Page 46 of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop
‘We could get you each a book?’ Ollie suggested. ‘That way, you can have your own pictures to colour, then atthe end you can show each other what you’ve done. How about that?’
‘That won’t work.’ Dylan’s tone was dismissive.
Ollie looked at him. ‘Why not?’
‘Because they always want what the other one has.’
She thought for a moment. ‘So we get two copies of the same book.’
Dylan gave her an appraising look and a tiny shrug, then went back to his YA novel.
Ollie crouched and browsed the shelves, looking for a colouring book they had two copies of. If she fixed this, would it help to make up for what she’d done? Would Becky mind her buying books for her children?
She felt a tug on her ponytail and looked round. One of the blonde girls was smiling up at her. ‘Hello,’ she said.
‘Christmas!’ the girl shouted.
‘It will soon be Christmas,’ Ollie said, nodding.
‘No! Christmas!’ She pointed at Ollie and bounced up and down on her knees.
Ollie frowned and looked at the shelf. None of the colouring books had a Christmassy theme.
‘She’s pointing at your tinsel,’ Dylan said.
‘Oh!’ After everything that had happened, Ollie had totally forgotten. She’d found a stray bit of blue tinsel at home that morning and, in anticipation of the cooking class, had woven it around her ponytail. She pulled it out and handed it to the girl.
‘IloveChristmas,’ Billy said, walking on his knees to join them. ‘When I’m older, I’m going to cover mywhole housein tinsel!’
‘Twinkle lights.’ Meg opened and closed her fists to make five-fingered stars.
Ollie watched as the blonde girl draped the tinsel over her sister – her twin, surely – as if it was a wig.
‘I’m not going to have tinsel,’ Dylan said, putting his book down and scooting closer.
‘What are you going to have?’ Ollie asked. ‘What would your ideal Christmas decorations be?’
‘Paper chains, I guess. You can have them printed with anything. I’d have football crests on mine.’
‘Good call,’ Ollie said. ‘What about books?’
‘Whataboutbooks?’ Dylan sounded so exasperated, it took all of Ollie’s self-restraint not to laugh.
‘What about if your paper chains were printed like the pages of a book?’
Dylan shrugged. ‘All right, I guess. Not as good as football, though.’
‘Glitter!’ one of the blonde girls said.
‘Glitter is very important, especially at Christmastime.’ Ollie nodded sagely.
‘And hot chocolate!’ Meg shouted, pointing over her shoulder.
‘For decorations?’ She smiled and turned around to see what Meg was pointing at. All the breath left her body, replaced by several thousand excited butterflies and a strong urge to ask for a hug.
‘Hello,’ Max said.
It had been just over a week since their trip to the Christmas market, and although she’d seen him in Sea Brew every morning, and they’d arranged to do yoga togetherthis weekend, Ollie’s body had not stopped responding to the sight of him. If anything, her reaction was getting more extreme.
