by Karen King
His mind drifted to Sonja, Toni’s best friend. Dark-haired, voluptuous and sultry, she’d made a beeline for Logan that first Christmas and he’d been flattered. She was attractive and very sexy, there was no doubt about that, and had no intention of settling down with a man again, she’d been very firm about that. Before long, they’d started having a fling. It had been fun, but Sonja had changed her mind and begun to want more from their relationship. The fall-out when Logan had finished it made him resolve never to get together with anyone from the village again. A pact he’d stuck to. Sonja had moved away and things settled down but Toni had never really forgiven Logan for driving her best friend away and the atmosphere was still cool between them. They’d learnt to avoid each other and be polite when they were forced together but it was still an awkward situation.
Chloe murmured and he glanced down to see that she’d fallen asleep, her long lashes fanned out on her cheek, her chest rising and falling as she snored softly. He gently eased his right hand under her legs and lifted her up as he got to his feet. She stirred sleepily and snuggled in close as he carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom. He pulled back the duvet and gently placed her in bed, then covered her up again. ‘Night, poppet,’ he whispered as he kissed her on the cheek.
Chloe sighed contentedly and turned over onto her side.
As he watched her sleeping Logan wondered for the thousandth time how Jade could have left her. How she could go for weeks, months even, without seeing her.
And he vowed that while he had breath in his body nothing and no one would ever harm his little girl. He was all she had and he was never going to let her down.
* * *
As soon as Logan and Chloe had gone, Saffy and Robbie set to getting the lounge ready for the party. They pushed the sofa and chairs against the walls to make more space for the games, leaving one armchair by the window for Santa. Saffy found a red throw to cover it, then consulted her list to check where Hannah had put the presents for the guests. Ah, the green guest room. She took the sack up with her, filled it with presents and then placed it on the ‘Santa’ chair to make sure Oscar didn’t lie on it and cover it with hairs.
‘I think you should try on the Santa costume in case we need to do some last-minute alterations,’ she told Robbie, handing him the bag it was in.
‘Fair enough.’ He went upstairs to get changed and came down a few minutes later dressed in the Santa outfit. Saffy hardly recognised him with the long white wig, beard, moustache and the huge inflatable belly.
‘You look very authentic,’ she said, smiling.
As Robbie went upstairs to change back into his normal clothes, Saffy consulted her to-do list. All that was left to do was prepare the potatoes and vegetables for tomorrow. She’d start those now.
Robbie came back down and helped. Then she got the turkey out of the fridge, relieved to see that it was self-basting. She put slices of bacon over the top then covered it in tin foil and put it back in the fridge.
‘I don’t know whether to cook it tonight on a low heat or get up early in the morning and put it in,’ she said.
‘I’ll do it. I’ll set my alarm for six, I won’t be able to sleep anyway,’ Robbie told her. ‘You have a couple of hours’ rest before the party starts.’
‘Are you sure?’ Saffy asked. ‘I don’t mind getting up and doing it.’
‘Positive. I’m going to get an early night anyway. I’m whacked.’
‘Logan asked us to pop around this evening for mince pies and mulled wine. Shall we go? It might cheer you up?’
‘I’m not sure I’d be much company,’ Robbie said. ‘But you go. You don’t want to be stuck here with miserable me. And like I said, I’ll be going to bed soon anyway.’
He looked so desolate that Saffy’s heart went out to him. ‘Duncan’s being stubborn, like you. Phone him. Tell him I’ve told you everything. Please, Robbie. What you guys have got together is too good to throw away.’
Robbie shook his head. ‘The first move has to come from him. I was the one who proposed.’ He poured himself a brandy and swigged it back in one gulp. ‘I’m sorry, Saff. I don’t want to spoil your Christmas but right now I just want to go to bed. I’ll pull myself together for tomorrow, I promise.’
Saffy patted his arm. ‘It’s fine. You go to bed, it’s been a long day. Actually, I’m whacked too so I won’t stay at Logan’s long.’
‘Thanks, hun.’ Robbie got up and walked slowly out of the kitchen.
Damn Duncan, he could have at least sent him a message after she’d spoken to him and told him how heartbroken Robbie was, Saffy thought angrily. Poor Robbie.
* * *
Logan tidied up the kitchen, lit a log fire in the living room, dimmed the lights and got out the mulled wine to warm up, not wanting to think about why he was making so much effort for Saffy – and Robbie, of course. I want a pleasant evening, that’s all, he told himself; it wasn’t often he got adult company and he wanted to make the most of it.
The mulled wine was ready, the mince pies warm from the oven and the fire roaring impressively but there was no message from Saffy to say they were on their way. He glanced at the clock. Ten past nine. He felt a sharp pang of disappointment. She wasn’t coming. It was stupid of him to ask her, she had so much to do before tomorrow and had been working hard since she’d arrived. She must be shattered. He was about to turn the coffee off when there was a gentle knock on the door followed by the ping of a WhatsApp message.
It’s me, Saffy.
Feeling unexpectedly elated he went straight to the door and opened it. Saffy was standing there alone, dressed in her long camel coat and Hannah’s strawberry-patterned wellies, fluffy snowflakes fluttering down over her and clinging to her windswept hair. He looked over her shoulder. ‘Where’s Robbie?’
‘He doesn’t feel like company, he’s too upset about Duncan,’ she said, stepping inside. ‘Sorry I’m late – and treading snow into your house.’ She sat down on the bottom step and tugged at her right wellie. It didn’t budge. She tugged again, biting her lip and grimacing with the effort. ‘Hannah takes a size smaller than me so they’re a bit of a squeeze but the snow will ruin my boots.’
‘Here, let me help you.’ Logan knelt down and tugged hard at the wellington. It popped off with such force it sent him flying backwards onto his bum.
Saffy giggled then clapped her hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry. Are you hurt?’
She looked gorgeous when she giggled. ‘I think I might have a big bruise on my bum tomorrow,’ he told her. ‘So put me on the comfiest seat, won’t you?’
‘I’ll put a soft cushion on there for you,’ she promised him.
‘Thanks. Now let’s try the other wellie – and I’ll be more prepared this next time.’
That one came off much easier. Saffy stood up and sniffed appreciatively. ‘That mulled wine smells lovely.’
‘Take off your coat, then go into the lounge and make yourself comfy – second door on the left. I’ll bring you a glass in. Do you want a mince pie, too?’
She nodded. ‘Please.’
‘With cream?’
Her eyes widened. ‘Double yes.’
When he walked into the lounge a few minutes later with the tray containing the two glasses of mulled wine, a jug of cream and a plate of mince pies, Saffy was sitting on the mat, her back against the sofa with her legs stretched out, warming her feet on the fire.
She grinned up at him. ‘I hope you don’t mind, my feet are a bit cold.’
‘Feel free.’ He put the tray down on the coffee table and squatted down on the rug beside her, handing her a mulled wine.
She cradled the glass in her hands. ‘Sorry I turned up alone, and so late. Robbie’s really upset and has gone to bed.’
‘I don’t mind at all.’ He couldn’t think of anything else he’d like to be doing right now other than sitting in front of the fire talking to Saffy. ‘Have Robbie and his boyfriend been together long? Do you think they will make it up?’<
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‘Four years.’ She took a long sip of her wine, as if savouring the taste, then took a bite of her mince pie before turning to smile at him, a blob of cream smeared endearingly on her top lip. ‘I hope they do. It was all a big misunderstanding really. They really love each other but they’re both so stubborn.’
‘Quite the little matchmaker, aren’t you?’ Logan teased. He leaned over and wiped the cream off her lip with his finger, then wished he hadn’t because the feel of her soft skin on his finger sent a spear of desire shooting through him. He gasped as Saffy’s eyes widened. It seemed as if time stood still as they both sat there, gazing into each other’s eyes.
God, she was gorgeous.
Kiss her.
Oh God, he wanted to. Wanted to so much that his whole body shivered with longing but he held back. What if she didn’t want him to? What if it went all awkward? What would happen tomorrow then? How could he go to the party if he’d made things uncomfortable with Saffy? Then Chloe would be upset. He couldn’t ruin his daughter’s Christmas because of his own selfish desires.
He pulled himself together. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, you had a bit of cream on your lip.’ He held out the cream for her to see then grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and wiped it off – but what he really wanted to do was lick it off. He swiped away the image of licking her lips and threw the tissue into the fire. ‘Will Robbie be okay for the party tomorrow?’ he asked, when he could speak calmly again.
She nodded. ‘He’s upset, of course, but he wouldn’t spoil Christmas Day for us all.’ She took another bite of her mince pie. ‘These are scrummy. Did you make them yourself?’
Her praise made him feel ridiculously proud. ‘Yep, I like cooking. I find it relaxing.’
‘You’re good at it too. What work do you do?’ She finished the mince pie and slowly licked her fingers, seeming completely unaware of how sensual it was and the effect it was having on a certain part of his body.
‘I’m an architect. I’m based mainly at home now so that I can take care of Chloe. Hannah or Annie look after her while I go to meetings, although I try to arrange most of them within school hours.’
‘Hey, I’m impressed. What sort of projects do you work on? Commercial or private?’ Saffy asked, taking another sip of her wine.
‘Private mainly. I’m designing a bungalow for a couple who want to retire by the coast at the moment. The company I work for deals with a variety of projects though and I’m sometimes called in to help on a commercial one.’
He put another log on the fire, and it roared into life. ‘So what do you do for a living?’ he asked. ‘I don’t think Hannah’s ever mentioned it, although she said you love your job and are very career-orientated.’
Saffy wrinkled her nose. ‘That doesn’t sound like a compliment, coming from Hannah! But yes, I do love my job. I work for buycreative.com – an online retail firm that brings creatives together and gives them more selling power whilst providing customers with a choice of beautifully made, unique goods.’ Her face lit up with enthusiasm as she talked.
‘Are you office-based?’ he asked. ‘What exactly do you do?’
‘We have a big office in Birmingham city centre. At the moment, I’m part of the digital marketing team which means I input marketing data and look for ways to improve sales. It’s not all desk-based, I have meetings with partners – that’s what we call our team of creatives – and with the product and marketing team. But what I want to do is become a business development manager and find new creatives to add to their list of partners. There’s a vacancy in that department coming up soon which I’m hoping to get. I’ve seen a couple of people who I’d love to join us while I’ve been here.’
‘I like the ethos of that,’ he said. ‘It’s hard for a small trader to make it on their own.’
They sat in front of the fire for the rest of the evening, talking, laughing, sharing stuff from their lives and Logan thought it was one of the best evenings he’d ever spent in his life. This was turning out to be a very special Christmas.
Chapter Fifteen
It was after midnight when Saffy finally returned to Liwus Helyk. She opened the door and listened in surprise. Robbie was whistling! She was expecting him to be fast asleep in bed. Did that mean he and Duncan had made up? Perhaps Duncan had thought about what she’d said and phoned Robbie to explain and apologise.
She stopped as she heard the deep rumble of a familiar male laugh. Duncan! He must have driven down after she’d spoken to him. So he had listened to her. And by the sound of it he and Robbie had definitely made up. Thank goodness for that. She made as much noise as she could taking off her coat and wellies, to alert them that she was there and sure enough, Robbie popped his head around the kitchen door. ‘Hello, hun, you’ve been ages. Have you been enjoying yourself so much you couldn’t tear yourself away?’
‘A good job I was,’ she replied. ‘It gave you two a chance to talk.’
‘How did you know Duncan was here?’ Robbie asked, all wide-eyed innocence.
‘I heard him laugh, although your beaming face would have given it away.’ She smiled. ‘I’m so pleased you’ve got back together.’
‘More than that.’ Duncan popped his head around the door too, then in unison both men held out their left hands and wriggled their ring fingers. A thin gold band with a star sapphire gleamed on Robbie’s finger, and a gold band with a row of three diamonds in the middle sparkled on Duncan’s finger. ‘We both proposed to each other,’ Duncan said, with a grin. ‘We’re officially engaged.’
‘Wow! Congratulations! This calls for a group hug!’ Saffy held out her arms and enveloped them both in a big hug. ‘I’m so pleased. This is the best Christmas present ever.’
‘Thanks to you for making us both see sense,’ Duncan told her, as they unhugged.
‘Someone had to!’ she teased.
‘And before we go to bed, we want you to join us in a toast to our engagement. Duncan brought a bottle of champagne down with him – a bit presumptuous of him, I must say!’
They all laughed as Duncan took a bottle of champagne out of the fridge, popped it and poured three glasses.
‘To Robbie and Duncan!’ Saffy said as they chinked glasses.
‘To us!’ Robbie and Duncan both said together.
Thank goodness they’d made it up; she loved a happy ending, Saffy thought as she climbed into bed half an hour later, leaving the reunited lovers still downstairs, after checking with Robbie that he was still okay to set his alarm and put the turkey in the Aga in the morning. ‘I’ll do it,’ Duncan told her. ‘You have a lie-in. You deserve it for getting two stubborn men back together!’
Her mind flitted to Logan. Getting married hadn’t been a happy ending for him, had it? It had been for Hannah and Lee, though, and she hoped it would for Robbie and Duncan too.
As she drifted off to sleep she thought that this Christmas was turning out to be way, way better than she had expected.
* * *
When Saffy had gone, Logan poured himself a Scotch and sat down at the kitchen table. This was the first time he’d been so attracted to a woman since he met Jade at a party, eight years ago. It was her laugh that had attracted him first. He’d heard it as soon as he’d walked into the room, a rolling peal of tinkly laughter, and had immediately glanced over to see who it was. Jade was sitting amongst a group of people, but she was holding the floor, regaling them with some amusing tale. Her dark brown hair was cut elfin-like around her face, enhancing her cut-glass cheekbones; her eyes were twinkling, her beautiful face animated. He stood watching her for a few minutes, thinking he’d never seen anyone so alive, so beautiful. Then, as if she’d sensed him staring at her, she’d turned her head in his direction, their eyes had met, acknowledged each other, and she’d waved him over to join them. He’d gone, of course. That night he and Jade had left together for his flat, woken up in bed the next morning and spent the day together. That was it. They were a couple.
/> Jade was fun, witty, engaging and they’d spent the next six months happily together, living at his place half the week, and hers the other half. It worked. It suited them both perfectly. Until Jade discovered she was pregnant. Having a child wasn’t part of her life plan, she had said tearfully. He’d tried to reassure her that she wouldn’t be a single parent; that he would be there for her. He’d asked her to give up her flat and move in with him, and she had for a while, during her pregnancy, and the early months of Chloe’s life. But Jade didn’t want to be a parent at all. And to be honest, ultimately there wasn’t enough love between them for her to want to stay with him and she’d walked out.
At first he’d thought Jade had just wanted a break for a few days, that she’d be back, but as the days went into weeks he realised that she really had gone for good. It seemed as if she had left Chloe too and that he was now solely responsible for their little daughter. One day, out of the blue, Jade had announced that she wanted to visit Chloe. He’d agreed, sure that once she saw their adorable baby daughter again she’d want to keep regular contact but no, after a couple of hours she’d waved goodbye and that was the last they saw of her for another couple of months. Yes, there had been the odd ‘how is Chloe’ text in between, and she put some money in their bank account now and again, but that was it as far as Jade was concerned. Her daily life didn’t involve Chloe.
And now she was back again but instead of wanting to see Chloe for an hour or two, as she usually did, she wanted to take her for the whole day and night. What’s more, Jade wanted Chloe to spend time with her grandparents too. It was as if she was finally admitting that Chloe was her child, finally felt ready to be part of her life. But was he ready to let her be?
He sipped his drink, the bite of the liquid warming his throat as he swallowed it and thought about tomorrow.
He was looking forward to seeing Saffy again. Looking forward to it too much.