Oh, you just don’t get it, do you? At the end of the day, none of that stuff matters. Okay, maybe the elf part does. We’re people, and we go person to person, and if one person matches another person, we’re all good. You’re a lovely, kind person, and if he’s willing to stand on stage dressed as an elf, then he clearly is too. Game on.’
‘She’s right,’ Emma said. ‘Although I don’t believe anyone needs a man in their life. Bloodsuckers, the lot of them.’
‘Everyone needs a man in their life,’ John said. ‘Especially one willing to dress like that. Ted, I told you we should have got that costume. They have your size in the shop.’
‘You can borrow Len’s,’ Linda said, then laughed uncomfortably loud, making the rest of them wince.
On the stage, Gail was ushering the children forward one by one to have a word with Santa and receive a gift. Sally moved through the crowd, making sure no one was forgotten. Jim patted the reindeer as they waited patiently then called frantically for Phillip to bring a shovel as one of them did its business in the middle of the village square.
At last Santa Claus was done, and the bag of presents was nearly empty. Ellie thanked him for coming, he wished the crowd a Merry Christmas, and then made his way back to the sleigh, Henry following behind.
Santa climbed up into the front and Henry climbed into the back through a little gate. With a flick of the reins, the reindeer began to move as the crowd parted in front of them.
‘Now’s your chance,’ Renee said.
‘What?’
‘Look!’
Maggie had been transfixed by the deer and their red-clad figurehead, but as Renee tugged her arm, she saw Henry leaning over the side, looking right at her. He lifted a hand and beckoned her forward.
‘Go!’
Maggie didn’t have much choice as Renee shoved her from behind. She darted out of the crowd, up to the back of the sleigh, and onto a step in front of the little gate. Henry reached out and pulled her through, then snapped the gate shut behind them.
Everyone was so transfixed by Santa and the reindeer that no one except Renee and Emma seemed to have noticed. Both gave her a thumbs-up as the sleigh glided away.
‘Hey,’ Henry said, as they slid out of the village square and up the road that led back around to the reindeer farm. ‘Thanks for joining me. I hope you like my outfit.’
Maggie laughed. ‘It’s fetching.’
‘You know, you can borrow it any time.’
‘I’ll remember that.’
They had passed the last of the houses and the forest was sliding past. Over the glow of the lights, it was nearly impossible to see anything beyond the huge sack looming over their heads.
‘What’s in there?’ Maggie asked. ‘Did you fill it with wood or something? It certainly looks impressive.’
‘It’s full of presents.’
‘Really? Who for?’
‘The others.’
‘What others?’
Henry smiled. As he did so, Maggie felt a little tingle as though an electrical current had dusted her fingertips. ‘Anyone who needs one.’
They had passed Henry’s reindeer farm, and a moment later slid into the tunnel that led to Simon’s place. However, as they reached the fork in the road, the sleigh turned off the main road, taking the track that led up the hills to what Simon had told Maggie was a lookout point.
‘I’m afraid we have to get off in a minute,’ Henry said. ‘Father has some work to do now.’
As if on cue, the sleigh slid to a stop. From the front came Santa’s voice: ‘Thank you, lad, and thank you, young lady! Have a great Christmas Eve.’
Henry opened the back gate and helped Maggie down. With the click of the reins, the sleigh moved off up the road, leaving them behind. It disappeared into the trees, then the glow of its lights began to rise as though it were heading up a steep hill. The glow became smaller, slowly decreasing, then was gone.
Henry reached out a hand. ‘Shall we take a walk? It’s a nice night.’
Maggie was shaking. Unsure of what she had just witnessed, she grabbed Henry’s hand a little too hard.
‘Ouch!’
The sky had cleared. High above, the Christmas star glittered against the background of other stars.
‘Sorry about that. I’m just … nervous.’
‘Don’t be. It’s Christmas. All that’s left for us to do is relax.’
The road arched around a bend. Neither said anything, but Maggie’s eyes widened as the trees opened out and the road ended in a wide picnic area where several tables poked up out of the snow. From the edge of the picnic area the ground became open and rocky, dropping down a steep slope to the tree line far below.
‘Where did he go?’
Henry smiled. ‘Where do you think? It’s Christmas Eve.’
Maggie felt that same tingle of electricity again. ‘You mean … your dad … he’s really the real—’
Henry laughed, shaking his head. ‘He’s not my dad. My dad lives in Inverness. He’s the port’s harbourmaster. Mum goes back there to live with him during the close season.’
‘But you call him “Father”…?’
‘Well, “Father Christmas” is a bit of a mouthful, when you have to repeat it all year long. There’s no close season when you’re looking after the reindeer.’
‘But everyone else calls him Simon.’
‘I think he prefers it. He’s quite a reclusive fellow really, and while it’s an open secret here in Hollydell, he wouldn’t appreciate people showing up to take photographs in the middle of July.’
Maggie was still dumbfounded. ‘I don’t know what to say. Did I just see what I thought I just saw?’
Henry laughed. ‘You saw what you wanted to see. I think that’s about the whole of it. Hollydell is a place where people get to believe in things they might never have believed before. That’s the magic of the place. Now, just relax and enjoy the view.’
As Maggie’s eyes adjusted, a bright moon and a field of stars illuminated a snow-covered landscape of hills, forests and lakes. She was no longer in Scotland, she was somewhere else, somewhere magical where anything could happen.
‘Merry Christmas,’ Henry said. ‘I got you something.’
Maggie realised for the first time that he had brought the smaller sack, and now pulled a small present from inside.
‘What is it?’
‘You can open it now if you like.’
Maggie carefully tore the paper, and pulled out a little crocheted handmade hat with a reindeer design on the front.
Maggie turned it over in her hands. ‘Oh. I, um, don’t know what to say. Did you make it yourself?’
Henry coughed. ‘No, I certainly didn’t. I bought it from the market.’ He grinned. ‘It was the only thing I could find that was almost as embarrassing as wearing an elf costume.’
‘I think you look fetching.’
‘You’re too kind. Come on, why don’t you try your new hat on?’
Maggie laughed as Henry helped her. It didn’t even fit properly, having been made to fit a child’s head.
‘There,’ he said with a wide grin. ‘You look shocking. I don’t feel so bad now.’
They sat in silence for a while, looking out at the view. Maggie wanted to speak, but she was afraid that anything she said might spoil the moment. Plus, she’d done all the running about. It was time to find out if Henry really liked her.
At last he said, ‘I’m glad your boyfriend dumped you.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘And if he hadn’t, I might have tried to steal you anyway.’
Maggie’s throat felt dry. ‘Steal me?’
‘That first time I saw you—when I nearly ran you over with the sleigh—I saw you standing there and I thought you looked absolutely lovely. I lost my grip on the reins, and I nearly ran you down. I’m sorry about that. I mean, that would have been a complete disaster, particularly as George was a little more jumpy than I’m used to.’
‘I’m glad you didn’t run me down, but I’m also glad you noticed me.’
‘It was hard not to. You looked like an angel standing there in the snow. I’d never seen anything so lovely in all my life.’
Maggie laughed. ‘Now that’s just a line.’
Henry shook his head. ‘I don’t do lines. I’m about as boring as they come. I farm, I do my introverted things. I enjoy life, but I don’t care for bombast or drama. I don’t care about money or status. I’m just me, Henry, sitting beside you, Maggie, and being happy that I’m here.’
Maggie lifted a hand to wipe away a tear. ‘Thank you. So, you, um….’
‘Like you? I hope that’s what you were going to say.’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes?’
Henry laughed. ‘I think you’re wonderful. But … I don’t do holiday romances.’
Maggie looked down. ‘You said before. I understand.’
Henry’s hand closed over hers. ‘And as I told you, it’s the holiday part I don’t like. I mean, it can be part of it and all that. You know, there’s a Next in Inverness.’
Maggie laughed. ‘And all I have to do is fill out a form?’
‘You checked it out too?’
‘Renee told me. I’m sure I could handle a change of scenery.’
‘But if you didn’t Cambridge isn’t that far, and we get pretty decent Wi-Fi once the snow’s gone. Plus, I spend a lot of the year looking for things to do. Father is around to look after the reindeer once he’s done with Christmas, so I travel a lot. There’s absolutely no way we can’t see each other if we want to.’
‘I’d like that.’
Henry reached up and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. She shivered at his touch. ‘The hat’s a bit small, I’m afraid.’
‘It keeps slipping up.’ Maggie grinned. ‘But thanks anyway. I’m afraid I didn’t get you a present.’
Henry met her gaze. She looked into his eyes as he leaned forward and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
‘That will do very nicely,’ he said, stroking her cheek.
‘Um, I’m a bit cold,’ Maggie said, her heart thundering so hard it made her voice tremble. ‘I didn’t really feel anything. Perhaps you could try again?’
Henry smiled. ‘Sure.’
As he leaned in to kiss her again, Maggie took a deep breath, and her heart seemed to fill to bursting with laughter and music and the magic of Christmas as, somewhere far away, bells began to chime, and the voices of a choir began to sing.
‘Merry Christmas, Maggie,’ Henry said, holding her close.
‘Merry Christmas, Henry,’ she answered, loving the way his name on her tongue felt natural, as though it belonged there.
* * *
And they lived happily ever after…
* * *
…the End.
Unlucky-in-love and long-term loner Lucy Drake can find no excuse not to join her parents on a Christmas trip to the Cornish coastal town of Tintagel, not when her father's company is sponsoring the inaugural Christmas Extravaganza.
* * *
Hoping to hide an embarrassing secret and generally keep out of sight, Lucy finds herself attracted to local surfing dentist, Dan. But when his ex-girlfriend and social media starlet Elizabeth Trevellian shows up to expose all of Lucy's insecurities, Lucy will need all of the magic of Christmas to help her untangle the ensuing mess.
