Page 45 of A Not So Quiet Christmas
Chapter 27
Sat on the sofa, I propped my phone against the bowl on the coffee table and clicked to video call Jules. Again, I couldn’t believe how calm she looked when she answered. She’d been stuck in that chair for weeks and being such an active person, I really had expected her to be struggling.
“Just a sec,” she said. Holding a string of thick green cotton in one hand, she put the end between her lips to straighten it, before trying to thread the sewing needle that she held in the other. Appearing slightly cross-eyed, it took a good few tries before she managed to complete the task and watching her was painful viewing. “Finally,” she said.
“What are you up to now?” I asked. Having seen Jules’s attempt at knitting, I dreaded to think.
She held up a piece of aida, secured in a couple of bamboo embroidery hoops. “Cross-stitch,” she said.
“Another Christmas gift?” I asked, wondering who the lucky recipient could be.
“Yep.” She picked up a piece of paper for me to see. “What do you think?”
Assuming I was looking at the pattern she had followed, I found myself forced to squint as I tried to decipher what I was looking at. Consisting of a grid covered in tiny symbols, no way could I make the image out.
“It’s holly and ivy,” Jules said, studying the design for a second. “It’s playing havoc with my eyes.” She put her latest project to one side, at last, giving me her full attention. She frowned. “Speaking of not being able to see, why is it so dark where you are?”
I picked up my phone and directed the camera towards the Christmas tree in the window.
“Wow!” she said.
“Tell me about it.”
“That’s a bit different to your usual effort.” Jules suddenly froze. “Does this mean you’re doing the Christmas swap?” She let out a squeal as she put a hand up to her mouth in anticipation of my answer.
I wrinkled my nose and realising how things must have looked, my gaze went from Jules to the tree and back again. “I haven’t decided,” I said. Despite having no intention of taking part, I couldn’t bring myself to let her down completely. “I’m still thinking about it.”
“But I’ve put together a menu for you, complete with shopping list and I’ve…” Her good mood seemed to wane.
“The tree was a present,” I said, cheerful. Hoping to divert her attention, I was reluctant to say who from. Jules needed to find out for herself that Jason wasn’t quite the individual she remembered. “A couple of locals dropped it round.”
As usual, Jules wasn’t for giving up. “Well you better start thinking harder. Christmas Day’s only a week off.”
Didn’t I know it. I’d landed in Little Leatherington with such good intentions. However, when it came to sorting out my new role, thanks to numerous interruptions, my head hadn’t always been in the game and productivity had been lacking. “I will,” I said, ready to talk about something else.
Jules sighed. “It was very thoughtful of them, though. Didn’t I tell you the place wasn’t filled with weirdos? That they’re just people wanting to welcome a newcomer?”
I’d yet to completely come round to that way of thinking.
“I mean that’s some gift.”
I stared at the branches before me, taking in the travelling Father Christmas, the silver bell baubles and the porcelain candy canes. “Lillian’s tree ornaments are fabulous, Jules. You’re going to love them. Seb certainly had a great time hanging everything.”
“So the babysitting was a success?” Jules asked.
As she, at last, livened up at little, I had to wonder if Jules wasn’t as happy as she had seemed. “Thanks to you,” I said, picturing Seb, crayon in hand, putting the festive stencils to good use. “Those activities you sent through were brilliant. They really did keep him entertained.”
“Glad to be of assistance,” Jules said. She raised her eyebrows. “Any other news you’d like to share?”
I knew what she was getting at. “If you’re talking about Oliver…”
“Who else?”
I steeled myself. “He’s asked me out.”
Jules let out another squeal and bounced up and down in her seat. “When? Where? How?”
“I’m not going.”
