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‘Lauren? She works at the school now. Do you remember me telling you?’ The mum took the girl’s hand and turned to Holly. ‘Hi, this is Evie, and she always asks for Lauren whenever we go to the bakery or to one of your stalls.’
‘Hannah, love. And little Evie too.’ Elsie waved goodbye to her customers before turning to them. ‘How lovely to see you!’
‘I was just saying that however many times I tell Evie that Lauren no longer works for you, she’ll always be the doughnut lady in her eyes.’ Hannah shook her head.
Elsie chuckled. ‘Oh, you just wait until you start school. You might be lucky enough to have her as your teacher.’
‘Really? The doughnut lady might be my teacher?’ Evie’s eyes widened.
Hannah shook her head. ‘You know what she’ll be doing if Lauren is her teacher, don’t you? She’ll be calling her the doughnut lady in class.’ Hannah’s smile faded. ‘Of course, to me, she’ll always be the hero who saved my life.’
‘Aw, love.’ Reaching across the stall, Elsie placed her hand on Hannah’s. ‘It’s good to see you back in here. It must be difficult.’
Hannah nodded. ‘Yes, but I need to put it all behind me. I actually made myself pop into the first craft fair after the hall was rebuilt from the fire.’
‘Mummy, can I have my doughnuts then? Please? Please? Please?’ Evie jumped up and down, the doll’s head bouncing along with her.
Elsie chuckled. ‘Here you go, love. A doughnut for you and one for Mummy too. On the house.’
‘Oh, thank you.’ Hannah smiled before leading Evie away.
Elsie leaned towards Holly, her voice low. ‘There was a fire here last year and poor Hannah thought that Evie was inside still, so, of course, ran in to rescue her. Thankfully, she wasn’t, and Lauren followed Hannah to tell her.’
Holly widened her eyes. ‘Did Lauren volunteer at the bakery? Is she okay?’
‘Yes, yes. She was fine, but it was a close call.’ Elsie looked down at the stall, lost in her thoughts, before looking back up and smiling. ‘And yes, she volunteered at the bakery. She’s a teacher now at the primary school in the bay. You’ll meet her soon. She’s Diane’s sister.’
Holly nodded and looked around. That would explain why the community hall was newly built then. She’d just assumed it had been refurbished, or just a recent addition to the town.
‘It looks as though we have a little lull now, love. Why don’t you take a wander around? Stretch your legs a little?’
‘Okay, thanks.’ Holly nodded. It would be nice to have a look around. Even from where they were positioned along the first wall of stalls, she could see an array of interesting crafts she wanted to take a closer look at. Maybe she could get something for her friends, Lara, Susie and Joe and send them back home in time for Christmas. She hadn’t bought Christmas presents in three years. Not since her parents had passed away. Of course, they had, and she’d reluctantly accepted them. Maybe this year she could get them something. But first, she needed a drink.
She weaved around a cluster of people huddled by the silver metal tables and chairs which had been arranged in front of the kitchen hatch.
‘What can I get you?’ The man behind the counter indicated a sign depicting what was on offer.
‘Just a coffee, please?’ Holly pulled out some change from her pocket.
‘Here you go.’ The man passed her a cardboard cup. ‘And Merry Christmas.’
‘Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you too.’ She turned and walked away, finding a space by the back wall to stand. Looking out across the stalls and people in front of her, she took a sip of her coffee and grimaced. It wasn’t a patch on the one Elsie had made for her before they’d left, but it would have to do.
She looked down at her clothes, dark and dreary now she’d taken her apron off and then looked out across the crowd of people. Children and adults alike were wearing colourful, festive-themed jumpers and bobble hats. Some even had tinsel tied in their hair or Santa earrings dangling from their ears. Everyone was here to enjoy the Christmas market, to buy gifts for their family and loved ones, to immerse themselves in the festive spirit.
And here she was, desperately trying to find hers again. After three years of avoiding Christmas, she knew she had to try to find the magic in it all again. Her parents had loved Christmas. They’d lived for Christmas. As soon as Boxing was over, they’d begun counting down the days until the next Christmas. And as soon as the last firework had popped and whizzed on the 5th of November, they had taken it as their signal to begin the preparations for the big day. Her dad had begun checking the Christmas lights before hanging them outside, and her mum had done the same to the ones they’d put up inside.
She took another sip of coffee, letting the hot bitter liquid heat her mouth before swallowing. She should get back to Elsie. She could shop for her friends another time. Now, she just needed to get back behind the stall and back to keeping herself busy. Downing the dregs of her coffee, she threw the cardboard cup in the recycling bin before weaving back through the happy crowds and behind the stall.
