by Sandy Barker
“You will be pleased to know that I did not. It was a complete surprise. It was because of the Christmas Fair …”
Chloe went on to tell her tale, starting with Dierdre’s foot stuck down a rabbit hole and finishing with the Capels’s reunion. Lucy wiped tears from under her eyes with her ring finger and Jules blew her nose loudly.
“Wow,” said Jules quietly, a pang in her chest. Why was everything suddenly signposting how single she was?
“I adore the Capels,” said Lucy with a little sniff.
“Right? I mean, you should have seen that kiss. This is probably going to sound really naïve, but I had no idea older people still, you know … kissed like that.”
Jules nodded sombrely. Even the Capels were madly in love.
“And I think Alan’s right,” said Lucy. “I mean, Archer, sorry, old habits and all that, but right about their story. It would make a wonderful film. ‘Inspired by true events …’” Lucy smiled to herself. She loved a good romance.
“Oh, for sure, and he’s already done a bunch of research,” added Chloe.
“He should interview them,” suggested Lucy. “Especially as Mrs Capel is not likely to remember things for much longer …” She trailed off.
“And, if they’re both eighty-plus …” noted Jules.
“Hmm,” murmured Chloe, the underlying urgency of the situation tugging at her heart.
“So, are you and Archer, like, a thing?” asked Jules. She’d been watching Chloe closely, and was sure there was something going on. She’d never seen Chloe this infatuated before—with a guy, anyway. Chloe did have an almost freakish love of closet organisers and stationery.
Lucy was shocked to see the pinkness rise in Chloe’s cheeks. “You’re blushing,” she declared.
Chloe couldn’t conceal her grin. “He kissed me.”
“Oh, my god!” Jules exclaimed. How awesome was it that her best friend had kissed a Hollywood hottie?
Lucy squealed, ignoring the sharp pain that stabbed her temples. “Chloe, that’s wonderful. Alan’s—Sorry, Archer’s so, so lovely.”
“Yeah, he is. And look, I know it’s only been a couple of days, and it’s definitely surreal at times, but honestly, being kissed like that, Lucy … I’ve never …” She sighed. “Let’s just say, it’s a first for me.” She bit her lip, realising as she said the words, that it was more than just the kiss. The feelings she was having were a first too.
“I’ll tell you what’s a first—you’re practically tongue-tied,” said Lucy. She and Chloe exchanged grins.
Jules watched Lucy’s face, seeing how genuinely delighted she was for Chloe, and felt like crap. Why had she given Lucy such a hard time about Will? She knew why—sort of—but still, Lucy was one of the people dearest to her and it was Christmas. She’d been such a shit, but before she could say anything to make it right, Chloe interjected.
“There’s something else, though,” said Chloe, her good cheer fading. “So, just trust me on this and do exactly what I say, okay?” Jules sat up a little straighter and Lucy nodded solemnly. “I want you to google Archer, then select ‘news’. Go ahead, I’ll wait.”
Chloe watched as her friends’ fingers flew over their respective phone screens. Their twin looks of shock—or was that horror?—landed at almost exactly the same time. “Yep,” declared Chloe. “That. That happened.”
“Oh, my god, Chlo,” Jules exclaimed. She seriously wished she were more sober for this conversation; she was barely able to keep up.
“Oh, Chloe, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?” asked Lucy.
“Thanks, Luce. I’m a little shaken up, to be honest. I mean, Archer came and told me as soon as he knew—this morning, actually.”
“Well, Merry Fricking Christmas, huh, Chlo?” asked Jules rhetorically. “I don’t know what’s worse—your face splashed all over the tabloids or that you don’t even have a name. You’re just ‘mystery woman’.”
“Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious, Jules,” said Chloe with a laugh.
Lucy, damned if she was going to let this conversation devolve back into another quarrel, stepped into the fray. “So, Chloe, what now? Do you think you will continue … uh … things with Al-Archer?”
Chloe sighed. “I’ve been going back and forth all day. He was so lovely this morning, Luce—devasted to have dragged me into all this, just by the very nature of being who he is. And he gave me an out. He told me straight up that he completely understood if I never wanted to see him again.”
“But do you?” asked Lucy. Even with only a few minutes to get used to the idea, she could just imagine Alan—Archer, rather—with Chloe. They would be wonderful together.
Jules was silent, also invested in her friend’s reply.
“I think I want to see him again. I mean, it’s a lot. I’m not going to lie. But he’s so lovely, just a wonderful person. You should see how he is with everyone in the village. He’s …” She sighed. “I think I need to see how things go,” she said simply. She saw Lucy nodding as though she was listening to some unheard music.
“Jules, what do you think?” Chloe asked.
Jules chuckled. “Dude, seriously, it’s Archer Fricking Tate. You have to give this guy a chance. Even if it’s just for bragging rights.”
Lucy scrunched up her nose, as though she’d smelled something bad, but Chloe just laughed. “Actually, a tiny part of my brain has considered that. And I am not proud of this—and I’ll only ever tell you two—but how cool would it be for Gia DeLorenzo to open up a copy of Women’s Monthly and see photos of me and Archer all dressed up at some premiere?”
“Who the hell is Gia DeLorenzo?” asked Jules.
“High school bully, remember?” replied Chloe. “The one that sat behind me in Maths class and put gum in my hair.”
“Oh, that’s right, Chloe, how horrible,” cried Lucy.
“Eh, I got over it … mostly.” Chloe grinned at her besties, and Lucy returned the smile with a slightly sad version. Jules fixated on Lucy’s face, again feeling a pang of guilt for being such a shit.
“Hey, Luce, have you looked outside yet?” Jules asked. She decided she’d be extra sweet to Lucy for the rest of the call. It was a start.
Lucy’s mouth popped open and she shook her head. How had she forgotten? She pushed aside the duvet and ran to the window, pulling the curtains aside. “Oh,” she sighed, clutching both hands to her chest and her phone along with them.
“Luce?” she heard Jules’s muffled voice and looked into screen.
“It’s beautiful, look.” She swivelled the camera so Chloe and Jules could see. The ground was blanketed by snow, fondant covered mounds peppered across the landscape. A range of snow-dusted mountains stood proudly in the distance, and the brilliant blue of a cloudless sky contrasted starkly against the white of the snow and the deep, dusty green of the conifers.
Tears prickled Lucy’s eyes, which was silly, really. She’d had this exact view since she’d arrived. But now it’s Christmas and that makes it even more special.
“I’m going to make a snowman!” she declared, climbing back into the snuggly bed. She swivelled the camera back to catch her friends laughing, possibly at her. “Not right at this minute, of course, sillies, but today. In honour of my first proper white Christmas in, well, practically forever.”
“Well, take lots of pics. As you predicted, it is grey and wet here. It hasn’t stopped raining all day. But at least it didn’t rain during the fair yesterday. Maybe that was our Christmas miracle,” said Chloe.
“I knew you’d love the fair, but I didn’t think you’d end up running it. Sorry about that, lovely.”
Chloe waved off the apology. “I had a ball, to be honest, and I got to know Archer’s mother a little. Cecily.”
“Oh, she’s scary.”
“Archer’s mom is?” asked Jules.
Lucy nodded slowly, eyes wide, and Chloe laughed. “She’s okay. I kind of like her.”
“Maybe it’s because you can be sca
ry, Chlo,” teased Jules.
“Moi?”
“Oh, yes, that will be why. Two peas in a pod,” added Lucy, giggling.
“Hey, Lucy, I just remembered, your mum said something about your new boss, that things have been kinda shitty for you at work lately.” Lucy’s elated expression dissolved, and Chloe knew that with one thoughtless comment, she’d put a dampener on Lucy’s day.
“Sorry, Lucy. We’ll talk about the work thing another time, okay?”
Lucy nodded numbly, a tiny frown between her brows. Chloe willed Jules to step in and, thankfully, she picked up on it.
“Sure, Luce, don’t worry about all that now. You’re gonna have a great day with my family. Tell them I’ll call them tomorrow, okay? I mean, my tomorrow.” Lucy’s mouth pulled into a tight smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and Jules knew that it was her fault. She’d have to fix things with Lucy, but not right now. She could barely stay awake. “Okay, well I’m gonna sign off now, girls.” She stifled a yawn. “Have a very merry Christmas. I love you.” She waved into the phone and ended the call.
“Lucy?” Chloe was hellbent on making amends. How had she been so insensitive as to bring up the work thing today of all days? What was wrong with her?
“I’m fine.”
“O-kay.” Chloe wasn’t convinced.
“You don’t have to treat me like I’m this fragile little thing, Chloe.” Lucy saw Chloe bite her lip. “Sorry, that was a bit rude.” She blew out a short, sharp sigh, and Chloe waited. Clearly, Lucy wanted to say something else. “Why was Jules such a cow about me and Will?”
“Is that what’s bothering you? Or is it the work thing?”
“It’s, well, it’s both, but I don’t want to think about my job right now. Besides, the more pressing thing is Will. I have to go downstairs this morning … and it’s Christmas … and he’s so lovely and so scrummy. And now I feel like I’ve totally stepped in it.” She knew she was whining, but she didn’t care.
“Oh, Luce. Maybe Jules is just being a big sister, you know?” Lucy’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t buying it. “Look, do you want me to talk to her?”
“No. I’m a big girl.”
“I know that, Lucy.”
“I just … Jules is one of my best friends, and even she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her brother.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. There’s something else going on.”
“It doesn’t matter, anyway. It really is just a bit of fun.” Hearing the lie out loud made Lucy feel even worse.
Chloe wished more than anything she could give Lucy a hug. “Luce?” Lucy blinked back tears—again. Why was she so emotional? Maybe it was the hangover. “Lucy, tell me.”
It wasn’t the hangover.
“I like him, Chloe. A lot. And what if something actually does happen between us? And what if that messes up my friendship with Jules?”
“Look, if something more serious happens, then Jules will just have to get over it. Okay?” Lucy, unconvinced, said nothing. “I love you, Luce. It will be okay.”
“I love you, too. And thank you.”
“Do you want to talk to your mum and dad now?” she asked brightly. Relieved, she saw Lucy perk up a little. “Hang on, two secs.”
A smile broke across Lucy’s face as her mum peered up from the phone. “Happy Christmas, Mum, I miss you so much.”
“Oh, love, we’re missing you too.”
Chapter 18
Chloe
“How did Lucy seem to you, love?” Susan had caught Chloe in the kitchen sneaking another sliver of Christmas cake. The question hung in the air as her mouth twitched. “You know, love, we’ll be sitting down to Christmas lunch soon. You won’t want to spoil it, now.”
Chloe put down the slice of cake and apologised sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s just so good.”
“How about I make us some tea instead. It doesn’t take up as much room.” Susan patted her stomach and put the kettle on, adding what Chloe had come to know as her signature wink. As she bustled about, checking on Christmas lunch, Chloe sat at the small kitchen table noticing again how good everything smelled; it smelled like Christmas.
The apple sauce simmering on the stove was definitely a culprit, its heady spices of cinnamon, cardamom, and star anise filling the air. There was also a stuffed goose roasting in the oven, along with Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and potatoes, all bathed in goose fat. Chloe hadn’t had goose before, but if the aromas from the oven were anything to go by, it would be another new favourite.
Chloe was humbled by the amount of effort it had taken—was taking—to put this meal on the table, but Susan had approached it all with practised ease. She did say she was cheating with the Heston Blumenthal pudding and vanilla-bean custard from the shop, but Chloe had assured her that it was all going to be spectacular and that she’d heard the Blumenthal puddings were something to behold.
She had also helped as much as she was allowed, putting her hand to chopping and peeling, but as soon as she was done with her assigned tasks, Susan had tried to shoo her out of the kitchen. “At least let me help clean up,” she’d insisted, being a clean-as-you-go cook herself. She was permitted on the proviso that she’d then go and keep Max company, which meant reading her Kindle while he read the latest Harlan Coben book he’d got for Christmas.
Max did not offer to help in the kitchen, but only because he would, “just get underfoot.” He did, however, set the table. Chloe knew that if her dad sat down to read on Christmas Day while her mum was buzzing about the kitchen getting all the food ready, he would have been on the end of some seriously passive-aggressive comments until he relented. But her dad would never do that; he wouldn’t dare.
Just as Susan was about to heap some loose leaves into the teapot, Chloe had a better idea. “Actually, Susan, what do you think about cracking open the bubbles Archer gave me?”
If a woman of sixty-something can giggle, then that’s what she did. “Oooh, bubbly would be lubbly.” She giggled again and Chloe joined in. “Oooh, and I have some proper glasses put away somewhere.” Susan disappeared, presumably to the front room where they seemed to keep all the “good stuff”—the china and crystal—while Chloe retrieved the bottle from the fridge.
“Dusty,” Susan declared before heading straight to the sink to wash the flutes. With her back turned, she again posed her earlier question about how Lucy had seemed, and Chloe felt a twinge of guilt. “I think I stuffed up.” Susan turned, a glass in one hand, a tea towel in the other, and looked at her inquisitively. She was an expert listener, Chloe realised. “I mentioned the job thing.” Susan nodded and pursed her lips. Chloe doubted it was with derision, but it certainly didn’t make her feel any better.
Susan brought the now-clean glasses to the table and picked up the bottle. “She will want to talk to you about it eventually, I imagine, just not on Christmas.” So, Chloe had stuffed up. “She’s had a hard time of it lately, poor Lucy,” continued Susan, “and, quite honestly, I’m surprised she hasn’t mentioned it to you girls already. That woman—” Susan cut off her own thought, her anger palpable. Chloe felt a little helpless, not having an immediate fix, but she’d just have to wait until Lucy was ready to talk about it.
But Chloe’s concern turned into wonder as she watched Susan peel back the foil on the bottle with one pull, untwist the metal cap cleanly, grasp the bottom of the bottle with one hand and the cork with the other, and turn the bottle until a whisper of a pop echoed around the kitchen.
Susan caught Chloe’s look. “I wasn’t always a librarian who lived in a tiny village, love. There was once upon a time when I was quite the London party girl.” She raised her eyebrows, poured, then handed Chloe, still dumbstruck, a glass. “Should I be insulted that you look so surprised?”
“What? Oh, no, sorry. It’s just … as well as having no filter sometimes—like with Lucy today—I often find myself underestimating people. Sorry.”
“I see. Well, not to worry, love. I won’t take it personall
y.” She winked again, then raised her own glass which was now brimming. “Happy Christmas, Chloe. It’s been lovely having you here.” They clinked glasses. “So,” said Susan taking the seat next to Chloe, “Now that everything’s humming along for our lunch, and we’ve spoken to our Lucy, why don’t we dig into your dilemma.”
Chloe almost choked on her bubbles, which was a shame, as it was French Champagne and utterly delicious. She composed herself, wiping her bottom lip. “My dilemma?” she squeaked, then cleared her throat. She adored Lucy’s mum, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to “dig into” the depths of the paparazzi horror show that Archer had shared with her, especially as it was Christmas and she was hoping to immerse herself in the rest of the day without giving it another thought. Still …
“Look, and please tell me if I’m just being a nosy busybody, but Alan’s face when he arrived …” Susan sighed and shook her head. Chloe waited for her to add a series of tuts, but they didn’t come. “And after he left, you seemed … well, not yourself, Chloe love. I’m just saying that if you want to talk about it, I’m here.”
Chloe never talked to her mum about this type of thing. She only divulged the ins and outs of her love life—so to speak and such that it was—with Ash, Lucy, and Jules. Susan took another sip of her bubbles, smoothing down her apron with the other hand. It was a masterful interrogation technique, the patient pause, and Chloe found herself succumbing without further resistance.
“Well, you see, Archer and I, we were papped.”
If Susan was surprised, she did a brilliant job of hiding it. Maybe she’d been more than a London party girl. Maybe she’d also worked for MI6. “I see,” she said, nodding solemnly.
“Kissing,” added Chloe.
That did evoke a slight raise of the eyebrows. “Mmm.” Susan’s eyes dropped to the table and her brow furrowed slightly. After a few moments, Chloe practically on the edge of her seat for each one, Susan lifted her eyes. “Chloe, I have known Alan Tate all his life. He is a truly good person. Talented? Yes. Handsome? Undeniably …”