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‘Blimey,’ was all Honor managed.
Jago was silent for a moment. ‘Blimey indeed.’ He backed off, looking shocked. He shook his head wonderingly. ‘When I saw you after the advent service, I thought you looked like an angel. You were wearing a white coat and holding some tinsel wings. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful or so pure.’
‘I’m no angel, Jago.’
He smiled so tenderly she thought she could bathe in its warmth forever. ‘No angel.’ He reached forward and kissed her again. ‘But something so much better.’
The noise from the bar next door rose to a crescendo as Lenny the landlord called time. The night had flown.
‘May I walk you home?’
‘You don’t need to walk me home, Jago.’ She couldn’t stop saying his name. It was as if by saying it, it cleaved him to her even more. ‘It’s only down the hill.’
‘I’d like to.’
‘Then you may.’
‘And does that mean I can kiss you goodnight?’
Honor tilted her head coyly. ‘It does.’
CHAPTER30
‘I’VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM’ – LENNY MARTIN
Wednesday 22nd December
They agreed to meet up again the following evening. It was a late-night shopping event in town, a fancy dress dog competition was promised, along with a brass band. It was the only day free before Christmas that Honor had, as she was driving up to Worcester to see her parents early the following morning.
She made sure she kept herself busy, but her mind wasn’t really on wrapping the presents she was taking with her, or throwing clothes into her suitcase. She kept thinking back to how Jago’s lips felt on hers. She knew he was someone she could get serious about. Happiness helped her glide through the day in a sunny haze. She sang along to the cheesy Christmas songs on Radio Two and even went as far as to post a Christmas card through her surly neighbour’s door downstairs. His response, on her return to her flat, was to bang on the ceiling and shout at her to turn the radio down.
But even Frank couldn’t spoil Honor’s mood. She stood in front of the wardrobe and considered what to wear on the date. It was cold again outside, with the added wind chill of a stiff breeze. It would have to be the white coat, it was smart, warm and besides, Honor felt herself dissolve inside at the thought, Jago said it made her look like an angel. She found a white knitted hat her mother had bought the previous Christmas, but which she’d always been too self-conscious to wear as it had an enormous faux-fur pom-pom, tucked her gloves into her pocket, fished out her bag and locked the flat.
The cold air, as it hit her when she turned the corner into the bottom of the high street, physically took her breath away. She sheltered against the wall of an empty building and pulled her gloves on. The building, once home to a swish restaurant, was now empty and boarded up. It looked rather forlorn and she wished someone would take it on. It held a prime central position in town and blighted the otherwise pretty street. Some wise crack had painted a Christmas tree on one of the boards in an attempt to make it look festive.
‘Honor, hi!’
‘Hi, Tamara.’ She kissed her friend. ‘Good to see you before you go away. Happy Christmas.’
‘Happy Christmas, babe. I’m on my way up to The Ship, want to join me?’
Honor shook her head. ‘I’ve got a date,’ she said, not bothering to hide her glee.
‘A date? Wey hey, good for you, babe. Who with?’
‘Jago Pengethley.’
Tamara did a double take. ‘Not the married man you weren’t touching with the proverbial bargepole?’
‘Turns out he’s not even slightly married. Merryn is his little sister not his daughter and Avril is hismum.I made the wrong call.’
Tamara frowned, marring her perfectly made-up face. ‘How did that happen then?’
‘I jumped in with both feet from a great height and got it all horribly wrong.’
‘Doesn’t sound like you, Honor. Sounds more like something I’d do. Maybe I’m a bad influence on you! Although, girlfriend, now you come to think about it, it makes a whole load more sense.’
‘I know.’ Honor bit her lip and looked shamefaced. ‘I can only blame end-of-term exhaustion.’
