Page 87 of A Merry Little Christmas

‘I’m saying nothing.’ Cole grinned. ‘Except that you look very sexy when you do that smile.’

She bent over the bed, steadying herself with one hand and sliding her other hand underneath his pillow. ‘You did this on purpose, didn’t you, so you could peer up my nightie?’

‘I’m not complaining, that’s for sure. Shame looking is the only thing on the menu since your waters broke. Especially as, according to our antenatal lady, sex is one of the things you can do to bring on labour.’

‘I’d rather not bring on labour today, thank you very much. Not now I’ve got a massage booked.’ She pulled out a package from under his pillow. Inside was a pair of white slippers as soft as clouds. ‘Oh how gorgeous! I’ll be floating on air in these.’

‘Like a dainty little fairy,’ said Cole. ‘And not at all like a whale.’

She gave him a look that silenced him instantly.

‘Whoops. I should have stopped at fairy, shouldn’t I?’ He slapped a hand to his forehead so comically that she couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Correct.’ She put her hospital bag on the bed and unzipped it.

‘What are you doing?’ Her husband looked horrified. ‘It took me ages to get you to pack that.’

‘Don’t panic, I’ll take the things out and put them back in tonight.’ Merry started to empty it. ‘All I need today is a few toiletries and a snack or two, maybe my book.’

‘It’s a luxury spa. The place will be full of free toiletries and there’s a café for snacks. Please, Merry, do not unpack your bag, I won’t be able to relax all day,’ he pleaded. ‘Just stuff your book and a spare pair of knickers in your handbag. That’s all you need.’

She suppressed a smile at his earnest expression, quite touched by how nervous he seemed despite being far more experienced at childbirth than she was. She leaned forward until her tummy was touching his, and kissed him. ‘Fine. If it makes you happy, I’ll survive without my holdall.’

He blew out a breath. ‘Thank you. Now …’ He checked the time. ‘All I’ve got to do is get you there by nine. So get your skates on. To clarify, that’s a turn of phrase, not an order.’

‘Spoilsport. Can I have some Marmite on toast to eat in the car please?’

‘Coming up.’ He gave her one last squeeze before leaving the bedroom and jogging down the stairs.

Merry sighed. A day to laze around, relax and not to have to talk to a soul. After the stress of losing her dad and then attending the funeral, this was just what she needed. Absolute bliss.

Chapter 35

Nell

Nell made her third strong coffee of the morning; it wasn’t even half past eight. Probably not a good idea, given that she was jumpy enough without the help of caffeine. But she’d been ready for ages, and it gave her something to do. The simple act of waiting for the machine to pour the espresso into her warmed mug, then frothing milk, served as a distraction. She looked at the time again. Only three minutes had elapsed since she’d last looked. She removed her mug from the coffee machine and walked through to the front room, where she could keep an eye on the drive. Her stomach was in knots. She hadn’t been this nervous since her first date with Olek years ago.

She flicked on the Christmas tree lights and while she sipped her coffee, she allowed her mind to wander back to the last first date she’d ever had. Olek had picked her up from her flat and taken her to the cinema to see a James Bond film. They’d arrived a bit early, so he’d bought her a drink in the bar before the film. She’d asked for Prosecco and then worried that he’d think she was being extravagant. He’d returned with their drinks, choosing a cola for himself, as he was driving. She’d reached for hers, but nerves had made her clumsy and she had managed to knock the whole thing over onto her skirt and his jeans. The glass smashed and they’d both got soaked. She’d jumped up to buy herself another, apologising profusely, only to catch his cola with the cuff of her jacket, and knocking that over too. She’d been mortified. There had been so much liquid and broken glass that they’d had to abandon their table altogether while scowling staff stomped over to clean up. After that, there hadn’t been enough time to buy more drinks, so after dabbing their wet clothes with napkins, they’d chosen snacks – salty popcorn for him, chocolate-covered peanuts for her – and gone straight into the theatre.

‘These were the only free seats together,’ he’d told her sheepishly, ushering her into the back row.

Would he try to kiss her during the film? she’d wondered; she hoped so. The thought had made her fluttery with anticipation, so much so that she’d opened her chocolate a little too vigorously, sending a shower of small chocolate balls into the air and clattering down under the row in front of them. ‘I’m not normally this clumsy,’ she’d said with a squeak, sinking deep into her seat with embarrassment.

By comparison, Olek had seemed completely calm and composed, he’d simply assured her it was no problem and risen from his seat. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he’d done a disappearing act at that point, but he’d returned moments later with another bag. No hint of first-date nerves there. Daniel Craig, playing James Bond, and whom both Merry and Nell had massive crushes on, didn’t come anywhere close to Olek. He was so handsome. She’d kept sneaking glances at him, and afterwards couldn’t remember any of the film. She did remember wondering how difficult it would be to learn Polish to impress him (very difficult, it transpired; her vocabulary was still pitifully small). A real man, she remembered describing him as to Merry the next day. Ten years her senior and already with a son he adored and an ex-wife he tolerated, but for her that only added to his maturity. He was a proper adult, looking for a proper relationship.

‘Makes a change,’ Merry had quipped, not unreasonably. Nell’s taste up until that point was men with boyish looks and immature behaviour to match. Merry’s least favourite was the irrefutably pretty Jez, who spoke in a baby voice and liked to snuggle with his head in Nell’s lap.

‘You need a man, not a cat,’ Merry had said about him. Right as ever.

Invariably, the men she dated couldn’t drive either, so Nell would be the designated driver. Olek, on the other hand, had a car and a van, and had insisted on picking her up for their dates, seeing her home safely and even opening the car door for her. Even now, he would always offer to pick her up from wherever she was. He’d always cared, she thought, he’d always been so thoughtful.

And soon, his van – a different one these days – would be pulling up onto the drive of their home. Still thoughtful, still caring about her despite the tricky last few weeks.

She checked again; only five minutes to go before he was due. She should have one last nervous wee. The last thing she wanted was for their reunion to be marred by her bladder. She darted back to the kitchen to deposit her mug and ran upstairs to the bathroom.

Goodness knows what Irena had said to Olek yesterday, but it had worked. No more than an hour after her mother-in-law had left, she’d received a message from him inviting her to go to a spa with him. An invitation which had sent her spirits soaring; she’d accepted straight away, naturally.

She couldn’t wait to see him. She was never, ever going to let them spend this much time apart again. She’d taken their relationship for granted, she saw that now. Well, no more. Olek Dowmunt wasn’t going to know what had hit him. She caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled at her reflection. For the first time in almost a month, her eyes were bright, her skin flushed, and her cheeks were almost aching from smiling in anticipation of his arrival.