Page 75 of Every Christmas Eve
‘Well, you’d better explain very quickly,’ I say to her.
She takes a deep breath. ‘With my convincing, Olivia agreed to write to Mum to see if that got the ball rolling,’ she tells me. ‘But once the letter was posted, she said she would step out of the way and leave it to me to do the rest. Which she did, over and out.’
I bite my lip. I hear Uncle Eric open the front door.
‘It was all very innocent, Ben!’ she continues. ‘We talked only briefly about the good old days, the parties here year on year. She was asking about all of us. I said how I was worried that Mum had become reclusive and that Uncle Eric was lonely too. We never talked about involving Lou if the party was a goer, but yes, I was probably secretly hoping that it might happen. I hoped it would bring some joy back to these silent walls. I’m sorry if you think I was wrong.’
I open my mouth to respond, even though the words are stuck in my throat. My mind is replaying the events of the last two weeks in fast forward. The phone call from Cordelia, thespeed at which everything had happened, the way I’d fallen for it all to make Ava happy. Yet here we are, it’s potentially falling apart, and I was in the dark the whole time.
But before I can find what I want to say, I follow Cordelia’s gaze to the kitchen doorway, where Uncle Eric looks like he has won the lottery.
‘Look who I found on our doorstep almost drowning in the rain,’ he announces. ‘The First Lady of Bellaghy village herself. Mind you, Lou, you’d be forgiven if you thought we were planning a funeral or a wake rather than a Christmas party from the look on these two faces.’
‘Hi, Ben. Hi, Cordelia,’ Lou says, peeping round from behind Uncle Eric, who hasn’t yet realised he is totally blocking her way. He steps aside, his arm outstretched as if Lou is some form of royalty.
I suppose to him she is. And to me too, if truth be told. She looks exhausted under her big, hooded coat, her pale face accentuated by her damp dark hair and navy branded jumper over loose-fit jeans and trainers.
‘I’d fully intended to stay out of your way today,’ she tells us, her eyes darting around the kitchen. I’ve just realised that Cordelia and Ava’s song has been playing on repeat. ‘Feliz Navidad’, that’s what it’s called. ‘But then something changed my mind. Thank you, Ben.’
Cordelia glances from her to me then back again.
‘Why aren’t you all racing about to get everything ready?’ Lou asks. ‘The tables in the ballroom, the stage … anyhow, I’ve no doubt you’ve it all under control. Don’t mind me.’
Cordelia speaks up before I get the chance to.
‘I’m sorry, Lou,’ she says, standing up to make her point. ‘Ben has just found out that the idea for the party was instigated by me, but I made it look like it was a committee headed up by—’
‘Olivia Major, now Olivia Quinn,’ Lou interrupts. ‘I know already. I spoke to her yesterday when she unexpectedly turned up to my shop, apologised profusely and told me she’d written the letter to Tilda under your guidance. Turns out her niece, Beth, is one of my favourite customers. I think I’ll be over the shock of that alone by, say, next Christmas Eve? She’s cool. We’re all cool in that department.’
Cordelia walks towards her, helps her take off her wet coat and gives Lou a hug.
‘Well, I’m glad someone’s cool, cos Ben is still chewing wasps over it all. It might take him a bit longer to forgive me,’ she says, ‘but please know it wasn’t in any way an attempt to push you two together. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Whiskey?’
Lou laughs at the suggestion of whiskey at this time of the day, holding up instead a bag of what I assume are her famous Colombian coffee beans. I’m tempted to ask for a brandy for medicinal purposes myself.
‘How have you been?’ I ask Lou as Cordelia fixes a pot of coffee.
She smiles and shrugs in return.
‘Not bad,’ she tells me. ‘I’ve been feeling a bit like the Grinch, if truth be told, no matter how I try to shake it off. Gracie not coming over for Christmas has been difficult for me, but your gift yesterday made my day. Thank you foryour words. And the flowers are stunning, even if you gave your business elsewhere.’
I pull out a chair beside me.
‘I didn’t want to make it obvious by ordering flowers from you,’ I explain, even though I know she’s joking. ‘I’m so glad you liked them.’
She sits down.
Uncle Eric muddles past us, saying something about making a start on the stage, even though I know he has no intention of any manual labour. Still, he disappears nonetheless, singing as he goes, seemingly unaware of how in his old age he has somewhat lost the filter between his brain and his mouth. In a way, I love him even more for it.
‘My God, it’s good to see you,’ I say, losing my own filter for a moment too.
Cordelia pours us a coffee.
‘I’ll just go and check on Ava,’ she says. ‘Won’t be long.’
I can hear my own heartbeat thumping in my ears when it’s just the two of us again. Lou stares at her coffee cup, then looks up at me with a smile.
‘It’s good to see you too,’ she says.
