The South West Series Box Set

by Rebecca Paulinyi

  They pulled up in the small car park and had to battle the winds a little to get the car doors open. James took her hand, and whispered in her ear; “You’re crazy, dragging me out here in December when there’s snow on the ground!” Lee laughed, and pulled him along, their scarves wrapped tight around their necks against the cold.

  It was hard to talk with the noise of the wind and the sea, not to mention the hats and scarves they were wearing, and so they walked fairly quietly, holding hands and marvelling at the natural beauty around them. Halfway along the deserted beach, James stopped and pulled Lee towards him for a kiss that warmed her from head to toe, despite the weather.

  “Best Christmas ever!” he said with a grin, and pulled out his phone to take a photo of them both, with the sea in the background. With a broad grin, Lee put her head next to his, and for the next photo she turned and kissed his cheek.

  He was right - this definitely had not been the worst Christmas ever. The most unusual, the most surprising - and quite possibly the best.

  It was on the way home, with the heating blasting and the windscreen wipers on to swipe away the snow that had started to fall, that he asked her. “What are your plans for New Year’s Eve?”

  “I haven’t got any… yet.” Neither spoke of the elephant in the room - the fact that she would be leaving the day after. She hadn’t even had a chance to look for places to live when she returned, so she thought she would have to spend a few nights in a hotel - or perhaps with Gemma or Tania - while she sorted something out. New Year’s Eve - that would be her final night in Totnes.

  “Would you spend it with me?” She was surprised that he even sounded unsure; after the last few weeks, after spending Christmas day together, she thought her answer would be obvious.

  “I’d love to.”

  Chapter 21

  The last day of the year, and it had its own kind of magic brewing - or so Lee thought. She woke up with anticipation; not quite as strong as that surrounding Christmas, but it was definitely there. She tried not to think about how she would spend New Year’s Day packing, saying goodbye and then driving back to Bristol - that was the future. There was no good worrying about it now.

  When James had suggested going to the big New Year’s Eve party at the pub opposite Carol’s Café - the one she had stayed in that first night in Totnes - Lee had felt it was the perfect end to her adventure. And when Gina said she was going to - well, it was the icing on the cake. She’d offered to open up alone as Gina would be in charge for the foreseeable future, until they could afford to pay someone else to help her manage the place, and so was up early before most of the town. Snow still lay everywhere, and as she walked to work - wanting to enjoy the scenery one last time - she smiled at the memory of the children (and big kids!) who had been sledding down the high street’s steep hill the day before, when the snow had happened to fall deep enough and thick enough for it to be possible. It had been many, many years since that had happened according to the locals, and the cars had stopped driving up the hill for the day, allowing all who wanted to to join in the festive fun.

  Now, however, the street was quiet as most people were still in bed. The shops weren’t yet open, the Christmas holidays were still in full swing for the kids, and the town had a peacefulness about it.

  She unlocked the door and set about the familiar tasks of getting the coffee machine ready, turning the till on and making sure the glasses and mugs were well stocked. Gina had done a decent amount of baking the day before, and so there were enough sweet treats in the store cupboard to stock the cake cabinet well.

  As soon as she flicked the sign to open and unlocked the door, she felt a sense of sadness descend; when would she be back here, after today? She didn’t know, and the thought was not a happy one.

  A customer soon appeared to take her mind off this, however, and when she raised her head at the tinkling sound of the bell, she grinned.

  “Val,” she said, “Did you have a nice Christmas? I haven’t seen you in a little while!” The ex-owner of the café took a seat, and Lee set about making her regular order.

  “I did dear, thank you - did you? This cold weather’s too much for me to be out that long, at my age!”

  “It was wonderful,” Lee said with a grin and a blush.

  “Oh? What made it so wonderful?”

  Lee finished the cappuccino with an extra dusting of chocolate and carried it over to where Val was sat. Since there weren’t yet any other customers, she took a seat. “Oh, you know, the festive spirit and all that.”

  “Hmm, the festive spirit? I heard a rumour you’d spent it with James Knight and his family!”

  “Where did you hear that?” Lee exclaimed - but she was grinning.

  “A very reputable source - his mother!”

  “Oh, okay then, yeah I did. It wasn’t exactly planned, but that’s how it turned out.”

  “Well you keep hold of him, dear - he’s one of the very good ones. Don’t get many like him anymore. Now, I’m here because of another rumour I heard - and not from James’ mother. Are you leaving tomorrow?”

  Lee nodded. “I’m afraid so. Reality calls…”

  “Oh, nonsense, you can choose your own reality! Which reality do you want?”

  That one threw Lee for a moment. Did she have a choice? And if she did - which one did she want? She was about to answer, when the front door opened and a family of three walked in.

  “Sorry Val, I’d better-”

  “You go, but think about what I’ve said. You’re part of Totnes now, and it’s part of you - that doesn’t just go away when the clock strikes midnight!”

  ***

  The words did stay with Lee, all through a busy day in the café (the last day of Christmas hot chocolates was proving very popular) and even while she walked home with Gina at the end of the day. It’s part of you - that certainly resonated with her. She didn’t think she’d ever felt as at home somewhere, ever felt as linked with a place as she did Totnes.

  “Do you know what you’re wearing tonight?” Gina asked, her breath forming wisps of smoke in front of her.

  “I’ve got this long sleeved, lacy black dress I was thinking about - but it is quite tight, I don’t know if it’s a bit much!”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve, and you’ve got a gorgeous figure and a date with a handsome cop. I don’t think it’ll be too much!”

  Lee laughed. “What about you?”

  “I’ve either got a red top with black jeans, or this dark green dress I picked up at the vintage place at the top of town last week. You know, the one that’s always packed with stuff? I think I’ll try both on - you can help me decide.”

  They spent a very enjoyable couple of hours getting ready together with music, wine and a running commentary on their clothing and make-up choices. As Lee curled her hair in the mirror, she found she couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed the getting read part so much. Somehow the curls seemed to hold in her normally poker straight hair; whether it was Gina’s curler, the Devon water or some kind of Christmas magic she didn’t know, but she was grateful for it.

  Gina walked into her room in an emerald green wrap dress, with long sleeves and a slight frill at the hem. It dipped low to show off her cleavage, and she’d paired it with a bold bronze necklace. “What do you think?” she asked. “Too much?”

  “Perfect,” Lee said, looking her up and down. “You look sensational. And as you said to me - it’s New Year’s Eve, nothing is too much! Don’t forget we’re walking down, so no killer heels!”

  “I can walk in killer heels, unlike you.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You wouldn’t mind if James stayed tonight, would you?” She hadn’t asked him yet, but it made sense for him to stay - after all, taxis would be few and far between on New Year’s Eve. Besides, she wanted him to stay. She needed to spend her last night living in Totnes with him.

  “As long as you keep it down!”

  “Mind out of the gutter please!” But she laughed
anyway. She pushed the bedroom door closed so she could take off her jeans and t-shirt and shimmy into the tight black dress. It hugged every curve, with long black lacy sleeves that would hopefully keep the worst of the cold out. She straightened it out, zipped it up and looked at the effect in the mirror. She planned to pair it with some knee-high black boots that Gina had offered to lend her. The outfit made her feel great, and she stopped caring whether it was over the top - and just hoped James would love it as much as she did.

  Gina was in the hallway, applying her make-up in the mirror that had the best light. She wolf-whistled when she saw Lee behind her, causing Lee to grin and blush.

  “James won’t be able to keep his hands off you - not that he ever can!”

  “Oh behave. Can I borrow that red lipstick of yours?”

  “Yeah, it’s on my dressing table.” Lee applied the lipstick carefully; it was brighter than she would normally go for, but Gina had suggested it since she was wearing an all-black outfit, and Lee had to admit the effect was striking. Her loosely curled hair fell around her face, and once she had slipped on the boots she felt ready for anything.

  Carefully, she sipped the end of her wine, waiting for Gina to be ready. They had agreed to meet James, as well as Gina’s friends Dan, Kelly and Lydia, at the pub.

  Wearing a pair of killer black heels that Lee wouldn’t have dared to walk downhill in, Gina appeared in the kitchen. “Right! Let’s say goodbye to this year in style!”

  ***

  It was, as Lee had been expecting, heaving in the pub. It seemed it was the key place for locals to celebrate the end of the year, followed by everyone piling into the street to sing Auld Lang Syne and welcome in the New Year. As soon as they entered, Lee spotted James sat in a booth by the door, chatting away to Gina’s friends who had already arrived. She watched him for a moment, his blond hair freshly washed, his blue shirt highlighting the muscles that she knew very well. He laughed at something Dan had said, and then happened to turn his head. Their eyes met, and for a second Lee felt like the whole world, the whole busy pub, stood still around her. There was only her and him in that second - until Gina grabbed her arm and dragged her through the crowd to the booth.

  “I’ll get the drinks,” Gina said. “What are you having?”

  “Vodka and orange, please,” Lee said, and while others placed their orders, she slid into the seat beside James.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  The others on the opposite side of the table were chatting amongst themselves; Lee felt James’ hand on her knee beneath the table and blushed.

  “You look sensational,” he said, and he leant in to kiss her in greeting - a kiss that would have definitely continued if they weren’t both mindful of the company they were in.

  “Thank you,” Lee said. “You look great in that shirt too.” Then, feeling surprisingly cheeky, perhaps because of the two glasses of wine she’d drunk while getting ready, she leaned in and whispered in his ear; “And I’m sure it’ll look great on my bedroom floor too.”

  His eyes widened, and then he laughed, a deep throaty laugh that Lee could feel vibrating through her. “Oh, Miss Davis, I think I’ve met my match in you.”

  He was saved thinking of a dirty reply when Gina reappeared with the drinks, complaining about some guy pushing ahead of her in the queue. In the end she’d given him such a lecture that he’d apologised and paid for her round - so she wasn’t too bothered about it after all.

  The night seemed to pass in a blur of drinks, stories, kisses and, by eleven o’clock, fairly loud music.

  “I think I’m drunk!” Lee said above the din, as she sang rather tunelessly along with the song.

  “Me too!” Gina replied - but neither seemed too upset by that fact.

  “We need to toast,” Lee said, looking round the table to make sure they all had drinks. “Before it’s midnight!”

  Everyone raised their glasses, and looked to Lee to decide what they were toasting. “To friendship, to romance, to Totnes!” she called, unsure if they could hear her or not. They raised their glass too, and she thought they repeated what she did - and she drank to those three things that she had discovered in the last two months.

  Suddenly, a voice was calling out over the PA system; “Ten minutes ‘til midnight, ten minutes ‘til midnight.”

  “Time to go outside,” James murmured in her ear, and the feeling of his warm breath against her skin made her whole body tingle with desire. “Time to ring in the New Year.”

  “I thought this was going to be the worst year - the worst Christmas - of my life,” Lee said, not sure if she was slurring slightly but carrying on regardless. “And then you came into my life James, and suddenly everything seems magical again. Thank you.” And they were outside, under the cold, starry sky, and they were kissing.

  “I think you’re drunk, Lee,” James said with a smile, as he traced a finger lightly down her nose and touched it to her lips.

  “I think I am too. But that doesn’t make any of it less true.”

  Hand in hand, they made it to the huge circle of Totnes residents who were stood at the bottom of the town, some of them right outside Carol’s Café.

  “Ten, nine, eight…” Lee looked round at this town, at the people she had got to know, at this feeling of community, and felt her heart almost glow with love for it all. She felt James’ hand in hers on one side, and Gina’s on the other as they all linked up to welcome in the new year.

  “Seven, six, five…” She’d left the Christmas lights on in the café so they could bring the last moments of Christmas cheer to the year, and she could see them twinkling across the road, lighting up the smiling faces around.

  “Four, three, two, one! Happy New Year!” Lee turned to James and saw the fireworks in the sky reflected in his eyes.

  “Happy New Year, Lee,” he said, and she didn’t have a chance to reply before his lips met hers and he dipped her back slightly in a heart-warming kiss as the sounds of Auld Lang Syne began to echo around them.

  She felt out of breath when their lips parted; James arms stayed around her waist and hers stayed around his neck, not caring who was around them or what they might think.

  “I think I’m falling in love with you Lee,” James said; he didn’t take his eyes from hers, but raised his hand to stroke an errant curl away from her eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go either,” she said, knowing it was the truth; knowing that every fibre in her body was against leaving this place and returning to her former life.

  “Then don’t?” It was a question, said with hesitation - but Lee found the answer on her lips almost instantly. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the vodka, making the words easier to say - but that didn’t change the fact that there was only one choice she could take; only one choice that, in her heart, she knew would make her happy.

  “Okay.” She saw the shock in his eyes, she saw his expression freeze, and then her mouth broke into a huge grin. “Okay! Okay! I’ll stay here.”

  “You will? Really?” James was smiling too now, a smile that lit up his eyes. “Lee, please don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

  “I don’t want to go. I have no home in Bristol, I don’t want to return to my life there - so why am I? I’m happy here. I’m happy with you.” She took a deep breath. “I’m falling in love with you, too, James.”

  In that moment, he lifted her, spinning her around as she giggled and laughed. Onlookers stared; Gina smirked; Lee felt like the breath had been taken from her.

  Finally he put her back down, and she was sure the dizziness wasn’t just from him spinning her. He took her head between his hands, and between kisses muttered the words: “Best. New Year. Ever.”

  1

  Lawyers and Lattes

  © Rebecca Paulinyi 2020

  Chapter 1

  A new year, a new start, and one hell of a hangover. Lee’s eyes blinked open and then quickly closed again as the light stream
ed in through the window and past her unclosed curtains. Her head felt a little like it was a spinning plate, about to be dropped; she took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. The year had certainly started off bright, with the morning sunlight casting beams of illumination across the floor that was littered with items of clothing. Lee blushed a little, remembering how they got there, not all that long after a midnight kiss at the bottom of the town.

  She rolled over and grinned at the sight that greeted her, despite the nausea that made her feel a little like she were on a rolling ship. Lying in a shaft of sunlight, blond hair glittering, lay the handsome figure of James Knight. She placed a hand on his bare chest, knowing full well that he had contributed at least half of the trail of clothes on the floor and was therefore completely naked under the covers. This was the first time she had woken up with him next to her in her own flat, and she couldn’t resist the urge to run a hand through his curly hair, with his head so close to hers on the pillow.