Page 53 of The Merry Christmas Project

‘Great, I’ll have twenty-seven large ones please. Gift wrapped if possible, in a manly way.’ He grinned, feeling very pleased with himself. That was most of his Christmas shopping done in one fell swoop. ‘Actually, make it twenty-nine, I’ll get my sister and my dad the same.’

‘Wow,’ she beamed at him. ‘Thank you so much ! This is turning out to be a great day. How about adding an extra one for yourself and making it a round thirty ?’

‘OK, why not.’ He chuckled. ‘Are you always this enthusiastic when you get an order ?’

She blushed. ‘I suppose I am a bit. This time last year, candle-making was only a hobby; I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to make enough money from it to do it full-time. But to be honest, I’ve got orders coming in thick and fast. I’m working all the hours just to keep up, not that I’m moaning.’

‘It’s a good problem to have,’ he said, nodding sympathetically. ‘Can you employ someone to help for a few hours ?’

‘Not right now; I lost quite a bit of money when the cottage flooded.’ She winced. ‘I hadn’t got around to sorting out my contents insurance.’

‘Oh, God, I’m sorry.’ Now he felt even worse. It was on a different scale of course, but there was no way he could operate his business without having insurance.

She shrugged, looking sheepish. ‘My own fault. I’m trying to be more organised, but it doesn’t come naturally.’

What did come naturally was her lovely smile, her obvious joy in what she did and her ability to brighten his day by just being herself. He gave himself a shake, realising he was gazing at her. ‘So how much do I owe you ?’

‘Um,’ she rubbed a hand over her face. ‘Quite a lot I’m afraid. They’re ten pounds each so that’s three hundred pounds.’

‘Ten pounds ? Is that all ?’ He was shocked. ‘Hand-produced, organic oils, gift wrapping … that’s not enough.’

She chewed her lip thoughtfully and then gave a decisive nod.

‘You’re right. OK …’ She tilted her chin up and Cole had to fight an urge to touch her face ; there was a naivety about her that he found so refreshing. ‘Thirteen pounds fifty and that’s my final offer.’

He laughed out loud and stuck his hand out for her to shake. ‘Then it’s a deal.’

‘Phew,’ she said, her eyes sparkling as she took his hand. ‘I hate negotiating. I’d have been happy with twelve.’

Her fingers felt soft and warm in his hand and he felt a flicker of heat in his belly. This was what he was missing : being touched, the twinkle of an eye, the flush on her cheeks as he looked at her.

He held onto her hand for as long as he could. ‘And I’d have happily paid fifteen.’

‘No way !’ she gasped. ‘Then I guess we’re both winners.’

‘I guess we are,’ he agreed. ‘So are you finished for the day now ?’

He cast his eye over the tables and at the piles of boxes and labels. It was difficult to see how far she’d got with production ; it all looked a bit haphazard to him.

‘Yes and no,’ she sighed. ‘Do you want coffee ? I’m having one ; I need caffeine to keep me going.’

Without waiting for a reply, she filled the water tank up on Cole’s machine and pressed the button. He took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the time discreetly. His dad would be expecting him so he couldn’t be long. He smiled to himself , remembering that he was thirty-eight, not eight. His dad wouldn’t mind.

‘I’d love one, thanks.’ He sat down at the table by the window while he waited.

It was nice spending time with a woman other than his sister. He wouldn’t want to swap his job for the world, but ninety-nine per cent of the time he was with other men. He hadn’t been totally celibate since he and Lydia split. There had been one particularly fun night at a hotel in Manchester with a woman he’d met while on a rare lads’ night out ; they’d agreed it was just a one-off. She admitted that she didn’t want a man in her life permanently. He’d pretended he felt the same, but he wanted the complete opposite. He wanted to be part of a couple; he missed having someone who knew how he took his coffee, someone to care for, who cared about him. He knew he’d made mistakes with Lydia ; he wanted to get it right next time.

Merry set down a mug in front of him. ‘Sorry I haven’t used hot milk, but I hope you like it.’

‘Thanks,’ he said, pleased she’d remembered.

She sat down next to him with a sigh and lifted her own mug to her lips, blowing away the steam.

‘Are you OK ?’ he asked. ‘That’s about your tenth sigh.’

‘Sorry, you must think I’m really rude.’ She pulled an apologetic face. ‘It’s the Christmas Project. I hadn’t realised how hard it would be to find someone to be our special guest for the Christmas lights switch-on. I hoped Benny’s widow Pam would do it, but she said no. I’ve tried the local radio, I’ve even asked the vicar and still no joy. Now it’s less than two weeks and I haven’t got anyone to do the honours. There’s a progress meeting tomorrow night at which everyone is expecting me to come up with a name. And I’ve got nothing. Absolutely nothing.’

‘Oh dear.’ He winced. ‘That is tricky.’