Page 45 of The Cotswold Christmas Bookshop

‘Just go and enjoy yourself. What wouldn’t I do for a romantic evening with a hot guy,’ Penny said, sticking her tongue into her cheek and fanning her face dramatically with her hand. ‘I remember those heady days.’ Penny was happily married with two children, but Isla knew her social life was pretty non-existent, much like Isla’s, but at least Penny had a good excuse. ‘Besides, he’s not asking you to marry him; it’s just a cosy dinner for two. I always think it’s the things you don’t do in life that you might regret later so change your mindset and go and have a fabulous time. Who knows, this might be the start of something special.’

Later, Isla tried to keep in mind Penny’s positive words as she gave one final glance in the mirror at her appearance.

Downstairs, Jake was hovering in the hallway, waiting for her, car keys in hand.

‘Hey, look at you! You look great.’

‘Do I?’ she said with an uncharacteristic lack of confidence. ‘It’s not too much?’

She’d opted for a black knitted dress with a gold sparkle detail, the layer of bright-red lipstick popping in her reflection, offering a seasonal and dramatic splash of colour.

‘Absolutely perfect, I’d say,’ her brother uttered with a grin. ‘Come on, shall we get a move on? Remember to text me when you want collecting. I’m not going anywhere tonight so whenever you’re ready.’

Guy’s place wasn’t far from the family home. It was on the way out of the village, and definitely walkable in daylight, but it was down a dark and winding narrow lane so she was grateful to her brother for offering to act as chauffeur tonight. So much less embarrassing than having her dad drive her to and from her date.

As the house came into view, she actually let out a low whistle. It was a contemporary, single-storey, stone-faced barn, with floor-to-ceiling picture windows with striking pendant lights offering a view into the modern interior. Climbing out of the car, she gave a wave to Jake, hurried over the gravel driveway and knocked on the door.

‘Hey, you found me! Welcome, come along in.’

Seeing Guy standing on the threshold with a smile on his face eased her nerves. He greeted her with a warm hug, kissing her on both cheeks, before ushering her quickly indoors, out of the cold night air. The welcome from Lottie was even more effusive as she danced around at Isla’s feet, the dog’s paws tapping excitedly against the wooden floor.

‘Hello, Lottie, it’s so lovely to see you too. I’m afraid I haven’t got Oscar with me today, but I’m sure you can smell him on me.’ She laughed, as Lottie’s nose was working in overdrive as she sniffed at Isla’s feet. ‘This place is amazing,’ she said, looking all around her, impressed by everything that she could see. The house was open plan with the layout sectioned off into different living areas. There was a sleek, functional kitchen with a central island which led onto a cosy living room with a couple of sofas either side of a large, multicoloured rug, in front of a glowing woodburning stove. At the other end of the space was an office set-up with a large desk and chair in front of a picture window overlooking the rural landscape. Beside the desk was a dog bed and Isla smiled, picturing the pair of them together as Guy worked. She imagined it would be incredibly quiet and peaceful working there, although the view out of the window would act as a major distraction. Alongside the end wall was a shelving display and Isla’s gaze was immediately taken by the framed photographs and array of silverware. She couldn’t stop herself from wandering over to take a closer look.

‘Are these your trophies from your footballing days?’ she asked, turning to look at Guy, amazed at how many of them there were.

‘Some of them,’ he said from the other side of the room where he was pouring fizz into glasses. ‘My mum has got a couple of plastic boxes full in her garage.’

‘Wow! And these photos of you. They’re incredible!’ There were solo pictures of him in his football kit, some with his teammates and action shots caught in mid-air, as he kicked the ball at an angle into the goal.

‘Yeah, I thought I was pretty invincible then. That I had everything in front of me, but sometimes, life has other plans in store for you.’ There wasn’t an edge of sadness or bitterness to his words; he spoke matter-of-factly, but then she supposed it was a long time ago now.

‘Anyway, come and have a drink.’ He indicated to the two flutes he’d poured, sitting on the island, and she wandered back across, where he handed her a glass.

‘A bellini. I hope that’s okay for you?’

‘Perfect,’ she said with a smile.

‘Well, thank you for coming, and welcome. You look absolutely stunning,’ he said appreciatively. ‘Anyway, here’s to a good evening. And congratulations on the new job.’ He raised his glass to hers, and she returned the gesture, their eyes locking over the top of their glasses.

‘Thank you. It’s lovely to be here.’

The combination of the peach purée and Prosecco was delightfully refreshing on her palate and with that first sip, she felt some of the stresses of the week flutter away. It was on the tip of her tongue to talk about the bookshop, and Jonathan and Miriam, but she didn’t want to get the evening off to a bad start, especially when Guy had clearly gone to a lot of effort. Something was gently simmering in a frying pan on the hob, and the aromas of olive oil, garlic and rosemary wafting in the air taunted her taste buds.

‘So, when do you start then?’

She looked at him oddly, not quite understanding what he meant, until he reiterated. ‘The new job?’

‘Oh, yes. I’m undecided as of yet.’ She said it airily, as though it was of little consequence. To be honest, it hadn’t been uppermost in her mind. It was almost as though she’d compartmentalised the job into her other life, the one that took place in London. She’d only been away for a few weeks, but it was as if that life belonged to someone else entirely.

‘Undecided on the job or when to start?’ There was a curious glint in his eye, the corner of his mouth upturned as he awaited her response.

‘Both,’ she said, realising the truth of it. Isla helped herself to one of the delicious Parmesan biscuits that Guy had placed in a bowl. They melted in the mouth and were extremely moreish. She couldn’t resist taking another one. ‘Your Christmas tree is beautiful.’

Weren’t all Christmas trees, though? she thought in a moment of realisation. Big ones, little ones, lopsided ones, real ones and artificial ones, they all held their own level of charm. Although she’d noticed Guy’s tree straight away, standing proudly in the full-height window, as they’d driven up the driveway. It was tall and beautifully shaped, with no baubles or decorations, but simply covered in a myriad of white lights. It was hard to drag her gaze away from it.

‘I hope you’re hungry.’ Guy leaped up from his stool and went across to the stove to give a gentle shake to the frying pan, before peering into the oven and then putting on another pan of water to boil.

‘I’m always hungry,’ she said, laughing. ‘It smells amazing. By the way, I had a great meal yesterday at Trattoria Amalfi with Jon and Miriam. I hadn’t been for years, but the food was wonderful, and the service was first class.’