Page 10 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

Satisfied that Ed was busying himself at the front of the shop, Florrie ensconced herself in the small kitchen. She hurriedly filled the kettle, then fished her phone from her bag. She fired off a quick text to her friends, sharing her idea for The Happy Christmas Memory Project, saying how she’d love them to be involved and that any suggestions would be gratefully received.

It was Lark who replied first.

Ooh! Love it!! Very happy to be involved. I’ll get my thinking cap on! xxx

Maggie’s text arrived hot on her heels.

Count us in – Baby Marsay’s arrival permitting! How about ice skating over at Middleton-le-Moors? I can eat cake & spectate while you lot fall on your backsides!! Mxx

Florrie chuckled at that, but Maggie’s suggestion had set her thinking. For the last couple of years, at the start of December, a temporary ice rink had been set up in the car park at the front of The Golden Fleece pub. It wasn’t very big, but it had proved a popular attraction. She doubted very much that Ed had ever been ice skating; it was something she’d only done a couple of times herself, but the rink at Middleton sounded fun, especially if they could nip into the pub afterwards. It was definitely a contender, especially with the stylishly characterful market town decked out in its festive finery. A frisson of excitement ranthrough her. It hadn’t taken long to get her Happy Christmas Memory Project underway.

Stella’s reply landed just as Florrie was filling the teapot with hot water.

Brilliant idea! Danskelfe Castle has lots of Christmas events. Sure I saw mention of sleigh rides. Think you have to book in advance. Count me in on anything! Sx

‘Hmm. Sleigh rides?’ Florrie tapped her finger against her mouth. Danskelfe Castle was in a stunning location, perched on a precipitous crag over on the moors and set in extensive grounds. Stella’s mum Alice had paid it a visit a couple of months ago with her partner Rhys. The pair had returned singing its praises.

Florrie’s imagination started running wild, picturing herself and Ed hurtling around the castle’s beautiful grounds in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. She chuckled at herself for getting carried away. ‘It’s hardly likely to be reindeer, Florrie!’ she said softly as she hurriedly tapped “Danskelfe Castle” into the search bar on her phone. But reindeer or not, it sounded like an ideal contender for The Happy Christmas Memory Project and she was keen to learn more.

Her heart lifted as the website filled the screen; it looked glossy and professional. She clicked on the “Christmas” tab, her eyes dancing over the array of events and experiences on offer, including the sleigh rides Stella had mentioned – pulled by three horses. Florrie zoomed in on the details. Each “sleigh”– which was a festively decorated open carriage complete with roof, and an achingly nostalgic Christmas air – had seating for twelve people and ran at multiple intervals throughout the day starting from ten a.m. ‘Oh, wow!’ With excitement rushing through her,thoughts started blooming in her mind. Would their group of friends be interested in joining them? she wondered. There were enough of them to just about fill a whole sleigh ride, and their presence would make the experience even more memorable for Ed, of that she was sure. For all of them, too, for that matter.

She hurriedly scanned the available dates, one eye on the door, willing Ed not to venture down there, curious as to what she was up to. Her heart began to sink as she scrolled through the slots, the words “Fully booked”, “Fully booked”, “Fully booked” appearing as if on a loop. ‘Oh, no!’ She could feel her excitement slowly ebb away. She’d left it too late. Of course she had! Sleigh rides at Danskelfe Castle were bound to be a popular attraction.

Despondently, she continued to scroll, the odd single space showing up here and there. She’d almost lost hope when… ‘Oh!’ She stopped, doing a double-take as her eyes alighted on a completely empty sleigh for Sunday the seventeenth of December at three fifteen p.m., the final slot of the day. She blinked, checking it again to make sure she’d read right. Her heart gave a happy leap. She had! There was a whole sleigh completely empty! ‘Talk about lucky,’ she said, her insides dancing – she could hear Lark’s voice in her mind, telling her it was meant to be.

With each sleigh ride taking approximately half an hour, the timing couldn’t be better; the level of light would be perfect – not too dark, but sufficiently dusk and cosy for them to appreciate the twinkly lights shown in the website’s photos that lit the way to and from the castle’s courtyard. Her pulse started galloping. This was perfect for inclusion in The Happy Christmas Memory Project, but she needed to make a decision quickly before the seats were snapped up by someone else, which they invariably would be if she left it too long.

‘Right, no time like the present.’ Florrie seized the moment, and another round of hastily tapped out texts to her friends followed. Last on the list was Jasmine. Florrie’s fingers paused over her number as she pondered over the wording of the message. She was reluctant to put her friend under any extra financial pressure; there was no getting away from it, the sleigh rides were expensive, though not extortionate like some she’d heard of. She knew Jasmine struggled to afford any extras at this time of year and she didn’t want to make her feel awkward, or that she’d have to miss out on something the rest of them were all taking part in. She also knew the suggestion of her covering the cost of her friend’s ticket ran the risk of hurting Jasmine’s pride, which was the last thing Florrie wanted. She needed to handle this carefully.

Florrie’s mind moved quickly, searching for a solution that would mean she wouldn’t have to put Jasmine on the spot. She desperately wanted Jazz to be a part of the experience (the thought of her missing out for financial reasons didn’t feel right) – and there was enough room for the kids, which though it was even better, added to the dilemma. In the next second, an idea lit up in her mind. The group of friends clubbed together to buy one another Christmas presents each year, and they hadn’t organised Jasmine’s yet as they’d been struggling to agree on what to get her – she was the trickiest of the friends to buy for, not being one for the usual toiletries and perfume. A ticket for the sleigh ride would be perfect! On top of that, getting tickets for Zak and Chloe would solve the problem of what to get them for Christmas, too; she’d be happy to cover the cost of those if the others had already organised their gifts for the kids.

A wave of relief and happiness washed over Florrie simultaneously and she tapped out a text to Jasmine, simply asking her to keep the date free for herself and the kids, saying she’d explain later. As an afterthought, she added that theyshould all wear Christmas jumpers. She knew her friends well enough to know she didn’t need to run it by them before booking the tickets; they’d be of the same mind as her and more than happy to go with her suggestion.

While she’d been dithering over what to do about Jasmine, the others had responded with an assortment of enthusiastic texts and celebratory festive emojis. All were eager to come, asking for partners to be included – Nate was apparently keen to join as Lark’s “friend”. It made Florrie chuckle. She wondered if poor old Nate was ever going to escape from the “friend zone”. In the next moment a text pinged from Jasmine.

Have put it on the calendar! Most mysterious!! Jxx

Buzzing with happiness, and with no time to lose, Florrie fished in her bag for her purse, hoping with all her might that no one else had snapped up the places in the meantime. She couldn’t tap in her details quick enough, her pulse jumping as the order went through. Tucking her purse away before Ed spotted it and wondered what she was up to, she fired off a quick text to Maggie, Stella and Lark, explaining briefly how she’d got Jasmine and the kids’ Christmas presents sorted but asking them to keep it under wraps for now.

Florrie quickly poured the tea then picked up the mugs and headed out of the kitchen, her heart pounding with happiness. It was impossible to stop the smile that was spreading across her face as she made her way back to the front of the shop. The Happy Christmas Memory Project was underway! It was going to take some willpower to keep this surprise to herself till the moment was right.

She found Ed leaning over his laptop at the counter, deep in concentration, his fringe flopping forward. The creak ofthe floorboards alerted him to Florrie’s return. He looked up, brushing his hair off his face. ‘I was just about to send a search party out.’ His eyebrows quirked as he spotted her expression, a grin hitching up the corners of his mouth. ‘You’re looking rather pleased with yourself.’

‘Just got sidetracked with a few texts from the lasses.’ She beamed at him, doing all she could to rein in the excitement that was currently fizzing away inside her. Much as she couldn’t wait to tell him about the sleigh ride, she wanted to print off the tickets, tuck them into a Christmas card and present them to him that way.

‘Well, from the way you’re smiling, it looks as though they’ve been entertaining.’

‘Just a bit.’ She chuckled, setting the mugs down on the counter.

Oh, if only you knew!

SEVEN

Florrie was adding more copies ofTheNightBeforeChristmasto the display of children’s festive books by the door. It was one of her favourite childhood Christmas stories. She had fond memories of her mum reading it to her at bedtime as they snuggled up together, Florrie delighting in the rich illustrations. She still had the book slotted safely in one of the bookcases in the attic at Samphire Cottage, keeping company with the many other treasured books from her childhood. All the same, she couldn’t resist a quick flick through right now.

Leah, the bookshop’s young assistant, was serving a customer at the counter, chatting away in her usual friendly manner. She reminded Florrie of herself at that age; a hint of shyness about her, her love of books shining through. In a recent conversation, Florrie and Ed had discussed showing their appreciation for the young girl’s hard work and dedication by adding a generous bonus to her Christmas wages. Leah was an asset to the bookshop and fondly thought of by their customers.

Florrie checked her watch, her heart giving a little leap. There was just an hour to go before the “grand reveal”. She caught Leah’s eye, and they shared a smile that told of excitement and anticipation.

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