Christmas Magic at the Tenby Crystal Shop

by Kelly Matthews

‘Zoe, I’m sorry to wake you. I’ve had a message from Guy at the RNLI. They can’t find Aidan,’ her voice wobbled with emotion. ‘He’s missing.’

  It took Zoe a few seconds to process what she had said. ‘I’ll get changed.’ She ran into the living room, pulled a pair of jeans from her suitcase she hadn’t taken upstairs and pulled them on over her pyjamas. ‘What do they mean that they can’t find him? I thought they were looking for someone else?’ She asked; her voice muffled from pulling on a thick woollen jumper.

  ‘He jumped into rescue someone but… who the hell knows what happened. Oh, Zoe, I’m so worried.’

  ‘Don’t think the worst, Eileen,’ she grabbed her coat from the balustrade and dashed out the door, slamming it closed. The snow continued to fall heavily. She stepped onto the porch, surprised to find her feet sunk deeply into the snow. It was then she looked up and down the street that was so bright with the snow under the streetlights. Powdered snow stuck to the doors and cars that were barely visible under the layers.

  ‘Are we going to the RNLI?’

  ‘Yes, I want to be there when they find him. I don't think I could rest sitting at home.’

  Eileen locked arms with Zoe’s and together they walked cautiously down the freshly snow-covered pavement.

  ‘They'd most probably have found him the time we get there,’ she tried to reassure her and wondered if her premonitions about the snow really meant something was warning her all along.

  It was the coldest and most frightening walk to the RNLI base she'd ever done. When she was younger, her father helped out in the Summer holidays and she would often take him lunch. A search helicopter flew overhead; the beam of light cast on the ocean. Eileen's hand squeezed tightly around Zoe’s as they walked into the main entrance.

  Zoe could feel the atmosphere was thick with panic as men dashed about on phones or passing instructions onto others.

  A grey-haired man looked over at them, passed a map to the younger man he was talking to and started walking towards them.

  ‘Eileen, you shouldn't have come out in this weather. We're doing all we can,’ he put a gentle, reassuring hand on her shoulder. His eyes swept towards Zoe. ‘Brian’s daughter, right?’ He asked as he shook her hand.

  ‘Yes, nice to see you again. Shame about the circumstances.’

  ‘So you haven't found him?’ Eileen's voice shook.

  ‘Not yet,’ he cleared his throat. ‘Why don't you both go inside and get a hot cup of coffee. You must be freezing.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Zoe ushered Eileen inside and saw that a few other locals were standing around the RNLI shop.

  ‘No news, yet, I'm afraid,’ said Lance, one of the chefs at The Seashell. He directed it towards Zoe as they passed.

  ‘Guy told us. Eileen, sit down,’ she got a chair from inside the shop. ‘I’ll grab us a hot drink, alright. Try not to panic.’

  Lance followed Zoe to the coffee machine. ‘I can’t believe it. It was meant to be a simple rescue operation.’

  Zoe pushed back her tears. ‘You’re sounding like you’ve given up on him.’ She stirred two spoons of sugar into the cardboard cup. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.’ Her lips wobbled with emotion.

  Lance pulled her in for a hug. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry if I upset you.’

  ‘They’re going to find him, they are.’ She patted Lance on the arm and took the coffee over to Eileen.

  ‘Here you go,’ she said, trying not to sound worried in front of her. ‘Aidan is an experience swimmer and from what I have learned, is a tough cookie. If anyone can survive this, he can.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  Zoe checked her mobile. It was 3.40 a.m. Eileen’s head rested on her shoulder. She was sound asleep. Muffled voices could be heard outside and then the sound of footsteps approaching made her sit up straight, jolting Eileen awake.

  The tired, sad expression on Guy's face didn't fill her with much hope.

  ‘We have to call off the search, at least until it’s light.’ He said softly and delicately as he could.

  Eileen's gulping sobs filled Zoe’s ears.

  ‘Are you sure? I mean, what are his chances…’ she asked between sobs. ‘You’re not going to give up on him, surely.’

  Guy didn't meet her eyes. ‘At this point, his chances are not good. I'm so sorry.’

  The words stabbed like tiny, sharp needles. Zoe couldn’t suppress the gulping sob she held inside of her any longer.

  ‘Come on, we should get back, Eileen. There's not much we can do here,' she took her arm to help her up from the chair.

  Eileen stood by her front door, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. ‘I promised I'd look after him…’

  Zoe felt the cold tears rolling down her cheeks, too.

  ‘Don't be so hard on yourself, Eileen. Do you want me to come in with you?’

  ‘You go on home, love. You must be knackered. My Frank will be home soon. Thank you for being there, I know he was your friend too.’

  Zoe couldn't believe Eileen was talking about him in past tense already. ‘Yes, he is,’ she pushed down the lump in her throat and pulled Eileen in for a hug. ‘I'll be back in a little while.’

  Zoe closed the garden gate and tucked her hands in her jacket pockets. She didn't want to go home and found herself walking in the direction of the shop.

  She opened the door, switched on the light and went to the stockroom to make herself a warm drink. She didn't want to believe he had gone, it didn't seem real. Filling the kettle, she noticed a box on the counter she didn't remember putting there.

  ‘Oh, Mam what did you order this time?’ She whispered. She put the kettle on to boil and pulled the box towards her. ‘Tibetan chanting CDs. Great, now I've got to get rid of this lot,’ she opened the jar she kept the tea bags in, threw one in the cup and tried to push back the tears, but it was pointless. She missed him so much she felt a deep sharp pain in her chest. Why didn't she do something when she saw it on the cards? Her mother always nagged her about trusting her gut. The kettle boiled, so she poured her tea leaving in the t-bag and went to sit in the shop. She pulled the stool from under the cashier counter and sat down, holding the hot mug. ‘Where are you, Aidan?’ She whispered, not wanting to accept that he was gone. At that moment there was a thud on the counter. Zoe jumped off the stool and scrambled to switch on the lights.

  ‘Who's here?’ She looked around the room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary so she sat back down and noticed a bar of soap on the counter that had fallen out of the basket. She couldn't remember if she paid much attention to them before and looked at the wrapper. But how did it fall out? She was nowhere near it.

  ‘Caldey. Oh my God, the monks,’ she thought for a moment. ‘Monks. That's it. The story. He's alive. He's alive, he has to be.’

  She went to call Guy, but the phone lines were out so wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and slipped on her gloves. She locked up the shop and rushed back to Eileen's.

  ‘Frank, wait,’ she yelled, just as he was about to open his front door. ‘I think I know where Aidan is.’

  Eileen came to the door dressed in her flannelette dressing gown, eyes puffy and red.

  ‘Is everything alright?’ She asked wearily, her voice husky.

  ‘I think I know where he could be, you have to hurry.’

  ‘Slow down, and come inside before you catch a cold,’ said Frank.

  ‘There's no time. I need to get to the RNLI. They haven't checked Caldey yet, have they?’

  ‘I spoke to Guy about twenty minutes ago, love. They've been all around the island. They didn't find anything.’

  ‘I think he's on the island. We need to go and get someone to check it out.’

  ‘Frank, listen to the girl. If she thinks he's on the island, you check it out. I trust her.’

  ‘Thanks, Eileen,’ she smiled.

  ‘Come on,’ said Frank. ‘We'll get the lads to take a look.’

  ‘I’ll be there
in a moment,’ replied Eileen, rushing upstairs to change.

  They hurried down the hill to the RNLI, just as Guy was about to leave in his car.

  ‘Wait.’ Zoe tapped on his window.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ Guy asked.

  ‘Have you checked the island?’ Frank asked.

  ‘No. I'm not sure how he could manage it.’

  ‘Nevermind that, we need to get over there. Just trust us.’

  ‘I'll get the lads to get the boat ready. If he's there, and I'm not sure how he could be at this point, he'll need medical attention and since the phones are out.’ Guy passed instructions to a member of his team who alerted the others and ran towards the boat. ‘I hope you’re right, miss,’ he said and asked her to wait inside.

  Zoe paced the floor while Frank spoke to Guy. The sun was coming up over the horizon.

  ‘They’re on their way’ said Guy, ‘but try not to get your hopes up.’

  Eileen came rushing into the building. ’Are they going?’

  ‘They're on their way now,’ said Zoe, shaking with the cold.

  ‘I hope he's there. If I could have one Christmas miracle this year, it'd be for Aidan,' she sniffed and sat down next to Zoe.

  ‘How do you think he's there any way?’ Frank asked.

  ‘Call it a Merrygale hunch.’ Zoe smiled. ‘So who was the person missing last night?’

  Eileen snorted. ‘James.'

  Zoe sighed. ‘I had a feeling. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish any ill intent on him, but he's ruining everyone's lives. Mine, my parents, now Aidan’s. I wish he'd leave and never come back to Tenby.’

  ‘I'm sure after this we won't see him again. Aidan is much respected around here, so James better scarper before someone… what do you mean your parents?’ asked Frank. 'What's going on?'

  ‘He wants to buy the building. He's very keen on it apparently which makes me more suspicious about his intentions for the place.’

  ‘That's why they've been sniffing around the past couple of weeks. Rob told me his father had plans to expand their restaurant brand here.’

  ‘A branded restaurant? That'll ruin my aunt's business, not to mention everyone else trying to make a living here,' she sighed, ‘I may have a plan to thwart him, anyway. I'm going into business with a very old College friend of mine. He wants to buy my gift bag idea. It'll be a monthly subscription service and could prove profitable.’

  ‘Really? Well, that's the most positive news we've had all week.’

  ‘Let's hope for one more, eh,’ she smiled weakly.

  Eileen pulled her in for a hug. ‘I love Aidan like he was my own son. I’m not the only one who has noticed a change in him since you come long.’

  Zoe laughed nervously. ‘I don't know about that.’

  ‘Trust me, I'm older and I know these things. You brought his spark back.’

  ‘They will find him there, won't they?’

  ‘You and your mother have a special gift. I've learned to trust her intuition over the years and she's never steered anyone wrong.’

  Zoe cradled her mug but the heat slowly dissipated and the cold crept through her gloves, stinging her fingers. As the anxiety settled on her chest, she didn’t think she could take much more waiting.

  ‘How long has it been?’ she asked Eileen who was sitting with her head in her hands.

  ‘No idea, love,’ she patted her arm. ‘Don’t lose faith now. They’ll be back as soon as they can.’

  Zoe noticed the group of men standing outside rush towards something. Zoe sprung to her feet and ran out the door.

  ‘Guy is coming back by boat, look,’ she pointed to a relieved looking Eileen.

  ‘Please, please, give me this,’ she said as the boat drew closer. She couldn't see Aidan and began to fear the worst. ‘I don’t think they’ve got him, Eileen,’ she grabbed Eileen’s arms and sobbed.

  ‘He's with the monks. He's fine but too weak to move just yet so the air ambulance is on its way.’

  ‘You’ve found him? Can we see him?’ She turned to Guy, excitement bubbling inside of her.

  ‘It looks like he’s broken a leg. Perhaps it'll be better if you wait until they fetch him back.’

  ‘But he's okay, isn’t he?’

  ‘He's fine. One of the residents found him. Apparently, he swam to the island and someone who happened to be walking spotted him. He's one lucky bugger I can tell you that. Someone managed to get a signal and call for the crew. They’re on the way.’

  Eileen gave Zoe a bear hug. ‘I think you care more than you're letting on,’ she whispered. ‘Please tell him, sweetheart.’

  Chapter Twenty

  ‘Be in London this weekend? Are you kidding, I'm trying to run a business here.’

  ‘Zoe, it’s a deal of a lifetime. Don't let some small town shop rid you of what you've dreamed of.’

  Zoe looked around the shop, biting her lower lip. She thought there was no harm in taking a day off to check it out. It’s what her mother would’ve wanted her to do, surely. ‘Okay, I'll be there.’ Zoe took a long exhale and put her phone down on the counter.

  ‘Aidan’s home from the hospital,’ Eileen intoned as she walked through the door. Her face was red from the cold.

  ‘So he's alright?’ Zoe asked, serving a customer. Her heart did a flip at the mention of his name. Perhaps Eileen was right when she said that she cared more than she would allow herself to think she did.

  ‘He was asking about you actually. Are you going to pop up after work?’

  ‘Of course.’ She smiled as she handed the customer their change, thinking she was going to need an assistant around the place, especially if she was going to London.

  ‘I see you're busy, I'll call back.’

  Eileen was about to walk out of the door.

  ‘Sorry, Eileen, my head is in the clouds at the moment. Do you want a cup of coffee?’

  ‘No, love, I’d best be getting back to work. I just thought you wanted to know about Aidan that’s all.’

  ‘Of course, I did, thanks for letting me know. I’ll pop and see him this afternoon.’

  Once things had slowed down, Zoe gave Rachel a call to ask to bring her a coffee, but what she really wanted was someone to talk to about Aidan and everything that had gone on the past couple of days.

  The shop bell chimed, and thinking it was Rachel she looked over her shoulder to find James standing in the doorway, unsure if he should enter.

  She gave him a glare.

  ‘Please give me five minutes that's all I ask.’

  ‘You've got a bloody cheek, haven't you?’

  ‘You have every right to be angry. Please, Zoe… I've spoken to Rob and he's made me see what a jerk I've been. I am so sorry for everything.’

  ‘Because of your stupidity you've could've got Aidan killed, you realise that?’

  ‘Absolutely and I feel very bad about the whole thing.’

  ‘So what do you want? It's not my forgiveness you need.’

  ‘No, you're right. But I am truly sorry about what happened to us. I wish I could take back all the pain I've caused you. It was selfish and wrong of me for what I did to you I see that now.’

  ‘But now you want to take away my parent's livelihood and turn it into a chain store that this place doesn't need.’

  ‘That's the other thing. We only decided to step in when we heard your parents had financial trouble. But now having spoken to my father, we'd like to withdraw our offer. I want to keep the peace around here, especially with you.’

  ‘Do you really mean that James?’ She folded her arms, untrusting.

  ‘I do, yes. You have my word. What will your parents do about keeping this place afloat?’ Not that if was any of his business.

  ‘I may have a solution to that. I just hope I won't be too late.’

  ‘I know the landlord, so if you want, I can have a word for you. It's the least I can do.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she proffered her hand. ‘That’s very kind.’

&n
bsp; As James was walking out the door, Rachel turned up.

  ‘What was he doing here?’ Rachel asked, passing Zoe a cinnamon latte.

  ‘He came to apologise for everything.’

  ‘I think Rob got through to him last night. I heard them downstairs until three in the morning.’

  ‘I'm glad he got through to him. It's one less thing to worry about.’

  ‘Oh? What else is bothering you?’

  ‘I'm going back to London…’

  ‘What? What about the shop, Aidan …’

  ‘Wait. I meant I'm going back to the meeting. The thing is, I may end up moving back because of the job…’

  ‘But you really don't want to, do you?’

  ‘I'm conflicted, I really am. I'll be able to pay off my parent's debt so they can keep the shop, so that's one good thing…’

  ‘Then there's the matter of Aidan. I know you like him.’

  ‘I think I do. I just don't know what to do. What would you do?’

  ‘I'd follow my heart, always. Listen to it and feel what the strongest pull is.’

  ‘I'm not sure right now.’

  ‘Then my suggestion is to go to London, have your meeting and while you're there, see how it feels. Besides, who are you getting to watch the shop?’

  ‘I can ask Felicity. I think she's getting the knack for it. Thanks for the talk, Rach, I really appreciate it.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ She grinned.

  It was snowing lightly as she walked to The Seashell. She'd closed for an hour for lunch and promised Aidan she’d fetch him Tina's special, fish, chips and mushy peas topped with gravy.

  ‘Hi, Guy, Where's our casualty?’ She asked as she stepped into the pub.

  ‘Alright, Zo. He's upstairs, go on up. Maybe you will cheer up him for us.’

  ‘I’ll try my best for you.’

  She climbed the stairs and walked along the landing. When she came to his door, she tapped it lightly and let herself in.

  ‘Hey, come in.’ Aidan sat up on the sofa and pulled the blanket off his legs. ‘Sorry, but I don’t have the energy to move.’

  ‘No worries, just take it easy. I fetched your dinner, so how are you feeling now?’ She passed him the carton and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She took a seat on the sofa closest to the coal fire and pulled off her jacket.