Clara's Last Christmas (Clara Andrews Series - Book 9)

by Lacey London

  A sudden chatter of excitement echoes around the guests as Hugh makes his way down the red carpet, stopping to chat to random guests as he goes. Happiness just beams out of his face as he shakes hands with a man who appears to be his father. I hum along to the music as I watch him laugh along, not a glimpse of nerves or second thoughts to be seen.

  ‘Have you heard from Eve today?’ Lianna whispers, wrapping her shawl around her body. ‘If she’s not here soon, she’s going to miss it!’

  ‘She called me as we were leaving. Apparently, one of the Pomeranians managed to get into a pot of paint she bought for the nursery. It sounded like she was having a bit of a meltdown.’ Glancing over my shoulder, I scan the seating area for any signs of our friends. ‘She’ll be here though, don’t worry.’

  I am about to reprimand Janie for chatting up one of the groomsmen when the rest of the guests stand to attention. My heart races as I motion Noah to jump to his feet. A plethora of emotions dance in the air as we wait for the bride to make her appearance. Whilst everyone else strains their necks for the first glimpse of Dawn, I keep my eyes fixed firmly on Hugh. His smile quickly grows into a besotted grin as he places his right hand over his heart. Fighting back the tears, I tear my eyes away as Lianna lets out a gasp.

  ‘She looks so beautiful.’ Gina sighs and leans back for me to get a better view.

  ‘She really does…’

  Wearing a vintage wedding dress that cuts off at the calf and a classic blusher veil, she couldn’t look more perfect if she tried. Linking her arm through her father’s, she carefully takes tiny steps down the aisle. It might be barely above freezing, but Dawn doesn’t look like she has even noticed.

  Coming to a stop in front of the arch, Dawn’s father kisses her cheek before stepping to the side and allowing Hugh to take her hands in his. Just like the rest of us, Noah stares with wide eyes as we all take our seats once more. My hand automatically reaches for my tissues as the crowd falls into silence.

  ‘We are gathered here today to witness the joining of two souls as one…’

  The moonlight bounces off Dawn’s ivory dress, making her look incredibly angelic against the black sky. Listening to the registrar talk us through what we are about to witness, my hand creeps its way into Oliver’s lap and I entwine his fingers with mine.

  A new marriage, a new year on the horizon and a possible new business venture. Life is full of new beginnings and saying I do is a pretty good place to start…

  * * *

  ‘Congratulations!’ I exclaim, throwing my arms around Dawn and squeezing her tightly. ‘It was such a beautiful ceremony!’

  It has been just over an hour since the nuptials took place, but I am only now managing to grab hold of the happy couple. Between blubbering aunts and a hysterical Eve, who managed to sneak in at the back just in time to hear the vows, I haven’t been able to get close to the new Mr and Mrs Hudson.

  ‘Are you enjoying the food?’ Dawn asks, unclipping her veil and slipping it into her art deco inspired clutch bag.

  ‘It’s gorgeous!’ Lianna gushes, snapping away photos of the individual cake stands. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything cuter in my life.’

  I have to admit that when Dawn said she wasn’t having a traditional sit down meal I was a little sceptical, but the tiny finger sandwiches and miniature scones are absolutely adorable.

  ‘The cupcakes are to die for!’ Eve chirps up, with a mouthful of sponge. ‘Honestly, they’re just perfect.’

  ‘Congratulations!’ Owen claps Hugh on the back as they clink their glasses together. ‘It’s all downhill from here.’

  ‘Oi!’ Eve cries, abandoning her cake to hit him on the arm.

  ‘I’m kidding!’ Pulling her towards him, Owen puts down his glass and laughs. ‘Marriage will give you the most wonderful years of your life.’

  ‘Amongst other things…’ Janie cackles, wandering back from the bar with a bottle of wine tucked under her arm.

  I look at Dawn and I’m surprised to see that she is laughing along. On a normal day at the florist she would have roared at Janie for making crude comments, but today it’s like she can’t even hear her. With her eyes fixed firmly on Hugh, I don’t think she’s really aware of what’s going on around her.

  ‘Where are you having your first dance?’ Lianna asks, looking around the small restaurant.

  ‘We weren’t planning on having one.’ Dawn sighs, resting her head on Hugh’s chest. ‘We decided against anything traditional, didn’t we?’

  Hugh nods in agreement, but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed for her.

  ‘You have to have a first dance!’ Eve begs, furiously pushing tables around to make some room. ‘It wouldn’t be a real wedding without one!’

  ‘Mummy, look!’ Noah yells, running over from the buffet with a cucumber sandwich in his hand. ‘It’s snowing again!’

  Spinning around in our seats, we dash over to the window and watch the thick snowflakes race to the ground.

  ‘Wow, it’s really coming down out there.’ Oliver muses, pressing his cheek up against the glass.

  ‘Why don’t you have your first dance outside?’ I suggest, suddenly remembering how much Dawn longed for snow today.

  ‘Awwh! That would be so romantic!’ Lianna sighs, clasping her hands to her face.

  ‘They’ll freeze to death!’ Janie scoffs, picking the cucumber off her sandwich and tossing away the bread. ‘If they’re gonna go out there, they might as well throw themselves on the ground and make damn snow angels.’

  ‘Snow angels!’ The kids scream in unison.

  ‘Please can we make snow angels?’ Madison begs Marc, throwing herself onto his knee. ‘Please?’

  Noah looks up at me hopefully and I shake my head. ‘I don’t think so…’

  ‘I’m game if you are.’ Dawn suddenly declares, putting down her champagne flute and smiling at Hugh.

  ‘Are you serious?’ Marc asks, letting out a laugh and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘What about your dress?’

  Dawn smooths down the lace on her skirt and shrugs her shoulders. ‘Well, I’m not going to be wearing it again, am I?’

  ‘Snow angels!’ Noah yells once more, keeping his eyes fixed on the window. ‘Please?’

  Feeling a little daring I lock eyes with Gina, who is clearly thinking the same as I am. Would it really be the end of the world if the kids had some fun in the snow? Before I can say another word, she gives them a subtle nod and all four of them fire past us like a pack of hyper puppies.

  Grabbing Hugh’s hand, Dawn lets out a giggle and races after them, screaming as snowflakes land on her bare shoulders.

  ‘She’s not really going to lie down in the snow in that beautiful dress, is she?’ Lianna gasps, putting down her drink and heading to the door.

  ‘There’s only one way to find out…’ Marc grabs his coat and slides out of his seat.

  Watching him walk across the restaurant, the rest of us follow suit as the other guests stop what they’re doing to see what’s going on. Pushing open the door to the plush gardens, a gasp escapes my lips as I look at the children rolling around in the snow. Their new clothes are covered in slush as they laugh happily, each one looking more ecstatic than the last.

  ‘Oww!’ I shout, as a snowball hits me on the head. ‘Be careful!’

  Turning around, I drop my handbag and run for cover as Oliver picks up another mound of snow and launches it in my direction. Not wanting to be left out, Lianna drops an ice-cube down Vernon’s shirt. Immediately seeking revenge, he bundles Li over his shoulder and races across the gardens. My stomach throbs with laughter as I try to shield myself from the meteor of snowballs.

  Dropping Lianna onto a huge mound of snow, Vernon laughs hysterically and falls into a heap beside her.

  ‘Make a snow angel, Vernon!’ Noah shouts, his little nose red from the cold. ‘It’s really easy!’

  Watching Lianna and Vernon join in with the kids, I decide to throw c
aution to the wind and yelp as the sheet of snow hits my back. My teeth chatter as I wave my arms and legs around frantically.

  ‘You’re crazy!’ Marc laughs, taking photos from the safety of the decking. ‘You’re all barking mad.’

  Pushing myself to my elbows, I flick some snow at him as Lianna drags Gina down into the snow.

  ‘Dawn, you said that you would make snow angels too!’ Madison shouts, holding out her hands.

  I look over at Dawn, who is cowering for shelter under the huge canopy. ‘I don’t think Dawn wants to…’

  Before I can even finish the sentence, Hugh launches himself at Dawn and they land in a mound of the soft sleet, both howling with laughter.

  Other guests wander outside and gasp in horror at the sight of the bride and groom rolling around in the snow. This is exactly what Dawn wanted. Nothing traditional, nothing stiff and just to marry the man that she loves. Our laughter echoes around for miles against the silence of the snow and I can’t help but smile as that is exactly what she has done…

  You’re never too old to watch the snow fall…

  Chapter 17

  ‘I am not in the right frame of mind for this today.’ Pulling my coat tightly around my body, I turn off the engine and rest my head on the steering wheel.

  ‘Oh, come on! Don’t be such a baby!’ Janie flips down the visor and checks out her overly made up face in the mirror.

  ‘That’s OK for you to say.’ I growl, grabbing my handbag and throwing open the car door. ‘You snored straight through the chaos.’

  Pulling my hair into a ponytail, I yawn for what seems like the hundredth time today. After all the fun we had at Dawn’s wedding yesterday, I had high hopes that Noah would finally sleep straight through. Unfortunately for my hangover, he had his worst night yet. On no less than three occasions, Noah’s blood curdling cries had Oliver and I on high alert. Not surprisingly, Janie rolled out of bed this morning as fresh as a daisy, totally oblivious to the mayhem that we had to deal with.

  ‘What is it you need again?’ She asks, tottering behind me in her larger than life heels

  ‘Everything.’ I groan, looking down at my list and scowling.

  With Oliver at home with Noah, Janie decided to join me on my quest for some last-minute Christmas gifts. Just as I had feared, the shops are buzzing with thousands of other flustered mothers who are looking for those essentials that they’ve inevitably forgotten. Popping a couple of paracetamol, I take a deep breath and pray that my throbbing head subsides.

  ‘You know, we might want to make this trip quick.’ Janie muses, checking out her manicure. ‘Noah wants to build a snowman later…’

  ‘I think Noah had enough snow last night, don’t you?’ Pushing my way into the shopping centre, I scan the sea of people and frown.

  With the Floral Fizz Christmas party being tomorrow night, today is the last chance I have got to grab those final things that I’m yet to cross off my list. Gift wrap, crackers and a few stocking fillers. Sounds simple enough, right? Looking around at the long queues, the frantic snatching of toys from the shelves and the incessant screaming that is echoing around the shopping centre, I have to admit that I don’t have high hopes.

  Deciding to tackle the gift wrap first, I dodge a group of women who are chatting excitedly about what they expect to find beneath the tree.

  A smile plays on my lips as I hear the words Botox, boob job and face lift being thrown around. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that was Janie’s Christmas list. Turning on my heels, I come to a rack of Santa printed paper and grab the last few rolls. With it being so close to Christmas, the shelves are almost bare. A few moments later and I would be using Janie’s tinfoil trick. I watch a flustered looking guy glance down at the empty box and resort to a happy birthday giftbag mournfully. Tough luck, sucker. You snooze, you lose.

  Holding on to them as though they’re golden tickets, I squeeze through the scrum and pull Janie away from the rude greeting cards.

  ‘Didn’t you want some crackers?’ She asks, waving around a black box. ‘I got the last ones.’

  ‘Fantastic!’ Taking the parcel from her, I join the line of people at the tills and fumble around for my purse.

  One shop and two things down. This is going better than I anticipated. Tapping my foot as I wait in line, I watch a tiny toddler scream hysterically over a soft toy. His panicked mother tries for a few moments to calm her down, before conceding and tossing the unicorn into her overflowing basket.

  Realising that I am the next in line, I dump my items on the cashier’s counter and pull some notes out of my purse. Exchanging the money for a glossy carrier bag, I follow Janie outside.

  ‘I believe it’s the big party tomorrow.’ She whispers, her heels clacking along the pavement. ‘Man, I can’t wait for that!’

  I shoot her a quizzical look as we head into the department store. ‘Did you speak to Oliver this morning?’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘And he didn’t mention anything about the party?’

  Janie narrows her eyes and looks at me suspiciously. ‘What about it?’

  I chew the inside of my cheek and curse Oliver into oblivion. ‘Well, the Floral Fizz party is for employees only.’

  ‘Then why is Lianna going?’ She fires back, tapping her foot in annoyance.

  ‘Erm… anyway…’ I clear my throat and try to swallow my embarrassment. ‘The thing is, we thought you could stay with Noah for the night whilst Oliver and I attend the party. It’s been so long since we went out just the two of us.’

  Janie looks at me as though I have just slapped her with a wet fish. ‘Are you kidding me?’

  ‘Not kidding and also, as you are going to be home with Noah, Gina wondered if she could leave the kids with you for a few hours?’

  ‘Gina’s going too?’ She screeches, stamping her feet.

  Choosing to ignore that remark, I give her a big hug and squeal. ‘Thank you, Janie! You’re the best!’

  Not sticking around for her to protest, I hurry past the rails of dressing gowns and hop onto the escalator. The shops are filled with people searching for their dream gift, but with just three days until Christmas there’s just one thing that I’m dreaming of and that something can’t be bought in a store...

  * * *

  ‘How do you think your mum is getting on?’ I take a sip of the crisp bubbles and slide closer to Oliver.

  ‘Well, I haven’t had an SOS yet, so I’m gonna go out on a limb and say they’re all still alive.’ Letting out a laugh, he uses his free arm to grab a couple of canapes from a passing waiter.

  Popping a tiny crab cake into his mouth, he offers me the other one which I greedily accept. Little does he know, I devoured at least five of those when he went to the bathroom earlier. I dread to think of the amount of calories I have consumed, but it’s Christmas, so who’s counting?

  We have been in Satin for just over an hour and I have loved each and every second. Only Eve could pull off a party like this at such short notice. Huge glitter balls hang from the ceiling, mistletoe is draped from every light and the fizz is freely flowing. Isn’t Christmas just fabulous? I look around at my friends who are laughing and chatting joyfully. With all the stress of the Suave situation hanging over our heads, we had started to forget about the all-important magic of Christmas.

  I am staring at Gina and Lianna bumping uglies on the dance floor when I spot Eve sashaying towards us. Her growing bump is highlighted by her red shift dress and I can’t help but feel a little broody. Would another pair of tiny feet running about the apartment be so bad? My mind flits to the carnage that Gina’s three are probably making in our living room and I decide to have a rethink when I don’t have a gallon of champagne rolling around inside me.

  ‘Have you all got a drink?’ She trills, waving over the others who are stood by the bar. ‘Owen’s just pulled up outside and I want to make a toast.’

  ‘Did you hear that?’ Dawn whispers, tossing her shiny hair over her
shoulder. ‘Owen’s outside!’

  My heart jumps into my mouth as Oliver squeezes my leg beneath the table. Owen was supposed to be here hours ago, but apparently he had to tie something up at work. Although no one has said anything, we’re all thinking the same thing.

  ‘Do you think it’s about, you know…’ Hugh frowns and taps his foot impatiently.

  I give him a quick nod in response as Eve drags Lianna and Gina away from the dance floor. The rest of the gang gradually take their seats in the roped off section of the bar as Eve motions to the barman to fill everyone’s glasses.

  Gina catches my eye and I reply with a small smile as Owen makes his way into the bar. Squeezing his way through the mass of gyrating people, he dumps his briefcase by the table and dusts specs of snow from his shoulders. The group falls into silence as he slips his arm around Eve’s tiny waist and accepts a glass of fizz from the barman.

  ‘I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’ve been with my solicitor all evening and we have a decision.’

  Despite the pounding music in the bar opposite, you could hear a pin drop as we all hold our breath.

  Owen spends a moment looking around the table before breaking into a huge grin. ‘They have decided to… accept our offer.’

  A flabbergasted gasp ripples through our group and I feel my jaw drop open in shock.

  ‘We should take ownership of the firm in January.’

  Lianna is the first to react and screams loudly before jumping out of her seat, spilling bubbles all over the floor.

  We’ve done it! We have actually done it! My skin buzzes as adrenaline rushes through my body, making the hairs on my arms stand on end. Gina throws herself at Marc as Oliver stands up and offers Owen his hand.