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‘I just hope that wherever she is, she’s celebrating now,’ Victor said softly before taking sip of the wine.
‘I’m sure she is,’ Flora said, her eyes shining.
‘Don’t be sad, lovely girl,’ Victor said, shaking his head. ‘This is a good thing. Mavis would be delighted that I’m here with you two. Absolutely delighted.’
While they ate, Christmas music filled the room. Magnus pretended not to look at Victor’s plate but gratefully accepted chips and pieces of fish whenever Victor offered them. Victor thought about what he’d seen in the kitchen. Flora and Leif were attractive youngsters and he’d known there was a spark between them. He hoped that they’d go with it and not let fear hold them back. Life was too short to hesitate, and he felt sure that Flora and Leif were well matched. They both had such kind hearts and could make a lovely couple. That thought made him smile because he was like some kind of doting grandfather now, wanting those he cared about to be happy. Again, he thought about how Mavis would have adored them both but the thought made him happy not sad.
When they’d finished eating and Leif had cleared the plates away, they sat back and drank the rest of the wine. Victor felt pleasantly tipsy as he relaxed on the sofa with Magnus at his side.
‘Victor,’ Flora said, sitting upright. She’d been lounging on the other sofa and now she looked thoughtful. ‘Leif and I had an idea about what you could do with all that stuff in the garage.’ She looked meaningfully at Leif.
‘We did,’ Leif nodded.
‘Go on then,’ Victor said.
‘We thought that you could either sell it or… give it away.’
‘Give it away?’ Victor asked.
‘Yes, kind of like a village Secret Santa,’ Leif said. ‘There are so many people struggling right now and it would be a good way to give something back to the community, to help those in need.’
Victor scratched at his chin then took a sip of wine. Give it away? All those things Mavis had spent their money on. Hehadn’t liked the idea of selling them because it seemed like something she wouldn’t have wanted him to do, but charity? Now that made sense.
‘So we’d what? Take it to the village hall? Let people take what they wanted?’
‘We thought we could wrap it all and then drop it at people’s houses,’ Flora said. ‘Deliver it like Santa would.’
‘Oh.’ Victor nodded slowly. ‘That does sound like a good idea.’
‘We could make a list of the villagers, of who has children and who would like what, and then label the parcels so we know where to drop them. Of course, some of the things in the garage could be appropriate for anyone so we can deliver them as we see fit.’ Leif drained the remaining wine from his glass. ‘What do you think?’
‘I like that idea.’ Victor patted Magnus’s head gently.
‘You like the idea?’ Leif asked. ‘Because we don’t want you to do anything that makes you sad or uncomfortable. We understand that Mavis purchased all those things and there’s bound to be a certain sentimental attachment.’
‘Shall we write a list now?’ Victor said. ‘I think you’ve come up with the perfect plan and I can’t wait to get started.’
‘Are you sure, Victor?’ Flora asked.
‘I’m sure.’ He stood up and picked up their glasses. ‘And while you two get started on the list, I’ll see if I can find us some more wine.’
He headed for the kitchen, leaving Flora and Leif to have a few moments to themselves. He thought their idea was an excellent one and that Mavis would approve. If only she knew that she was to be the impetus behind the plan for a Secret Santa in Wisteria Hollow.
Chapter 18
Flora
During the week that followed, Flora and Leif spent all their free time after work at Victor’s getting the gifts wrapped and labelled. There was a lot of laughing, enjoying good food together and listening to Victor’s stories. It turned out that he was a keen storyteller and had many funny anecdotes to share with them while they wrapped gifts. He had a good knowledge of the villagers and so he helped them to decide where gifts would be best donated. On Sunflower Street itself, there were several families with young children like Ethan and Lila who had little Reuben and Celeste Fernandez who had twins, Kendra and Kelsie, and there were many more families in the village itself. As they went through the garage, they also found dog and cat treats, so they assigned some of those to Lila and Ethan who had two rescue cats, William Shakespaw and Cleocatra, and some dog treats to Roxie and Fletcher who had dogs Glenda and Stinky. Not forgetting Magnus who would get his fair share of the treats too as Victor insisted. When Victor said this, Magnus who was watching everything with interest, wagged his tail in wide, happy arcs. They also found a beautiful vase painted with sunflowers and Victor said that he thought it should go to the new family to the village who’d recently boughta big house on Sunflower Street. It would be the Dawlish family’s first Christmas in their new home and Victor said the vase would be the perfect welcome gift.
It was Friday and, on her way back from the station, Flora decided to stop at the boutique Dragonfly Dreams. She’d had an idea on the train about something that would be perfect for Santa and wanted to see if she could find a suitable item in the vintage clothing shop.
Pushing open the door, she was greeted by aromas of cinnamon and pine and she breathed them in, enjoying the festive atmosphere.
The dark blue walls of the shop gave it a cosy feeling and they contrasted beautifully with the gold painted woodwork. There were fairy lights twinkling around the interior and against the dark walls that made it seem like Flora was gazing at the night sky. Lanterns glowed on hooks and Christmas music filled the air, familiar songs that she’d been listening to for as far back as she could remember. At the rear of the shop was a Christmas tree decorated with shiny baubles and lights and an angel sat at the top, her white and gold gown and halo complimenting the shop’s décor. It was Flora’s first visit to the shop, but she knew she’d return here again and again because it was her kind of place.
‘Hello there!’ A woman smiled at her from in front of the counter.
‘Hi,’ Flora said. ‘Darcie, isn’t it?’
