Page 52 of Tis the Season
‘At least one of us is happy,’ Erin said, straightening herself up.
‘Sorry I’m late. But I had some news to break to Richard.’
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen Joyce so energised and there was no denying her excitement was contagious. ‘Good news, I see.’
‘Do tell,’ Erin said. ‘I need cheering up.’
Unable to contain herself, Joyce put her coat to one side and took a seat. ‘Remember me saying if Richard continued insisting he’s Gordon Ramsey, I’d have to act? Well, he finally pushed me over the edge.’
I stared at Joyce, confused. After all her talk of murdering the man, I struggled to reconcile her words with her demeanour. ‘And that’s a good thing because…?’
Erin chuckled. ‘What did he do?’
‘Only the worst thing imaginable.’
With his spaghetti bolognaise still fresh in my mind, I couldn’t see how he’d top that.
‘He informed me he’d be making Christmas dinner.’ Joyce laughed, furthering my confusion. ‘Leaving me no choice but to do the only thing I could…’ As if waiting for us to guess what that was, her gaze went from me to Erin.
‘Pack your bags?’ I asked, tentative.
‘See a divorce lawyer?’ Erin added.
Joyce shook her head.
‘You’ve put him on a flight to Nial’s like you suggested?’
‘Even better.’ Joyce clapped her hands. ‘I’ve booked us on a cruise.’ She squealed. ‘A festive cruise. We leave on Christmas Eve.’
‘I’m impressed,’ Erin said.
Pleased for Joyce, I put a hand up to my chest. ‘Me too. But how? At such short notice.’
‘Sally at Elite Travel found it for me. Through one of her special contacts, of course.’
Erin tapped Joyce’s arm. ‘I hope you’ve got a couple of posh dresses. You know, for when you dine at the captain’s table.’
‘How does Richard feel about this?’ I asked, curious.
‘Unless he’s prepared to lose a whole lot of money, it doesn’t matter how he feels.’ Joyce wiggled her shoulders in excitement. ‘I waited until it was arranged and paid for before I told him.’
‘A woman after my own heart,’ Erin said.
‘I’m so excited, you wouldn’t believe. It’s years since I’ve had a holiday.’ Joyce rose to her feet. ‘I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you? Cocktails all round, is it?’
I’d never seen Joyce with a spring in her step before and as she headed to the bar, I couldn’t help but smile. ‘I’d rather a cruise than Christmas at the Mayhews,’ I said.
‘Think yourself lucky. At least you’ll get to celebrate. Apart from watching the King’s College Choir with Mum, which she insists on every year no matter what, I’ll be spending mine making PowerPoint slides.’
Joyce returned to the table. ‘How does a White Christmas Mojito sound? Rum, mint, lime, and coconut cream. And a couple of other things that I can’t remember.’
‘Delicious,’ Erin said.
Joyce turned to Alex and gave him a thumbs up. ‘He’s going to bring them over. Oh, and I said he should join us.’
My heart skipped a beat. ‘Why?’
My question appeared to bemuse Joyce. ‘One, because when it comes to saying cheers, the more the merrier. Two, because it’s lonely over there on his own. Three, because as your soon-to-be tenant, he’s an honorary member of our Crochet Club.’ Joyce shrugged. ‘How many reasons do you need?’
