Page 107 of Christmas Every Day
‘So that’s it with him?’
Sarah turned pink. ‘I’m so pathetic. I messaged him three times last night. And then I got worried, that maybe something had happened. Like he’d had a car crash, or his house burned to the ground with his phone and computer inside. So, this morning I called him.’
‘Oh, dear. He answered?’
‘Yeah, so unfortunately neither he nor his phone are dead. Or seriously injured.’
‘What did he say? What didyousay?’ I shuddered to think.
‘Well, the line was really bad so it was a lot of me yelling about what a waster he was, and telling him to go shove his compliments and his promises and his sweet little jokes up his own app. While he crackled and hissed, and said stuff like, “I’m sorry, something came up,” and, “Please let me explain,” and, “I’ll make it up to you.” I told him, if he’s so keen to make it up to me, why am I the one phoning to see ifhe’sall right?’
Sarah opened the freezer and pulled out a giant tub of caramel ice cream. ‘So that’s it. I am officially over it. This particular story did not have a happy ending.’ She scooped out two enormous bowlfuls. ‘I mean, if a Zac Efron lookalike happens to start calling into the café and we get chatting, and after a decade or two he doesn’t seem like a dud, Imighthave a coffee with him. But I’m done being disappointed.’
I watched her shovel in a mountain of ice cream. ‘What about Jamie?’
‘Really?’ she mumbled, before swallowing her mouthful. ‘Are you still going on about that? He’s been hanging around in the café for weeks now, and not made a move. So, I’m guessing he’s either not interested or not man enough. And we both know there’s nothing Jamie’s not man enough for.’
I ate my ice cream and said nothing. If Jamie wasn’t brave or decisive enough to act on his feelings, maybe hewasn’tstrong enough to take Sarah on.
The next morning, Ashley tumbled into my kitchen. ‘I made gingerbread,’ she announced, with great significance. ‘To cheer you up.’
She placed a plastic tub on my table, keeping hold of a pretty tin decorated with butterflies.
‘Thanks, Ashley. That’s really kind of you. I could do with a break before I start clearing up the wreckage in the dining room. Do you want tea?’
‘Ye-e-e-e-s-s-s,’ she replied, eyes darting about. ‘But I have this other cake for next door. Seeing as they got burgled, too. They might want to talk things over with a glass of lemonade.’
And then I remembered.
The phone call. Made in a storm cloud of anger and offence, for reasons now seeming petty. Hillary West had made me feel stupid and pathetic and a failure. Feelings that had a lifetime’s worth of painful memories associated with them. Feelings I’d been working my backside off to move on from, and thought I had finally succeeded at.
I was impressed Ashley had held off this long. Maybe it wasn’t going to be as bad as I feared.
‘Mack is a really private guy,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry, but he’s not going to want to talk to you. Or have you help him clear up his three possessions. I can drop the cake round, though. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.’
‘Jenny, it’sgingerbread. It’s not for Mack.’
I knew the cake wasn’t for Mack, but it was only when she waggled her eyebrows at me that I remembered the Hillary West book,The Gingerbread House.
‘Right. Let’s go, then.’ I didn’t bother telling her Hillary West might not live up to the imaginary novelist she’d created in her head. Hillary could burst Ashley’s bubble herself.
Mack answered the door. Hanging back behind Ashley still didn’t stop my stomach flipping over. I couldn’t handle his face so exposed, sothere. He really needed to grow that beard back for his, and my, protection.
Ashley introduced herself, reciting the words like an actress on one of those local adverts for car dealerships. ‘Is your wife in, at all? I’ve made her gingerbread. Not a house – I mean, I thought that might be a bit much. I didn’t want her to think I was weird! Ha! Ha!’
Mack swivelled his eyes to me. A little tiny explosion went off in my chest with a sad whistle. ‘No. You can leave the cake here, though. She’ll be back at the weekend.’
‘Oh. Well.’ Ashley’s whole body drooped. ‘I very much wanted to give it to her myself. I’m such a big fan. Like, about as big a fan as you can get without being sinister. I’ve written to her dozens of times. But I’ve never invaded her personal privacy! I’ve always respected her wish to remain out of the limelight. It’s just, well, when Jenny mentioned she lived so amazingly close, I had to come and tell her in person how she has totally, completely, changed my life. I’m only brave enough to be here because of her.’ Her voice faded to a mumble. ‘I promise I’ll leave her alone after that. If she wants to. I mean, if she wanted to go for a drink or bounce any ideas off her biggest fan, of course, I’d be more than willing to—’
‘Okay!’ Mack said. ‘Bring the cake round on Saturday.’
‘I just would so love to meet her before she moves. I can’t believe she’s been this close all this time and now it’s nearly too late!’
‘I said it’s okay.’
‘I promise I won’t mention her writer’s block!’
Mack’s face clouded over faster than a hurricane. He shut the door, growling something about gossip and rights to privacy and peace.
