Page 25 of The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street
‘They’re trees…’
She turned to look at Bertie in confirmation, who simply nodded. ‘Yes they are.’
Arranged around the room were huge trees, bare of leaf, their branches threading upwards to the lofty ceiling, and each of them was wrapped in shimmering lights. It was magical. She stood underneath one of them, looking up through the branches; and had it not been for the noise and the people, she could have been at home. She had done that once, in the stand of silver birch trees that stood behind her house. She had lain on her back, despite the snowy ground, and gazed upwards through the tree’s slender limbs. They were pale against the dark of the sky but sparkling with frost and the countless stars that peeped between their branches as she looked up. It had seemed like heaven.
‘Are they real?’
Luka laid a hand against one of the trunks. ‘I call them my ghost trees,’ he said with a smile. ‘Sadly the trees are no longer alive, but I brought them here so that their spirit could live on.’
‘Oh, that’s beautiful, they’re beautiful.’
She looked back at Luka to see Bertie watching her. He smiled and rolled his eyes. ‘Luka, you’re such a romantic.’ He took her arm. ‘Shall we sit down?’
Luka waved them ahead and slipped back into the crowd as they made their way to a table at the far end of the room, underneath an enormous arch of branches. They couldn’t have chosen a finer place to sit and, as soon as Daisy saw the view from the window, her mouth dropped open for the second time in as many minutes. She shuffled along the fur-draped bench so that she was closer to the glass and peered through. Hidden by the building, but standing resplendent in among another square of stalls and other fairground rides, was a brightly painted helter-skelter.
‘I don’t believe it,’ she said. ‘That’s incredible.’
‘I thought you might like it.’
‘Oh, just to look at – I don’t think I’ll be going on it.’
‘Why not?’
A sudden memory of a fairground flashed through her mind. One that she hadn’t thought about in years. She swallowed. ‘I’m just not very good with things like that,’ she answered, turning back and looking out across the room. ‘This place is beautiful though. Your friend seems like he’s a real character.’
‘Luka’s one of the good guys. Had a terrible upbringing, but still managed to turn out to be a thoroughly decent human being, and his business is doing really well too. Of course at this time of year he makes a fortune, but he’s doing well the rest of the year too; even looking to set up a mobile business.’ He grimaced. ‘Kind of makes me wish I’d got on board with him when he offered, right at the start.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
There was a sigh. ‘Too busy having a good time. And back then, it probably would have been the world’s worst idea. I wasn’t ready to pull my weight and you can’t start off a business without giving it one hundred and ten per cent. I suspect my lack of application would have cost me my friendship with Luka too, so, all things considered, it was probably a smart move.’
Daisy could see the pull within him of what might have been. He still wasn’t absolutely convinced he’d made the right decision.
‘And what about now? If working with Luka were still an option, might things be different?’
‘Possibly. I reckon I could be ready to settle at something, but here?’ He looked around him. ‘It’s nice to come and visit but it feels like a lifetime away somehow. In any case, I have Buchanans to consider, and who knows what’s going to happen there.’
‘Who indeed…’ Daisy fell silent, the weight of what was facing them hanging heavy in the air. She searched for something to say that would change the subject but, just as she was about to speak, a waitress approached them, carrying a tray.
‘Hi,’ she said brightly. ‘Luka has sent these over, and he said to shout if you want any more. On the house, naturally.’
She lowered the tray and placed a tall mug in front of Daisy, before unloading several plates full of food and an identical mug which she placed in front of Bertie.
‘Enjoy,’ she said. ‘And Merry Christmas.’ She backed away with a wave, disappearing almost instantly amid the crowds of people moving through the room.
Daisy looked down, biting her lip.
‘I wasn’t sure what you’d like,’ said Bertie. ‘But these are Luka’s famous hot chocolates and it seemed a bit too early in the morning to start drinking, even for me.’
It was a flippant comment, but Daisy’s stomach contracted. ‘I don’t drink,’ she said faintly.
‘Don’t you… oh.’ He looked down at the table and then up again, grinning. ‘Just as well then. They normally have rum in them, but I erred on the side of caution.’ He pushed a plate towards her. ‘I ordered a few of all my favourites nibbles too, some savoury, some sweet, just in case.’
Her eyes roamed the table. ‘What are they?’
‘Spiced cashews – they have a bit of a kick to them but they’re great with hot chocolate. Then there are big old pretzels, which are just, well, you know, pretzels, and these are like mini cheese on toasts, but Luka puts some magic ingredient in them, I think, because they don’t taste like that when I make them at home.’ Bertie looked up at her and she nodded. ‘The stars are gingerbread and these… these are called rugelach. They’re little pastries stuffed with cinnamon and raisins, walnuts too.’ He picked one up and popped it into his mouth whole, closing his eyes and groaning with pleasure.
‘I see, and what’s in this?’ She looked down at her drink where a mountain of cream was slowly oozing over the side of the mug.
