Christmas at Conwenna Cove

by Darcie Boleyn

  He took her hand and led her to a table near the counter then pulled out a chair.

  ‘It’s my break now and I think you need a friend.’

  ‘I should go,’ she said, even as she sat down.

  ‘Take your scarf and coat off, and I’ll be back soon.’

  Grace had no energy to fight and nodded gratefully.

  While she waited, she tried to focus on her surroundings. The lights on the tree in the corner of the café twinkled softly like randomly strewn diamonds on the thick spiky branches. Frank Sinatra crooned about Christmas from the radio on the counter, and the sounds of people enjoying the last Saturday morning before Christmas soothed her: voices, laughter and the tinkling of cutlery. Normality. Delicious aromas wafted around her: fruity, spiced mince pies, strong exotic coffees and cheese toasties made with herby breads. And everywhere she looked there were smiling faces, bags full of shopping and people just being people. Life was good, life went on.

  ‘Here you go.’ Nate was back, carrying a tray laden with food.

  ‘I really couldn’t eat all that.’ Grace eyed the toasted cheese and tomato ciabattas with pale mozzarella that oozed from between the slices of bread, the steaming mini Christmas puddings in their bowls with shiny blobs of thick yellow Cornish cream, and the two large glass mugs that held hot chocolate topped with pink and white marshmallows and frothy whipped cream.

  ‘Don’t worry, it’s not all for you,’ Nate said as he undid his apron and hung it on the back of the chair opposite Grace. ‘It’s my break so I’m joining you.’

  ‘Okay, lovely. Thank you.’

  Nate sat down and handed her a plate with a ciabatta then placed a bowl with a pudding next to it and gave her some cutlery.

  ‘Right… now you tell me why you were spying on Oli and his kids.’

  Grace’s mouth fell open.

  ‘Grace, it’s obvious that you’ve got a bit of a thing for him, so shoot! I’m a good listener.’

  ‘I don’t have a… a thing for him.’

  Sinatra finished singing then Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? rang out around the café.

  Nate’s piercing blue eyes twinkled.

  ‘Yes you do, and he has one for you. I saw it the moment you met. Of course, if I’d said anything back then you’d have thought I was mad, but it’s obvious that there’s a spark between you. The question is… what’re you going to do about it?’

  ‘I can’t… I don’t…’

  ‘Grace, I also saw you together at Carols at the Cove.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘As did most of the village.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘It’s a small place and people do talk.’

  ‘The last thing I want is to be the focus of village gossip.’

  Grace bridled at the thought that she was providing the folk of Conwenna with some juicy morsels to mull over. She was used to being anonymous in a big city, of staying below the radar and it had suited her. No one had cared that she was alone and not interested in falling in love. Except for her parents and they’d known not to push her on the subject.

  ‘Nothing malicious, Grace. We all care about Oli and his kids. No one wants to see him on his own any longer and, to be honest, he’s had a few local women after him at different times but never shown a flicker of interest. He’s a good catch, you know. Single father, good career, lovely kids.’

  ‘I’m not after him because of that.’

  ‘Of course not.’ Nate sipped his hot chocolate then without meeting her eyes asked, ‘What does draw you to him?’

  ‘I can’t quite believe how open you are, Nate. I mean… you’ve been very kind to me since I arrived but you hardly know me.’

  ‘Grace… I like you and I do feel that I know you now. I’m an open and honest guy, sometimes to my detriment, and I just want you to know how things roll around here. People talk. They know things. It might be different to what you’re used to but it’s not a bad thing. This is a supportive community and if you stay here, you’ll find a lot of friends.’

  Grace picked up her ciabatta and nibbled at the end. ‘Oh… this is good.’

  ‘It is, right?’ Nate smiled his open smile and Grace relaxed a bit. He was just being friendly and it would be good to talk about her feelings.

  ‘Okay. Between you and me, I do really like Oli. He’s a good man and I’ve grown very fond of him. And yes… I think he’s gorgeous too… but the situation is complicated.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Is everything always straightforward for you?’

  He shook his head. ‘No, but I do think we sometimes put obstacles in the way of happiness when there shouldn’t be any. If we really want something, it can be achieved.’

  ‘What? Anything?’

  He glanced upwards then pursed his lips. ‘Well, not anything… I mean, I’ll never be president of the United States or marry Mariah Carey… but lots of other things. And as for love… well, two people who want to be together should be.’

  ‘But Oli has the children and his job and he’s settled, and I have a flat and a life in Cardiff and—’

  ‘They all sound like things that could be worked out, Grace. There’s nothing there that can’t be overcome. I suspect it’s just fear holding you back.’

  ‘Fear is there to prevent us from making big mistakes though, Nate. It’s there to protect us, a primitive instinct that prevented us from playing in front of wild animals or jumping from clifftops.’

  ‘Yes, but what an awful way to live. Constantly being afraid. And there aren’t many wild animals around here… ones that would be dangerous, I mean. There are cliffs but thankfully they’re only dangerous if you lean over the edge.’

  Grace chewed her sandwich, savouring the creamy cheese and the sweet ripe tomatoes along with the crustiness of the bread. Fear was a terrible thing and she had lived her life in its shadow, terrified of losing someone she loved again. She’d had just two people to worry about in her mother and father, and that had made her feel safer than knowing that she’d opened her heart to more. More people to care about meant more people to worry about losing.

  ‘But I don’t know how he feels about me, Nate. And I don’t want to push him to find out because he’s got enough to deal with.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Like what was he doing this morning? He told me he had a big day, and turned me down when I offered to go round and help him wrap the children’s presents.’

  Nate wiped his mouth with a napkin, his own sandwich devoured.

  ‘Ah… I know why today’s a big day.’

  ‘You do?’

  ‘It’s the anniversary.’

  ‘Anniversary!’ Grace gasped. ‘Oh no.’

  ‘Yes, it’s two years isn’t it? Got to be a tough time for him.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And two years alone with two children hasn’t been easy for Oli.’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Why don’t you have a proper talk with him? At least find out how he feels about everything, and then you’ll know if there’s a chance that you could make something work between you.’

  Grace sipped her drink. The chocolate was silky with cream and the marshmallows slipped into her mouth, sweet and chewy.

  ‘I suppose I could.’

  ‘I suppose you should. It’s dreadful losing loved ones, I know. I lost my father a few years back. But you have to keep moving forwards or you’re just giving up. Oli deserves to fall in love again and if he’s happy, Amy and Tom will be too.’

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘I know so. After all, what child wants a miserable and lonely father?’

  The thought of Oli being miserable and lonely made Grace want to dash out of the café, across the road and straight into Oli’s arms. But she forced herself to stay where she was. This couldn’t be rushed. Today was a difficult day for Oli and his children and they needed some space. She was staying until the New Year, so she’d have time to talk to Oli before she left and s
he’d also have time to consider what she was going to do about staying on in Conwenna long term.

  * * *

  Grace entered the hallway of Rosehip Cottage and dropped her bag on top of one of the remaining packing boxes, then slipped off her shoes and hung her coat on the stand. She’d enjoyed her lunch with Nate; then had strolled around the village doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

  The pretty little shops had all been festive with twinkling lights, Christmas music and plenty of gifts on offer. She’d picked up a card for her parents and one for Oli and the children. It had a cat and three kittens on the front wearing red Christmas hats, and it made her think about Amy and her admission about the cats. She hoped Amy was feeling better now she knew she could home the mother cat and now that the kittens all seemed to have potential homes too.

  The afternoon was dark and brought back memories of cold winter days when she was a child, when life had seemed to stretch out before her like a blank canvas just waiting to be filled. Everything had seemed so full of promise back then and even though Sam had suffered with his illness, she’d been convinced that he’d get better as he grew. But that was childhood, the unerring belief that everything would work out and that you and your loved ones were immortal. Of course, not all children enjoyed such carefree times and Amy and Tom certainly hadn’t, but Grace knew that at their ages she’d clung to the belief that her parents or the doctors would be able to fix Sam and that she’d always have him around.

  She entered the kitchen and found her parents kneeling down next to a large box. Someone had cut a semicircle out of the front of it and Louise was leaning in through the hole.

  ‘Mum? Dad? What’s going on?’

  Louise and Simon turned around and both immediately looked guilty.

  ‘Oh… this was going to be a surprise.’ Her father smiled. ‘Never mind, you can enjoy it now.’

  ‘What’s a surprise?’

  ‘Look.’ Her mother stood up then gestured at the box; Grace approached it then peered inside.

  ‘Wow!’

  A pretty black cat lay there grooming herself, while all around her the kittens played. There was a black kitten, a tortoiseshell one and a black and white one.

  ‘They’re gorgeous. But… you’re not keeping them all?’ She thought instantly of Amy.

  Simon laughed. ‘I would, but Edward and Mary have agreed to home one and we’re having the other two. Then Oli has promised Amy that the mother is going to live with them, of course.’

  ‘Yes, she’s very excited about having her.’ Grace nodded.

  ‘The kittens are ready to be homed now, but we said we’d have them here over Christmas just to give them a bit longer and to get them used to a home environment.’

  ‘A messy home environment,’ Louise added. ‘Your father’s promised to empty the rest of the boxes in the hall this afternoon, so we’ll be able to walk through it without dodging cardboard. My shins are black and blue. Besides, we don’t want the kittens wandering through and getting stuck in any of them.’

  Grace leaned over the box and stroked the tortoiseshell kitten. It turned and swatted her hand with a paw then lost its balance and fell over onto the thick soft blanket her parents had lined the box with.

  ‘She’s beautiful.’

  ‘You could home her?’ Louise suggested. ‘If you wanted one too. And we could keep her brother.’

  ‘I’d like to.’

  ‘What’s stopping you?’

  ‘Well, there’s Hope to consider. Besides which, Dad is clearly besotted with them all.’ She smiled then felt her face fall. ‘Oh Mum… I can’t bear the thought of going back to that clean quiet little flat alone.’

  ‘Come here.’

  Louise pulled Grace into a hug and rocked her as she used to do when she was a child.

  ‘Why not move to Conwenna? You can stay with us for as long as you want, then when you’re ready, buy a house here. Or in a nearby town or village if you don’t want to be on our doorstep.’

  ‘I don’t want to be far from you and Dad.’

  ‘Well, stay with us then.’ Louise leaned back and met Grace’s eyes.

  ‘I can’t live with you forever. I’m thirty-one now and need to be independent.’

  ‘We love having you around, Grace,’ Simon said as he lifted a kitten and rubbed his thumb over its tiny head.

  ‘What about things with Oli?’ Louise asked. ‘We thought… hoped that there was something happening between you.’

  ‘Well, there is… kind of… but it’s all so complicated.’

  ‘I know, love.’ Her mother kissed her forehead. ‘I wish I could make it all better like I used to do. It’s so difficult when your children grow up.’ Her eyes widened. ‘No! That’s not what I meant. I mean… oh god I miss Sam so much.’

  ‘Me too.’

  And this time it was Grace who pulled her mother into a hug and held her tight.

  ‘We all do.’

  Simon wrapped his arms around his wife and daughter and they sat there, beside the box with its cat and kittens, sharing old memories of Sam, as the afternoon darkened and snowflakes drifted from the moonlit sky.

  Chapter 20

  Grace woke on Christmas Eve to find something soft and warm nestled against her cheek.

  ‘Hello you.’

  The cat rolled onto its back and purred as she rubbed its head.

  ‘Where are your babies?’

  As if suddenly remembering them, the cat jumped off the bed and disappeared into the hallway.

  ‘I guess Mum and Dad will need to give you and your babies a name soon. We can’t keep calling you Cat. Although ultimately, it’s up to Amy to name you.’

  Grace sat up and pushed her hair from her face. Christmas Eve always felt special, even though she was an adult now. It was part of the festive build up and she’d always enjoyed it, probably even more than Christmas Day.

  She picked up her mobile off the bedside table and noticed that she had two messages, both from Oli. She opened the first one:

  Hi Grace, hope you’re okay. Just wondering if your offer of help is still open? I haven’t wrapped a thing! Oli X

  The message had come through half an hour ago.

  She opened the second one:

  Hi, me again, look no pressure at all and I’m sure you have plenty to do. However, if you would like to come over this afternoon I have some good wine in and the children would love to see you. Oli X

  Grace smiled and hugged her knees to her chest. So Oli did want her to go round to help him. The idea of spending Christmas Eve with him and the children lifted her heart and the sense of the day being special grew.

  She sent a reply asking what time he needed her, then got up and pulled on her fluffy red dressing gown and stuffed her feet into her slippers. Her bedroom was chilly and when she opened the curtains, frost flowers decorated the edges of the windowpane as if someone had created a deliberate festive display.

  Beyond the garden, the sea sparkled in the early morning light and everything outside was white with snow and frost. It was a perfect Christmassy morning. Hopefully, today would work out after all and perhaps her life would work out too.

  She padded down the stairs and into the kitchen where she found her father frying bacon and eggs on the Aga, and her mother sitting on a cushion in front of the cardboard box with two kittens climbing over her lap.

  The mother cat was twirling around Simon’s legs, evidently asking for some bacon.

  ‘Has she been fed?’ Grace asked.

  ‘Yes, your father bought her some of that top quality cat food from Oli’s surgery and he’s got the brand that the kittens need too for weaning.’

  ‘She’s just after this bacon,’ Simon said as he placed the meat onto a plate then took it to the table. ‘Not good for her though.’

  ‘A bit of what you fancy doesn’t hurt, Simon, and she has just had babies.’ Louise put the kittens back in the box, then got up and took a seat at the table.

  ‘W
hat are your plans today, Grace?’

  Grace poured tea from the pot into three mugs.

  ‘I thought I’d visit Hope then… uh… Oli has asked if I’d like to help him with his Christmas wrapping.’ At Louise’s raised eyebrows, she added, ‘He sent me a text this morning.’

  ‘This morning, eh?’ Simon said then looked at the clock on the wall. ‘It’s only seven-thirty now. Seems like someone has been thinking about Grace all night.’

  ‘Stop it, Dad.’

  ‘Just saying.’

  ‘Well don’t.’ Grace grinned, as she helped herself to bacon and eggs.

  After they’d finished eating and cleared the dishes away, Grace spent some time playing with the kittens. The tortoiseshell one came to her readily and she lifted it and pressed her face into its soft fur.

  ‘What shall we call her?’ Louise asked.

  ‘I was thinking about something cute because she is so fluffy.’

  ‘We’ll call her Fluffy then?’ Louise suggested.

  ‘You should.’

  ‘That’s settled,’ Simon said as he carried a fresh pot of tea to the table. ‘Now you’ve named Fluffy you’ll have to stick around to see plenty of her.’

  Grace gazed down at the kitten that had curled up in her lap and was struggling to keep her eyes open. And she knew that she would have to see her regularly.

  ‘What’re you calling the boy?’ she asked.

  ‘We’ve been unable to agree on names yet.’ Louise refilled their mugs.

  ‘But I like Frank for the boy and Tilly for the girl with the white socks on.’

  Grace placed her mug of tea on the floor beside her then stroked the kitten in her lap. At least the kittens would have good homes, and she knew her parents had wanted to have pets for years. With Sam’s condition, they’d worried about allergies and hygiene so they resisted their urges to get a cat or dog. Opinion had been divided about the pros and cons of pets for someone with Sam’s condition, but Louise and Simon had been terrified of taking any risks at all.

  ‘We’ll just have to introduce you and Hope gradually, so she doesn’t frighten you. Or the other way round I suppose.’