Page 67 of The Village Christmas Party

I step inside the apartment, which is almost how I imagined it in my mind’s eye. White walls, decorated with stylish art and a huge sofa that dominates the room. Potted plants are dotted about, including an impressive-looking bonsai sitting on a black wooden unit. A huge stripy coloured rug covers a grey-coloured wooden floor.

‘Nice place,’ I comment as he invites me to sit down.

I feel suddenly nervous as I relive that kiss in the car park. How is Kian expecting the evening to pan out? How am I expecting it to?

‘Drink?’ he asks.

‘A glass of red wine, if you have it?’ I ask.

‘Of course.’

He heads to the kitchen, a glimpse of which I can see from the sofa. It is fitted out with sleek navy cupboards and pale marble worktops.

He returns with a whisky for himself, and passes me a glass of wine.

‘Thank you.’

Kian plays some music from speakers and I sit back and relax. He comes and sits next to me then and slips his arms around my shoulders. But it’s no good. I must ask him about the woman I saw him with in town.

‘I forgot to say, I saw you in town on Christmas Day as I was driving.’ I sip my wine.

‘You did? I never saw you. Why didn’t you stop and say hi?’ he asks, looking puzzled.

‘Because you were with someone.’ I can feel my heart beating wildly.

‘Oh, right,’ he says, his face adopting a more serious expression.

‘Was it a friend?’ I ask, twirling the stem of my wine glass.

‘Not exactly, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea if I tell you,’ he says, looking a little sheepish.

‘Tell me what?’

‘Who the woman was with me and Bella.’

THIRTY-FIVE

‘Well now I am worried,’ I tell him, placing my wine glass down on an occasional table. ‘I take it there is something you are not telling me?’ I say, my heart sinking.

‘I might not have mentioned anything, as it wasn’t relevant. But I won’t lie to you either. The woman you saw me with was Bella’s mother. My ex-wife.’

I recall the smiling faces of the three of them as they stepped onto the zebra crossing and feel all the joy of the evening evaporate. And didn’t he say his ex was going on holiday with her boyfriend for Christmas, which was why he was having Bella to stay?

‘But let me explain,’ pleads Kian.

‘Go ahead,’ I say evenly.

‘Sally, that’s my ex-wife, ended up not going on holiday with her boyfriend after all. Their flights were cancelled until after Christmas, something about a baggage handler dispute at the airport they were heading to,’ he explains. ‘But they only discovered this when they got to the airport, which was actually in Birmingham. They have rescheduled to go tomorrow.’

‘I see,’ I say, absorbing the information quietly.

‘So she called me and asked if I would mind her spending Christmas Day with Bella after all. She said it didn’t feel right, not spending the day with Bella when she was still here in the country, and only an hour’s drive away.’

I can understand that I suppose. Maybe she rang him on the day of the party, explaining his sudden change of mood.

‘So she came here for Christmas Day?’ I ask.

Once more, I recall him saying a family member was watching Bella when he nipped out for the batteries on Christmas morning. He never actually lied to me, he just failed to say who the family member was.

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