‘So you called it off?’ Jack asked.
‘Well … no. Not exactly,’ she admitted. ‘But it’s been a few months and I can honestly say I’m glad he left.’
‘That’s good.’ Jack nodded, uncomfortably. Holly got the impression this wasn’t exactly the conversation he’d been planning on having with her, and he had no idea where to go with it next.
She knew she should drop it. She’d given him more than enough information on the subject, and the last thing he probably wanted was her bemoaning her past relationships. But somehow, the words kept tumbling out anyway.
‘The thing is, it turned out he just wanted to marry me as a way to get a promotion. But then he got this new job in Dubai and didn’t need me any more.’
Jack’s expression changed at that, moving from pity towards something like … was it anger? Holly wasn’t sure.
‘That utter bastard,’ he said, each word hard and fierce.
‘Yes,’ Holly agreed. ‘He is. So, like I say, much better off now. I mean, he didn’t even like Christmas.’
It took a second, but Jack’s face lightened at that, and he laughed. ‘Really? How on earth did you two even get together? And who doesn’t like Christmas, anyway?’
‘Exactly what I said.’ Holly motioned to her pile of crafts. ‘I mean, what’s not to like?’
‘Well, that depends. Did you make him carry the air drying clay?’
Holly giggled, and slapped him lightly on the wrist. ‘No, I didn’t. I don’t think he had the muscles, anyway.’
Jack raised his eyebrows slightly, and Holly’s eyes widened. Oh God, she’d just pointed out that she’d noticed his muscles! Well, she had wanted to make it obvious that she was interested …
‘What about your family?’ Jack asked. ‘Are you not spending Christmas with them?’
Holly sighed. Back to the subject of her festive misery. ‘Normally I’d be visiting my parents,’ she explained. ‘But this year … well, they’d saved all this money for my wedding, and then all of a sudden they didn’t need it. The wedding cancellation insurance paid out pretty quickly, and they decided to spend it on a Christmas cruise.’
‘Leaving you here on your own.’
‘I told them I’d be spending Christmas with friends,’ Holly admitted. ‘They deserved the holiday. They’ve been brilliant this year, what with everything.’
‘So why aren’t you spending it with friends?’ Jack asked.
Because I don’t have any. All my friends were Sebastian’s friends first. It wasn’t quite the truth – she also had old university friends she hadn’t seen in years who lived miles away or colleagues locally with families of their own, but no one she felt she could call up and confess the depths of her loneliness to. No one whose Christmas she’d feel comfortable gate-crashing. So instead she said, ‘Well, I’m hoping I will be. If we can work together to come up with something for Kathleen.’ Jack smiled at that, and Holly knew she was on the right track. But it did lead her to another question. She frowned. ‘But what about you? Don’t you have Christmas plans?’
Jack shook his head, shifting in his chair so he was leaning away from her again. She hadn’t even realised they’d leaned in, but as she sat up straighter too she realised they must have been pretty close. ‘Not this year,’ he said, shortly.
Well, if he thought he was getting away with that as an answer, he had another thing coming. Holly had just poured out all the misery of the past four months to him. The least he could offer was a proper full sentence of explanation.
‘No family?’ she pressed. ‘Friends?’
‘My parents died when I was twenty-one,’ he said, and Holly winced.
‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.’
He shrugged. ‘No reason you should. And my friends … they’re all still in the army. Kind of hard to have a Christmas get-together when most of you are on manoeuvres.’
‘The army?’ Well, that explained a lot. Like the muscles. ‘You were a soldier?’
‘Until earlier this year,’ Jack confirmed. ‘And now I’m a postman.’
‘And is that better or worse?’ She couldn’t imagine being in the army, miles away from home a lot of the time, never knowing where you might be sent next. She liked her home – her little house, her cat, her craft space.
‘It’s different,’ Jack said. ‘Lonelier, in a way, which is odd. I mean, I see hundreds of people every day, but …’
‘It’s not the same as having people to talk to,’ Holly finished for him. ‘I know what you mean. I mean, I’m a teacher, and I talk to kids all day, encouraging them to think about their dreams, their plans for the future. And I talk with their parents about their hopes for their kids. But there’s no one to ask about my dreams, or my hopes.’ Just once, it would be nice to have someone who wanted to know what her dreams were. Where she wanted to go in her life, rather than how far she could get their kids.
‘Exactly,’ Jack said. ‘At least, until today.’
Holly looked up and found his gaze on her, their eyes locking as she thought about everything that had changed since that morning, when he knocked on her door with Claude at his side. ‘Yes,’ she murmured. ‘Until today.’
How could his eyes be so dark and deep? And how come she never noticed before? How could she ever have just dismissed him as ‘the cute postman’?
Suddenly, he was all she could see.
And that sort of focus was dangerous. Hadn’t she learnt that lesson by now? She’d looked at Sebastian the same way once, thought he was everything she wanted, focused so deeply on the parts that she loved that she hadn’t even noticed or let herself acknowledge the parts that were less than perfect. Quite a long way than perfect, as it turned out.
A flirtation, a bit of fun, was one thing. But the moment she started obsessing about Jack’s eyes … that signalled trouble.
‘So, we’re all alone this Christmas,’ Holly said, pulling back. ‘You, me and Kathleen, I mean.’
‘And Claude,’ Jack added. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes, but Holly ignored it.
‘Of course. And Claude.’ She glanced down at the little dog, still snoozing by Perdita’s bowl. ‘So, what are we going to do about that?’
‘Well, for Kathleen … I thought maybe you might have some ideas?’ Jack said hopefully.
Holly grinned. ‘As it happens, I do. I think we should definitely keep it a surprise until the day, for a start. I’m thinking festive food, maybe some music … and definitely decorations! I just placed an order for some more lights to be delivered tomorrow. And there’s going to be way more than I can fit on my house!’ Just imagining Mrs Templeton’s face when she saw numbers 12 and 10 Maple Drive lit up like Christmas trees gave Holly a glowing, happy feeling.
‘Perfect!’
‘What about the rest, though?’ Holly considered, and answered her own question. ‘Like, what food? A Christmas mini-feast? I’ve got some stuff here, but we could pick up a load of canapés and stuff to share? It might be easier than doing a whole Christmas dinner for the three of us, and that way if Kathleen isn’t keen she can just have a few nibbles and go.’
‘You’re right,’ Jack agreed. ‘I’m no chef, and it’s not like the three of us know each other very well. Spending the whole of Christmas together might be asking a bit much.’
‘Exactly.’ Holly tried to stamp down the feeling of disappointment that rose up at his words. Of course they weren’t all going to spend Christmas together. Before today, they’d barely spoken three words between them. This was just a kind gesture to a lonely old lady, then they could all get back to their regular, scheduled lives.
Easy as pie. Or Christmas pudding, in this case.
‘Great. Well, maybe we can get together again tomorrow to figure out exactly what we want to do?’ Jack suggested. ‘I can go shopping for food and things, if you like?’
‘We’ll come up with a shopping list,’ Holly agreed.
‘Which only leaves us with one question.’ Holly
followed Jack’s gaze, and realised exactly what he meant.
‘What do we do with Claude?’ she said.
As a family pet, I’ve discovered it’s always a good idea to keep one ear open for my name. Sometimes, it’s followed by ‘it’s time for dinner’ which isn’t something I ever want to miss. More often, it’s a ‘Where is that dog? Did you see what he did to my shoes?’ sort of call, at which point it’s always a good idea to make a run for it. Or, more usually, hide under the bed. Occasionally, it precedes the words ‘it’s time to go to the vet’s,’ and then I really do run.
This time, the voices were different, and the conversation they were having about me even more disturbing than the suggestion of the vet and his needles.
‘What do we do about Claude?’ Holly said, and sighed, which was my first sign that there was something wrong.
I’d thought it was pretty obvious. I was going to go home with Jack, via a shop that sold dog food, and spend my evening having my ears scratched and my tummy rubbed. Easy.
Except that didn’t seem to be what Jack and Holly were thinking.
‘I was reading up, while you were gone,’ Holly said. ‘About what to do with lost dogs, I mean. The council website says you have to report any found dogs to them, even if you know who they belong to, if you can’t find their owners.’
‘Really?’ Jack asked. ‘I wonder why that is.’
I risked opening one eye in time to see Holly shrug. ‘I think it’s in case there’s any dispute later – like the McCawleys could accuse us of trying to steal their dog.’
‘But they left him here!’ Jack pointed out. ‘They’ve been gone all day, and there’s no sign of them coming back yet. Poor Claude has been stuck out in the cold the whole time.’
‘I know,’ Holly said, sympathetically. I shut my eyes again as she looked down at me. No point letting on I was listening in until I knew what they’d decided. ‘But we still have to call.’
Jack sighed. ‘Okay. But then what? I can’t take him home with me – my landlord doesn’t allow pets.’
I gave a low growl in my supposed sleep. What kind of an idiot doesn’t allow pets?
‘And he can’t stay here. Perdita’s asleep upstairs. She’ll lose it if she comes down and finds him here in the night.’ Holly sounded genuinely sorry about the situation, but that didn’t change the fact that I was still homeless. ‘Wasn’t there anybody in the street that had their mobile numbers or anything?’
‘Nobody,’ Jack replied, sounding glum. He obviously remembered all the hurtful ear comments, too. ‘This estate isn’t nearly as friendly as it looks from the outside.’
‘I suppose not,’ Holly said. ‘When I moved here, I thought it would be a proper community, you know? With street parties and people popping by with cake and stuff.’
Jack smiled. ‘Me too. That’s why I picked it. But as it is … I can’t see me staying much longer, to be honest.’ I risked peeping again, wanting to see Holly’s reaction.
‘Really?’ Holly went very still, but I don’t think Jack noticed. Silly man.
‘Yeah. I’ve already applied for a transfer, actually.’
‘Right.’ She sounded disappointed. ‘Well. That’s a shame. What if the next postman can’t carry all my craft supplies?’ She gave a little smile after that, but I didn’t believe it was real. She thought Jack leaving was as bad an idea as I did.
‘I’m sure he’ll cope,’ Jack said, but he looked a little sad at the idea, too.
‘And Claude will miss you,’ Holly added, and my ears twitched at the sound of my name. ‘What are we going to do with him?’
‘Call the council, I suppose,’ Jack said, with a sigh. ‘See what they say. If the McCawleys don’t make it back tonight, and neither of us can keep him overnight … there’s probably a shelter they’ll take him to until his owners can collect him.’
Holly’s nose scrunched up at that. ‘The pound?’
Wait. What? I gave up the pretence of being asleep and sat up, looking between them, waiting for them to laugh. This had to be a joke, right? No way would Holly and Jack send me to the pound. No way. Not when I’d spent my whole day trying to find Jack a home, and Kathleen and Holly people to stop them being lonely. They wouldn’t do that to me.
‘Do you have the number at the council?’ Jack asked. ‘We’d better call before it gets any later. Who knows if they’ll be open tomorrow with it being Christmas Eve.’
‘I wrote it down. Hang on.’ Holly disappeared into the hall, and Jack stared after her. They were really doing this.
Even if I found a place for Jack in Maple Drive, it looked like there wasn’t one for me. With the McCawleys gone, I didn’t belong anywhere at all.
What on earth was I going to do? My little heart beat double time just at the idea of being sent away, of not being here when Daisy and Oliver came back.
Of not being wanted at all.
I had a few moments while Holly found the phone number, I realised. Just a few moments to decide what happened next in my life.
Did I wait here, as if I were still tethered by that sparkly pink lead, and wait for them to send me off to the pound? The place where the abandoned dogs went to die?
Or did I take my life in my own hands, and find my own future – and maybe even my family?
Put like that, it was no competition.
With one last mouthful of Perdita’s dinner, I checked Jack wasn’t watching, and made a dash for the cat flap. It was an even tighter squeeze than it had been getting in that morning – probably due to the gingerbread – but I made it. As it swung shut behind me I heard Jack calling my name, but it was too late.
Shivering a little in the cold, winter air, I trotted off through the bushes, ducking through into the next garden before Jack could get the back door unlocked and come out looking for me.
I couldn’t trust him, or Holly, any more. They might find their own people, but they definitely weren’t mine.
I was on my own now.
And I had no idea what to do next.
‘Well, this is it.’ Daisy stared up at the improbable building her parents had decided to call home. It had battlements. Honest to God battlements. ‘You know, when they said chateau, I didn’t think they meant something quite so literal in translation.’
Maybe it was the wine with dinner, but Daisy was finding it hard to be too alarmed at the crumbling castle her parents had apparently bought. At this point in the day’s trials and tribulations, as long as it had hot running water and wine in the fridge, she was happy.
Then something dark and furry swooped overhead, past the windscreen, and for a moment Daisy considered just asking Oliver to turn the car around. They could sleep in the ferry terminal, right?
‘It’s cool,’ Jay said, eyes wide, as he hugged his Claude substitute close.
‘It’s weird,’ Bella countered with a frown, as another something swooped overhead. Really. Bats. Just what this Christmas needed to be perfect.
Daisy tried not to think about how much she hated bats.
The twins, finally both asleep in their car seats, had nothing to add. Oliver, from the driver’s seat, looked too traumatised by driving on the right hand side of the road to comment.
Daisy unbuckled her seatbelt. ‘Well, come on then. Let’s go and see Granny and Grandad.’ At least there wouldn’t be any bats inside the chateau.
Probably.
Her parents were waiting for them at the door, faces lit by the lantern lights they’d hung above the doorway, all wide smiles and open arms. Daisy let herself be enfolded into a welcoming hug, and wondered exactly how she was going to break it to them that they had to leave again in the morning, ferries depending.
‘Where’s Claude?’ her mum asked, peering into the darkness. ‘You haven’t left him in the car, poor creature! Petal is desperate to see him. Jerry, get Claude out of the boot.’
‘Wait, Dad,’ Daisy said, as her dad hurried to obey. ‘Claude … Claude’s not actually with us.’
‘No,’ Dad said, succinctly. ‘You didn’t. And neither did Daisy. What happened, love?’
‘The stupid dog jumped out of the car before we even left Maple Drive,’ Oliver explained. ‘Jay had put his soft toy in the cage too, so we didn’t even realise until we got on the ferry in Portsmouth and opened the boot.’
‘So Claude’s … alive?’ Mum asked. Daisy tried not to roll her eyes at the dramatics. Then she spotted Jay’s lower lip quivering, and jumped in to reassure him.
‘Of course he is! He’s just fine, living it up at home. Probably hasn’t even noticed we’re not there!’ She wrapped an arm around Jay’s shoulders as she spoke in her jolliest voice, and hoped to God there was more wine in her future. ‘But it does mean we’re going to have to get back to him as soon as we can. There were no more ferries today because of the weather, but we’re on standby for the one first thing tomorrow morning.’
‘But tomorrow is Christmas Eve!’ Mum cried.
I know, Mother. That’s why we’re here, remember?
Daisy sighed, and tried to keep her composure. ‘I know, it’s a real shame. But we have brought the M&S hamper, at least!’
Her mother perked up at the prospect of proper smoked salmon and Christmas pud, so Daisy ushered them all out of the hallway, past a lopsided Christmas tree with red and gold baubles, and into the house proper, lugging Luca in his car seat. Oliver deposited Lara’s on the dusty stone floor and went back for the cases.
‘Granny? What’s your WiFi password?’ Bella asked, as she headed into the lounge, phone in hand.
‘WiFi?’ Mum asked. ‘Oh, Bell, we’ve barely got the phone line set up yet! It’s been such a palaver.’
Bella stopped walking abruptly. ‘So there’s no internet at all?’
Claude's Christmas Adventure Page 9