Christmas at the Little Village Bakery

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘It’s not too late to fix this,’ she said.

  Tori pulled away to look at her. ‘Fix what?’

  ‘This mess with Spencer.’

  ‘I don’t get it.’

  ‘It’s clearly a huge mistake, and it’s better you find out now than when you’re married and stuck with him.’

  ‘But I love him!’

  ‘Do you? And can you be sure he loves you? The evidence is there right in front of your eyes – you just said it yourself. If he’s looking at other women now, and you’re not even married, then imagine what you might be dealing with once the ring is on your finger.’

  ‘Spencer is not like that.’

  ‘All men are like that.’

  Tori stared at her. ‘How can you say that? What about Daddy?’

  ‘Because it’s true. The best you can hope for is one you can keep in check, or one who can fund the kind of lifestyle that will make the bitterness of the pill a little easier to take.’

  ‘That’s crazy!’

  ‘That’s life. Take it from someone who has age and wisdom on her side.’

  Tori frowned. ‘And I suppose you think the ideal candidate is Hunter Ford?’

  ‘There are worse out there. He’d give you a good life.’

  ‘Spencer will give me a good life.’

  ‘Spencer will let you down! His parents are simply dreadful and this village is… well, there isn’t enough here for an intelligent young woman like you.’

  ‘Shouldn’t I be able to make that call? I like it here and I like his parents.’

  ‘What about Jasmine?’

  ‘She’s great too,’ Tori replied carefully.

  ‘If there’s the slightest doubt, walk away. You might be in love now, and it might hurt like hell, but it’s the sensible thing to do.’

  Tori shook her head. ‘That’s the problem with you – everything has to be sensible. Love isn’t sensible and I don’t want it to be any other way.’

  ‘Then you’ll get hurt. Hunter will be married off to some other eligible woman and you’ll have nothing. And don’t think your father and I will be around to pick up the pieces when that happens.’

  ‘Spencer won’t hurt me. He’s a good man and he’ll make me happy.’

  ‘Then why are you sitting here? Go down and ruin your life if you’re so certain he’s the right one.’ Mrs Dempsey folded her arms and stared. Tori fiddled with the hem of her sweatshirt. Spencer was the one, wasn’t he? He loved her and would never hurt her; she wanted to believe that more than anything. But right now he was working in the bar, probably laughing and joking with Jasmine and his parents and not giving her a second thought. If she was so sure of him, why couldn’t she bring herself to go downstairs right now and see for herself?

  Chapter 7

  Millie was already moving around downstairs in the kitchens when Darcie’s alarm went off. She’d probably been up for hours already with Oscar and hadn’t bothered going back to bed, which was a regular thing these days. Darcie slammed her hand down on the clock to switch the bleeping off and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. Though she hadn’t imagined for a minute she would get any sleep the previous night, she had been so emotionally drained that she’d passed out as soon as she tucked her legs under the covers. But now, instantly awake, her mind went back to the events of Nathan’s party, and the way she had spoken to Dylan afterwards. God, she was an idiot, and she didn’t think that any number of years on the planet was ever going to change that. The best thing now, though, was to look forward, forget it ever happened and try to get on with the here and now, at least until after Christmas when she would break the news to Millie that she was returning to Millrise. What she would do once she was back home, she had no clue, but at least she would be away from temptation and trouble.

  Her breath curled into the air, caught in the lamplight that illuminated a room not yet touched by daylight. The heating had only just clicked on and it was still chilly; there was no birdsong and no sounds of daily life outside the bakery, so it still felt very much like the middle of the night, despite the fact that she was about to start work for the day. Even though some mornings it felt like a form of medieval torture, Darcie would miss this life. She had grown to love the peace of Honeybourne, the closeness and community spirit of its residents; a simpler, slower pace of life that some might find dull but that made Darcie feel safe. If it hadn’t been for Dylan… Well, there was no point in dwelling on that now. There was Dylan, and that was a fight she knew she was losing. The only option left now was to go home.

  She got out of bed and was about to rush into the shower when there was a tap at the door.

  ‘Darcie?’ Millie called softly. ‘Are you up?’

  ‘Come in. I’m decent.’

  Millie smiled as she opened the door. ‘I wanted to ask you about last night. Dylan told me what happened – at least, what he knows. I didn’t want to mention it before you’d had time to sleep on things, put a bit of distance between you and what happened.’

  Darcie tried not to groan. Of course Dylan had told Millie about it. What else was he going to do?

  ‘He said you didn’t want to talk about it,’ Millie continued, ‘and I understand that, but I’ve always felt that we can share things, like sisters. So I wondered if it would be easier to talk to me. And it might help you feel better to get it off your chest.’

  Darcie sat on the bed and pulled her dressing gown tighter. ‘I was just caught in the middle of some unfinished business, that’s all. I don’t know whether Nathan had intended what happened, or whether it was an accident or just bad timing. All I know is that he has history with a girl who hasn’t let go yet.’

  ‘Is he still seeing her?’

  ‘I don’t know. He said not, but she said he was. She said I was just a ploy to make her jealous and that he didn’t like me at all. She said I wasn’t even his type.’ Darcie gave a tiny shrug. ‘Looking at her that was probably true. She was like a model – stick thin, all legs and hair and very pretty.’

  ‘You’re pretty,’ Millie frowned. ‘Don’t you forget that!’

  ‘I’m ordinary. She was beautiful.’

  Millie frowned and Darcie could see that she wanted to argue the point, but she let it go. ‘So what happened?’

  ‘She told me he was using me and that he wasn’t interested, then she got personal and insulted me. Nathan didn’t do much to make me believe that he was genuine, and he certainly didn’t stick up for me. So I left. That’s it.’

  ‘Dylan said you were very upset when he picked you up. I didn’t realise it had been that bad. When you came in last night you seemed disappointed but not distressed…’

  ‘I was upset, but I’m over it. I’d had a bit to drink and I wasn’t thinking straight. I’m fine this morning and I don’t want to dwell on it anymore.’

  ‘You won’t be seeing him again?’

  ‘Not if I can help it. I’ve deleted his number from my phone and I’m never accepting numbers from boys I meet on buses ever again. And if I never see Salisbury again it will be too soon.’

  Millie sat next to her and smoothed a hand over her hair. ‘It’s hardly Salisbury’s fault.’

  Darcie gave her a thin smile. ‘I know. I just wish I hadn’t gone on the bus at that particular time on that particular day and then I would never have met him.’

  ‘You really liked him, didn’t you?’

  Darcie looked at her. She had liked Nathan enough, but that wasn’t the reason she had agreed to go to the party. The real reason was one she could never tell Millie, and she felt the increasing burden of her treacherous heart with every kindness Millie showed her. Millie pulled her into a hug, clearly taking her silence as a confirmation that she was right, and Darcie let her. If Millie believed that she was broken-hearted over Nathan, then that was probably for the best.

  After his shift the previous night, Spencer had gone upstairs to see if Tori was coming back home with him only to be told by a stern Mr Dempsey th
at she was asleep in their room and would be staying the night. Spencer had walked back without her, deep in thought and feeling wretched as he and his parents walked Jasmine home safely. Along the way they shared theories about why Tori’s parents were so determined to make themselves as unlikeable as they could. Jasmine concluded that it was simply a case of not wanting their daughter to relocate, and Jenny agreed, while Lewis aired the opinion that they were a pair of pompous twats and if he never saw them again it would be too soon. Spencer was the only person who stayed silent on the subject, listening absently as they trudged through the snow. He had played the argument with Tori over and over in his head, wondering what he could have done and said differently so that she would be walking with them now, her hand in his as they gazed up at the frosted stars and the twinkling Christmas lights draped over every tree on the route.

  At Jasmine’s door, she had looked up at her own house and sighed. ‘It looks like Rich’s gone to bed.’

  Spencer’s mind had gone back to her arrival, and the hint that they’d had a major bust-up too. It was nothing new for Jasmine and Rich, as everyone knew.

  She had pulled each of them into a warm hug, and Spencer’s had been the longest and warmest of all. He savoured her scent, her softness, the feeling of being at home in her arms. Why did she have to be so right when it was all so wrong? And what did that mean for his relationship with Tori?

  ‘You’ll make it up, don’t worry,’ Jasmine had said in his ear. ‘I can tell by the way she looks at you that she’s head over heels.’

  Spencer had smiled thinly. ‘I wish I could say the same for her parents. Are you sure you’ll be alright?’

  ‘Me? Of course. I can handle grumpy-pants in there. Go to Tori and sort it out. Don’t lose her, because love like that doesn’t come around very often.’

  He had watched Jasmine let herself into the house and had carried her words and her scent home with him.

  As he woke now on Christmas Eve morning, his arm swept the bed and then he remembered that the other side was empty because Tori hadn’t come home with him and it was all his fault. He rolled over and checked the phone on the bedside table. No messages and no missed calls. Not that he expected any and he certainly didn’t deserve them, but there had been the slimmest hope she might have relented overnight. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Was this it? Had he blown it for good?

  It was difficult to know exactly when the situation had gone past saving. Was it when she’d disappeared with her parents? Or was it because he hadn’t insisted on being let in to see Tori, despite Todd Dempsey’s dismissal? Or was it even when Jasmine had arrived at the pub and his attention had so obviously been caught by her when it should have been on Tori and nobody else? Whenever it was, he had made the mistake of staying downstairs on the bar, feeling wretched and angry and drinking too much, when he should have been upstairs talking to Tori. And then he had made things worse by going home without her instead of fighting for her like he should have done. On reflection, he probably didn’t deserve her.

  He reached for his phone again and sent Tori a text. It was early and he didn’t want to piss them all off even more by waking them with a phone call. It just said one word:

  ‘Sorry.’

  There wasn’t anything else to say, and he could only apologise for his part in what had happened – the rest their parents would have to get together and thrash out.

  Tori’s reply came through almost immediately: ‘Me too.’

  Spencer smiled, relief flooding through him. It was a start, and at least she sounded willing to talk. He tapped out a reply.

  ‘Can I see you?’

  ‘Sure, give me an hour.’

  ‘We need some privacy.’

  ‘Churchyard?’

  ‘Good thinking. At the churchyard in an hour then. I’ll carry a newspaper and wear a pink carnation in my buttonhole.’

  ‘You’re such a goofball! X’

  Spencer put the phone down and got out of bed. He needed a shower and some breakfast, and he somehow needed to talk to his parents in order to avoid a repeat of last night’s stand-off. But as he passed the door to their room, he heard the tandem snoring that told him they were both still out for the count and not likely to rouse any time soon. He’d have to try and grab them later – after he’d made things up with Tori but before they all met again at the carol service that night.

  His parents went to the carol service every Christmas Eve when they were in Honeybourne, though they were far from religious and made a point of telling everyone who would listen that they didn’t go to hear about God, but to join in the singalong and feel like part of the village tradition. Tori’s parents, on the other hand, were keen to go because they were deeply involved in the church at home. It didn’t take a genius to see where this was headed unless he had a quiet word first, and he really didn’t fancy a repeat performance of the doomed politics debate.

  Fifty minutes later Spencer was walking the road to the churchyard. He was surprised that Tori had memorised its whereabouts so well, but he had to smile at the possibility that she had taken particular note of it as a contender for the wedding venue, and had secretly stored the information for a later discussion. He felt a pang of guilt that this conversation hadn’t already happened. While they had been engaged since the spring, it had been something of an empty promise in many ways because they were no nearer to organising it than they had been at the start. They had both stalled – they’d been busy at work, not had the money, a million different excuses – and it seemed as if they had all the time in the world. But his exchange programme was due to finish in the summer, and then he would have no reason to stay in America, and it suddenly struck him, after he had come so close to losing her, that perhaps this was a good time to start doing something about it.

  As he waited for Tori, he wandered the churchyard for a while. It had started to snow, only gently, but it fell on the frozen chunks of ice still lining the paths from the last snow, settling on the weathered old headstones like a sprinkling of flour.

  As he looked up, he saw Tori’s petite figure skirting the outside wall and ran to the gates to meet her. She flung herself into his arms and pulled him into a passionate kiss.

  ‘I’m so sorry!’ they both said together, and Spencer kissed her again, holding her close and breathing her in.

  ‘Let’s never do that again,’ he whispered.

  ‘Deal,’ Tori replied. ‘But we do need to talk.’

  Spencer pulled away and gazed at her. ‘I know. Let’s walk so we don’t freeze to death.’ He took her hand and led her along the path closest to the church.

  ‘This place must be really old,’ Tori said, looking up at the opulent stained glass windows and weather-worn architecture.

  ‘I think it dates back to Norman times.’

  ‘It’s beautiful.’

  They were silent for a moment, Tori captivated by her surroundings until Spencer broke it. ‘I’m really sorry about last night.’

  ‘It sucked.’

  ‘Just a bit. What are we going to do?’

  ‘I think we might need to keep them apart as much as we can,’ Tori ventured. She looked up at Spencer for a reply, but he just nodded thoughtfully.

  It seemed that the problem was much deeper than that, and he wondered if either of them would be brave enough to say it. While the parents were a huge issue, their discord seemed to be just a representation of the things that Tori and Spencer needed to say to each other about their relationship and where it was going, and while they remained unsaid, the two of them would remain stuck. Spencer couldn’t understand the reasons for this, but he knew that he needed to work it out, and soon, if they stood a chance of a future together.

  ‘I think that’s going to be difficult, to be honest. Tonight we have the carol service and there is no way any of them will miss that. Tomorrow they have to eat Christmas dinner together. By Boxing Day, they might have killed each other.’

  ‘Or we might
,’ Tori said with a wry smile.

  Spencer gave her hand a squeeze. ‘I hope not.’

  ‘Look… I know that my parents can be difficult, and they can be a bit scary, but they just want what’s best for me. You can understand that, can’t you?’

  Spencer nodded. ‘And the same goes for mine – apart from the difficult and scary bit.’

  ‘They’re scary when they won’t shut up.’

  ‘True. But they’re entitled to say what they think just like everyone else is.’

  Tori frowned. ‘But sometimes we have to keep our opinions to ourselves to keep the peace… And if they loved you they’d do that for you.’

  ‘They do love me!’

  ‘I know, it’s just…’ She let out a deep sigh.

  ‘Let’s not get into that same argument we had last night, eh?’ Spencer said.

  ‘Exactly. It’s not getting us anywhere. We’re just going to have to accept that they’re never going to be bosom buddies. But if they could be in the same room without World War Three, it would be pretty good.’

  ‘And probably the best we could hope for.’

  ‘You talk to yours, and I’ll talk to mine. Maybe we can pull this off if they’re willing to put their differences aside for a couple of days.’

  ‘Ok.’ Spencer bent to kiss her. ‘And I’m sorry I didn’t come up to get you last night straight away when you left the bar. I was an idiot.’

  ‘You didn’t come up at all.’

  ‘Your dad said you were asleep and…’

  Tori grinned. ‘The sly old fox!’

  ‘So you weren’t asleep?’

  ‘No. I was watching TV with Mom. You should have come up, but I know you were working, so it’s ok I guess.’ She paused, looked straight ahead, and asked her next question in a careless tone that masked something much more. ‘So Jasmine came in pretty late and by herself…’