Page 59 of The Christmas Retreat
I turned decisively up towards where I’d spotted a nice-looking cafe earlier – and ran straight into a large and masculine figure.
‘Oof!’ said a deep, mellow and very familiar voice as the bagcontaining the toolbox swung into him. Rhys fended me off. ‘We’ll have to stop running into each other like this. It could get to be a painful habit.’
‘Sorry,’ I said, but he looked amused, rather than cross.
He eyed my various bags and packages. ‘What on earth have you been buying?’
‘Presents – some of them for me,’ I admitted. ‘I’ve had a bit of a spending spree for the first time in years.’
‘I expect it did you good. I’ve just dropped the costumes off at the vicarage and I’ve got some presents to buy too,’ he said, ‘but you look in need of a cup of coffee and there’s a nice cafe right here.’
Without waiting for a reply, he took the largest parcels out of my numb hands and steered me a little way up the street and into the Blue Parrot, which I’d been heading for, where I was immediately engulfed in a warm fug of coffee and baking.
We settled into a corner seat next to the window, my many purchases piled up on the seat next to me, drinking coffee and eating sliced bara brith, a sort of fruit loaf, very delicious.
‘I missed lunch and just kept working,’ Rhys said, wolfing down a large hot buttered cheese scone, ‘so I’m ravenous.’
‘Me too, but I had lunch so I think it’s just the sea air or maybe the walk along the cliff path that’s made me hungry.’
‘You didn’t bring your car?’
‘No, and I regret that now I’ve bought so much,’ I admitted.
‘Mine’s parked behind the pub, and if you don’t mind waiting while I do a bit of shopping, I’ll drive you back.’
‘That would be wonderful,’ I said gratefully, suddenly feeling quite tired … and only then remembered a little too late that, after what Verity said, I’d been even more determined to hold him firmly at arm’s length.
I suppose some of this inner conflict might have shown in my face, which Evie tells me expresses passing emotions on it like clouds crossing the sky on a breezy day, since his strangely hawk-like amber eyes lit up in amusement and then he suddenly smiled at me, which softened his whole craggy but very attractive face.
‘So, what’s in all these parcels?’ he asked, and had soon drawn me out, especially when I described Cariad’s present.
He said it was a stroke of brilliance and she’d love it.
‘I need to get a couple of things to go in her Christmas stocking,’ he added. ‘Nerys has got most of the usual things – a sugar mouse, a gingerbread pig made by Bronwen, and some odds and ends. I always get her a big chocolate coin from Fortnum and Mason in London and a bag of their chocolate pennies – I’ve already got those. So, maybe some kind of soft toy.’
‘One of the shops had plush dragons in three sizes,’ I said. ‘Winged ones – the smallest would fit, I think.’
‘I’ll have a look. Do you need anything else?’
‘Well, now I’m not going to have to carry everything back with me, I could get gift wrap and tape.’
He left me drinking a second cup of coffee while he took all my purchases back to the car. Then we had a fun time finding little presents for Cariad, including all three sizes of green dragon, so she had a family of them, before finally heading home in the twilight.
*
There was no one about when we arrived back, which Rhys said was just as well, since he wanted to hide Cariad’s presents somewhere she couldn’t find them.
I thought I’d better do the same with mine, until I had time to wrap them. It was lucky I did, because she came tapping on my door just as I was about to go downstairs.
‘Can I come in?’ she asked, then did, without waiting for a reply. ‘You look nice!’ she said, eyeing me.
I was wearing one of the new jersey tops in a dark amber colour that reminded me of Rhys’s eyes, darkest honey … plus the new black jeans and had discarded my usual Doc Martins or scuffed ballet flats for a pair of Chinese velvet Mary Janes embroidered with flowers.
‘I found an irresistible clothes shop in St Melangell,’ I explained, adding a pair of silver starfish earrings to my ensemble and taking a look in the mirror; it’s amazing what just a smidgeon of make-up will do for you.
‘I’ve got a new dress to wear on Christmas Day,’ Cariad said, ‘but really, I only wear them for parties. Dresses get in the way of doing things, don’t they?’
‘Yes, I’ve always thought that, and I hate tights,’ I admitted. ‘Leggings are OK, though.’
