Page 17 of The Merry Christmas Project

My destination was the Buttermarket, a solid stone single-storey building tucked into the edge of the market square. Its origins dated back to the sixteenth century, when it would have been open to the elements and farmers’ wives would have gathered to sell their dairy produce. Over the years it had been modernised and now had windows, walls and neon strip lighting. Despite its rather unsympathetic renovations, it was a great place for community meetings and I’d attended many a fund-raising event since I’d been living in Wetherley.

I pushed open the heavy wooden door and made it inside just as a man at the front table was clearing his throat and tapping papers on the desk in readiness to start. Next to him, head bowed, was Pam Dunford, Benny’s widow.

Benny Dunford had been the manager of Wetherley’s only bank. The bank had closed its doors some years ago, certainly before I’d even moved here. Benny had retired when the bank closed, but he’d remained the town’s unofficial banking advisor until he died during the summer. Both Nell and Olek had picked his brains about monetary matters and Daniel had asked him to look over the business plan for his greengrocer’s too. Every town needed someone like Benny. Someone to rally the troops, guilt-trip people into helping out for the good of the community, cajole people into selling raffle tickets and if you were a business, he was very persuasive when it came to buying advertising space in the town magazine, edited, of course, by Benny himself. He’d been a great organiser too, of everything from Easter egg hunts to trips to the seaside for the older folk. His passing had left a huge hole in the town. And tonight’s meeting would make sure that although he was gone, he wouldn’t be forgotten. Because more than anything else, Benny had loved Christmas.

The room was set out theatre style : five rows of chairs with a central aisle, facing the front table. There were about twenty people here, half of whom I recognised, including Nell who waved me over. But no sign of Daniel, which made my stomach twist ; though whether in disappointment or relief, I couldn’t be sure.

‘I must be hallucinating !’ Nell smirked, pulling me down into the empty chair beside her. ‘You actually made it.’

‘You underestimate my community spirit,’ I said primly.

‘My heartfelt apologies.’ She pulled a plastic tub out of her bag. ‘Have a nut.’

Pam tapped her pen on the side of her thermos flask and conversation promptly fizzled out. She stood up, a handkerchief balled in her fist. My heart went out to her.

‘Poor Pam,’ I whispered. ‘She looks utterly lost.’

‘Heartbreaking,’ Nell agreed. ‘She and Benny were inseparable. Imagine losing the love of your life just like that.’

But how lucky to have found someone to journey through life with in the first place, I thought wistfully.

‘Hello everyone,’ Pam began, sounding a bit wobbly. ‘Thank you for coming. Benny would have been so proud that his friends had turned up to hear what Jim and I have to say—’ Her voice cracked then and the man beside her coaxed her back to her seat and cleared his throat.

‘Evening all. I’m Jim Dunford, Benny’s brother,’ Jim began and then immediately stopped as the door opened and Daniel appeared. My heart speeded up at the sight of him. Right behind him was a smartly dressed woman with dark hair.

‘Wowsers.’ Nell helped herself to the nuts. ‘That’s got to be the new head teacher.’

All heads turned and a buzz of curiosity ran around the room.

‘It is,’ I said, without tearing my eyes away from the pair of them. ‘Tasha Sandean, I googled her.’

Although the grainy photograph I’d found of her on the Wetherley school website didn’t do her justice. She was quite simply stunning. She was wearing a lightweight coat and heels. A cloud of dark curls skimmed her shoulders. She was city chic, a bird of paradise among a flock of garden sparrows.

‘Did you ? Why ?’ Nell sounded bemused.

‘Oh, you know.’ I waved a hand dismissively. ‘Curious.’

Curious to see the woman Daniel had admitted to having a schoolboy crush on right before he crushed my dreams.

Tasha smiled as if she she’d been looking forward to this moment her entire life. ‘Hello everyone, so sorry we’re late. Please don’t let us interrupt !’

Daniel, who had closed the door as quietly as he could, stood behind her, his hand hovering around the small of her back. He looked great: jeans, boots, and the cable-knit jumper that I’d bought him last December for his birthday.

‘I love a red lip,’ Nell breathed in awe. ‘She’s very glamorous.’

‘Hmm.’

My lacklustre response drew Nell’s attention. ‘You OK ?’

I blinked rapidly. ‘Seeing him is harder than I thought.’

She squeezed my hand and I was grateful for her support.

‘Let’s get on with it, then,’ I grumbled as Jim Dunford shook hands with the latecomers.

Daniel and Tasha took seats in the row in front of us. Daniel made whispered introductions and Tasha smiled warmly at us as she sat down.

Jim cleared his throat again.