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Chapter 19
‘Before we start, do you fancy some hot buttered rum?’ Daniel asked, and Seren’s mouth watered.
She had done as he’d advised and was dressed in a thick knitted jumper with a snowman on the front, her padded parker with a fur-lined trim on the hood, a woolly scarf, a bobble hat and a pair of mittens. She hadn’t known what to expect, but curling wasn’t it.
‘Ooh, go on then, you’ve twisted my arm. Only the one, mind, because I’ve got work in the morning.’
She’d been on late shift yesterday, and had been able to have a lie-in – which she’d needed after such a busy weekend – but she’d been at work at seven this morning and she was due in early tomorrow, too, so the last thing she needed was a hangover to go with the tiredness she knew she’d be facing. And she still had a load more wreaths to make at some point, although she had no idea when she was going to fit that in. Plus, she was going to trawl the streets in Dippy again on her day off on Thursday. She had a suspicion that evenings might be better, but for now she’d have to make do with going out in the van whenever she had some free time. Strictly speaking, she should be out in it this evening, but the opportunity to be with Daniel trumped work.
She accompanied him to the makeshift bar, and they leaned against it to watch the players.
‘Two buttered rums,’ the guy behind the counter announced, and Seren licked her lips as he placed them on the bar. The drinks were in clear glass mugs and had something poking out of them. ‘Cinnamon sticks,’ the guy explained, seeing Seren eyeing them.
‘Can you eat them?’ she asked.
‘You can, but they’re a bit chewy. They give a lovely flavour to the drink, though. Enjoy.’
Just from the delicious smell Seren was certain she was going to, and when she took a sip, she closed her eyes in bliss. Vanilla, nutmeg, and some other spices she couldn’t identify, together with the sweetness of the rum and the richness of the butter, made it one of the nicest drinks she’d had in a long time. Calling it a drink didn’t do it justice – it was more like a dessert in a glass, and she devoured hers with enthusiasm, and wondered whether she could risk having another.
‘Have you been curling before?’ she asked Daniel, licking the last of the rum from her lips.
‘Never. But it looks fun.’
‘How do you play it?’
‘Ah, now, funnily enough, I did some research when I booked. You’ve got a target down the far end, and the object is to get your stone – the things you bowl with are called stones – nearest to the target. You might have seen it on TV in the Winter Olympics, where it’s played on ice, and you get players with what looks like sweeping brushes frantically polishing the ice to get the stones nearer to the target.’
Seren vaguely recalled seeing something similar, and she was relieved to see that this version didn’t involve ice or sweeping. It looked like fun though, and she couldn’t wait to have a go, her competitive streak coming to the fore.
‘I’m going to beat you,’ she warned.
‘Hah! We’ll see! Just because you are better at ice skating than I am, doesn’t mean you’ll be better at curling. There’s a technique to it,’ he added, slipping his hand into hers and leading her to their lane, or ‘sheet’ as it was called.
For someone who professed to never having played the game before, Daniel seemed to know an awful lot about it. When she challenged him, he claimed it was because he enjoyed most sport and had watched curling on the TV several times, and not because he had any prior experience.
Hmm, she thought, a little while later as she was soundly beaten for the second time. And when she managed to lose again on their third game, she threw her hands up in mock despair.
‘I give in! You’re the curling champion,’ she cried.
‘I think that’s one-all,’ he said. ‘You were better at skating and I’m better at curling. How are you at karaoke?’
‘Dreadful,’ she replied cheerfully.
‘Good, because so am I. It’s still quite early, so how about we have a bit of a sing-song to round the night off?’
‘I’m game,’ Seren said. She didn’t want the night to end, either – she was having far too much fun. And if he could put up with her caterwauling, it was a good test to see whether he was a keeper, she giggled to herself.
To her surprise, he hadn’t been joking when he said he couldn’t sing. They were currently sitting in a bar which had a sign stating ‘Carol-oke here!’ Who could resist having a Christmas themed karaoke, and it was just the ticket to top up her festive spirit. It didn’t need topping up, because she was already brimming with it, but despite Daniel doing his best, she had the feeling he still had some way to go before he threw himself wholeheartedly into the holiday season. She knew he thought it was too commercialised and the celebrations started too soon, but she had a feeling there might be another reason for his reticence when it came to all things Christmas. Not knowing what it was, or whether she was right, she put it down to him not feeling comfortable about playing Santa, and pushed it out of her mind.
Who could fail not to feel festive when belting out the words to ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’? It might be karaoke in the bar, but everyone was singing along, no matter who was holding the mic, and both she and Daniel yodelled away until their throats were hoarse and their mouths were dry.
‘Can I interest you in a nightcap?’ he shouted, his mouth so close that his breath tickled her ear. He was trying to make himself heard over The Weathergirls asking Santa to bring them a man for Christmas.
‘I’d love one,’ she yelled back, ‘but can we go somewhere quieter?’ She could hardly hear herself think, and she suspected her ears might be ringing for the rest of the night.
‘Good idea!’ Daniel helped her into her coat, and she shoved her hat on her head and wrapped her scarf around her neck, as she had a feeling it was going to be chilly outside after the heat of the bar.
She was right, she saw, as their breath steamed over their heads, and she hastily took her gloves out of her pocket and slipped them on.
