Page 39 of Christmas at the Little Bookshop by the Sea

‘Right, you’re going to pay for that, you little squirt.’ Laughing, Ed brushed the snow away and went to chase after Zak who ran off, whooping with laughter at the top of his voice.

Chloe was hot on her brother’s heels. ‘Zak! Zak! Wait for me! Zak! Wait!’

Florrie looked on, her cheeks aching from laughing so hard. She was thrilled that they’d already created another wonderful experience to add to The Happy Christmas Memories Project.

Soon, they were on the top prom, biting air whooshing in from the sea. Seagulls wheeled overhead, their plaintive cries carried on the salty breeze. The road was clear of snow thanks to the work of the gritter earlier that morning, and now cars drove along unhindered, their tyres making short work of the lingering slush. The broad pavement of the prom was a different matter, however, and was covered in a good five inches of snow. It made progress slow as they crunched their way along, not that it bothered Zak and Chloe, who were plodding back and forth, rosy-cheeked, their laughter and squeals of delight filling the air. Gerty watched them, her tail wagging, her ears cocked.

‘Look! There’s snow on the beach!’ Zak pointed towards it.

‘Wow! That’s so cool,’ said Chloe, tramping over to the wooden railings and peering down.

The cover of snow on the bank of pebbles and the sand, stretching halfway to the sea, made for an unusual sight. It wouldn’t last long in the salt laden sea air.

‘Thorncliffe looks stunning.’ Florrie’s gaze roved over the top of the cliff that was covered in a vast blanket of white. Smoke was curling from the chimney at Clifftop Cottage, just as it was a little further along at Thorncliffe Farm. The Jolly and Old Micklewick came into view. It looked Christmas card pretty with its little wonky cottages, their rooftops dusted with snow.

As usual, Gerty stopped at Mr and Mrs H’s bench, looking up at Florrie and Ed. They paused only briefly, taking in the view, mindful of Zak and Chloe’s eagerness to get sledging.

‘Morning, Grandad and Grandma.’ Ed’s words floated out in a cloud of steam as he gazed out at the panorama.

Florrie stole a look at him, wondering what was going through his mind, hoping he was managing to keep his thoughts clear of his parents for now.

He breathed out a sigh and looked down at her. ‘Best make tracks, we’ve got some serious sledging to do.’

‘You’re not wrong there.’ She smiled up at him, pleased when he smiled back.

They skirted round The Micklewick Majestic Hotel, the derelict building appearing less forlorn and neglected beneath a covering of snow.

Before long, the four of them and an excited Gerty had joined a gaggle of early morning sledgers at the top of Woodcutter’s Hill. It looked magical, the branches of the surrounding trees bent under the weight of the snow, sunlight sparkling all around them. They found a clear area and positioned their sledges at the top of the hill.

‘Right then, Zak, I reckon it would be a good idea if you and Chloe show us how it’s done,’ said Ed. ‘Then I can have a go after that. What do you say?’

Zak seemed to grow a couple of inches in the wake of such responsibility. He pushed his hands onto his hips. ‘Yep, I think that’s the best idea. Me and Chloe are skilled at sledging, especially me.’ His confident tone and manner made Florrie want to smile, Ed too, she noted, from the way his mouth was twitching. ‘Come on, Chlo, let’s show Ed how it’s done.’

‘Okay.’ Chloe went to stand beside her brother, her smile lighting up her pretty face.

The pair manoeuvred their sledges into the perfect position and sat down on them, wriggling about until they were comfortable. Zak turned, looking up at Ed and said, ‘You take the rope in your hands, like this, see? And then, when you’re ready, you push yourself off with your feet. Oh, and don’t head for a tree or you’ll crash into it and it’ll really hurt.’

‘Sound advice.’ Ed nodded.

‘Think you can do that?’ Zak asked, regarding his pupil.

Florrie stifled a smile at Zak’s grown-up tone. Much as she was desperate to, she daren’t make eye contact with Ed.

‘Yep, I think so, especially after your sound instructions.’ Ed nodded, keeping his expression impassive.

‘Good.’ Zak turned to his sister. ‘Right, Chlo, are you ready?’

‘Ready.’ She nodded, her smile stretching further across her face.

‘Okay, then. One, two, three. Go!’

A second later the pair were zooming down the hill, Zak letting rip with a long, drawn-out roar of pleasure while Chloe’s squeals filled the air, her pigtails flying out behind her. Gerty barked with delight as she looked on.

The siblings slowed to a halt at the bottom where the land evened out, Chloe’s sledge spinning around in a final flourish.

‘That looked like great fun,’ said Ed, laughing heartily.

‘I thought you’d like it.’ Florrie watched as the two children pulled themselves to their feet, the pair of them laughing hard.

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