Page 63 of Christmas All the Way

Keeley grinned. ‘You don’t have to tell Grace that. She was a big Boy Next Door fan. Had their posters on her walls and everything.’

‘Did I hear my name?’ Deke turned around to smirk at Keeley. ‘I bet you were a fan too, on the quiet. You’d have been just my type.’

Grace almost choked on her drink because Keeley had been more into grunge than pop and wouldn’t have been seen dead with anyone as clean-cut as Deke and his bandmates. But she simply smiled. ‘It’s a shame I’m not single. Will you excuse me? I think I see my boyfriend.’

She slipped away before Deke could reply. He turned his attention to Grace instead. ‘Nice dress. Did you really have my poster on your bedroom wall?’

Reluctantly, Grace nodded. ‘Not just you. It was the band.’

Deke appeared not to have heard. ‘We were all good-looking lads but I don’t mind admitting I had the most fans.’ He paused to eye her hopefully. ‘I don’t suppose you fancy a bit of rough and tumble with the Dekester, do you?’

‘Rough and Tumble’ had been one of their biggest hits, Grace recalled. ‘Uh—’ she said, wondering how to refuse him graciously.

Raff beat her to it. He rested a hand lightly on her shoulder and glared at Deke. ‘No, she doesn’t.’

He glanced from Grace to Raff and his eyes widened. ‘Say no more. I should have realised from the way you were the other night. Sorry, bro.’

He turned away. Raff removed his hand from Grace’s shoulder. ‘I hope that was okay. I thought it might be the quickest way to stop him pestering you.’ He paused and threw her a quizzical look. ‘Unless you really were a superfan and I’ve ruined your only chance at realising a long-cherished dream.’

‘No,’ Grace reassured him quickly. ‘I preferred Rory.’

He nodded and Grace suddenly felt the need to clarify. ‘Not that I have any long-cherished dreams about him, either. You know, if he was here instead of Deke. I just liked him better, when I was younger. Much younger.’ She took a gulp of champagne and wished she hadn’t as the alcohol hit her stomach. ‘Isn’t it time for the show to begin?’

Raff’s mouth had begun to curve into a smile but now he checked his watch. ‘You’re right. I’d better tell Gavin to turn the music off. Will you excuse me?’

She nodded. ‘Of course.’

Keeley had found herself a seat in the corner and was now chatting to Helen, so Grace contented herself with studying the silent action on the screen. She rarely watched TV in the evenings and had no idea what was on before The One Show but whatever it was had finished, as the credits had begun to roll. And then Mariah Carey was cut off mid-warble as the speakers switched to the television feed, and the festive classic was replaced by the cheery blast of the familiar theme tune.

The door of the pub swung back, just as Raff rejoined Grace. They turned to see who was coming in and Grace felt the breath freeze in her lungs because it was Jesse Bairstow, full of swagger and accompanied by two other men who could be friends or just as easily bouncers. He looked around, observed Grace and Raff staring at him, and smirked. ‘Evening all. I thought I’d come and lord it over you all when Flaxwood is announced as Britain’s Most Christmassy Village.’

Behind the bar, Gavin scowled. ‘I thought I made myself clear last time, Jesse. You’re not welcome here.’

‘Trying to get rid of the competition?’ the other man sneered, as more of the crowd turned to look at him.

Raff shifted position slightly. ‘That’s more your style. Broken into any more fuse boxes lately?’

Glancing at the big screen, Grace saw the show was about to start. She raised her chin and fixed Jesse with a challenging look. ‘You seem very confident. Let’s see if you’ve got so much to say after the winner is announced.’

For a moment, she thought Gavin was going to insist Jesse and his friends left, but he seemed to realise that it would cause more trouble than it was worth. As the presenter smiled into the camera and gave her audience a glimpse of what was to come, the pub fell silent to listen. ‘And with Christmas almost upon us, we join the judges of the prestigious Britain’s Most Christmassy Village competition to see which of the finalists have wowed them this year. Villages up and down the country have been lighting up the night and fighting it out in regional heats throughout December but only one can claim the top spot. Here’s a list of the final six.’

Grace watched as names appeared one by one: Grasmere, in the north-west; Foulden, over the border in Scotland; Minster Lovell in the Cotswolds – that was hardly a surprise, given its famously picturesque location – and Mousehole in the south-west. And Grace suddenly realised there were only two spaces left. Surely both Flaxwood and Freezy Tye couldn’t have made the finals? She held her breath, willing Freezy Tye to be the next name to appear but it was Boshum in West Sussex. Her knees began to tremble and she suddenly regretted wearing a dress. Jesse seemed rooted to the spot, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the screen. And then he let out a snarl that was instantly drowned out by jubilant cheering as Freezy Tye materialised in the last spot beneath the other villages.

‘Ridiculous!’ he bellowed. ‘It’s all a fix. How much did you have to pay them?’

‘Nothing,’ Gavin said, shrugging. ‘Face it, Jesse. Money doesn’t always buy success. But no hard feelings – what can I get you to drink? Oh, you’re not staying to see who wins?’

The last sentence was because Jesse had spun on his heel, bumping into one of the less nimble men he’d brought with him, and stalked to the door. ‘Don’t let it hit you on the arse,’ Gavin called to more cheers but Grace waved a hand to shush them, because a man and a woman had joined the presenter on the sofa, both in eye-watering Christmas jumpers.

‘So tell me,’ the presenter said, twinkling at her guests, ‘what do you judges look for in a seriously Christmassy village?’

The man cleared his throat. ‘First things first, it’s not about how much they spend.’

‘Tell that to Jesse,’ Keeley whispered.

‘What we’re looking for is a real sense of community – the feeling that the whole village is behind the decorations and everyone has contributed in some way, no matter how small.’

The female judge leaned forward. ‘I like seeing children’s decorations. While they may not be perfect, they do tend to represent a less corporate view of Christmas.’