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Chapter 10
Seren manoeuvred Dippy through the old town’s narrow streets, a frown of intense concentration on her face. It didn’t help that it was so early in the morning that it was still dark, she didn’t know where she was going, and she was so tired she didn’t know what to do with herself.
If it wasn’t for Nicole sitting in the passenger seat and giving her loads of encouragement, she might have considered turning around and going home.
Fortunately there was nowhere to turn easily so it was impossible to act on the temptation to turn tail and run. She knew that once the van was parked, and they were all set up and she had a coffee inside her, the Christmas spirit would start making its presence felt and she’d hopefully get some lovely festive vibes, made all the more intense by the atmosphere of the Christmas market.
An official in a neon yellow vest over a heavily padded jacket flagged her down, and Seren came to a stop and wound down her window. The woman was clasping a clipboard in one gloved hand and a pen in the other, and her breath steamed around her head. Seren handed over the relevant paperwork, and once she’d been checked off the list the woman gave her a printed map of the market and pointed out their pitch on it. Seren thanked her and handed the map to Nicole.
‘We’re next to the medieval market house,’ Nicole chortled as she checked the map, and she slapped the dashboard. ‘Yes!’
‘That’s good?’
‘Of course it is! It’s right in the middle of the main street. It says here that the whole street will be cordoned off and it’ll be pedestrian access only, and we’ve got a spot right in the middle of it. Woohoo!’ She jabbed a finger at the map. ‘Plus, there’s a Santa’s grotto almost directly opposite us. Every kiddie under the age of ten will be nagging to see Santa, so we should get loads of passing trade.’
Seren hoped so. This fledgeling business of hers depended on the success of sales at this event and the others she’d arranged to attend in the run-up to Christmas.
It took her a bit of to-ing and fro-ing to position the van but as soon as it was in its correct place the pair of them leapt into action, and because of Tobias’s well thought out interior design, it didn’t take long before they were ready to start serving.
The market didn’t officially open until ten o’clock and it was only just gone eight, so Seren said, ‘There’s a stall over there selling coffee. I’ll go grab us some. Will you be all right on your own until I get back?’
Nicole nodded and rolled her eyes. ‘I’ll be fine.’
Seren knew she would be, especially since she was only going to be a few metres away, but this was her baby, her responsibility, and Nicole was only here out of the kindness of her heart and because she was a darned good friend. Nicole knew how nervous she was and had given up a precious Saturday when she didn’t have to look after Freya, to look after Seren instead. Poor Nicole should be having a lie-in, followed by a leisurely breakfast, topped off by an unhindered shopping session and perhaps treat herself to lunch out. Instead, she was helping man a mobile shop in the middle of a draughty high street. The least Seren could do was to keep her friend fed and watered.
It was starting to get light and the street was choc-a-bloc with traders and stallholders setting up their stalls, but a few people were already browsing and Seren guessed it was going to get busy very soon and very quickly. So to go with the coffees she bought a couple of bacon rolls. With a hot drink and some food inside her, she’d be ready for anything.
Hopefully…
‘I’m starting to feel rather Christmassy,’ Seren declared an hour and a half later. She was standing inside Dippy and gazing around it happily, Nicole by her side. It looked brilliant and she was immensely proud of it, even though it had been Tobias who had done all the hard work, and nearly all the stock had been made by other people’s hands.
‘You always feel Christmassy,’ Nicole said, draping an arm around her shoulders.
‘It looks good, though, doesn’t it?’
‘It sure does. And I love the name – it’s so you.’
Seren beamed. Aunt Nelly’s suggestion to call it Serendipity had been inspired, and the van now had the name emblazoned on it in red, gold and green. Tobias’s recommendation for the decal producer had been spot on, and as soon as she’d agreed a font and a colour scheme, the company had done her a massive favour and had shipped the decals to her by express delivery. That was one of the reasons she was so tired this morning – she’d been up half the night sticking them on: not an easy task by torchlight, balancing on a step ladder and in the bitter cold.
It was a relief to see that she hadn’t made too bad a job of it now that she was able to see it in the daylight. Maybe one of the decals could do with being a bit more to the left…? She sighed; it was too late to do anything about it today, and to tell the truth she was frightened to take it off and try to reposition it in case she couldn’t get it to stick on again, and it hadn’t been cheap so she couldn’t afford to pay for a new one. Which reminded her, Tobias hadn’t sent her his invoice yet and she wanted to pay him so she knew where she stood financially. She must remember to give him a ring on Monday and ask him about it.
‘It’ll be fine,’ Nicole said, giving her a squeeze. ‘You’ll see. Anyway, you’ve done the best you can – I don’t see how you could possibly make the van look any more inviting.’
Seren continued to stare at it. It looked amazing, even on a dull morning in late November in what was normally a sleepy little market town in the Cotswolds. Already there was the noise and bustle of eager shoppers, and the smell of mulled wine, hotdogs and roasting chestnuts filled the air. Soon the streets would ring to the sounds of assorted carols, chatter and laughter, which all added to the festive atmosphere.
The angled shelves lining the trailer’s back wall were perfect for baskets of baubles and stars, angels and robins, and other decorations which caught the light and shone invitingly, and the displays of garlands, wreaths, woven stockings, plush elves, cuddly robins, and edible candy canes were cheerful and enticing. Seren defied anyone not to be tempted. Out of everything, Seren’s favourites were the snow globes, and she was immensely grateful to the kind lady who’d taken a chance on her and had given her an impressive range of them to sell on her behalf.
Nicole’s weakness was candles, especially scented ones, and she had busily sniffed her way through most of them, and with them all laid out in a pretty display, the van was enveloped in the wonderful fragrance of orange, berries, vanilla, chocolate, nutmeg and cloves.
Seren’s tummy rumbled loudly and her thoughts turned to a second breakfast. The first one had barely touched the sides, and the smell of the candles made her long for a hot chocolate drink with marshmallows on the top and lots of whipped cream, and maybe a cookie to go with it.
‘Are you hungry?’ she asked, and Nicole laughed.
‘You clearly are. Do you want me to break out the sandwiches?’
Seren sniffed, her nose filled with the delicious smell of crepes from a stall further up the road and she tried to resist. She’d made cheese and pickle sandwiches the night before with the express intention of not spending her hard-earned profits on eating out. But… Seren sniffed again, her mouth watering.
Nicole gave her a pointed look.
