Page 35 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

‘Flaming ’eck, that surely can’t be the time, can it?’ Lobster Harry was leaning against the bar, his bleary eyes betraying that he was on the wrong side of several pints of Old Micklewick Magic. He turned his attention to his half-drunk pint of beer, downing it in one. ‘I’ll have another couple if you don’t mind, Mandy, love,’ he said, as he wiped the froth from his mouth withthe back of his hand before releasing a belch that ricocheted around the room.

‘Charming.’ Stella’s top lip curled in disgust as she fastened the toggles of her sheepskin coat, making the others giggle.

‘Good old Harry,’ said Lark.

Outside, Florrie gasped as she was hit by a wall of bitingly cold air, her eyes taking in the crisp covering of snow that was sparkling in the glow of the pale winter moon suspended in a star-strewn sky. Woodsmoke from the pub’s fire drifted out of the chimney, reaching upwards. A thrill started dancing in her stomach. The snow wasn’t deep enough to cause problems, but there was enough to put her plans into action the following day, provided a thaw didn’t set in, of course. She felt her excitement building.Looks like we’ll be sledging and building snowmen tomorrow!

She spotted Bear’s Land Rover parked up by the side of the pub, steam billowing from its exhaust, the odd snowflake swirling in the beam of its headlights.

‘Blimey, it’s raw out here,’ said Jasmine, her breath curling out in front of her as she headed away from the Jolly. In the next moment she let out an ear-piercing screech as she lost her footing and landed on her bottom with a muffledthwump. ‘Wargh!’

The friends all looked on, alarmed.

Florrie clutched her hand to her chest. ‘Jazz! Are you okay?’

‘Oh my God. These flaming boots!’ She threw her head back and let out a loud hoot of laughter. Seeing she was unhurt, her friends followed suit, their giggles hanging in the frosty air.

Florrie and Stella helped her to her feet, almost losing their footing in the process which only added to their hilarity.

‘What are you like, Jazz?’ said Maggie, as she dusted snow from the back of Jasmine’s padded jacket.

‘Hopeless, I’d say! I’ve got a soaking wet bum and it’s flippin’ freezing – I wouldn’t be surprised if I got frostbite on my butt cheeks.’

‘Need a hand, Jash?’ said a voice behind them.

The friends turned to see Ando Taylor swaying precariously under the light of the pub’s sign.

‘The offer’sh shtill open, if you’re intereshted.’ He gave an exaggerated wink followed by a leery smile.

‘Jeez, when’s he going to get the message?’ Jasmine said, sotto voce, rolling her eyes. ‘And it’s still a no, Ando.’ She turned away from him.

‘Shuit yourshelf,’ he said, before staggering his way back into the pub.

‘You all right there, Jazz?’ Bear leapt out of the Land Rover, laughing as he went to open the heavy rear door.

‘I will be once I’m in the Landie and not risking my life walking across this death-trap of a path.’ She grinned as Florrie hooked her under one arm and Stella the other, her feet slip-sliding over the snow as they made their way towards him, leaving the Jolly in the same way she arrived.

The living room at Samphire Cottage was toasty warm after the chill of outside. A lively fire was dancing in the grate and the soft lighting cast a cosy glow around the room. Florrie was curled up beside Ed on the sofa, sipping a hot chocolate and listening to their classical music playlist. A wave of contentment washed over her and she leant into him, resting her head on his shoulder, his head touching hers. He’d just finished sharing the details of the research he’d carried out for the tearoom that evening. He’d evidently covered a lot of ground in the time she’d been out. She loved how enthusiastic he was for it, that he was so clearly invested in the bookshop’s future. It went some wayto overriding the doubts that had arisen since his father’s phone call.

Gerty groaned from where she’d been snoring on the rug in front of the fire. She heaved herself up, wandered over to the sofa and flopped at Ed’s feet with aharumph.

‘Looking forward to tomorrow?’ Florrie asked.

‘Very much.’ She could hear the smile in his voice. ‘I think it’s a brilliant idea having Zak and Chloe join us. We’ll have a great time with them. I don’t think I’ve ever met two more enthusiastic kids.’ He gave a chuckle as he started to rub Gerty’s tummy with his feet. The Labrador stretched out, luxuriating in the attention.

‘Oh, they’re that all right.’ Florrie laughed, too.

‘I meant to ask earlier, but have you got a sledge, or do we need to buy one in town?’

‘Mum and Dad have still got a couple from when I was a kid, they’re in their shed. My dad used to love sledging, too. He said he’d dig them out and drop them off in the morning when he brought Mum to pick up the keys for the bookshop.’

Florrie had just got her words out when Ed’s phone started ringing from the coffee table, slicing through the relaxed atmosphere and making her jump. Ed tipped his head back and gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Not at this time of night.’ Gerty jumped up and put her head in his lap, sensing his change in mood.

They both knew the call could only be from his father. Florrie held back from asking him if he was going to answer it. She wondered how long it would take for him to realise the sooner he spoke to his dad, the sooner this bombardment would stop. And the sooner she’d feel more settled, knowing what had prompted this latest round of phone calls, not to mention what Jean Davenport had to do with it.

Ed let the call ring out, but it wasn’t long until his phone pinged announcing the arrival of a voicemail message.

He glanced at Florrie and rolled his eyes. ‘I’m turning that dratted thing off until after we’ve been sledging with Zak and Chloe.’ With that, he snatched up his phone and did just that. ‘I’m not going to let anything spoil tomorrow, especially when there are kids involved.’

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