Page 81 of The Merry Christmas Project

Chocolates for breakfast. With Cole. Neither was I. I couldn’t get the image out of my head. I looked around for something else to wrap but we appeared to be finished.

‘You should try it. It has much to recommend it …’ My voice trailed away.

‘I can imagine,’ said Cole, who was starting to smile again.

I’d lost track of what I was actually referring to now : the lovely scene when Kevin’s mum finds him by the tree in the Rockefeller Center , or watching it from beneath the covers. With a friend.

I couldn’t wait to relate this conversation to Nell ; she was going to die of laughter.

Together we gathered up all our parcels and repacked them into Cole’s bags.

‘And have you got plans to spend the day with your special person ?’ he asked once we’d finished.

I shook my head. ‘No, but you never know, maybe if I hang around under the mistletoe, I might bump into “the one”. They say anything can happen at Christmas.’

I groaned inwardly. Had I really just said I was going to stand under the mistletoe and pounce on some poor unsuspecting bloke ? Why yes, Merry, yes you did.

‘Well,’ Cole said slowly, eyes pinned to the floor. ‘Let’s hope so. But I meant the special person whose present you’ve already bought ?’

‘Oh, that special person !’ I cringed, hiding my face behind my hands to hide my flaming cheeks. ‘Why is it that whenever I’m with you, I have a terrible habit of oversharing ? The present I bought is for Max, Olek’s teenage son. The locksmith ?’

‘I see. I think.’ Cole grinned.

‘And I’m not sure about Christmas Day. I’ve had offers, but I’m quite tempted to spend the day in peace. Alone.’

Nell had begged me to go to hers so that I could drink Prosecco with her in the kitchen while she hid from her mother. She had bitten the bullet and invited her parents, who had accepted immediately. Ever since then, she’d been veering from spring cleaning her house from top to bottom, to declaring that they’d have to take them as they found them or bugger off home. So far I hadn’t committed myself either way.

He held my gaze for a long moment, and I watched as about ten different expressions flickered over his face.

‘Home alone. That does sound tempting,’ he said gruffly.

I nodded, not sure how to respond. I was so confused by this man ; one minute it felt as if he was flirting and the next he was backing off.

His watch started to beep, startling us both. He switched it off and let out a sharp breath.

‘That’s my alarm to remind me that the kids are phoning in thirty minutes. Thanks for all your help but I’d better go.’ He got to his feet and I noticed him shake his head as if frustrated about something. ‘It’s been illuminating as ever, Merry. Take care. I’ll see you on Sunday. And in the meantime, good luck under the mistletoe.’

He bent and kissed my cheek, his lips as light as a feather against my skin.

Wow. I touched my fingers to my face, watching as he walked away, already missing him, his delicious smell once again taking my breath away.

It was him, I realised, my heart trembling with a rush of emotion – Cole. There was no need to hang around, waiting to bump into the one. Because I was almost sure I’d already met him.

I pressed a hand to my chest, aware of the thudding of my heart. So that was my Christmas wish list sorted. Now all I had to do was hope that I featured on his.

Chapter 25

Merry

1 DECEMBER

‘Can you think what your mummy’s favourite smell is ?’ I asked.

The small girl in front of my candle stall nodded. ‘Our kitten’s paws.’

Her face had been painted to look like a glittery snowflake and she was holding a skewer of marshmallows dripping with melted chocolate, much of which was down the front of her pale blue princess dress. In her other hand she clutched a sticky purse. I couldn’t recall the smell of kittens’ paws, in fact I wasn’t sure if I’d ever had the pleasure of smelling them. But I had a feeling that it might not work in candle form.

‘That is a nice smell,’ I agreed, discreetly wiping the chocolate from the edge of my table. ‘I don’t think I have a candle that smells of kittens. Maybe she might like this one.’ I held out my specially produced Winter Forest candle for her to sniff.