Page 84 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

Libby followed his gaze to where a gazebo had been placed nearby. She hadn’t spotted it before, she realised. As they walked towards it, she realised that it had been decorated with Christmas swags and holly wreaths, in keeping with the rest of the platform.

Ethan went behind the table and fiddled with something on the floor. Suddenly, the whole gazebo was lit up with fairy lights.

‘It’s amazing,’ she told him, hardly believing that she finally had her own stall where she could sell her very own chocolate.

‘Well, it’s all down to Katy, really,’ said Ethan, with a shrug. ‘I just suggested it.’

‘And did the wiring so that I’ve got lights,’ she said.

‘And a heater too,’ he muttered. ‘You know, it gets cold out here.’

‘Why?’ she asked softly.

He groaned, finally making eye contact. ‘You know why, Libs. You’re my oldest friend.’

She baulked at the word friend. His kisses had told her that she was so much more to him and yet she knew that was what he was telling himself as he tried to deal with his relationship demons.

Perhaps it would be enough to be just friends, she tried to tell herself. She knew that she wanted so much more from him but if he couldn’t give her all of his heart, then perhaps it was better that they stay as friends. Because she would rather have him in her life as a friend than not at all.

‘Well, thank you,’ she told him.

‘You’re welcome.’

There was another short silence and then they both spoke at once.

‘Well, I should probably…’ said Libby.

‘I should get back home…’ began Ethan.

They exchanged a smile, but neither of them carried on talking, so they made their silent way back down the platform, with only the whisper of the wind in the trees making any noise.

50

The next few weeks spun past in a whirl, it seemed to Ethan. Like everything, the best things always seemed to rush by too fast.

The Christmas train was a huge success. The local television news on the first night had brought so much publicity that they had had to put on a train nearly every night to keep up with demand.

His dad and grandad were thrilled and, even better, Eddie seemed to thrive along with the Christmas train. He had more of a spring in his step with each day and had begun to take a daily walk with Philip to Cranbridge and back. He was even planning to join them in the driver’s cab for the Christmas Eve run.

Ethan knew how important that particular night, the very last night, of the Christmas train was to his grandad. It was the anniversary of the proposal to his late wife. The culmination of his grandad’s long-held dream. Ethan was keeping everything crossed that his grandad would be well enough for that journey.

The train was bringing much prosperity to Cranfield and Ethan was glad that everyone was benefitting. Platform 1 had had a huge bump in customers, thanks to the train passengers discovering both the cosy coffee shop and their delicious pizzas.

Harriet had never been busier in her lavender spa and had set up a stall selling her lavender products alongside Libby’s.

Libby’s temporary chocolate shop was also a success. She could barely keep up with the demand for her chocolate trains and so was using his kitchen every day, working to create even more of her delicious chocolate. His home now smelled of cocoa, sweet and welcoming, hitting him in the senses whenever he headed through the front door. But it wasn’t chocolate he was craving. It was Libby.

Her friends had given her an apron as a gift which said Kiss The Cook on the front. He was shocked by how much he wanted to do that exact thing. But he continued to hold back, deliberately keeping their conversations light and the length of the kitchen between them at all times.

It was better this way, he told himself, no matter how he longed to kiss her again and again.

His mother’s words that love would bring him no joy still weighed heavy on him. She had repeated the sentiment over and over and he had seen first hand how miserable both his parents had been in the marriage, despite declaring that they loved each other. Love would never have a place in his heart, he told himself.

But despite his feelings, he still couldn’t keep away from Libby. So on the morning of Christmas Eve, he found himself offering to walk along to Platform 1 with her for an early coffee.

‘I’ve got so much to do today, making sure I’ve got enough stock for tonight,’ Libby told him as they went down Railway Lane. ‘Did I tell you that I’ve got an order for ten boxes of truffles for a New Year’s party! I can’t believe how quickly business has taken off.’

Her blue eyes shone with the thrill of the success of her business and he found himself temporarily mesmerised until he almost walked into a lamppost.