Page 25 of Christmas, Actually

Clara nodded. ‘I called Hudson last night and told him the engagement was off, but I haven’t heard anything,’ she confessed.

‘Oh.’ He gave her a lopsided smile. ‘Ah, well, that’s… I mean I’m sorry, but he obviously doesn’t deserve you. I’d⁠—’

The door of the shop suddenly swung open and Clara jumped in surprise.

‘Are you going to stand out here all day?’ Nora barked, frowning at them. The older woman was wearing a dapper red suit and a comedy Christmas hat with a toy dog dangling from the end. Figgy barked and she leaned down and stroked him between the ears.

‘No, we’re ready – is Eleanor here?’ Liam asked, searching behind her.

‘What?’ Nora muttered, frowning. She pulled her mobile from her pocket and tapped the screen before looking up. ‘Sorry. The shop’s been full of people today asking all sorts of inane questions I didn’t want to be bothered with.’ She waved a hand. ‘Come inside, we need to get ready. Eleanor needs to hurry. There’s not much time.’

She stepped back, encouraging them to enter. Liam insisted Clara and Figgy went ahead, and she stopped once they were all inside so she could take a proper look.

It was a large shop with multiple racks filled with pet food, toys, medicine and stacks of fluffy beds – perhaps in deference to the season, much of it was glittery. She could see shelves of fish tanks, and next to them, cages containing hamsters and gerbils. A black cat wearing a glittery green and red collar strolled out from under one of the shelves and stretched. When Figgy barked, it sat and stared him down. After a couple of seconds, the dog quieted.

‘That’s quite enough noise from you, Figgy. You’re starting to sound like some of my customers,’ Nora said sternly before turning to Clara. ‘That’s Claus, there are two others you’ll see this afternoon – one’s Rudolph and the other is Scrooge.’ She flashed a smile. ‘They’re good with dogs, rabbits, mice – believe it or not – and other cats.’ She paused as Figgy came to sniff her trousers and glanced up at Liam. ‘Eleanor told me she’d found a toy to keep him occupied. Where is it?’

Liam winced. ‘I can’t find it. I’ve tried some others, but nothing caught his attention.’

Nora nodded and leaned down to pet Figgy again. ‘There will be enough going on today to keep him distracted. No doubt he’ll get himself into mischief whatever we do.’ She looked up and her face brightened. ‘I’ve made mulled wine to get us in the festive mood. I’ll pour it now.’ Clara decided not to look at Liam but felt a giggle building.

‘Oh, you’re already here!’ Eleanor burst through the entrance, saving them from replying. ‘I’ve seen a couple of people in the high street heading in this direction, so we’d better get set up. No singing today.’ She gave Clara a wide smile. ‘Ebenezer’s on his way with his camera – he’s just briefing the woman running The Reading Room Bookshop in his absence.’ She frowned. ‘Poor thing brought some tinsel from my shop this morning and was hoping to decorate the bookshop.’ She shook her head. ‘Ebenezer soon put a stop to that but I sneaked her a couple of elves and she’s going to hide them for me.’ She snickered.

‘Is Danny okay?’ Clara asked. The teenager hadn’t been around when she’d got up this morning, and her godmother had been too busy to chat.

Eleanor began to scurry around hanging tinsel and baubles. Nora had already put out the two thrones.

‘He’s good.’ Eleanor frowned. ‘It’s been fraught in my sister’s house since his father – who I refuse to name,’ she said sternly, ‘decided to have an affair with his assistant at work.’ Her face dimmed. ‘They’ve been married for years, and he threw it all away for a dalliance with someone he barely knew. Hazel hasn’t got over it and the boys…’ She sighed. ‘They’ve been struggling to come to terms with him leaving and now that’s leaking into their relationship. They’ve got a crush on this girl at school and from the sounds of it, she can’t choose between them.’ Her attention shot to Liam and she flushed. ‘Sorry!’ She looked mortified.

‘What?’ Clara glanced between them. Liam’s cheeks flamed and suddenly last night, what he’d said about Mia made sense. ‘Oh…’

Had Liam’s brother had an affair with his wife? The thought was awful. She’d been heartbroken enough catching Hudson and Abigail kissing, but finding out your own flesh and blood was engaged in an affair with your wife? That would be devastating.

‘Yes,’ Liam said, his voice heavy. ‘That’s what happened. Only we weren’t still in school and—’ He shut his eyes. ‘This really isn’t the right time to talk about this.’

‘It certainly isn’t,’ Nora barked as she emerged from the back carrying two glasses. ‘But it’s time for a drink of this.’

She handed one to Liam and one to Clara before turning and disappearing into the back again.

‘I think she’s going to get one for you too,’ Liam whispered to Eleanor, staring at the glass with a mixture of horror and humour. ‘There aren’t any pot plants in here to pour it into, and I already checked and the fish tank isn’t a good idea – goldfish don’t make good drunks,’ he joked. ‘Put it on the counter and I’ll figure out how to get rid of it.’

‘Is it that bad?’ Clara asked. She sniffed the drink and recoiled. ‘Okay, don’t answer that.’

Liam nodded. ‘I guarantee if you drink that, you’re either going to drop someone’s pet…’ He paused and grinned. ‘Or propose to them. It could go either way.’

Clara laughed. ‘I’d better not drink it then,’ she said, going to put the glass on the counter, wondering if Liam had changed the subject to move their attention away from his brother and Mia. It made what had happened with Hudson pale in comparison and the fact that he’d been through that and survived – and had come out the other side with such a wonderful disposition was, well… It made her like him even more.

‘One for you,’ Nora said as she re-entered the shop and handed Eleanor a large mug. ‘I ran out of glasses,’ she explained. ‘You’d better get into your spaces.’ She wafted a hand towards the thrones. ‘I’ve got a sack of gifts out back which Joe will bring out at the right time. The ones wrapped in paper with dogs on are for dogs, pictures of cats means cats – you get the idea?’

‘I think we can handle it.’ Liam sounded amused.

‘Oh, and there’s one here for you!’ Nora whipped a gift from her pocket and unwrapped it before handing a small bow-shaped toy to Figgy. The dog sniffed and nudged it unenthusiastically with his nose.

‘Say thank you, Figgy,’ Liam said sternly and the golden retriever growled before wagging his tail in Nora’s direction.

‘Good boy,’ she said. ‘I know you don’t like it as much as Eleanor’s Christmas pudding, but you’ll have to make do. Right!’ She clapped her hands. ‘We’ve got about ten minutes before the hordes arrive, and when I say hordes, I mean exactly that. We’re completely sold out for today. If I had a mind to, I could probably retire and open a cocktail bar somewhere…’ She sounded wistful.

‘You’d miss us all too much,’ Eleanor said and the older woman snorted.