Page 59 of Saving Mr. Bell

Arlo groaned. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope.”

We cooked Christmas dinner together, Arlo in charge of the turkey and the potatoes while I did the rest, both of us taking our roles seriously while also having fun with it. Neither of us had any complaints about the finished meal. In a show of belief that hadn’t passed me by, Arlo had stocked one of the kitchen cupboards with wine.

I had one glass. Not because I had anything to prove, but because that’s all I needed. I was no longer the man of a few weeks ago who needed to numb his misery with alcohol, drugs, or the sexual admiration of a random nameless man. Genuine happiness had filled in those gaps. I didn’t have to deal with Jade anymore. My father and I were back on good terms. I didn’t have to go on stage until I felt ready. And last but certainly not least, I had Arlo.

We’d left opening presents until after dinner, Arlo insisting on making a solo journey to Salzburg a couple of days ago and returning with wrapped gifts he’d added to mine under the newly decorated tree. It dawned on me as we sat with presents in front of us that being in love didn’t mean we had everything sorted, like my question about his divorce this morning. “We’re going to live together, right?” I asked as I picked up the first present Arlo had instructed me to open and shook it, the action not providing any clues to what lay inside.

“Do you want to?”

I’d grown used to Arlo’s habit of answering a question with another question. It might be an evasion tactic that served him well with the people he interviewed, but I wasn’t one of them. “Do you?”

Arlo’s lips quirked. “It’s not a straightforward thing, is it? I work all over. You work all over. Saying yes doesn’t solve that problem.”

“No, but it’s a start.”

“You know the answer is yes.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it.”

“Then yes.”

I dug my finger into a gap in the paper and ripped it open. “A wise man once told me that when I fell in love, my priorities would change and I’d make it work.”

Arlo laughed at his own words coming back to haunt him. I’d known when he’d said it he hadn’t pictured himself in that role. Things were always more straightforward in theory than they were in reality.

“I guess we just need a base, and an agreement that we’ll make time for each other,” he said.

I ripped the paper off to uncover a box. “There you go. Easy. Where?”

“England?”

“Works for me. Maybe I can have that penthouse flat in Central London after all. And then I’m still close enough to visit my father.” I opened the box and laughed, a pig mask staring back at me. “See. I knew you were a kinky devil. I’ll start practicing my oinking and then we can see how loud you can make me squeal.”

“Obviously, that one’s a joke present. I couldn’t resist when I saw it. We can start flat hunting once New Year is out of the way.” The next gift was underwear, Arlo telling me it was so I didn’t have to share his, and that I could model it for him later. Then he shoved another small box into my hands, this one unwrapped. I raised an eyebrow at it being from a jewelry store. “If this is a ring…”

Arlo rolled his eyes. “It’s not a ring. Don’t make it sound like I can’t be with someone for five minutes without proposing.”

“Well… if I said that, history would back me up.”

“Just… open it.” I opened it to find a chain with a hexagonal wooden pendant. “It’s kind of snowflake shaped. I thought it could remind you of this place.”

“It’s beautiful,” I said honestly. “And I take it back about you not being allowed in jewelry stores. That would be a travesty when your taste is this good.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Help me put it on.”

Arlo did, and then opened the gifts I’d gotten for him, a watch, and a box set of books he’d mentioned wanting to read but hadn’t gotten around to. The last gift had my heart rate picking up as I held it out. “This is for both of us.” Arlo took it and studied the envelope like he expected to be able to tell its contents without breaking the seal, the delay only making me more nervous. “I told Sophie it was a test for her, to see how quickly she could get things done. She came up trumps and had it all sown up within days. There was no way I couldn’t hire her after that.”

Arlo frowned. “What?”

“Open it.” He did and stared at the piece of paper inside, blinking like he couldn’t quite believe the evidence of his eyes. “Imagining other people here after us just didn’t feel right.”

He raised his head and stared at me. “You bought this place?” I nodded. “How?”

“Apparently, they’d been thinking about selling for a while. And once Sophie mentioned my name, Annika, that’s the lady who owns this place, couldn’t have been more keen for me to buy it.” I jerked my head to the next room where the piano sat. “She’s a classical music fan, hence the piano. She’s attended some of my concerts. I offered to throw in front row VIP tickets once I’m performing again and she even knocked some money off the asking price.”

Arlo looked like someone had slapped him in the face with a wet fish. “We’ve been here days and you haven’t mentioned it.”

“It’s a Christmas present. I’m not in the habit of blurting out what people’s Christmas presents are.”

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