Chapter 1
Three weeks to Christmas
Ishivered as I let myself into Jules’s flat, relieved to be getting out of the cold. In all my thirty-four years I’d never been a fan of winter and already looked forward to the advent of spring. “It’s only me,” I called out, as Frank, the dog, raced down the hall to greet me. The sight of his wagging tail, big floppy ears, and stumpy legs, brought a smile to my face. “Hello, boy,” I said. I watched him dig his feet in to stop, but, as usual when it came to Frank and smooth surfaces, it was too little, too late. I made my way into the lounge and the poor thing slid straight past me.
I popped the key Jules had given me into my handbag with one hand, while carrying a potted plant in the other. Knowing how fed up she had to be, I fixed a smile on my face as I entered the room, determined to lift her spirits. “For you,” I said, holding out my gift.
Stuck in her seat, my friend chuckled, looking surprisingly content under the circumstances. “A cactus?” she said, clearly amused by my choice of gift.
“A Christmas cactus to be precise,” I replied, nodding for her to take it. “Or, as the woman in the florist called it,Schlumbergera bridgesii.”
Frank plonked himself down on the rug while Jules admired her plant. “Thank you,” she said. “It’s…” My friend pondered a moment, as if trying to find the right word. “Interesting.” She placed it to one side.
“You seem chirpy, considering.” I took off my gloves and stuffed them into my coat pockets. “I thought you’d be weeping into your cushion by now.” Jules had never been one to sit still, even more so at Christmas. Whereas I had what she called an aversion to all things festive, Jules loved the excitement of running around here, there and everywhere, organising the perfect Yuletide. Finding herself not just housebound but chair-bound, and for longer than anticipated, prevented her from doing that. I’d expected her to be devastated, not sitting there with a smile on her face.
“Unlike me,” Jules said, “you’ve never experienced the delights of daytime television. Thanks to shows like this…” she gestured to the TV, “I now know how to bake the perfect plum pudding, choose the ideal party dress according to my shape and size, and can solve a nine-letter festive-themed conundrum in under sixty seconds.” She picked up the remote and turned off her latest viewing choice. “Later this afternoon, I’ll be learning how to turn someone’s trash into treasure. You get the gist? Making a light fitting out of an old bicycle. That kind of thing.”
I giggled at Jules’s enthusiasm. “So I needn’t have wasted my money on these, then?” I said.
As I reached into my bag and pulled out a box of chocolates, my friend’s face broke into a grin. “Now we’re talking,” she replied, keener on my second offering than my first.
While Jules tore into the chocolates, I took in her leg which lay propped up on the coffee table. I could almost feel the weight of the huge, thick plaster cast that stretched from her toes to her thigh. I took off my hat and scarf and tossed them over the back of the sofa before plonking myself down. “Did they say how much longer it would be on for?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. In layman’s terms the tibia and fibula aren’t knitting properly. I have to go back in a couple of weeks. The orthopaedist will take it from there.” She stuffed an orange cream into her mouth.
“Maybe next time you’ll switch the light on when you put the rubbish out,” I said.
“How was I supposed to know how icy it would be? Anyway, from now on, Harry’s on bin duty.” Jules grimaced. “It’s one thing to go flying like I did, but I can still hear the snapping sound when my leg twisted.”
I automatically reached down and rubbed the top of my shin, cringing at the thought.
Jules, however, appeared oblivious to my discomfort and quickly moved the conversation on. “Coffee?” she asked, matter of fact.
Watching her reach down the side of her chair and produce a flask and then two mugs, I couldn’t help but smile. “Good to know Harry’s taking care of you,” I said. “Making sure you have everything you need.”
“Honestly, he’s been an angel. Do you know how many times that man has helped me to the bathroom? Using these…” She pointed to a pair of crutches. “I can’t even pull down my own knickers.”
Doing my best to shake the image she’d just conjured, I glanced around. “Where is he, by the way?” He usually popped his head into the room to say hello when I called in.
“At the office. He’s gone to pick up some files.”
She poured us both a drink and while I sipped on mine, Jules proceeded to glug. “You might want to slow down with that,” I said. Happy to help in most respects, there were some jobs Harry could keep. “I thought he’d taken time off?”
“He had. But seeing as we’re stuck at home for the foreseeable, there’s no point in him wasting his leave.” Jules indicated her leg. “That’s the worst part of all this. Having to postpone our trip.”
Another reason why Jules deserved my sympathy, she had a lot to sort out following her aunt’s death.
“I was really looking forward to getting away. To spending Christmas not just in the snow, but in proper snow. Do you know how long it’s been since we had a holiday?”
No matter what life threw at her, Jules had always had the ability to put a positive slant on things. But even she had to know that seeing their trip as a vacation was a stretch too far. “Jules, sorting out your dead aunt’s house isn’t the same as going on a jolly.”
“Every cloud and all that…”
I stared at her incredulously.
“What?” Jules let out a laugh. “It’s not as if Aunt Lillian didn’t have a good innings. The woman was well into her nineties and had had a fantastic life. To be honest, I’m surprised she left the house to me at all. I fully expected it to go to some weird dog sledding charity or bumblebee conservation trust. She was a bit like you that way.”
“Meaning?”
