Instinctively I reached over and hugged them both in a group hug. ‘Don’t worry about it. It’s all ancient history now.’ I paused. ‘Well, not ancient in the manner we’re used to but you know what I mean.’
She dragged up a half-hearted smile. ‘We do.’
‘Come on, let’s get you that tea.’
‘Oh my word!’ Dad exclaimed as we turned into my office. Mum’s mouth was open. Finn’s décor had apparently rendered her speechless.
‘The picture I sent didn’t really do it justice, I’m afraid. You can really only get the full experience in person.’ I looked around the room now, tinsel wrapped around any available post or table leg, festive garlands edging both of our desks, enough fairy lights to illuminate a small country, a highly decorated tree and a three foot tall, once laughing but now silent, Father Christmas. That particular display had lasted about half an hour before I’d removed the batteries. I had my limits.
‘This is… ummm…’
‘A touch over the top?’
Mum and Dad remained speechless, apparently unwilling to say anything about what they obviously thought was my own handiwork. It occurred to me that I hadn’t explained in the attached message that I’d personally had nothing to do with the new look my workplace was now sporting.
‘No, I mean, it’s… very… umm… Christmassy.’
Giggles bubbled up inside me and I could no longer contain them.
‘It’s fine. You can’t offend me. I felt exactly the same when I walked in to find it like this.’
‘Someone else decorated your office?’
‘Yes.’ My parents looked horrified. ‘But,’ I hurried on, ‘it’s OK. I’m sharing it at the moment and they did check with my boss before they did it.’
‘But surely they should have checked with you?’
‘They wanted it to be a surprise.’
Mum looked around. ‘I can imagine it was certainly that.’
‘I’m actually rather fond of it now,’ I assured her, realising as I said it that I truly was.
They both nodded, once again temporarily at a loss for words. I took the opportunity to sit them down before I nipped off to the kitchen to make some drinks, suggesting they make themselves at home as I did so. Both turned to me withmirroring expressions of stunned bemusement and I left the room, chuckling quietly to myself.
When I returned, three museum-branded mugs balanced precariously on a tray, my eyes glued to them as I tried not to remember my one and only attempt at waitressing years ago, I heard laughter drifting out from the office and wondered if Inis had run into my parents. But then I heard the familiar, deep tones that always sent darts of heat to places that should remain resolutely cool during work hours.
‘Hi!’ Finn was already up, crossing the office in a couple of strides and lifting the tray from me.
‘Sorry. I didn’t realise you were here or I would have made you one.’
‘No problem. I’ve just had one downstairs.’
I handed out the mugs. ‘I see you’ve met Finn.’
‘Yes,’ Mum said, all smiles. Finn could charm the apples off a tree. ‘We were admiring his choice of décor.’
Finn let out a chuckle. ‘I’m not sure admiring is the right word. They were both sat here open-mouthed when I walked in.’
‘It’s quite something.’
His eyes roamed around the grotto tableau he’d created. ‘I guess. But Elizabeth was great about it. And I think it’s grown on her.’ He looked down at me before his eyes drifted to the Father Christmas figure. ‘Most of it anyway.’
‘That’s true. Although I fear it’s going to look terribly bare when it all comes down after Christmas.’
He shrugged. ‘It’s always that way with decorating at Christmas though, isn’t it? Just makes you look forward to the next one even more.’
Both my parents suddenly found great interest in their tea and I studied a vital Post-It note on my desk as I moved around to sit down on my chair. Even that had tinsel on the gas strut. Honestly, the man had covered every single inch. It wasprobably a good thing I hadn’t been in here at the time. If I’d have stood still for a couple of minutes I’d have been decorated too!
