Christmas Promises at the Garland Street Markets: A feel good Christmas romance (New York Ever After, Book 5)

by Helen J Rolfe

  ‘Says the woman with the business, the market stalls, the family.’

  With a wry smile Cleo conceded, ‘Point taken.’

  Amelia turned to admire the tree again. ‘It’s beautiful, I love seeing it from the street, and it smells gorgeous. The pine scent is a real reminder of the season even though Christmas is weeks away.’ You couldn’t possibly forget the holiday season in a city where in almost every place you looked, each hidden corner, were decorations – twinkly lights, garlands, window displays – some huge, others smaller but no less impressive.

  ‘The tree came from Mitch’s farm,’ said Cleo.

  ‘The same Mitch you’ve earmarked for Kyle to give a hand to?’

  ‘The very same. And I’d have set you up with him if he wasn’t taken already. He’s just your type.’

  ‘Oh yeah, and what type is that?’

  ‘Good-looking, kind, spark of mischief about him.’

  She wasn’t sure Paul had ever fitted that description, and he had been her type until he ended things. ‘I hope he and Kyle get on.’

  ‘Mitch is very kind. He’ll have no problem warming to Kyle, and vice versa, I’m sure. And, like me, Mitch needs the help.’

  ‘Are you beginning to think you took on too much this year?’

  ‘Dylan thinks so, and I protested at first but he’s right. Having a market stall at Inglenook Falls is more than enough along with the store and running a family. But this was such an exciting opportunity. And it’s worked out well that Mitch signed up too – I have transport each way on most days, when it fits in with our timings. Dylan works from home so can get the kids from school, and it’s only short-term.’

  ‘But still, it must be exhausting.’

  ‘It is.’

  Amelia set her empty glass down on the table. ‘How’s your grandpa Joe?’

  ‘In his words, he’s hanging in there,’ Cleo laughed. ‘He’s getting older but he’s doing well, no real serious health issues even though he’s slowed down quite a lot.’

  ‘I’ll bet he’s excited about the wedding.’

  ‘He keeps going on about how he’ll be six feet under if Dylan and I put it off much longer.’

  ‘You are taking a while,’ Amelia grinned. ‘I was kind of hoping I could come for a holiday and be there for your wedding.’

  ‘We’re thinking of a winter wedding, next year.’

  Amelia couldn’t hold back the smile. ‘See now you’re going to make me have to visit again.’

  ‘Would you come?’

  ‘Try and stop me. I get the feeling one holiday in New York would never be enough, but I’d better start saving.’ And sort herself out at work too so she actually had a reliable income. Her behaviour lately hadn’t been within the parameters of the job description and while she hadn’t wanted to take a month off, it was probably the best idea when it was heavily suggested by her boss in a tone that brooked no argument.

  ‘Anyone new on the horizon?’ Cleo ventured. ‘Since Paul.’

  Amelia shook her head. ‘Nobody.’

  ‘Have you heard from him?’

  ‘Not apart from coordinating the collection of my things from the house when we broke up. Nothing since then.’

  ‘Do you miss him?’

  ‘I’ve been so busy I haven’t had much of a chance to think about it but, yes, I do miss him. He was in my life for years, it’s hard to adjust.’

  ‘I’m sure it is. And it takes time. How’s the flat?’

  ‘Getting there, feeling more like home again. It was weird to be back there after I’d rented it out, but I like it, I love the area. Vikram in the corner shop was delighted I’m back and he’s once again the source for my late-night packets of crisps or bottles of wine.’

  Cleo laughed out loud. ‘Sounds as though you’ve got the essentials covered. Who needs a man when Vikram can keep you in crisps and wine?’

  ‘Here we go.’ Darcy came back through to the lounge with serving plates and Amelia opened up the box of cupcakes. ‘See how good they look, Cleo. If I were you I’d pick some up, take them home and save yourself the bother of baking from scratch. Ruby will love them too.’

  Cleo shook her head. ‘I can’t, I’m going to have to bake,’ she insisted.

  ‘Up to you,’ Darcy shrugged, ‘but take it from someone who has very little time on her hands, I’d be the first in line to buy them rather than spend hours in the kitchen.’ She asked Amelia, ‘Any preference? You’re the guest of honour.’

  ‘I chose three different cakes, happy with any.’ She insisted Darcy had first choice as the host, then Cleo, who’d done her a huge favour lining up some work and accommodation, and took the third for herself. Indulging together in their frost-covered cupcakes piled high with swirly icing, red, white and green sprinkles, edible snowmen, Santa and snowflakes, they talked about life – Amelia’s work and her charge at her side for this holiday, Darcy’s love of the hotel industry and her investigations when it came to affording to buy the Inglenook Inn herself, Cleo’s ability to juggle parenthood with a business and still keep a level head. They giggled at the way Darcy and Myles had met, how they’d detested one another at the start. Amelia thought it all sounded very romantic and if she could have one ounce of these women’s happiness to ease the feeling of loneliness, she’d be right on track.

  Cleo ducked out to grab takeaway hot drinks for all of them as a special treat. Darcy had a caramel macchiato, Cleo had the same, claiming she needed a good energy boost, and Amelia had gone for a hot chocolate. Back with their orders, Cleo asked Amelia what else she wanted to do while she was in the city.

  ‘I want to see Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, the shops along Fifth Avenue, the tree at the Rockefeller Center is a must, the lights on all the famous stores.’

  ‘Don’t forget the Winter Village at Bryant Park,’ Darcy suggested, ‘it’s really pretty and they have some great stalls.’ When Cleo cleared her throat Darcy added, ‘Of course, nowhere near as good as the Garland Street winter markets.’

  ‘Garland Street isn’t far from here,’ Cleo elaborated. ‘There are different stalls, I’m in a good position, and it’s really friendly. Small compared to some of the markets in the city, but that makes it extra special, in my humble opinion.’

  ‘Was it expensive to rent a stall?’

  ‘It was, but I’m hoping it’ll be more than worth it. It’s been easy enough to set up the merchandise, and I’ve had plenty of footfall so far. I’ve enlisted help from another school mum to run my stall out in Inglenook Falls too, with Dylan on hand for any problems.’

  ‘And what about Mitch – are you sure he’ll have plenty for Kyle to do? It might not go down well if Kyle thinks Mitch is only humouring him by giving him work.’

  ‘Don’t worry, there’ll be lots for him to do,’ Cleo assured her. ‘Mitch owns and runs the Christmas tree farm out in Inglenook Falls and this year he’s busier than ever with that. He also does a bit of painting and makes picture frames and so the market stall is something new. He has a son who can help out a bit at weekends and another boy, Jude, who can divide his time between Inglenook Falls and here, but I sense he’ll still be crazy busy in the city so don’t worry, Kyle won’t get bored.’

  ‘How does Kyle feel about helping Mitch with the market stall?’ Darcy ventured.

  ‘I don’t think he was entirely surprised I’d lined something up for him. And he seemed relieved I wasn’t going to make him help out with selling wool and knitting paraphernalia. He was much more willing when I explained his job would involve Christmas trees. He got all excited he might get to use an axe or chainsaw until I explained the trees would be chopped down already and he’d be helping to set up the stall, helping customers make a selection, all the boring stuff I think he’d prefer to avoid. I just hope he behaves himself with Mitch.’

  ‘Mitch won’t stand for any trouble,’ Darcy put in. ‘He’ll keep him in line. If I were you I’d be more worried about what a seventeen-year-old boy will make of all the store
s you intend to visit.’

  ‘I haven’t told him the half of it yet,’ Amelia grinned.

  ‘What’s Kyle like? Is he all spotty and stroppy? What?’ Darcy had earned a look from Cleo. ‘From memory my brother Tate was both of those things at that age. He’s normal now, we get on well, but at the time it was steer clear unless you wanted your head bitten off.’

  Amelia dismissed Cleo’s concern that Darcy had insulted her. ‘No offence taken. And he no longer has spots, but he has got stroppiness in spades. As you already know, he’s had some challenges and I’m hoping this holiday will get him away from everything and allow him a bit of perspective. I want him to realise he’s a good person, he needs to believe in himself.’

  ‘You’re as amazing as this one then.’ Darcy tapped Cleo’s knee. ‘I’m not very good with kids. Myles and I looked after Cleo’s baby Tabitha once, it was horrendous.’

  ‘You coped!’ Cleo assured her.

  ‘We lost Tabitha’s favourite cuddly toy in Central Park.’

  Amelia couldn’t help but laugh. ‘It could’ve happened to anyone.’

  ‘But it happened to us. We were so stressed.’

  ‘Well, Kyle is beyond cute cuddly toys,’ said Amelia, ‘but I think I’d sometimes take a baby or toddler wailing rather than the emotional warfare of a teenage boy.’

  ‘Your sister is lucky you’re so involved,’ said Darcy.

  ‘She is,’ Cleo agreed, taking the lid off her takeaway cup and tipping it back to get the last dregs of her drink. ‘I was a terrible teen, I remember it well. I was horrible to everyone around me when my mum died, and half the time I didn’t even realise I was doing it.’

  Amelia relaxed among friends, old and new. And when she finally bundled herself up against the cold again after Rupert made them all a hot cider before they went on their way, Amelia headed back to the apartment, through the swarms of shoppers and commuters, people out to take in the wonders of Christmas in the city, with the feeling this would be a holiday to remember.

  She wasn’t wrong.

  She opened the door to the apartment to find Kyle lounging on the sofa, iPad on his lap, bottle of vodka in one hand. His jaw dropped; he was well aware he’d been caught red-handed.

  She snatched the bottle from his hand and at the same time saw a face on the iPad. ‘Who’s that?’

  ‘A mate.’ He clicked to hang up the call but not before Amelia saw the face again, the tattooed neck of Derek, idiot extraordinaire, so-called friend of Kyle’s but the biggest bad influence on the planet, who Amelia thought was still under lock and key at Her Majesty’s pleasure.

  She snatched the iPad away.

  ‘Are you trying to suck all the fun out of my life?’ he roared at her.

  She held the bottle of vodka aloft, some of it slopping out. ‘Damn right I’ll put a stop to this sort of fun. You’re underage in England, you’re well underage here. Where did you even get it?’

  ‘I found it in the back of the kitchen cabinet.’

  ‘So you stole it.’

  ‘You told me yourself, nobody has lived here for a long time. I don’t think anyone will miss a bit of vodka.’

  ‘Not really the point, is it?’ She screwed the top back on. At least it was half full – he couldn’t have had all that much seeing as he wasn’t slurring and stood his ground in front of her right now. She’d got well versed at spotting the signs of underage drinking, knowing when someone was spinning her a story. It was par for the course in her job, and she’d seen Kyle drunk before, more than once. No wonder Connie had fallen apart when it happened, because it was horrible. He’d been a mean drunk, out for trouble like the loser mates he’d hooked up with, including the guy he’d just been talking to.

  She set the bottle down in the kitchenette. ‘You’ve let me down and we only just got here.’

  ‘I let everyone fucking down! What, do you expect me to hold your hand and skip around New York for the next few weeks?’

  ‘No, but I would hope for a little bit of respect.’

  ‘Yeah, well you shouldn’t have any expectations as far as I’m concerned. I told you, I’m not worth bothering about.’

  Her attempts to diffuse the situation fell on deaf ears when he stormed off to his bedroom and gave the door an almighty slam.

  In the still of the lounge Amelia sank into the sofa. Right now she wished she had accepted Rupert’s offer of a double Baileys, the option Darcy had gone for as she neared the end of her own working day. Then at least it might have softened the blow of finding Kyle.

  Over the years, Amelia had built a strong bond with Kyle and for the most part she’d enjoyed having him around. When he was little she’d taken him to the park to play football, she’d pushed him on the swings, even got to know other mums who assumed Kyle was hers. Sometimes she hadn’t even corrected them. It wasn’t until the last couple of years, when Kyle’s life became more problematic and Connie relied on her even more, that Amelia had begun to really question who the parent was supposed to be. But by that time she was so close to Kyle that saying no to her sister would be saying no to him too. And she couldn’t bear the thought of that. He didn’t have many people in his corner as it was.

  Her fingers hovered on her phone as she pondered whether to tell Connie about this, the fact he was in contact with someone who spelled trouble, how she’d caught him with alcohol again.

  But she put her phone down, and after doing her teeth took herself off to bed and oblivion.

  Maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

  Chapter Five

  Cleo

  ‘I hate you!’ Ruby shrieked at the top of her voice before running in tears from the kitchen at their home in Connecticut.

  Cleo opened the pantry door again in the vain hope that the ingredients to make cupcakes had magically appeared and had been hiding in there all along. They had one egg, no self-raising flour, only demerara sugar and the icing sugar packet was light enough you could’ve assumed it was empty. She’d meant to check what they had and then go to the store yesterday if necessary, but somehow, in between running the market stalls, the Little Knitting Box and making sure she’d posted all of her holiday cards to England, it had completely slipped her mind. Ruby had set her alarm this morning to get up extra early and make them before school so they’d be fresh, and she’d been in the kitchen tying on her apron when Cleo sat up in bed remembering what she’d promised. She’d come down to get started and realising they didn’t have the ingredients had been like taking a blow to the stomach, the pain enhanced when Ruby screamed at her.

  ‘She didn’t mean it.’ Dylan’s comforting hand rested on Cleo’s shoulder. He’d been working in the study but Ruby’s voice would’ve alerted someone from three streets away, it was that loud and venomous.

  She shrugged him off. ‘I’ll drive down to the bakery, see what I can find. I don’t have to send twenty-four cupcakes like Ruby wanted, a small container of a few will be enough.’ It wouldn’t be for Ruby, who was devastated, but it would at least be an effort on her part. She wished Ruby had mentioned the cupcakes again yesterday but she’d been at her mum’s after school, no doubt with Prue in her ear about Daddy’s other half and how she’d never measure up. There was a brief time Cleo had thought Prue had moved on enough to be mature, to the point where if her own kids were having trouble accepting Cleo, Prue would reason with them and be on Cleo’s side. But no such luck. Prue had always liked to cause trouble, and she wouldn’t mind betting Ruby would soon be telling her all about this little mishap.

  She grabbed her purse and called up the stairs to Ruby, asked her if she’d like to come and help her find something, but she got no answer.

  ‘Leave her to calm down. She needs to shower and get ready for school anyway, and by the time she’s done that you’ll be back from the bakery with the cakes.’ Dylan wrapped Cleo in an enormous hug. It was hard to stay mad at him for long. Not that she really was; it was more frustration that he didn’t seem to get how scary it was for
her to have Ruby, who had always got on with her famously, suddenly turning against her.

  Cleo, thankful the bakery opened so early, didn’t take long to return with a good selection of cupcakes, fit for any school bake sale. Some had swirls of chocolate icing on top of fluffy sponge bases, others vanilla, and all of them had pretty stars and heart decorations in silvers and golds. They would sell just as well as anything they made here.

  Ruby stayed upstairs until it was time to leave for school. Ordinarily she would’ve been in the kitchen chatting away, but not today. When she appeared Cleo was transferring the cupcakes from their cardboard carriers to a Tupperware box. She wasn’t trying to pass them off as homemade but at least this way Ruby might not feel so uncomfortable. She turned to Ruby waiting for a relieved smile but she didn’t get one.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Cleo asked as Ruby’s face fell when she saw the cupcakes.

  ‘They’re not Christmas cupcakes.’

  That hadn’t been in the brief. ‘No, you didn’t mention they should be.’

  ‘Duh, it’s nearly Christmas. And I told you.’ She hadn’t. ‘Now I’m going to look stupid, because I’ll be the only one who forgot.’ Her little voice shook and rose as she hurled accusations.

  ‘Ruby, that’s enough.’ Dylan had come into the kitchen and judging by his face was surprised at how much his daughter was acting up.

  ‘I told her, Dad. I told her they had to be Christmas cupcakes.’

  ‘Whether you did or you didn’t isn’t really important, you still shouldn’t talk to Cleo that way.’

  Face screwed up in anger, Ruby snatched up her packed lunch and made for the door.

  Cleo and Dylan exchanged a look. ‘We need to talk to her.’ He’d echoed Cleo’s thoughts and she didn’t dissuade him this time. But where did they start? ‘She can’t keep being like this.’ His lips brushed her cheek before he followed after Ruby with the Tupperware container.