Page 88 of The Cotswolds Christmas Fair

Amy frowned. ‘But – I haven’t even still finished my breakfast.’

‘Never mind.’

He picked her up, and she laughed as he jiggled her around on his hip.

‘Jen,’ Julia said softly. ‘Don’t you think that maybe there’s something between you?’

‘I . . .’ She laughed. ‘No, we’re just friends. We’re just – really good friends.’

Julia raised her eyebrows. ‘OK.’

‘I mean, he’s just – he’s Ted. He’s – yes, he’s always been there for me, and we know each other really well, and yes, we have a bit of history, but that’s ancient, it was nothing.’ She frowned. She had a sense that she was talking too much, but Julia’s silence and patient expression were unnerving her.

Julia shrugged. ‘You’re very relaxed with each other. It feels like you can just be completely yourself with him.’

Jen nodded enthusiastically. Her sister’s words rang through her, giving her clarity at last. ‘Exactly, yes! Like you are with your friends. If it was anything more it would feel different, wouldn’t it? It would be butterflies in your stomach and dramatic fights and passionate make-up sex and all that.’ She thought of Anthony, the strength of the connection she’d felt with him, the way he’d looked at her that made her melt and want to rip into his shirt at the same time.

If only that had been real. It had felt like the kind of head-over-heels love that pop stars sang about, that the classic films she watched told of.

Blinking away tears, she drank the last of her coffee and kissed George’s plump cheek. She had a busy day ahead. The children were counting on her, Ted was counting on her, and she couldn’t afford to let her feelings about Anthony derail her.

Giving George one last squeeze she stood up, plonking him on Julia’s knee.

‘Thanks,’ she said. ‘That was a good sister-chat. You know, for a minute there I was almost getting a bit confused about Ted! Thanks for helping me get clear on it again.’

She grabbed a satsuma from the fruit bowl on her way to the door. She needed to have a shower and get ready; there were a hundred things she had to do right now.

Julia sighed as Jen left the room, and spoke softly to George. Jen must be mistaken, but it sounded like she was saying, ‘What are we going to do with her? Eh?’

Chapter Forty-One

Julia had put a plea out for decorations on the village WhatsApp, and by the time Jen arrived at the school there was already a crowd of people trickling into the hall. Ted was there, huddled into his wool coat, welcoming them.

‘Jen,’ he said when he caught sight of her, the relief in his voice palpable. His eyes lit up, filling with warmth. He leaned in as she reached him, his lips almost brushing her cheek as he spoke. ‘Do you really think we can pull this off?’

‘Of course,’ she said, making sure her voice carried a confidence she didn’t feel. He glanced around, and she could see the doubt in his expression.

She unwound her scarf and immediately got to work. The hall was full of people – Pat and Matt, Lauren and Emma, Gloria and Bob, Gillian. All walking purposefully around with armfuls of decorations they’d brought from home. Reverend Pauline was standing with her hands on her hips, instructing Lauren, who was up a stepladder, on where to hang a particularly blingy strand of tinsel.

‘Up on the left, up a bit, up, up!’ she called, her voice booming around the hall as Lauren obediently reached and stretched. ‘No, other left, that’s right, up, up, yes, you’ve got it! That’s the ticket.’

‘Oh wow, look at all this!’ Jen said, gazing around at the positive hive of cheerful activity. ‘Amazing. I can’t believe everyone’s chipped in like this.’

Ted smiled. ‘That’s Babblebrook.’

‘Right, well. Let’s get going then.’

Jen busied herself setting up tables around the edge of the hall for Marnie’s food to go on, as well as the tombola Ted had organised and her own craft activities. Ted was busy putting the finishing touches to Santa’s grotto, which was in the classroom next door.

By the time Marnie and Andrew arrived with the food, the hall was decorated to the nines, looking like a glorious winter wonderland of various mismatched decorations – the school tree still stood in the corner, but now every surface was covered with tinsel, fairy lights, paperchains and streamers. Giant baubles, shiny Santas, red-nosed Rudolphs and Christmas fairies hung from every possible place.

It was like a Christmas fairy had sneezed over the hall, covering it with glitter and tinsel. It was not subtle. The children were going to love it.

Everything was ready just in the nick of time. Either Marnie had been up baking all night, or she had some magical capacity to produce great quantities of delicious Christmas treats out of nowhere – Jen wouldn’t put it past her. Either way, she and Andrew soon had the tables covered with Christmas-themed tablecloths and were busy laying out trays of mince pies, candy-cane cakes, salted caramel cupcakes and various savoury pastries, from a traditional sausage roll to a walnut and stilton wrap. Matt had a table filled with iced biscuits in the shape of stockings, trees, Santas, snowmen and more.

‘These look amazing,’ Jen said, and his cheeks flushed pink. ‘The children will love them! Did you make them all? You must’ve been up all night.’

‘Oh, not really,’ he said, smiling. ‘I just knocked them up last night when Marnie asked me to, and iced them this morning. They dried just in time.’