Christmas at the Lucky Parrot Garden Centre: A cosy, feel-good romcom with festive sparkle

by Beth Good

  Besides which, she was secretly terrified that she’d give in and go round to see him again if she heard his voice.

  A day later, he sent her a brief text.

  Missing you. How about dinner?

  She ignored that too, but couldn’t quite bring herself to delete it, taking out her phone occasionally to read his message again and again, as thought it held some deep significance that she hadn’t yet worked out. But all it held was five unrevealing words. And an invitation she was never planning to take up, thank you very much.

  A couple of days passed with no further communication.

  Had he finally given up?

  That was exactly what she wanted, so why did she keep scowling at everyone at work and couldn’t even bring herself to tell Pepper off when he destroyed the Christmas tree for the umpteenth time? She ought to be dancing about with glee, or throwing a celebratory party, or maybe drinking herself into an early grave …

  Meanwhile, there was the Christmas Eve carol concert to organise.

  She would have had more luck trying to nail a blancmange to the ceiling, she kept thinking, wearily trying to persuade her colleagues – some of them now under her command, following her promotion to Junior Manager, which was an odd thing to get used to – that they a.) could sing, and b.) wanted to join her Christmas choir.

  ‘Katy, please sing for me. Please, please, pretty please?’ Hannah had resorted to trying to irritate Katy and Sam into agreeing by simply begging them every time she saw them, hands pressed together as though in prayer. ‘Belle has agreed to sing. Belle, of all people. So if she can, surely you … ’

  ‘No,’ Katy said flatly, up on a stepladder, restocking the top festive shelf with assorted Christmas ornaments, including a range of grotesque table-top gnomes wearing Santa hats. ‘My gran used to take me to Midnight Mass when I was a kid. I couldn’t stand carol-singing then, and I won’t sing now. All that high-pitched warbling … It does my head in.’

  ‘This is raising money for a good cause, though.’

  Katy stopped what she was doing and glanced down at her. ‘Christmas Party drinks kitty?’

  ‘No,’ Hannah said slowly. ‘The animal rescue centre.’

  ‘Sorry, you lost me at no.’

  Exasperated, Hannah folded her arms, glaring up at her former partner-in-crime, who was now apparently determined to make her life difficult. ‘Okay, you leave me no choice.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘Things are going to get ugly.’

  Katy waved a festive mini-gnome at her. ‘This ugly, you mean?’

  Kneeling a few feet away, placing new fake gift parcels under the main Christmas tree, Sam grinned. ‘Oh, that was sharp. Katy 1, Hannah nil.’

  Hannah’s phone buzzed, and she couldn’t resist having a quick look at who was calling.

  Daniel.

  She put it back in her dungarees pocket and focussed a glare on her two colleagues. ‘Remind me, who usually cleans out the hen house?’

  The smile dropped from Sam’s lips.

  ‘Uh huh,’ Hannah said, nodding as she saw comprehension dawning in their eyes. ‘Who swaps shifts with you when you go out at the weekend, so you can sleep off the hangovers?’ Sam shifted uneasily from one foot to the other and Katy looked worried. ‘Because you two owe me a favour. A whole year’s worth of favours, in fact.’

  ‘That’s blackmail.’

  ‘I think you’ll find it isn’t,’ Hannah told Katy smugly. ‘In fact, isn’t the hen coop due a proper clean-out today? Now, I wonder whose turn it is this week?’ Her phone vibrated insistently again but she continued to ignore it.

  Sam groaned. ‘That’s just plain mean.’

  ‘So is refusing to sing in the carol concert for charity.’ She turned to her friend. ‘What do you prefer, Katy? Hen coop scrubbing or singing in the choir? And you, Sam? Were you hoping to be out late this weekend? Because you’re going to have to be up early the next day to make it into work.’

  Katy pouted. ‘Oh, all right, I’ll sing. I can’t believe how cruel you are, Hannah. I always thought you were nice.’

  ‘Sam?’

  ‘I guess I don’t have a choice,’ Sam said with bad grace.

  ‘Of course you do, Sam. You don’t have to go out at the weekend.’

  ‘Just don’t complain when you hear me singing,’ he said, visibly sulking. ‘I sound like a hippo with a bad cold.’

  Hannah laughed. ‘A hippo with a – ’

  ‘Hannah to the office, please.’ Camilla’s voice came over the tannoy, sounding oddly tense. ‘Urgent phone call for Hannah.’

  Hannah stared at her friends in silent dismay, then turned and raced for the office. What on earth was this about?

  Camilla was at the door, and pointed her inside the office with one red-painted fingernail. ‘Go on,’ she said impatiently, ‘he’s holding for you.’

  ‘He?’

  But Camilla merely shrugged and stalked away, her air disapproving as she flicked back a wedge of ash-blonde hair.

  Hannah’s heart was thumping unnaturally loudly. But she forced herself to enter the office with her spine straight and shoulders back, pretending she wasn’t worried. She was a Junior Manager now. She needed to get used to receiving urgent calls, and hanging round the office like Camilla always did.

  Mr Turner was seated on the edge of the desk, one leg swinging, Chadwick on his shoulder, chatting on the phone in an animated fashion. When he saw her though, he jumped off the desk and muttered, ‘Well, she’s here now, so … Nice to speak to you.’ Then he held out the telephone handset. ‘Quick now, Hannah, it’s an emergency.’

  Hannah took the receiver, her hands a little clammy. ‘H-Hello?’

  ‘It’s Daniel.’

  She gaped, caught her boss’s curious eye, and hurriedly turned her back on him. ‘Daniel? ‘What on earth are you doing, ringing me at work like this?’ Her voice was practically a squeak. ‘On the office number, too.’

  ‘Yes, I’m sorry to ring you at work. But you weren’t answering your mobile.’

  Her cheeks flared with heat. ‘Oh, um, yes, I was … busy.’

  ‘No problem, I understand,’ he said, surprising her with his matter-of-fact tone. ‘The thing is, there’s been an accident.’

  Her heart skittered. ‘A - An accident?’

  ‘Yes. I’m afraid it’s Pepper.’

  ‘Pepper?’ She nearly dropped the handset in fright. ‘Oh my god.’

  ‘Don’t worry, it’s all under control. He had a close encounter with some motorbikers earlier this afternoon, and I took him to the vet myself.’ He paused. ‘I didn’t want to wait until you got home. I hope that’s okay.’

  ‘But how is he?’

  ‘Well, the vet’s checking him over now. But as soon as Pepper gets the all-clear, I’ll take him back to Abbey Villa, and look after him there until you get home.’

  Hannah thanked him, and put the phone down, feeling quite unwell. What if Pepper was badly hurt? What if she lost him?

  She did not think she could bear that.

  Mr Turner put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and said kindly, ‘Off you go, lass. Take care of your cat.’ As she hurried to the door, stammering more thank-you’s, he called after her, ‘And don’t worry about your duties. I’ve asked Camilla to cover for you.’

  So that was why his daughter had looked at her so sourly!

  Hannah raced home with the energy of a teenager, she was so frantic to see how badly hurt Pepper was, skidding her bike to a gravelly stop outside Abbey Villa, dropping it on the drive and racing to the door. It was ajar, so she pushed inside, suddenly nervous and unsure of herself again.

  Last time she had seen Daniel, she had been silently cursing his name. Then she had ignored his messages and refused to take his calls.

  Would he be cold and aloof after the way she had treated him?

  ‘Daniel?’

  ‘In here.’

  Hannah found Daniel in the living room, sitting on the genero
us sofa with Pepper curled up on a cushion beside him. The cat’s front paws were bandaged and he wasn’t looking pleased.

  ‘Oh Pepper, my poor baby.’

  She crossed the room, all her attention on her injured pet, and completely missed the ankle-high obstacle in her path. She tripped over Ivy’s fabric-covered footstool, tried to keep her balance with a series of little hops, but went flying nonetheless, arms outstretched to break her fall. Hannah caught a glimpse of Daniel’s startled expression before she landed across his lap with a loud, ‘Oomph!’

  ‘Careful,’ he said, catching her with strong arms before she rolled onto the floor. She could hear the laughter in his voice, low in her ear. ‘You’ll frighten Pepper. And I think he’s had enough scares for one day, don’t you?’

  ‘Oh, I’m so sorry, Pepper,’ she said, awkwardly reaching out to stroke the cat’s head, relieved to hear his deep, thrumming purr in response.

  He couldn’t be hurt that badly if he could still purr, she thought.

  Then she looked up into Daniel’s face. ‘How can I ever … thank you?’ Words failed as her as his gaze met hers. Her tongue seemed to be sticking to the top of her mouth in a most uncomfortable way. ‘I mean … ’ She belatedly realised she was still lying partially on his lap, and tried to right herself, muttering, ‘Thank you.’

  Daniel wrapped his arms around her to stop her from rolling off his knee. ‘Hang on a minute,’ he insisted.

  ‘Wh-What is it?’

  Embarrassed, and with Daniel’s knee causing some discomfort by digging into her hip, Hannah pushed herself up and found herself looking straight into Daniel’s beautiful green eyes.

  ‘You didn’t have to, you know,’ he said softly.

  ‘Didn’t have to what?’ Hannah whispered, all rational thought flown away under the magic of his scent, familiar warmth and just sheer…closeness.

  ‘Fall on me,’ he said, holding her gaze, ‘just to get a kiss.’

  It took a few seconds to register the meaning of what he’d just said, then she gasped. ‘Why, you cheeky – ’

  He laughed, grabbing her hand as she went to mock-slap him. ‘Temper, temper. What would your cat say?’

  ‘He’d say you are a very bad man.’

  Daniel grinned and said something in response, but Hannah hardly noticed his answer, all her attention on his mouth with its sensuous lower lip. She licked hers, like a person contemplating a treat, and his own gaze watched that movement hypnotically. There was some kind of bond between them, she felt, and he was using it to reel her in, leaning fractionally closer himself.

  ‘Hannah?’

  Her name was a whispered question. She answered by pressing her lips against his already parted ones, their tongues sliding together, duelling, parting and exploring. The unique taste of Daniel, rich and male, curled around her senses and down into her lungs.

  Daniel’s arm tightened around her waist, dragging her closer, until her breasts were pressed against his chest. The kiss went on, deep and headily sweet, breaking through Hannah’s defences, such as they were.

  He was probably taking advantage of her, she thought vaguely.

  She didn’t care anymore.

  He pushed her backwards on the sofa, and she went willingly, loving how his masculine weight pushed her into the cushions. Pepper stared at them both the other end of the sofa, then his eyes narrowed to slits and he dropped comfortably back into sleep. Daniel’s mouth sipped at the pulse beating in her throat, and from there he traced every one of her erogenous zones. He tasted her skin when it was revealed by his clever fingers, inch by painstaking inch, as he undid the buttons of her shirt.

  Hannah explored him with equal thoroughness, stroking and kissing his chest, framing his biceps, caressing the strong column of his neck, and tangling her fingers in his hair. Soon, he had removed her work dungarees, and his own trousers, and she lost sight of where she ended and Daniel began. There was none of that clumsy urgency from their first night together. This time, their lovemaking was deeper, more tender, and when it was over, it felt to Hannah as though her world had been taken apart and remade differently.

  Afterwards, when they had reluctantly disentangled themselves, Hannah sat next to Daniel, wrapped in a blanket for warmth and drinking the mug of hot chocolate he had made for her. He was wearing his trousers again, but was still bare-chested, and she amused herself by silently wondering exactly how many hairs he had on his chest …

  She glanced sleepily around for her cat, who had removed himself to a strategic distance during their lovemaking.

  Pepper, she realised, was sitting in front of the fire chewing nonchalantly at his bandages.

  ‘Pepper, no!’ she said urgently, clicking her fingers at him. ‘Don’t eat those. The vet won’t like it.’

  Hearing his name, Pepper sauntered over to Hannah and leapt onto her knee instead. He tried kneading the blanket despite his bandages.

  ‘Oh, you silly cat. Be careful you don’t hurt yourself.’

  Gently, Daniel scratched Pepper’s head, who closed his eyes in ecstasy and started purring. ‘He may be silly but he’s a lucky cat too,’ he said softly, ‘coming out of a confrontation with those bikers with nothing worse than a few missing claws to show for it.’ He shook his head. ‘He’s used up a life, for sure.’

  ‘Poor Pepper,’ Hannah said, stroking her cat. ‘Did those nasty hairy bikers hurt you and rob you of a life? Mr Smirthwaite will soon sort them out if they come back.’ She hugged Pepper even closer, the thought of his near-miss making her shiver.

  ‘Remind me to give you the antibiotics that the vet prescribed,’ Daniel said, studying her thoughtfully, ‘but for now, what you need is this.’

  He leant forward and kissed her on the lips.

  She knew what they were doing was crazy, that it could only end badly. But she could not seem to resist his charm. Or his incredibly hot body, she thought wryly.

  Her eyes closed under his kiss, and she began to drift away, blocking out everything but what he was doing to her.

  Their dreamy mood was broken by the sound of a phone. ‘Pay no attention,’ Daniel said against her lips. The phone stopped but then almost immediately started ringing again. Daniel swore and put down his hot chocolate, standing up. ‘Sorry. I’d better answer this, it might be urgent.’

  He found his mobile in his trouser pocket. ‘Hello, Melody,’ he said, turning away and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘Yes, I am busy actually.’ He paused, then said quickly, ‘Oh, come on, love. Don’t be like that.’

  For Hannah, it was the outside of enough. How could she be so dumb?

  Once, yes. But twice, for god’s sake?

  She scrambled off the sofa, upsetting Pepper who mewed in irritation, and began searching for her clothes. Her bra was hanging from the coffee table, and she found her undies dangling over the back of the sofa.

  Pulling them on swiftly, she lurched across to retrieve her very unsexy work dungarees, and tripped over that damn footstool again, swearing under her breath …

  But it was too late.

  Daniel had turned back, and seen her in her bra and undies, dungarees dangling from one hand. His brows jerked together in a sudden frown, and he held the mobile flat against his bare chest, staring.

  ‘Where are you going?’

  CHAPTER NINE

  Hannah ignored him, stepping into her dungarees and dragging the two straps over her shoulders without bothering to do them up properly, or find her lost shirt first. She had a spare at home, anyway, and it wasn’t like there was anything this man hadn’t seen already. Much to her disgust.

  More worryingly, Pepper had disappeared.

  She called him quietly but he didn’t come out of hiding, which was suspicious. Hannah peeped around the kitchen door but there was no sign of him. Only a generous dish of cat treats on the floor.

  She frowned. Pepper was already on the hefty side. He’d be as big as a pig soon if he kept getting double treats.

 
‘Pepper?’ She could hear a dangerous note in her voice, which was wobbling a bit. Was she going to cry? ‘Come on, we need to go.’

  She turned and came smack up against Daniel, almost losing her balance.

  ‘Careful,’ he said, and grabbed her arms to stop her bouncing back onto the tiled floor. ‘It’s okay, I’ve got you.’

  She glared at him silently until he released her.

  He frowned, taking a quick step back as though something in her face had alarmed him. ‘What’s going on, Hannah? Are you leaving again?’

  ‘Well spotted.’

  ‘Okay.’ He studied her face intently. ‘So what did I do to upset you this time?’

  Argh, why did he have to be so good-looking?

  ‘Can I get past, please? I need to find Pepper and go home.’

  Daniel folded his arms and leaned against the door jamb, so that she couldn’t escape.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ he said, still very controlled. ‘Not until you answer my question.’

  She fixed him with a grim stare, her mouth set in a straight line. His air of deliberate control was making this a thousand times worse for her. Not to mention his partial nudity, which kept distracting Hannah from her hate-fest.

  Argh!

  She almost wanted to pummel that fabulous bare chest with her fists, except she didn’t want to give away how strongly she felt. Plus, she was worried that once she started pummelling, she might not stop until Daniel Elliott, famous bloody Hollywood director, was an itty-bitty, mashed-up slop of man-flesh on the floor of Ivy’s house.

  Sick of her heart plunging up and down on an emotional roller coaster, she snapped at him, ‘I don’t like being your holiday bit on the side, that’s what’s wrong.’

  ‘Where the hell did you get that idea from?’ He straightened up and took a step towards her. There was a look in his face she did not recognise. Anger? Frustration? Or perhaps he was just plain annoyed that she had found out his little two-timing game. ‘I already told you I don’t do casual sex.’