Page 65 of Christmas All the Way

He smiled and offered her his arm. ‘There’s nothing I’d enjoy more.’

It felt odd, walking with her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow. Grace wasn’t sure if it was the effect of the alcohol on her too-empty stomach or the rush of adrenaline that had followed the announcement that Freezy Tye had won, but she felt much less steady on her feet than she would like. ‘Here’s the toy box,’ Raff said as they reached the first stop on the trail. ‘Do you want to press the button or shall I?’

‘You can do this one,’ she said generously. ‘As long as I can do the Land of Sweets.’

‘Deal,’ he said, and pushed the button to bring the scene to life.

They stood together in silence, bathed in the glow of the lights. Grace was acutely aware of how close he was. Her hand was still resting on his arm; she could feel his warmth through his coat. ‘I meant to ask, where’s Bilbo tonight?’ she asked, wanting to break the silence.

‘At home,’ Raff said. ‘Probably asleep on the sofa. He’s not one for parties, although I imagine he’d get plenty of snacks.’

She nodded. ‘I bet he’d love the sausage rolls almost as much as you do.’

‘Probably,’ Raff said, grinning. He raised an enquiring eyebrow. ‘Ready to do battle with the Mouse King?’

‘Bring it on,’ she replied.

The path was darker on the furthest side of the green, lit only by puddles of light from the streetlamps with shadows in between. They walked for a moment or two without speaking, then Grace felt Raff’s arm tense. ‘I have to confess I had an ulterior motive for coming out here with you tonight,’ he said.

Her heart sped up. She took a long slow breath, willing it to slow down. ‘Oh?’

He fired a quick look her way. ‘Yes. The fact is – what I mean to say is—’ He broke off, then tried again. ‘As you know, my mother has started thinking about retirement. Which would probably mean Santa’s Secret will close.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Grace replied. ‘Actually, there was something—’

He held up a hand. ‘Would you mind terribly if I finished what I was going to say first? I might lose my courage otherwise.’

Surprised, Grace nodded. ‘Okay.’

They covered a few more metres. ‘I find the thought of the shop closing to be… upsetting,’ he said at length. ‘It was my mother’s dream, and she’s worked hard to make it a success. If this was a film, I’d buy her out and run it myself. But it isn’t a movie and I have a business of my own to take care of.’

He sounded genuinely regretful. Grace opened her mouth to speak but closed it when she realised he had more to say. ‘And then I thought, what if I bought the business and paid someone to manage it for me. Someone with the drive and talent to make it even more successful.’ He paused to look at her. ‘Someone like you, Grace.’

It was so unexpected that her voice was little more than a squeak when she spoke. ‘Me?’

Raff nodded. ‘I know your contract runs out on Christmas Eve, and maybe you have something else lined up, but you’ve done such a brilliant job, both with the light trail and at the shop. Is there anything I can offer you that might tempt you to change your mind and stay?’ He stopped walking and turned to face her. ‘Anything at all?’

She almost laughed then, a curious hiccupping giggle that had more to do with the champagne she’d gulped down than any actual amusement. Here was Raff Caldwell, offering her a solution to the problem of leaving Santa’s Secret in a week’s time, and he seemed to think he needed to add more incentives to sweeten the deal. ‘It’s funny you should say that, actually, because I have a proposal for you.’

Was it her imagination or did he sway a little closer at her words. ‘Oh?’ he said quietly. ‘What’s that?’

She swallowed, because his expression was suddenly very intent. ‘I don’t want Santa’s Secret to close either, but I’m not sure I can afford to buy Ivy out so I was going to offer her a partnership. That way she gets to take things a bit easier without giving up the shop completely.’

His eyes glittered as he studied her. ‘A partnership,’ he repeated. ‘Yes, I think that might work. But would you consider a partnership with me instead of her?’

It seemed to Grace that the world contracted around them then. The green vanished, leaving only the two of them, gazing at each other. ‘What would that look like?’ she asked.

Time slowed as he stared at her. ‘I’d be happy to negotiate. What is it you want, Grace?’

It was a good question, she thought numbly. Less than five minutes ago, she’d been fairly sure what she wanted but now her brain was cloudy and she couldn’t think straight. If only Raff wasn’t so close, but the idea of putting more distance between them filled her with quiet panic. And then he reached out to brush something from her cheek and the touch of his fingers sent what little self-possession she had skimming away. Another feathery touch on her face was followed by a third but it wasn’t Raff touching her now. She looked up to see tiny whirling shapes tumbling from the sky and let out a soft huff of astonishment. ‘It’s snowing!’

Raff laughed and shook his head. ‘It is. Bloody hell, I can’t believe I’ve been upstaged by the weather.’

Grace held out a hand to catch the flakes, watching as they landed on her skin and melted with the heat. ‘I thought you promised me no snow until Christmas Day.’

He sighed. ‘I’ll have a word with the Met Office, see what they can do.’

‘To be honest, I don’t really mind it. We’ve already won the competition.’ She turned her face upwards and closed her eyes. ‘Snow makes everything better.’