Home for the Holidays

by Sue Moorcroft

  This Christmas should be different.

  He was no longer that melancholic brooder. In fact, he thought, watching Gabe stir to cough then lapse back into sleep, Christmas in Middledip could be warm and relaxing. He’d go for long walks through the woods. He could see Gabe for Christmas Day. Perhaps spend some of Christmas Eve at The Three Fishes. He might get to know more villagers and have people to chat to whenever he went in, like Alexia.

  He finished the text:

  … because I have plans in the village. I was about to text you: Gabe’s in hospital with pneumonia. I hope he’s not in danger but he’s very unwell. x

  ‘I was about to text you’ was stretching the truth but he had to segue from Christmas to illness somehow. While he had his phone in his hand, and as Gabe was still sleeping deeply and breathing loudly, Ben texted Alexia. He should have done it earlier. It was already nearly ten and he felt a pang of guilt as he imagined her waiting up anxiously for news.

  Ben: Gabe’s finally settled and in bed. X-rays show pneumonia, both lungs, and he has pleurisy. I’ll leave him soon and come back tomorrow.

  He pressed send. Almost immediately, his phone rang and the word Mum sprang onto his screen. ‘I had no idea Gabe was that ill!’ she cried. ‘Are you with him? What’s happening?’

  Ben filled her in on everything he knew, ending with, ‘Hopefully they can get on top of the infection here and then he’ll be well enough to go home.’

  Penny clucked and sighed, sounding genuinely worried. But she approached the subject of visiting diffidently. ‘Do you think I need to come?’

  Ben replied honestly. ‘I suppose you don’t need to. You could want to.’

  ‘I’ll talk to Dad.’

  Ben knew from long experience that this meant ‘I’m looking for excuses not to’. He was faintly surprised as well as disappointed. Before he could comment his phone buzzed and he took it away from his ear to read a new message.

  Alexia: I’ll come to the hospital to fetch you. Taxi to the village will cost £stupid at this time of night. Setting off now.

  He returned the phone to his ear. Penny was saying something about whether Gabe had any pyjamas fit for him to be seen in. Ben interrupted. ‘There’s nothing you can do about it from there so just leave everything to me.’ He tried not to sound sarcastic but as Penny immediately went quiet he guessed he hadn’t succeeded. ‘I’ll update you tomorrow but Uncle Gabe’s in good hands.’

  ‘Thank you, darling.’ Penny sounded relieved but Ben couldn’t judge whether it related to Gabe being in good hands or Ben giving her an opportunity to end the call. When she’d done so, he rang Alexia. ‘Are you sure about fetching me? It’s late.’

  ‘I’m already on my way.’ Her voice sounded more projected than usual so she was presumably on a hands-free device. She sounded perplexed and he smiled, imagining her rolling her eyes that he’d ask. Alexia was really that uncomplicated. She wouldn’t have offered if she’d minded fetching him – in contrast with his mother, who’d framed her question about coming to see her brother in such a way as to make the verdict Ben’s responsibility.

  Thirty-five minutes later, Ben huddled in his jacket beneath the big canopy sheltering the entrance to Peterborough City Hospital, his breath white on the night air. The car park and hospital grounds were quiet and Alexia was able to pull up right in front of him in her dark red MPV. He hopped into the passenger seat, glad of the warmth of the interior.

  ‘How’s Gabe? What did the doctors say? Is he going to be OK? Can I see him tomorrow?’ The anxious questions began even before she’d pulled away. She drove quickly but competently, curls bobbing as she checked both ways at junctions, frowning as she winkled every detail out of Ben.

  Then, when she finally seemed satisfied that Gabe was receiving the best possible care, she demanded, ‘Have you eaten?’

  Now she mentioned it, he had a big empty feeling where his stomach usually lay. ‘Just a sandwich from a machine. The coffee shops and restaurant had all closed by the time I thought about it.’

  She nodded. ‘I made casserole and over catered so there’s another portion I can microwave for you. You’ll be nice and close to get your truck from Gabe’s when you’ve eaten.’ She indicated left and peeled off from the ring road around Bettsbrough to head for Middledip, her eyes glinting in the lights from other vehicles at the roundabout.

  ‘The prospect of home-cooked casserole makes my mouth water. The pickings are slim at Gabe’s house and mine.’ He felt weary and strained and the promise of half an hour to relax and be fed was irresistible. ‘Thanks.’

  He sank more deeply into the passenger seat, grateful that nothing more onerous was required of him than to half-close his eyes against the twinkling of lights threaded through garden trees and listen as she tossed out ideas for how they were going to manage hospital visiting, Snobby, the chickens, Luke and their jobs while Gabe was away. She called it ‘away’ as if she held a superstitious belief that using phrases such as ‘in hospital’ or ‘ill’ empowered the evils of reality.

  When they reached her place she ushered him indoors and sat him at the kitchen table while the plate of chicken casserole and mashed parsnips rotated in the microwave and began to emit a mouth-watering smell. In a few minutes she placed the steaming plateful in front of him, got them each a glass of red wine and plonked herself in the seat opposite his, dark eyes sparkling.

  ‘Now I know Gabe’s not in immediate danger I can tell you my news. Something fun has happened.’

  Blowing on his first forkful, impatient now to move the fragrant mouthful into his stomach, he raised his eyebrows. ‘To you?’ He transferred the food from fork to mouth and the taste of chicken gravy exploded on his tongue.

  Her eyes sparkled. ‘I think so. You know Quinn Daly, the radio presenter I’ve been working for? She’s left me a voicemail.’ She took her phone out of her bag and tapped at the screen for a few moments. Then she held it up so he could listen.

  ‘Ooh, Alexia, you won’t be late tomorrow, will you?’ the voice from the phone said. ‘I can’t wait to tell you something! Well, I can wait because I’m not going to tell you until I can see your face. But, majorly, it’s going to be so much fun.’

  He swallowed his mouthful, just herby enough to warm him from the inside out. ‘Mysterious. But she does sound convinced about the fun.’ He thought about everything that had happened recently. ‘I seem to have forgotten how to have that.’

  She deposited her phone on the table. ‘You don’t find it fun to knock plaster off the walls of an old pub?’

  He almost laughed as he took the next mouthful, which could have had the disastrous consequence of firing casserole down his nose. ‘If that’s fun, there’s an abundance. You come in for quite a lot of it yourself.’

  ‘True. I’m almost seeing sea green paint in my sleep. Goodness knows how Carola must feel about it. Which reminds me.’ She reached for her laptop from a nearby stretch of worktop. ‘I’ve identified the minimum kitchen equipment I think we can get away with. I’d like to use a local catering-equipment provider in Bettsbrough because they have a fitter they can recommend. So if you’ll OK the purchases I can make the order. I’ll need you to pay the deposit from Gabe’s account.’

  ‘Seriously? We’re having a business meeting? Don’t you ever switch off?’ He took a mouthful of chicken and parsnip to demonstrate his intention to continue with his meal.

  ‘Well, we’re going to be busy while Gabe’s away, aren’t we? If you’re absolutely sure he’s OK where he is –’ she paused to regard him keenly, as if checking him for updates ‘– then I can’t do anything to help him other than keep my promise. He gave me till Christmas to bring this project in, if you remember.’ She tapped and clicked a few times then angled the machine so Ben could see the screen. Then she dragged her chair around to his side of the table and perched alongside him to talk through her plan, sipping wine, switching between drawings of the kitchen area to explain what went where.

  She
smelled nice, even above the food. He supposed it was her hair, as it was down at his nose level. It brushed his chin once or twice as she edged closer so that the screen could be at a comfortable angle for both of them. Her voice was quick and light as she explained the importance of an espresso machine in today’s café. ‘We need a place for when it can be afforded. You know what everyone’s like with coffee these days, wanting froth and sprinkles.’

  She turned to glance at him. Her eyes were big with enthusiasm. She was wearing no make-up and he could see a handful of faint freckles running over her nose. ‘Did you say you have more loft stuff to list on eBay? Could those funds go towards the espresso machine?’

  He dragged his mind back to kitchen equipment. ‘I think so. I haven’t taken the photos yet, though. There are a lot of plates with shire horses on, a couple of lamps with glass shades and—’

  ‘Don’t list the lamps until I’ve seen them.’ She did that enthusiastic thing with her eyes again. ‘If they’re attractive it might be better to hang on to them for the café.’

  He nodded, finishing up the gravy with a last scrape of his fork and a lot of regret. ‘That was delicious, thank you. Maybe you ought to cast your eye over all the loft booty before I list it. I don’t want to find I’ve let anything go that would be more use to The Angel decoratively than financially.’

  She grinned and her eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘You’re really getting the hang of this scavenger business model. If we didn’t have to wait for the screed to dry we could really get the project going. Six weeks and one day to opening.’

  ‘Do you think you’re going to make it? Last time I saw The Angel there were channels chopped out of the walls everywhere.’

  ‘For the cables. The rewiring will be well on the way in a week. Plumbing’s almost done. It probably doesn’t look like it because the radiators haven’t been hung, but all the pipework’s in. Once the electrics are finished I can bring the plasterers in and you won’t recognise the place. The carpenters will follow with the skirting and architraves and to hang the new doors. It was sacrilege that Shane nicked those doors.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘The screed shouldn’t be green by then and I can tile, hopefully while someone else is sloshing cream emulsion everywhere – someone a lot like Carola. If we’ve got the kitchen fitter lined up he can fit out the kitchen area in two days. We move in tables, chairs and kitchen equipment and we’re ready to open the Bar Parlour, Public and foyer.’

  ‘You make it sound a breeze.’

  Her nose wrinkled. ‘It’s not hard. It’s only a question of craftsmen and money. I just draw pretty pictures and boss everyone around.’ She changed tack suddenly. ‘I fed your owl, by the way. I made sure I tied the door of the run up again.’

  With a shock, Ben realised he hadn’t given Barney a thought since before he took the slightly uncomfortable seat inside the ambulance beside Gabe, all screwed up with worry and shock. ‘I totally forgot about the poor little guy, so thank you.’

  The smile faded from her face and she turned to say, ‘Do you think Gabe—’ just as, grateful for the way she picked up all kinds of slack without ever being asked, and with a sunny smile at that, he made to drop a kiss on her temple. It felt more natural now, as if they were becoming close enough that he should express his thanks with warmth. But with her turning to him and him turning to her, and her looking up as he looked down, the kiss ended up at the corner of her mouth.

  She said, ‘Oh!’

  He said, ‘Erm …’

  But neither of them moved away.

  If he’d had to explain why he did what he did next he’d probably have to say that the barriers he’d erected for really good reasons swayed dangerously in the wind of weariness and emotion. It was only for a moment … but that’s all it took for him to take a step. When so many people in his life seemed unsupportive, Alexia was the opposite. He’d never been able to get their encounter out of his head and he’d always had a thing about Betty Boop. Alexia was soft and pretty. And her mouth was so close.

  He angled his head slightly. And slowly brought his lips to hers.

  Just as slowly, she joined in. Questioningly, tentatively, her lips warm and soft. It would have taken superhero restraint not to deepen the kiss, not to encourage her lips to part so he could touch his tongue to hers. It was restraint that, in that weary, emotional moment, he did not have.

  Instead, he brought her into the curve of his arm and kissed her again, one hand caressing the dip of her waist. Her arms wound around his neck as if to prevent him breaking away until she was good and ready. She needn’t have taken the precaution. His compulsion was all about pulling her closer, kissing her harder.

  It was only when she squeaked that he pulled back. ‘Did I hurt you?’

  ‘No. Maybe you took me a bit by surprise.’ Eyes half-closed, she gave him a smile of the utmost sweetness and eased his head back down to hers so he could kiss her again.

  It was difficult just to get his breath. His heart raced even faster than his thoughts, which were all about making love to her. The prospect of losing himself in her body, leaving behind all the worry and aggravation, swamped him. All he could think about was the feel of her in his arms. No, actually, two things – also the tightness of his jeans.

  He struggled to his feet, banging his leg on the table, bringing her with him as he slid his hands into her clothes and encountered a whole woman’s worth of hot, smooth flesh. He groaned against her mouth. Her spine was a perfect slope. He traced it with his palm, moving on to her sides and the curve of her stomach.

  Then he realised she was freeing herself and stepping away.

  Reluctantly, he let her go.

  ‘Do you want me to go home?’

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The relief he felt when she replied, ‘No. I think this could be exactly what we both need,’ was indescribable. She linked her fingers with his and led him out of the kitchen, up the stairs, pausing on the landing with a questioning look, as if offering him a last chance to escape. Never a more willing captive, he stroked her bottom to encourage her to believe it.

  Her eyes sparkled but she assumed an air of mock solemnity. ‘I have condoms,’ she announced.

  He pulled her close enough to kiss again. ‘I’m more impressed by you every time we meet.’ He carried condoms in his wallet all the time now, but he wasn’t going to admit it and spoil her moment.

  She pushed open a door and, still entangled, they drifted into her personal space, Alexia fumbling with a lamp just inside the room until a halo of golden light lit the bed. He would have been happy with the full overhead light option as he was a visual kind of guy but he was just glad she wasn’t a lights-out girl. That would have been a damned waste.

  They undressed each other. He tried not to rush her, particularly when her pauses included tours of his torso with her mouth, but he was glad when his jeans finally joined hers on the floor and he had every inch of her nakedness in his arms. Sinking down, he took a nanosecond to note that she apparently bothered with bedmaking, which was a waste because he just flung the duvet aside and rolled them both down onto the coolness of the sheet.

  She was anything but passive, rubbing against him as he kissed her, pushing her breasts into his hands as he caressed them, reaching down and stroking him with her fingertips, her palm. When she got a rhythm going at the same time as taking tiny, gentle nips of his neck and collarbone his heart hammered so hard he thought it was going to beat its way out of his chest.

  ‘Holy hell,’ he breathed as he rolled onto his back, carrying her with him so he could bring her breasts to his face, knowing he had to take control or he would lose control. ‘You are beautiful.’ He might have added that this moment was beautiful, too, but it sounded too cheesy. It stayed in his mind, though, as she responded, kiss for kiss, caress for caress.

  It was only when he was convinced she was ready to join him in the race to the finishing line that he reached for the condoms – one of his, because he had prefer
ences – and, finally, sank into the velvet heat of her with a groan of relief. He began smoothly, slowly, but she dug her fingers into his buttocks and urged him on. Presuming that she knew what she wanted, he was happy to co-operate.

  Afterwards they collapsed into one another. She dragged up the duvet and he snuggled her more closely to him and, finally, exhaustedly, shut his eyes.

  He slept deeply for hours. Then jerked fully awake.

  It was just past 4 a.m.

  Tonight, though, his wakefulness was nothing to do with a night terror and everything to do with a set of delicate fingertips tracing patterns on his inner thigh. ‘Alexia,’ he murmured, not because he had to make sure but because he was glad it was her, glad he was glad, glad there had been no sickening moment of confusion and guilt.

  ‘Sorry,’ she whispered, not sounding sorry. ‘I didn’t mean to wake you.’

  ‘Disappointing.’

  She laughed, moving her hand slightly north and discovering that he was indeed awake. ‘OK, I absolutely meant to wake you.’ And proceeded to show him why.

  The morning light was creeping in through the windows when Ben awoke again, this time because his phone had bleeped a text alert.

  Gabe: Any chance you could bring me in more PJs? Thanks.

  Ben: Will do. How are you doing?

  Gabe: It’s noisy here.

  Although relieved and reassured by the pragmatic little exchange Ben could imagine Gabe finding a hospital alien compared to the peace and quiet of his own house in the middle of his own land. It was an uncomfortable thought and made him restless. As he had to go to Gabe’s, he might as well see to the animals before he dashed home to change for work. No one would be living full time at Gabe’s so it was time to give Barney the full-time freedom of his big aviary at Woodward, too.

  If he didn’t get out of bed soon he’d also end up ringing the estate bailiff and explaining why he was going to be late for work again. He turned to look at Alexia to find she was awake. Hair flattened by sleep, her naked shoulders were escaping the embrace of the quilt.