Page 69 of The Gingerbread Cafe
Gretel had lovingly placed Nell’s old holly wreaths back in the windows, the winter-spiced candles were scenting the air, and all manner of stained-glass fairies and snowmen spun gently from every possible hanging place. Even the street outside was dressed up like it used to be, with red and green lights strung between the old-fashioned lamp posts, and artificial snow fuzzing up windowpanes. Perhaps they could hope for another sprinkling of the real thing this year.
It was a Sunday evening, and Gretel and Lukas had invited all of their friends from the street for a special Christmas meal. The lights were dimmed, the logs in the fire crackled and the wayward jukebox had chosen to play ‘Wonderful Christmastime’, which for once seemed like a choice they could embrace.
‘I think they’ve got something to announce.’ Zekia elbowed Amber as they helped to lay the impressive run of tables that stretched the length of the café.
‘Everyone seems to be announcing stuff lately.’ Amber gave Eve and Gordon the Grocer a pointed look as they folded napkins, engagement rings glinting on both of their ring fingers.
Eve simply smiled. She did a lot of that these days. As did Phoebe, who spent increasingly more time with River, the dreadlocked guy they’d seen her chatting to at the February Fair, and his rescue dog, Squiffy. The three of them were sweet together. Phoebe also spent less time binge-eating gingerbread and weighing her bra down with crystals, and she swore her chakras were more balanced than ever.
‘You’ve had exciting news of your own,’ said Bea to Amber, as she set some of her handmade miniature lavender Christmas trees along the table. Their tiny baubles sparkled under the fairy lights. ‘You’ll have to book me in for one of those henna tattoos. They look spectacular.’
Amber and a couple of her new school friends had set up a small henna tattoo studio at the back of Jane and Jayne’s art gallery. They took it in turns to work there at weekends, although Amber was still making time to lend a hand at the café, and was even helping Gretel promote her Sunday stained-glass craft stall in the corner of the café. Who said Business Studies had been wasted on Amber?
‘My treat,’ said Amber, squeezing Bea’s arm.
They hadn’t seen as much of Bea lately. Her dad, Farmer Wilbur, had been forced to slow things down for health reasons, so she was helping out more at the family lavender farm, and seemed slightly frazzled for it. Her younger sister had been covering her shop, and much like their dad, was quite a character. Gretel had missed having Bea around, but it was lovely to welcome in new friends too.
Talking of new friends, Sky, who was the sister of Amber’s social media guru Lexie with the pixie hair, had recently moved into one of the empty shops on the street. With Lexie’s help, shewas turning it into an emporium for quirky upcycled furniture and chalk-style paints, as inspired by Lexie’s own shop in Tewkesbury. Gretel had loved seeing a splash of fresh colour, and this exciting new business was a sign that Green Tree Lane was thriving.
Kingsley was busy polishing up some small glasses for his latest festive rum, his happy smile radiating as always. The rum was cranberry and candy cane flavour, and Gretel could already see Gordon hovering nearby to be chief taster.
Gretel moved around with a tray of lebkuchen she’d baked that morning, congratulating herself on her delicately iced hearts and stars.
‘Ooh, you’re a natural.’ Zekia winked.
Nell and her mum would have been proud of the gingerbread treats, and little Rosa would have been loading up her pockets, her smile a picture of innocence. Some of the sweet things Gretel had remembered about them over the year, as she embraced each season instead of merely existing in Christmas, had surprised her. One of her favourites had been a memory of Rosa’s chocolatey cheeks after pinching Gretel’s Easter egg one year. How Gretel had giggled with Lukas about that one.
Lukas’s mum, Sally, was even staying in a nearby B&B for Christmas. With Gretel’s support, Lukas was keen to fix some of his broken memories of Christmas, even if his tender new relationship with his mum was still in the early stages.
‘Sorry we’re late,’ said Jane, as she and Jayne bustled through the door. ‘But we come bearing gifts!’
‘Babysitter issues.’ Jayne beamed, her face always so delighted when she referred to the little girl they’d recently adopted.
Gretel felt a tear in her eye as they handed her a new chalkboard for behind the counter. This time it was beautifully hand-painted with festive gingerbread people and sprigs ofmistletoe, and finished off with candy canes made from a child’s messy fingerprints. It was Gretel’s first tear of the season, and as she dabbed it with a tissue, she knew it was a happy one. Her counselling had been going well and this year she didn’t fear her emotions, whatever they may be.
She thanked Jane and Jayne, and placed the chalkboard behind the counter, where little stained-glass Nell was presiding outside her gingerbread house for the festive season, together with the new stained-glass angel Brigitte, whom she’d made last week. She too would be carefully packed away in tissue paper for another year once Christmas was over. Gretel had created the angel in honour of her late mother, with Lukas on hand to pass the googly-eyed pliers. But Brigitte, together with Rosa and her late friend Nell, would live for ever in her memory whenever she needed them. SayingGute Nachtdid not mean forgetting.
Gretel felt like she could watch this scene unfolding for hours. These friends, this tightly knitted community, filled her heart with joy and wonder every single day. This may have been the first time she’d allowed herself to unpack Christmas for a long while, but for the first time since she’d lost her family, the season actually felt special. It was filled with laughter, love, friendship … and a generous sprinkling of hope.
Even Angel Gabriel was curled up inside the ferret hammock in his mansion of a cage, with his new ferret friend, Spooky Lou. Gretel had rescued her from an animal shelter at Halloween, as Angel Gabriel had been pining for a special friendship of his own. The café was now officially pet friendly, although ferrets were to be kept strictly under control and out of mischief. And they definitely weren’t allowed near the new wintery gingerbread village which took pride of place in the café’s bay window, and which Gretel and Lukas had so lovingly created to mark the season.
In fact, there was only one thing missing from this scene. Well, two. She checked the time on the wall. Any moment now.
And as if by clockwork, the café door tinkled open and in the doorway appeared the tip of a freshly cut Norway spruce, wet with evening dew and smelling like a pine grove. Only this time the person carrying it knew to tread with care, even though Gretel was far less fragile than she had been two years earlier. Gretel thought back to that time when he’d brought in a tree for Nell and had nearly knocked Gretel off her feet. Or perhaps he had. How much they’d both grown.
‘Hey!’ Lukas’s face appeared around the side of the tree before he took another step. ‘Is it safe to come in?’
As the jukebox broke into ‘I Never Knew the Meaning of Christmas’, Gretel could have sworn his eyes were alight with Christmas magic. Much like her heart at the sight of him. His slate-grey hair was mussed by the damp night air and from wrestling with a tree, and no torso had ever looked as good in the cosy Nordic jumper she knew was hugging him under his parka. And were those the first flakes of snow caught in the fur of his hood? He’d been embracing Christmas with nearly as much fervour as she had, and whatever the spirit of Christmas was, she knew she wanted him right there to share it with her always.
Gordon the Grocer jumped up to pretend to be helpful with carrying the tree in, and before long the friends were decorating it with their latest craft-night creations.
As they gathered around the tree with gingerbread mince pies and rum butter, the smell of boozy hot chocolate dancing on the air, Lukas jingled the bells on a nearby Santa sleigh decoration to get everyone’s attention.
‘Announcement time.’ Amber clapped.
‘Shh, don’t put them under pressure,’ Phoebe whispered. She didn’t try to ply her with any crystals for her throat chakra, but Gretel could tell she was thinking about it.
Gretel felt her cheeks colour, conscious of the sorts of news they might be anticipating. She was only just used to sharing her world with one man and an extra ferret, so it felt too soon for any sparkly big newsflash. But this was the perfect next step for them and her heart jigged with the excitement of it.
