by Karen King
He was drawn to Saffy, just like he’d been drawn to Jade, but he wasn’t going down that path again. Saffy might seem warm and caring but, like Jade, she didn’t want a family, so it was a good job she was only here for a few days. Chloe wouldn’t have chance to get too close to her and miss her. And neither would he.
He would go to Liwus Helyk tomorrow and enjoy the party but that was it. Then it was goodbye Saffy and on with his life.
Chapter Sixteen
Duncan’s singing broke through Saffy’s sleep. She reached for her phone and swiped the screen to life to see the time. Eight-thirty! She shot up in alarm. God, she’d overslept! She had less than five hours before the guests arrived and there was so much to do: the dinner to cook – had Duncan remembered to put the turkey in? She flung the duvet back and got out of bed.
‘Are you decent?’ Robbie shouted.
You couldn’t get more decent than her polar bear onesie; it covered her from top to toe. ‘Yes, come in!’ she shouted, feeling a bit guilty that she had overslept.
‘Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas to you!’ Robbie and Duncan sang in out-of-tune unison as they opened the door.
‘And it’s a white Christmas!’ Robbie announced as he strutted in, carrying a tray with a plate of toast and three mugs, one of which she hoped was tea. Tea was her wake-up drink, then countless cups of coffee kept her going all day. Duncan was behind Robbie, carrying an armful of beautifully wrapped presents. They were both wearing Santa hats and Christmas jumpers. Duncan had certainly come prepared!
‘Is it?’ Saffy raced over to the window and opened the curtains. Sure enough, everywhere was covered with a thick white blanket of snow. ‘That’s fantastic!’
‘Blooming brilliant. A perfect Christmas,’ Robbie said, beaming.
‘The turkey’s cooking and everything’s under control so get back into bed and eat this breakfast,’ Duncan ordered.
Robbie placed the tray on the bedside table and handed Saffy the red mug. ‘Tea for you,’ he said.
‘Thanks.’ She peered at the liquid in the mug – medium brown, just as she liked it.
Duncan placed the presents on the nearby chair, then he and Robbie picked up a mug each and sat down on the side of the bed.
‘Toast, anyone?’ Robbie picked up the plate and offered it first to Duncan, then Saffy. They both took a slice.
‘Well, I’m feeling very spoilt,’ Saffy said, glancing at the inviting pile of presents. Were these all for her?
‘Yes, they’re all yours,’ Duncan said, obviously noticing her glance. ‘We’ve already exchanged our presents – some of them were a bit personal.’
‘I’m glad you saved me from witnessing that then,’ she said with a grin. ‘I’ve got you two a present too. It’s a joint one,’ she added. Thank goodness she’d bought a present when she was shopping the other day, choosing something that would be suitable for Robbie on his own, or both of them, depending if they had made it up.
‘No rush, open yours first.’ Robbie scooped up a present, exquisitely wrapped with red ribbon and bows, and handed it to her.
Robbie had probably chosen the presents – he had the knack of finding quirky gifts – but the wrapping was down to Duncan, she knew. Presentation was everything to him; he always bought classy wrapping paper, with coordinating ribbons and bows. She was so pleased that she’d bought some beautiful gift paper from the Christmas craft shop she’d visited on Friday.
She put down her mug and carefully undid the ribbons, tugging at the paper to reveal expensive chocolate shoes in a cute handbag-shaped box, a gorgeous polar bear shaped scented candle, a purple pair of fluffy heeled slippers, a pretty notebook and pen set and the final one, a bottle of Jimmy Choo perfume. ‘Thank you, they’re lovely.’ She leaned forward and gave both men a kiss on the cheek then wriggled out of bed over to the wardrobe, taking out a large box, wrapped in the gorgeous handmade holly gift-wrapping paper and placed it on the bed. ‘I don’t know which one of you wants to open it.’
‘We’ll do an end each,’ Robbie said.
They were both delighted with the stainless steel ice cream maker she had bought them. Robbie set to putting it all together while Duncan was engrossed in the recipe leaflet included. ‘Hey, there’s some great desserts here we can try for our Boxing Day dinner party,’ he said.
‘Boxing Day dinner party?’ Saffy repeated. ‘When was that organised? Is it to replace the Christmas one?’
‘Yes. We messaged everyone last night to tell them we were back together but couldn’t get home until tomorrow morning – we didn’t want to go and leave you to run the Lonely Hearts Christmas party by yourself,’ Robbie said.
‘So we suggested having a Boxing Day dinner party to make up for today’s being cancelled and they all said yes,’ Duncan added. ‘We’ve got all the food in so it’d be a shame to waste it.’
‘You’re welcome to come too, but I thought you’d want to stay and see your sister, wouldn’t you?’ asked Robbie.
Saffy hesitated. It would be so tempting to go back with Robbie and Duncan but she hadn’t seen Hannah, Lee and the twins for ages. She nodded. ‘I promised Hannah I’d spend a couple of days with her.’
‘You’ll be back for our engagement party on Saturday, won’t you?’ Duncan asked.
‘Gosh, you guys don’t waste any time, do you? When was all this sorted out?’
‘This morning. If you can’t make it we’ll postpone until next week. We need you there, you were the one who brought us back together,’ Robbie said. ‘There’d be no engagement without you.’
‘I’ll be there. I’ll head back home Saturday morning at the latest,’ Saffy promised. Then she remembered Robbie telling her that Duncan had a special theme planned for their Christmas Day party. ‘Seeing as I can’t come to tomorrow’s dinner party can you tell me the theme – I promise I won’t breathe a word to anyone.’
Robbie glanced at Duncan. ‘Let’s tell her.’
Duncan nodded. ‘Okay. It’s…’ He paused for dramatic effect. ‘Hollywood!’ he announced. ‘I’ve got the décor all planned and hired costumes for the guests.’
'We’ve got a big Hollywood sign, stars for people’s seats, even a couple of Oscar statuettes for prizes,’ Robbie told her. Saffy knew it would be amazing. Duncan planned everything right down to the last detail.
‘That sounds wonderful. I’m so tempted to go back with you but I can’t, not without seeing Hannah.’
‘No stress. I’ve hired some gorgeous movie-themed costumes from a local theatre company and don’t have to return them until the New Year so we can have the same theme for our engagement party if you like,’ Duncan said.
‘Yes please!’ She’d look forward to that.
‘Right, we’d better clear this lot then and leave you to get dressed.’ Duncan put the cups and plate back on the tray and Robbie picked up the ice cream maker. They both looked so happy, Saffy thought.
‘Why don’t you two go off for a walk? You must want to spend some time together and I can handle this now. Everything’s prepared, the turkey’s in the oven – all I have to do is shower, tidy around and arrange a few games.’
‘If you’re sure. We’ll be back in an hour or so,’ Robbie told her.
‘I’m positive. Go!’ She flapped her hands at them. ‘I don’t want you both mooning around me all morning. But make sure you’re back well before dinner. I don’t want to be dealing with the cooking all by myself.’
‘We’ll be back,’ Robbie promised.
As soon as they’d gone, taking Oscar with them, Saffy phoned Hannah to wish her Merry Christmas and ask her how the twins were – much better and definitely able to fly home on Boxing Day, Hannah told her, sounding more upbeat now that the twins were out of danger. They chatted for a while, then Saffy showered, dressed in jeans and a red top – she’d brought a more glamorous outfit with her for the party but didn’t intend to change into it until just before the guests were due to arrive; knowing her she’d probably s
pill something all over it. The delicious smell of the turkey roasting wafted up the stairs, and she headed for the kitchen to check on it. It was cooking well and everywhere looked neat and tidy. She was glad that Duncan and Robbie were here – without them she’d feel a bundle of nerves right now. Keeping up Hannah’s traditional Lonely Hearts Christmas dinner was such a responsibility.
She made herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table to plan the day. She was trying not to freak out about the fact that in less than four hours’ time ten parents and twenty-five children – all strangers apart from Logan and Chloe – would walk through that door and expect her to feed and entertain them. The adults would, hopefully, mingle and chatter to each other but kids got bored easily so it was the kids she wanted to concentrate on. Hannah had told her she’d got a selection of board games in the long cupboard in the dining room, but Saffy had wanted to come up with some ideas herself too so had picked up some crafty things for them to do while she was out shopping with Robbie. And she’d painted a big reindeer on a piece of white card, and a tail to pin on it – a variation of the Pin the Tail on the Donkey game. That should keep the younger kids occupied. She’d brought a packet of multi-coloured balloons down with her, remembering how much fun she and her friends had playing with balloons when they were young, and had wrapped a couple of parcels for Pass the Parcel. She went up to her case to get them but they weren’t there. Drat, she remembered now, she’d left them in a carrier bag in the boot of her car. Pulling on her coat and Hannah’s strawberry wellies again she set off through the snow-covered back yard to get them out of her car, then made her way back to the house. It wasn’t until she reached the back door of Liwus Helyk that she remembered she’d left the house keys on the table in the kitchen. And her phone too. She was locked out. And she couldn’t call anyone for help.
Damn. Now what did she do? Logan had given her his spare key to Hannah’s house, so surely wouldn’t have another one. Besides, she didn’t want to keep being rescued like some damsel in distress. There must be a way she could do this herself.
She scanned all the windows to check if any were open. Normally she would think it was highly unlikely since it was so cold, but Duncan was a bit of a fresh air freak and liked to air his room no matter what the weather. Yep, the top window of his and Robbie’s room was half-open. Now all she had to do was get up there, slip her hand through the open window, reach down for the latch on the side window and climb in. Heck, she sounded like a burglar! She hoped no one took her for one.
Luckily, Robbie and Duncan’s bedroom was just above the low kitchen roof, so she could climb on that then haul herself up on the window ledge. Thank goodness she was wearing her jeans, but her long coat and Hannah’s wellies weren’t ideal for climbing in. She took off her coat and hung it on the fence, knowing she’d be cold but that it would be much easier to climb without it. She could do this.
She brushed the snow off the kitchen windowsill, then held onto it to haul herself up, first her right knee, then her left knee. Done. She gripped the handle of the window and pulled herself upright. If only they’d left the kitchen window open it would be much easier. So far, so good, but so perishing cold! She shivered. That was a mistake because suddenly her foot slipped and she almost lost her balance. She lifted it back onto the windowsill again and stood still for a movement, getting her balance. Careful, Saffy. The narrow windowsill was wet and her wellingtons big and clumsy. It all felt a bit precarious. She looked up at the kitchen roof. It wasn’t that far to pull herself up. It would be dead easy if it wasn’t covered in snow and she was wearing trainers instead of these cumbersome wellingtons.
You can do it! Gripping the window handle tightly with her left hand she reached up with her right hand and swiped along the roof, brushing the snow onto the ground below. Okay, there was still a lot of snow on there, but at least she’d cleared enough to give herself room to stand once she’d climbed up.
She took a deep breath then gripped the edge of the roof. Up, up and she was on the top! But bloody hell, it was cold! If only she hadn’t taken her coat off. She shivered, hugging herself to keep warm while she considered her next step. She had to get up onto the bedroom window ledge, slip her hand through the half-open top window and release the catch on the side window then climb through. She wouldn’t allow herself to think what would happen if she lost her footing on the snow-covered roof.
Carefully, one step at a time, she made her way over to the window. The kitchen roof was so slippery her feet were sliding under her; it took all her concentration to remain upright. And the windowsill was still a tantalising few metres away.
‘Saffy! Stop!’
Logan’s shrill shout took her by surprise. Saffy spun around, lost her footing, skidded and tumbled off the roof.
Chapter Seventeen
‘Saffy!’ Logan shouted and through the blur of her fall she was sure she glimpsed him racing towards her.
She was shooting down towards the ground and there was nothing she could do about it. She closed her eyes tight as the ground came racing up to meet her. Oh God, please don’t let me break my back or my neck or…
Suddenly, strong arms grasped her, breaking her fall, and she was tumbling into the snow. Snow was in her hair, her eyes, her mouth, down her jumper. And those arms were still holding her, rolling in the snow with her. She was cold. And wet. Then she realised it was Logan who had caught her, and who was rolling in the snow with her. And the whole episode had been witnessed by Chloe and a woman she didn’t know. Talk about feeling a total idiot.
They finally stopped rolling and she wriggled out of Logan’s grasp, her body aching so much it would be a miracle if nothing was broken.
The woman and Chloe both ran over to them.
‘Are you hurt?’ the woman asked anxiously, her arm wrapped protectively around Chloe’s shoulder.
Saffy was too winded to reply but Logan was already getting to his feet. ‘I’m fine.’ He knelt down by Saffy. ‘Are you okay? That was some fall. Is anything broken?’
He gently helped her sit up, and watched, his face etched with concern, as she flexed her arms, then her legs. Nothing seemed broken, thank goodness.
‘See if you can stand,’ Logan said, holding out his hand for her to use as support.
She ignored it and slowly scrambled to her feet. All bones felt intact. She was a little stiff, and probably had a couple of bruises, but Logan – and the snow – had eased her fall. Her pride, however, was smarting.
‘I think so, no thanks to you!’ She glared at him. ‘If you hadn’t shouted like that and startled me, I wouldn’t have slipped. I could have broken my neck.’
‘But Daddy did catch you,’ Chloe said tearfully. ‘And he fell in the snow too.’
Back off, Saffy, you can’t have a go at him on Christmas Day, especially in front of his daughter. Besides, look at him all covered in snow, even in his hair. And he must feel as bruised as her.
‘Yes, he did, didn’t he?’ She sucked in her breath and avoided Logan’s eyes. ‘Thank you.’ She brushed the snow off her clothes, trying to compose herself before asking, ‘What are you doing here anyway?’
‘Mrs Timms saw you climbing the roof and called me,’ said Logan, indicating the woman standing with them.
‘I live next door and have just come back from spending the weekend with my daughter and family. Logan had told me you were running the party for Hannah because the twins were ill and she couldn’t get home,’ Mrs Timms explained. ‘When I saw you climbing onto the roof I guessed you’d got locked out so phoned Logan.’
‘I was terrified you were going to fall and hurt yourself,’ Logan told her. He took her coat off the fence and draped it over her shoulders. ‘Here, you’re shivering, wrap this around you.’
‘So you came to my rescue but decided to shout at me, startling me so much I did just that!’ she couldn’t stop herself from retorting.
‘I’m sorry, but the slightest movement and that chunk of ice would h
ave dropped off onto you!’ Logan pointed up to the roof. Saffy followed his finger and saw a huge clump of ice hanging over the roof on top of Robbie and Duncan’s bedroom window. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? ‘It’s a big piece and looks frozen solid. I was worried that if you dislodged it you’d be knocked out or slip.’ Deep blue eyes searched her face. ‘Are you hurt? You took quite a tumble.’
She shrugged. ‘I’ll live.’ She paused. ‘Er, thanks for catching me anyway.’
‘No problem.’ He ran his fingers through his wet hair. ‘Why didn’t you message me and tell me you were locked out instead of imitating a cat burglar? I told you to ring me if you need anything.’
‘I don’t have my phone on me. Besides, do you have another key to Hannah’s house?’
He shook his head, ‘Nope, sorry.’
‘I thought not, so what would be the point of disturbing your Christmas Day? It’s my problem and I’m the one who should solve it.’
‘I’ll climb up and get in through the window. My jacket and boots are a lot more suitable for climbing than yours.’ Without waiting for her to agree, Logan trudged over to the house and heaved himself onto the kitchen roof.
‘Daddy, be careful!’ Chloe shouted.
‘I’ll be fine, poppet, don’t worry.’ He pointed to the broom in the corner of the yard. ‘Could you pass me that please – and stay well clear.’
Chloe ran to get it and held it up to him. Logan grabbed it then walked slowly over the snowy roof to the bedroom window.
‘What’s going on? Why is Logan standing on the kitchen roof?’ Robbie asked, as he and Duncan walked into the back yard with Oscar, who immediately ran over to the house and started barking at Logan.
‘Because I’m locked out. I went to get something from the car and left my keys on the kitchen table.’ She rubbed her arm; it was throbbing. All her left side was throbbing too where she’d landed in the snow. She guessed Logan must be feeling pretty sore too. She glanced over at him. He was standing by the open bedroom window now, brandishing the broom.