Page 32 of A Very Crumbleton Christmas
Jack grudgingly handed them over and then grabbed her plate and started to pile it with a bit of everything within reach. Caroline guided him with little nods and shakes of the head as he went. He soon noticed that the shakes weren’t exactly frequent, and were mainly aimed at anything containing chillies.
‘There,’ he said, popping the mounded plate down in front of her. ‘For when you’ve finished your starter,’ he chuckled, eyeballing the tube in her hand as she rummaged in its depths.
‘Want one?’ she said, crunching away happily.
Jack shook his head.
‘Sticking to veggie juice with added vitamins?’ she said. ‘Or are you holding out for oatmeal?’
‘You wish!’ laughed Jack. ‘I just prefer the blue ones.’
He grabbed his own tub of salty snacks and added a not-so-healthy heap to the side of his plate before tucking into the cheese board.
‘Weirdo!’ said Caroline.
It wasn’t long before the pair of them had munched their way through their first helpings and were busy swapping bowls and passing boards of cold meat between them, loading up ready for a second innings.
It felt easy and relaxed… and Jack realised that he was suddenly feeling decidedly Christmassy. In fact, if this was the only moment of true celebration he had this year, it would still go down as the best Christmas he’d had in years.
‘Hey, Caroline?’ he said, leaning back in his chair and picking up his glass of wine.
‘Yeah?’ she said, grinning over at him.
‘Toast?’
‘Go on then,’ she said, mirroring him.
‘Thank you for making Christmas arrive early.’
‘Aw,’ she crooned. ‘You cheesy sucker!’
Jack snorted in amusement. ‘I’m serious, though. It’s Christmas, and I tell the truth at Christmas.’
‘Well, I’m having the best time too,’ said Caroline, her smile easing into something more gentle. ‘I know it sounds stupid, but I’ve been getting so stressed out about the blasted lights thing. It’s been plaguing me so much that I’ve been wishing for Christmas to be over. But… you’ve reminded me how it’s meant to feel.’
‘Me and the several feet of snow outside?’ said Jack.
‘No. Just you.’
‘That’s the wine talking, Miss Cook,’ said Jack.
‘Nope, not the wine,’ she said with a slow smile. ‘Maybe the bath though… at least a little bit!’
‘Well, that’s fair enough,’ said Jack with a shrug. ‘Itisquite an exceptional tub. I missed it while I was away.’
‘I don’t think I’d ever be able to leave it behind if it was mine,’ said Caroline.
‘Yeah… I know what you mean,’ said Jack quietly. There was no way in the world he’d admit that he wasn’t talking about the bathtub anymore. ‘Anyway,’ he said quickly, shaking his head and doing his best to undo the spell that seemed to have descended on him, ‘the answer to your question—’
‘What question?’ said Caroline, sitting back with a little sigh.
‘The question that’s been plaguing you and causing you all that stress,’ said Jack. ‘The answer’s yes. I’ll turn on the Crumbleton Christmas lights for you… if you’re sure you want me.’
‘I do!’ said Caroline with a little squeal. ‘I want you!’
CHAPTER 11
CAROLINE
