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She rubbed her head again, her eyes tracking him.
She hoped for the sake of all those children who were waiting to see Father Christmas that he cheered up and found some festive spirit, otherwise there were going to be a lot of disappointed kids and aggrieved parents in a bit.
But as she waited in line for the drinks, she couldn’t help wondering why Daniel was so bad tempered. Was it only because he was being forced to dress up as Santa to supplement his gardening business, or was there some other reason?
Oh, well, it was unlikely she’d ever get to find out, so she pushed him from her mind. She had more important things to think about than a grumpy Father Christmas.
‘That’ll be seven pounds fifty, please,’ Seren said, popping the little train tree decoration into a paper bag, and thanking the customer.
The stall was doing well; she’d sold a fair amount of stock already, and there were still a few hours to go, culminating in a candle-lit procession through the town once it got dark.
‘Do you mind if I pop to the loo?’ she asked Nicole, who’d only just returned from a visit to the ladies herself. Thank goodness Nicole was here otherwise Seren would have to have kept her legs crossed all day! She’d need to have a serious re-think about the remainder of the fayres and markets she had lined up, and how she was going to cope on her own. Still, it was easy enough to close the window on the van and lock it up, even if she did have to leave the wreaths and garlands outside.
‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ she promised.
She was forced to dodge around the ever-present queue to see Santa and, as she slipped between the waiting people, she glanced at the grotto and realised she was at just the right angle to see inside.
The little hut was so pretty with its fake snow, red and green striped bunting, and the twinkling lights woven into the ivy and holly draped along its eaves. There were shutters on the window, which were currently open to reveal a charming scene of elves hard at work making toys through the glass, for the waiting children to look at as they moved closer to the door, and Seren saw many little ones standing on tiptoe and peering in. It made her heart melt to see the shining faces as they turned in awe to their parents. This was what Christmas was all about – magic and wonder.
Seren hesitated, torn between knowing she shouldn’t leave Nicole on her own for too long, and wanting to indulge in a little Christmas magic herself. She clearly remembered the intense excitement she used to feel when she’d visited Santa when she was a small girl, and her unwavering belief that he was real. She’d been so eager to assure him she’d been good, and she’d tried so hard to not be on the naughty list, so please could she have a doll’s house.
Looking back, her parents hadn’t had a great deal of money to spare on extravagant gifts like doll’s houses, but they’d managed to get her one and it was only much, much later when she was all grown up that her mum had let her into the secret that she’d bought it from a charity shop. It had been in pretty poor condition, but her mother had spent many evenings after Seren had gone to bed painting it and making tiny curtains and blankets.
‘Excuse me, are you waiting to see Father Christmas?’ a little voice said, and Seren looked down to see a small boy gazing at her with a worried expression on his face. ‘Because if you are, you’re a bit old,’ he added.
‘Callum! Don’t be so rude. Sorry…’ His mother looked mortified, but Seren found it hilarious.
‘I’m not going to see Santa, although I would like to.’ She glanced inside the grotto, but from this angle all she could see was a pair of legs, the feet encased in chunky black boots. She wondered if Daniel was any happier than he’d been earlier, but as she’d not noticed any unhappy faces leaving the grotto, she assumed he must have cheered up.
‘Santa doesn’t bring presents for grown-ups,’ the little boy informed her. ‘Only for kids, like me.’
‘Only if you’ve been good,’ Seren replied. ‘Have you been good?’
He nodded vigorously, and his mum smiled indulgently. ‘He has his moments,’ the woman said, ruffling his hair.
Seren stood to the side, not wanting anyone else to think she was in the queue, and craned her neck, hoping she’d be able to see more of Daniel.
That was better, she could see all of Santa now, and not just his feet. He was talking to two small girls, possibly no older than three or four, both of them identical. Their eyes were wide, and one of them had a thumb in her mouth. Seren saw them nod, and she noticed Santa’s eyes crinkling with merriment, and she heard him cry ‘Merry Christmas!’ as he handed them each an identically wrapped present.
Aw, that was so sweet.
She was about to make a move when Daniel glanced through the open door and saw her looking.
He cocked his head as their gaze met, and his eyes locked onto hers. For a second he looked incredibly solemn, then he smiled at her: not a jolly Father Christmas smile, but a small sad smile, barely visible through his fake beard. A smile that made her want to rush over and wrap her arms around him. It also made her stomach do a backward flip – goodness, he was incredibly sexy. Or at least his eyes were, because that was all she could see of his face.
The moment fled as swiftly as it had arrived; one of Santa’s helpers stepped forward to usher the next child into the grotto and Seren’s view of him was obscured by a pair of red and white stripey tights, and a green and red elf costume.
Blinking and wondering what all that was about, Seren hurried away. She’d lingered long enough; Nicole must be wondering where she’d got to!
Seren reversed the van into a space outside her house, taking several goes until she was happy that she’d reversed the darned thing properly and it wasn’t sticking out into the road too much, then she switched the engine off, slumped back into her seat and stared into space, overwhelmed with exhaustion.
A knock on the window made her jump and she turned to see her dad peering in at her. ‘Are you coming in?’ he yelled. ‘Or are you going to stay there all night?’
Wearily she unclipped her seat belt, opened the door and almost fell out onto the pavement.
Her dad’s arm shot out to steady her. ‘Are you all right?’
She pulled a face. It was supposed to have been an attempt at a smile, but she had the feeling she was gurning. ‘I’m cold, exhausted and starving.’
