It had been some years since I had been on a sledge. I trudged up the hill and wondered whether I would feel the same levels of crazy excitement as I did when I was a child. On top of the hill, they came rushing back. With a huge grin on my face, I jumped on the sledge and whizzed down the hill. It was fantastic to get a rush of excitement. Ben and Rosie clapped and cheered as I brought the sledge to a dramatic stop in a snow drift. I was laughing so much I didn’t care about how much snow I was coated in.
‘Wow, that was impressive,’ exclaimed Ben. ‘You really are a speed demon.’
‘You better watch out.’
We took turns to go down the hill. I kept an eye on Rosie and Humphrey whilst Ben showed me what he called his sledging moves. Rosie and I were not impressed and laughed as we turned down our thumbs at his performance. I had another go on my own and Rosie gave me an instant thumbs up. She turned to her father. ‘Can I go down with Rachel?’
He nodded and I raced after Rosie who was giggling her way up to the top. She let me put my arms around her and warm tingles shot up my spine. I made sure I took a slower route down the hill, but Rosie still enjoyed herself.
After a few more turns, we were all pink-faced and weary. ‘Do you fancy going for a coffee?’ Ben asked as we trudged back to his van. ‘Mum says I can drop Rosie back at the cottage as they are doing some Christmas baking.’
I smiled at him, and he held my gaze. ‘I’d like that.’
Rosie tugged on my coat. ‘Can Humph-Wee stay with me and Nana?’
Ben looked to me for approval before agreeing. ‘As long as you keep him in the kitchen and make sure he doesn’t escape.’
Rosie nodded. ‘He will be a good boy.’
Once we’d dropped Rosie and an excited Humphrey off, Ben drove to a farm shop and café a few miles out of Harp Brook. Luckily the main road out of the village had been gritted overnight.
We took our seats as our drinks were being made for us.
‘Ben, this morning was a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting me.’ Sitting near him over a little table, staring into his eyes and thinking about those large hands of his filled my chest with that familiar fluttering sensation.
A cheeky boyish smile swept across his face, and I had to stop myself from reaching out to skim his cheeks with my fingers. He said, ‘I think the next time we go sledging, it should just be me and you.’
I grinned. ‘You want a race?’
He nodded. ‘Sure do. I want to race the speed demon.’
A waitress brought our coffees. Ben stirred in a cube of sugar. He lifted his face to mine. ‘I want to know more about you, Rachel.’
‘There’s not a lot to tell,’ I said, with a chuckle. ‘I was made redundant earlier this year and have struggled to get another job, so I have been busy collecting interview rejection emails. My flat ceiling is leaking so when I have not been reading an email which starts with, “Thanks for applying for this role…” and ends with “but no thanks”, I have also been collecting buckets of water.’
He smiled at my sarcasm. ‘Your life is going well then?’
I laughed. ‘Amazing.’
After taking a sip of his coffee, he put his hands flat on the table. ‘Look, I have a confession to make.’
‘A confession?’ My voice crackled.
His eyes held mine for far longer than necessary. ‘I think we’ve met before.’
‘Ben, I don’t think we’ve met before.’
He took a deep breath. ‘Perhaps the word,met,is misleading.’ His fingers nervously tapped the table. ‘Earlier this year an old friend of mine tried to set me up…’
I knew what he was going to say. Oh God, he was Olivia’s friend from uni. It was Ben. ‘You’re Olivia’s friend – aren’t you?’
He nodded and I noticed his eyes had become watery. ‘She… ummm…’
Instinctively I reached out and touched his hand. ‘I know, Ben. Olivia was my flatmate and one of my best mates.’ Tears rushed to my eyes and spilt down my cheeks. ‘I miss her so much, Ben.’
Within seconds he was up from his seat and pulling me into his strong arms. I pressed my face into his shoulder and sobbed. His hug eased some of the pain inside my chest. When I eventually looked up, I saw that his cheeks and eyes were damp. He let me go and we returned to our seats, looking a little awkward.
He spoke first. ‘Olivia sent me a photo of you and her. I didn’t recognise you until we were stood on the steps to the house.’
