‘At least you had a month of dating under your belt,’ I said with a chuckle. ‘Those two have met three times.’
Kay laughed and I showed her to the queue for the food. She looked around the hallway and at the dramatic staircase. ‘This house is so beautiful.’
‘Thanks.’
‘It would make a great restaurant,’ she said. ‘People would love to eat amongst all this splendour and they’d love this buffet style of dining.’
I looked around. Kay did have a point. There were two sides to the house, which could transform into two different dining experiences. ‘That’s a good idea, Kay.’
She nodded. ‘Harp Brook needs somewhere fancy. Plus, you have the grounds so that would work in the summer.’
My heartbeat quickened as I envisioned the east wing serving traditional food and the west wing Mediterranean cuisine with dishes like fish, smoky lamb, vegetable tagine and meatballs. It was a few seconds before my mind reminded me this was Frank and Maddie’s home.
The downstairs was packed. People were milling in the hall, in both living rooms and on the stairs. Grandpa had turned on the Christmas music and Rosie and the twins were handing out crackers.
Humphrey was being stroked by a group of ladies, Kay was talking to a friend and Darren was showing everyone photos of his new baby son.
Ben tapped me on the arm as I headed for the kitchen. ‘You need to see who is at the front door.’
‘Who?’
I raced to the hallway to find Vanessa, Denise, her children, and a young man who must be Ryan. Vanessa handed me a bottle of wine. ‘Peace offering. Mum says we should all be friends after what you did for her.’
I took it from her, and she nudged Denise. ‘Sorry. I have told Denise’s boy to be nice to Rosie.’
Vanessa looked at me. ‘Say no if you like, but is there any Christmas food left? The energy company are struggling to get the power back on.’
It was Christmas Day, and I didn’t want to see them go hungry. Maybe this would go some way to repairing the rift between our two families. With a half-smile I steered them into the hallway.
As they joined the queue, I saw several people with open mouths and wide eyes fixed on Vanessa and her family at the Baxter Manor House eating Christmas lunch.
Ben came up to join me and I felt his arm circle my waist. ‘Wow, you’ve achieved the unthinkable.’
As I leaned in for a kiss, I caught Denise staring at us.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
We’d finally reached the pudding course. My leftover Yule log and mince pies from the previous day came in useful. I had managed to make a bowl of Eton Mess and little chocolate mousses. Aunty Bev had also found a ready-made cheesecake and trifle in one of the fridges. The pudding queue was getting shorter, and I was looking forward to everyone going home. Every part of me ached and I was struggling to suppress a yawn. Once they all left, I would start the clean-up operation and then sink into a hot foam bath. Ben was helping Rosie lift a piece of Yule log onto her plate.
A hand tapped me on the shoulder. I whirled around to see Denise’s icy stare. ‘I see you’ve nicked my man.’
I stepped back in shock. ‘Your man?’
‘Everyone knows I have had a thing for Ben,’ she hissed. ‘I might have known a bloody Baxter would step in and take him away from me.’
‘He’s not your property, Denise.’
She looked away and muttered something under her breath.
‘Please eat your food and go, Denise,’ I said, cursing myself for feeling charitable.
She leaned in. ‘A mother at school has also been messaging him, plus there’s another woman he’s in contact with.’
‘Go away, Denise.’
She laughed. ‘See you around, Rachel.’
Ben looked up at me and I averted my eyes to the floor. In my head I could hear Sam’s voice. It was happening again. Why had I let my guard down? Hot and emotional I raced out of the kitchen
