Page 79 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
I loved the festive feeling the lights created but I particularly loved the tradition of the Castle Street traders gathering together round the Castle Park tree. Tara and her team at The Chocolate Pot provided drinks, Carly provided cupcakes and there were usually chocolates available from Charlee’s Chocolates. Many of the traders would go on a pub crawl afterwards, which was a chance to have a proper catch-up – something we didn’t have time for during the working day when we all had businesses to run. This year, the evening plans were slightly different. We were still going on a traders’ pub crawl but it was doubling up as Cassie’s hen party. With so many friends owning businesses on Castle Street and it being tricky to find another diary date that would suit everyone at such a busy time of year, it made sense to combine the two events.
Jared had been on his stag do last night – also a pub crawl round town, ending up at The Bombay Palace. The family called in just after midday to drop off Cassie’s costume for tonight. The theme wasAlice’s Adventures in Wonderlandin homage to Cassie’s favourite childhood book and, with her long blonde hair, she was ideally suited for dressing up as Alice.
‘Is it loud in here today?’ Jared asked me, grimacing. He definitely looked a little green around the gills.
‘Not really. Just a bit busy.’
‘It hurts. I might wait outside.’
‘It’s hilarious watching him suffer,’ Cassie said, as Jared headed for the door, ‘but I’m conscious I can’t take the mickey too much. Whatever I dish out, he’ll give back to me ten-fold tomorrow.’
Lars was out on his lunch break so I left Alec and Flo at the till and wandered through to the children’s section with Cassie. Hallie and Rocco excitedly pointed out the newest additions to the Bookmas tree and Cassie told them they could choose one book each for their dad to read after the switch-on.
‘Small-world moment this morning,’ Cassie said. ‘You know how you’ve been dying to meet Lars’s bestie? You’ll get your chance on Friday. She’s coming to our wedding.’
‘Really? How come?’
‘Jared went to school with her girlfriend, Milana. She’s coming to the evening do and had declined the plus one but messaged this morning asking if she could bring someone after all. As soon as I saw the name Danika, I realised the connection.’
‘That’s brilliant! Lars’ll be so chuffed.’
‘And how’s it going with Lovely Lars?’ she asked, giving me a playful nudge.
‘Lovely Lars is it now?’
‘I thought I’d better ditch Lars the Arse, although I’ll keep the moniker in my back pocket for if he ever messes you about.’
I laughed at her stern expression. ‘I don’t think you’ll need it. He’s amazing. It’s been less than three weeks but it’s already hard to remember life before his return.’
‘You’ve got it bad,’ she said, ‘but so has he and that makes me very happy. Right! Enough soppiness. Let me gather up my offspring and their books and you get back to work, you slacker! I don’t know, always skiving off at every opportunity.’
‘I’ll see you tonight, Alice,’ I said.
‘Don’t be late,’ she joked, referencing my character for tonight – the White Rabbit.
When I returned to the till, Lars was back from lunch and it was time for Alec to go for his so I sent Cassie’s costume down in Jeeves and asked Alec to hang it up in the staff room alongside mine. We’d considered wearing our costumes for the lights switch-on but Cassie decided that, as she was hijacking the pub crawl for her hen do, the time in Castle Park should be purely about the Castle Street traders. The plan, therefore, was to return to the shop afterwards for a quick change before joining everyone in The Purple Lobster.
* * *
I loved the Christmas lights switch-on but I was especially excited this year to have Lars with me. He’d already met the traders who were my closest friends and this was a chance to introduce him to their partners.
The staff from The Chocolate Pot and Carly’s Cupcakes had set up trestle tables with hot drinks and trays of Carly’s delicious Christmas-themed cupcakes. While Lars grabbed us a hot chocolate each, I took a couple of cakes then wandered round the park, introducing him to various people.
Just before half six, the crowd hushed and waited for the cheer from outside the shopping centre to indicate that a local celebrity had flicked the switch, lighting the large Christmas tree first. Moments later, we heard it and turned to look along Castle Street, ready for our Christmas illuminations. The zigzagged lights on Castle Street burst into life a section at a time, followed by the welcome sign across from the park. The traders turned to the tree with ‘oooh’ sounds as the star at the top lit up, followed by the coloured lights on the branches. As per tradition, we sang ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’, followed by a cheer.
‘What did you think?’ I asked Lars.
He cuddled me closer to his side. ‘Loved it. This has to be number three in my top winter nights in the bay.’
‘What are your top two?’ I asked.
‘They’re tied first and they were both in the bookshop – the night we put up the tree and the night of the book launch.’
My innards fizzed at the memory of both as I softly kissed him. ‘Mine too.’
Lars helped clear away the tables and it warmed my heart seeing him joking with my friends before I left with Cassie to get changed.
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