Page 104 of Not Just for Christmas

‘Hurry up, everyone!’ Sam cried, racing back into the hall and tugging Dylan’s coat off him.

‘See what I mean?’ I said, rescuing the coat from Sam before he chucked it in a heap on the floor. ‘That boy has been practically vibrating with excitement all afternoon.’

‘OK, dude, I’m coming.’ Dylan turned to me and lowered his voice: ‘Can we talk later, just you and me?’

A fizz of nerves flickered through me. ‘Of course. I can’t wait to hear all your news.’

And I turned and followed him into the living room and tried not to think that Merrydown Farm felt like a home when he was in it but that in a few days, he would be gone.

Chapter 44

‘Goodnight,’ I whispered softly one last time, closing Sam’s bedroom door behind me.

‘Mum? Does Rudolph’s nose glow all the time or just when he’s pulling the sleigh?’ he called, not sounding in the least bit tired.

‘All the time.’ I smothered a giggle and tried to sound stern. Sam’s delaying tactics were in overdrive this evening. He’d already persuaded me to read ’Twas the Night Before Christmas twice, claiming I read it too quickly the first time. ‘Go to sleep, or Santa won’t come.’

I headed for the stairs and saw Dylan waiting for me at the bottom, nonchalantly leaning on the banister.

‘He’s not even close to sleep,’ I said, ‘He’s too excited.’

Dylan grinned. ‘Same here.’

Sam had barely been able to contain his exuberance all evening, up and down to the window to check the skies for Santa’s sleigh, bombarding us with questions: who’s the oldest: Santa or King Charles? Does Santa wear red underpants under his red suit and if Sam helped with the dishes would Santa notice and bring him an extra present? Dylan was almost as bad, announcing he had secret jobs to do, making us stay in the living room and not follow him. The evening had been one of the most fun I could remember for a long time. We’d had pizza, watched films, played silly games and finally, we’d had the grand ceremony of setting out a tray for Santa and Rudolph with a glass of milk, a mince pie and a carrot. And then while Dylan took care of some things he had to do, I’d taken Sam upstairs for a bath and bedtime.

And now it was just the two of us. I blew out a shaky breath, nervous now that we didn’t have Sam in between us as a buffer.

‘Alone at last,’ said Dylan, echoing my thoughts as I came down the last few stairs towards him. He reached for my hand, squeezing it gently. ‘I know there are things we need to say, but are you ready for your surprise?’

‘The delivery for outside?’ I grinned at him. ‘Thought you’d never ask.’

‘You’re gonna need wellies.’ His eyes sparkled with the pleasure of knowing something that I didn’t.

Once we were suitably booted, he led me out of the kitchen, through the courtyard and into my neglected orchard.

I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It looked like something off a Christmas card. Crisp frost sparkled on the tufty grass, fairy lights twinkled in the apple trees, and above it, a dark sky so clear you could practically count the stars one by one. And there, tucked into the corner, sheltered by a stone wall, sat a wooden hot tub, steam curling lazily into the night air. A tall chimney puffed out tiny clouds of smoke, and the amber glow of flames could just be spotted from the wood fire below it. Around it, lanterns hanging from shepherds’ crooks cast golden pools of light that made everything feel soft and secret and utterly unreal.

I let out a gasp. ‘Dylan! This is amazing.’

‘You didn’t guess what it was?’ he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

I shook my head. ‘When you kept disappearing I did wonder if it was a puppy, or some other live animal. This is so much better than that.’

He laughed. ‘I wanted to give you something indulgent, not something that would give you more responsibility.’

‘Good choice,’ I told him, with feeling. ‘Sam is never going to want to get out of it.’

‘I mean it is for Sam, obviously,’ he said, ‘but I think you and me should check it out tonight, just to make sure it’s OK. What do you say?’

I didn’t need asking twice. I hurried back inside, tied up my hair, threw on my swimsuit and dressing gown, and raced back downstairs. Dylan was already waiting by the tub; a bottle of Champagne and two glasses sat on a picnic table beside him, a pile of towels on a chair and soft Christmas music was playing from a speaker he’d propped up on a tree stump.

‘You’ve thought of everything.’ I shivered as I shimmied out of my dressing gown and boots, the grass cold beneath my bare feet.

‘Allow me,’ he said, taking my gown and laying it on the back of the chair.

Dylan held me steady as I climbed the steps up to the hot tub, then gingerly dipped my toe in the steaming water. The steam was fragrant with eucalyptus.

‘I can’t believe this is real.’ I slid down into the hot water, feeling my way onto the wooden bench around the inside edge of the tub. ‘And I can’t believe you managed to set this up without me knowing.’