Page 24 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

‘You’re right.’ She turned to him, pushing her mouth into a smile.

‘I am. So, try to stop worrying – Leah and your mum’ll be fine. There’s no point in fretting about something that’s not likely to happen, especially when we’ve got something fun to look forward to.’ Taking in his broad smile, Florrie made a conscious effort to tuck her worries out of the way and focus instead on enjoying herself with Ed.

‘And don’t forget, your dad’s not far away. He’ll be there like a shot if your mum needs him, and Nate’s just down the road, too. He’s twice the size of Dodgy Dick, so I very much doubt the slimeball will want to take him on.’

Florrie giggled at the mental image Ed’s words had triggered. ‘Yeah, I doubt it, too.’

The further they drove from the seaside and out of the clutches of the salty air, the more the snow lingered on the footpaths and verges. Ed slowed his speed, driving steadily. She eased out a relieved sigh as tension ebbed away and her shoulders relaxed, Ed’s voice of reason and upbeat tone offering the reassurance she needed. She glanced out of the window, surprised to see daylight was already succumbing to the dusk that was nibbling away at the pale blue edges of sky.

As they drew closer to Middleton-le-Moors, it became evident that winter had a tighter grip here, where the altitude was higher. The road to the town skirted the perimeter of the North Yorkshire Moors whose stark, wintry bleakness stretched out for miles in the distance. Frost sparkled on the roadside while snow dusted the naked branches of the trees and hedges that lined the route, glittering under the diluted rays of the sun.

‘Blimey, look at the sky over there.’ Ed nodded to the left of them.

‘Ooh, looks full of trouble, doesn’t it?’ Florrie had already noted the foreboding clouds that had gathered over the moors,ready to release vast amounts of snow at any moment. She knew the moorland weather could be capricious, with sunny skies one minute and thunderstorms the next. As for the snowfall, she’d heard horrendous stories of people finding themselves stranded high up on the rigg roads, their cars getting buried in snowdrifts – the worst she’d been told was of a heavily pregnant woman giving birth in the back of a Land Rover, assisted by a local farmer and his girlfriend. Florrie couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrifying that must’ve been. Much as she loved snow, she hoped it would hold back until they’d got their ice-skating session out of the way and were safely parked up in Micklewick Bay.

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t affect us. I checked the forecast, and the moors are set to get a substantial covering, but it’ll be much lighter here and back home. The roads have been gritted, too, so we’ll be fine.’

‘That’s good.’ Their eyes met, happiness dancing between them as they beamed at one another. Florrie had surprised herself at just how much she was looking forward to tackling this next item on the list of The Happy Christmas Memory Project, especially given Ed’s sense of fun. He’d been in raptures when she’d presented him with the tickets the previous day. She’d booked them last minute, after checking her mum and Leah could cover for them, and had been excited to share the details with him.

‘Oh, wow! I’ve always wanted to have a go at ice skating! This is awesome! Thank you!’

‘Thought you’d be chuffed.’ She’d been thrilled by his response.

‘Will I need shin pads and a helmet?’ he’d chuckled.

‘Don’t be so daft! It’s not ice hockey! You’re hardly going to be charging across the rink, chasing a puck and wielding a hockey stick,’ she’d said, giggling.

‘Hey, you never know. I might surprise everyone and have a natural affinity for it.’

‘Much as I hate to burst your bubble, I very much doubt it. I reckon we’ll both be spending most of the time gripping onto the side for dear life, which is pretty much how I remember my last attempts when I went with Jasmine and Stella. It was donkey’s years ago, mind, but we still had a great laugh. Poor Jazz had bruises on her bum that lasted for weeks.’

‘Er, remind me again why we’re doing this,’ Ed had said dryly, making Florrie giggle some more.

‘I promise you, this festive experience will deserve its place in The Happy Christmas Memory Project. You’ll look back on your time on the ice – whether it’s on your bum or your feet – with a whole load of happy memories, I promise you.’

‘Hmm. I’ll take your word for it,’ Ed had said, his wide smile betraying the fact that he shared her excitement. ‘It’s actually the thought of a meal at the pub afterwards that’s keeping me going.’

Florrie had chuckled, shaking her head. ‘Honestly, I reckon if you were an animal, you’d be a Labrador… you think as much about your belly as Gerty thinks about hers.’

‘I hold my hands up to that one, and I’m more than happy to be in such good company.’ He’d bent to ruffle Gerty’s ears and been rewarded with a lick on the end of his nose.

As it turned out, Ed proved to be quite the natural on ice skates, but not before he’d provided a few laugh-out-loud moments where he’d pushed himself off from the side, waving his arms around windmill-like before ending up unceremoniously on his backside. He’d hooted with laughter, dusted himself off and tried again, getting the knack far more quickly than he and Florrie were expecting. Once he’d mastered the art of staying upright, he skated gently round the rink, Florrie’s hand in his,the pair of them grinning from ear to ear as festive music rang out from the pub’s speakers.

By the time their session was up, they were tired and hungry.

‘That was thebestfun!’ Ed was glowing with happiness, his hand around a pint of alcohol-free beer. They were sitting in the warmth of The Golden Fleece, Christmas carols playing cheerily in the background, a roaring fire in the hearth, and a heavily bedecked Christmas tree twinkling away in the corner.

‘Told you you’d enjoy it,’ Florrie said, laughing at the joy shining in his eyes. They were both rosy-cheeked thanks to the heat kicked out by the blazing fire at the far end of the room, and the frost that had nipped at their skin whilst they were ice skating. ‘And it’s great to have another item ticked off the list.’ She took a sip of her mulled wine, savouring the warmth and evocative aroma of festive spices that swirled under her nose. The chill from her wet trousers was becoming less noticeable by the minute. ‘Mind you, I reckon we could be a bit achy tomorrow after the tumbles we took. The left cheek of my bottom’s throbbing. It’s going to be colourful tomorrow.’

Ed chuckled. ‘Yeah, and I know I’ve used muscles I didn’t even know I had just trying to stay upright.’ He reached across the table and took her hand in his, a serious expression suddenly replacing his smile. He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. ‘I hope you know how much I appreciate what you’re doing, Florrie.’

‘Hey, it’s not about you being appreciative, it’s about you having some awesome experiences to add to your festive memory bank,’ she said brightly. ‘And besides, I’m hardly having a dreadful time, am I? It’s great fun for both of us, doing things like this together. It’s good to be able to have a bit of a break, to be honest. Much as I love the bookshop, we’ve been working flatout recently – we’ve needed this bit of down time. I didn’t realise that till now.’

Ed nodded, looking thoughtful. ‘You’re not wrong there. Business has really taken off over this last year.’

Mention of the bookshop sent Florrie’s thoughts skittering back to Dodgy Dick. Her mind had headed down that route several times since they’d arrived in the town though she’d made a conscious effort to focus on the good time she was having with Ed. She’d surreptitiously checked her phone to make sure there’d been no concerned messages from her mum or Leah, thankful there had been none.

Before long, two large plates piled high with Christmas dinner and all the trimmings arrived, together with an extra plate of vegetables and a jug of gravy. Florrie’s tastebuds started dancing at the delicious aromas that were swirling around their table.

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