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The company Flora worked for was holding its Christmas party at a venue on Pall Mall. The venue made Leif think of historical movies with its opulent décor and huge sparkling chandeliers. When they’d arrived, they’d been given fancy champagne cocktails that they’d enjoyed beneath a 15ft chandelier then they’d been seated for a three-course meal that was absolutely delicious. Leif had made an effort to speak to Flora’s colleagues and she’d been attentive to him all evening, treated him with respect and not left him to fend for himself. Which he could have done, but he would have found it hard as the people Flora worked with were not the kind he usually associated with. Give him the outdoors and dogs any day. But this was Flora’s world and he was determined to make an effortto fit in as well as he could because he knew how important her career was to her. It was one of the many things he admired about her.
When they entered the ballroom to an old festive favourite from Wham, Leif forced his mouth to stay closed because it could easily have gaped as he gazed at his surroundings. The room was decked out for Christmas with trees in the corners, chairs covered in gold, red and green, and a large photobooth against the far wall where people were already waiting to have their photo taken.
‘Are you close to any of your colleagues?’ he asked as they walked over to the bar on the left.
‘Not really. I try to always remain professional. People tend to move on quite quickly and I never want to get attached. I’m so busy through the week anyway that while I do speak to colleagues, it’s mostly very brief and job related.’
‘And you don’t mind that?’
‘Not at all. I’ve never wanted to be a gossip or a moaner. It’s so easy to get dragged down by all that in the workplace and I don’t want to get involved. I’ve always believed that if I got tired of this job or started to feel that it wasn’t what I wanted anymore then I’d look for something else. I have transferrable skills and I could always work for myself anyway.’
‘You certainly could.’ He smiled at her. ‘You’re amazing.’
‘Oh stop.’ She laughed and took his arm.
‘What’ll you have?’ he asked.
‘Champagne, please,’ she said and so he asked for two. It was an open bar as the company had paid for it all and so they were making the most of it. They clinked glasses then drank and Leif savoured the cool, crisp flavour and the bubbles that danced on his tongue.
The song changed to Mariah Carey’s ‘Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)’.Leif took another sip of his drink, placed it on the bar then held out a hand. ‘Would you like to dance?’
Flora nodded so he took her drink and set it next to his on the bar then took her hand and led her to the dancefloor. He placed his hands on her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. In her heels, she was taller and her body fit against his as if it was made to be there.
They danced slowly to the music and gazed into each other’s eyes.
‘Can you believe how short a time we’ve known each other?’ she asked.
‘I can’t, and yet… I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I feel like I know you better than I’ve ever known a woman. Not to sound cheesy, but this feels different.’
‘It does. Not that I’m getting carried away but… it feels right between us. In my last relationship, I felt so judged all the time, like I was never going to be good enough for him but with you… I feel accepted exactly the way I am.’
‘Same here.’ He leant closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead, inhaling her beautiful scent and wanting to breathe it in every day for the rest of his life. The thought gave him pause and he swallowed hard. Had he drunk too much champagne or was this it? Was Florathe onethat he’d read about and heard about in love songs? He’d scoffed at the idea before and never thought he’d feel this way but now, this Christmas, it seemed that he had found that special someone. And it was terrifying yet wonderful, unnerving yet magical.
He exhaled slowly and told himself to go with the flow because, after all, what did he have to lose? Flora was an incredible woman and he meant what he’d said, he’d never met a woman like her and he doubted he ever would again.
Around them other couples danced, the lights on the trees glowed multi-coloured and the chandeliers sparkled above their heads. While Mariah sang about missing someone at Christmas, Leif held Flora close, knowing that he never wanted to be in a position where he was missing her. Now that he’d found her, he never wanted to let go…
Chapter 22
Flora
The day after the Christmas party in London arrived cold and bright. Flora was up early to grab a few last-minute gifts from the supermarket and then she went home to wrap them. While she wrapped colourful paper around gifts specially chosen for the two men who were now in her life, she thought about the previous evening. It had been truly magical and totally unexpected after what had happened to her earlier that year. But just because things had been grim, didn’t mean that they had to carry on that way. Losing her mum and growing up the way she had in Tottenham, she’d learnt resilience and that life could change in an instant. She’d often thought of it in the sense that bad things could happen but now she had the feeling that it also included the good things. In an instant, life could improve and someone wonderful could come your way when you least expected it. Leif was good. He was everything she’d always wanted and had hoped she’d found in Hunter. Unfortunately, Hunter had been the wrong person for her but now she was glad. If she’d still been with Hunter, then she wouldn’t have come to live in Wisteria Hollow and she wouldn’t have met Leif. The glorious, golden-haired Viking who she knew she was falling for. She could hold back, could fight this witheverything she had but what was the point? She didn’t want to fight it because she believed that with Leif she could be happy. On the train journey home last night, Leif had told her that he wanted to see where things went between them, and she’d told him she felt the same. The alternative, deciding to ignore how they felt, would be miserable and what was the point in choosing to be miserable? Who would benefit from that? Leif hadn’t stayed overnight with her because while they both wanted to be together, they’d agreed that they could wait. It would be something to look forward to and ensure that they were definitely ready before they took things to a more physical level.
This evening, they were going to carols at the green with Victor and she was looking forward to it. Victor had mentioned it a few days ago and said that he went with Mavis every year so she knew it would be emotional for him. He knew Mavis would want him to carry on doing the things they’d enjoyed together so he was determined to go.
Flora was going to wrap up warm then head to Victor’s where she’d meet Leif too. Not only would tonight be carols at the green but Leif was going to trial the sledge with Magnus while the villagers were distracted in order to see if it worked better than the skis. He’d given it a short run the day after the ski attempt had gone wrong but he wanted to check how much he could get on the sledge so he could work out how many trips around the village he’d need to make on Christmas Eve. Flora really hoped it would be all right because otherwise Secret Santa was going to be delivering things on foot and with Flora’s help.
Later on, at the green, Flora stood with her hand tucked into Victor’s arm and looked around. At the centre of the green, there was a giant tree decorated with lights and more had been hung around the lampposts and other trees. There was a soft breeze but it was chilly and she huddled deeper into her warm coat. Leif had gone to get them drinks and something to eat and the smell of hotdogs, crepes, mulled cider and wine permeated the air, creating a deliciously festive atmosphere.
Every now and then, Victor greeted people he knew, and Flora hoped that she’d soon be able to do the same and that she’d know as many people as he did.
‘Hello Cain,’ Victor said with a brief nod. ‘How’re you settling in?’
‘Really well, thanks, Victor. Quite a turn out this evening for carols, eh?’
‘There always is,’ Victor replied. ‘This is Flora. I don’t know if you’ve met, yet? Flora hasn’t lived in the village for long but she’s settling in, aren’t you, dear?’
‘I certainly am,’ Flora said. ‘Hello, Cain.’
