Page 98 of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop
The older woman walked her to the front door. ‘See you tomorrow, and thank you again for the Yule log.’
‘It’s my pleasure.’ Ollie hurried to her car, sat for a few moments, transfixed by the snowflake laser show, then reversed down the driveway and out onto the road.
Thea lived with Ben in a gorgeous cottage overlooking the sea, and as Ollie pulled up in front of it, she could see their tree glowing in the window, its rainbow lights pulsing blue to red, green to pink. The wreath on the door was a twirl of gold and blue ribbon, interspersed with holly, cinnamon sticks and dried orange slices. When she knocked, she heard voices and barking inside.
Ben answered the door, his smile widening when he saw her and, despite the hefty piece of wood she was holding, he pulled her in for a hug.
‘We’ve just been speaking to Meredith and Finn.’ He stepped back and gestured for her to come in. ‘They said that Max is firmly on the mend?’
‘He is,’ Ollie said. ‘God, I’m so relieved.’ She didn’t like the way her voice cracked on the last word, but as she stepped into their beautifully modern front room, Ben took the log from her and Thea embraced her, even though they had been together until a few hours ago.
‘You’ve seen him this evening?’ she asked, sitting down and patting the sofa cushion beside her. Ben’s dog, a soft-hearted Australian shepherd called Scooter, came and rested his nose on Ollie’s knee, letting her stroke him.
‘He’s looking a lot better,’ she told them, as Ben put the log next to their wood burner, and carefully extracted the bags of sweets. ‘He’s got more colour in his cheeks, and he doesn’t seem quite so exhausted. Sometimes you don’t realise how worried you are until the worry starts to lift. And I suppose I didn’t …’ she shook her head. ‘I wasn’t sure if I could really feel the way I did, because we’ve been together for such a short time.’
‘Love can’t be measured,’ Thea said. ‘It doesn’t matter if you started loving him after a minute or a decade, and you shouldn’t ever worry if what you’re feeling is appropriate. I’m so glad you’re here! I wanted to find out how he was, howyoureally were, but I didn’t want to ask at the shop in case you were only just holding it together.’
Ollie smiled. ‘It’s not been the easiest few days, but there’s so much good stuff to focus on, with the event tomorrow—’
‘Stop, Ollie.’ Thea held a hand out. ‘You don’t need to do anything for the next hour except relax.’
‘Hot chocolate?’ Ben asked. ‘And thank you for the Yule log and the peppermint creams. You really didn’t need to.’
‘You’ve made me feel welcome here – both of you. Max was the one who told me about the Yule logs. You’re supposed to stop working for the entire time it’s burning.’
Thea grinned. ‘I can understand why he brought it up. And, before the madness of tomorrow, I want you to know how happy I am to have you at A New Chapter. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, but I never expected it to be, and you’ve done so much for the shop already.’
Ollie looked down at her knees. ‘I’m going to be more collaborative from now on.’
Thea’s smile softened. ‘You’ve been great, and I’m looking forward to working on more events, prioritising the Book Wars tournament and the book club in the new year. But after tomorrow …’
Ollie looked up. ‘After tomorrow?’
‘You need to get hold of a Yule log of your own. Focus on Max, on Christmas, on whoever you’re spending time with. Read a massive pile of books, but don’t think about anything book-related beyond that.’
‘Understood,’ Ollie said with a laugh. ‘What are your reading plans for Christmas? How many books have you set aside?’ They were mid-discussion when Ben returned carrying mugs of the most decadent hot chocolate she had ever seen, with whipped cream, marshmallows and a chocolate flake slowly melting on top. ‘Oh my God,’ she murmured. ‘This looks incredible. Thank you.’
As she told Thea and Ben about her visit with Max, how relieved she was that he had someone as funny and as kind as Nurse Gillian looking after him, and what her plans were when he was discharged, she hoped that neither ofthem would notice that she hadn’t mentioned Christmas Day. The truth was, despite her love of festivities, her garlands draped around the barn and the leftover peppermint creams waiting in a tin on her kitchen island, she didn’t think her first Christmas in Cornwall was going to be as rich or indulgent as she would like it to be.
Chapter Forty-One
It was the day before Christmas Eve, which Ollie thought was one of the best, most anticipatory days of the entire festive season. You were often busy getting last-minute presents and food, but still looking forward to that slide into Christmas Eve, when everything started to feel magical and otherworldly. This year, however – and her first in Cornwall – it was the day of the town’s Christmas pageant, and their hastily re-shuffled, much-promoted author event.
When she’d got back from Thea and Ben’s the night before, she’d knocked on the farmhouse door. She’d wanted to check Liam was still happy, and was relieved that he seemed quietly satisfied with their plan. There were no signs of cold feet, and even if there had been, Ollie wouldn’t have been worried: if he didn’t turn up, she could simply go home and fetch him.
The day was grey and serious – peak December, she thought – but the muted winter colours, the slates, browns and soft greens, and the deep, steely blue of the sea in thedistance, were a balm to her senses as she walked. Then, as she left the fields behind, and Port Karadow appeared in front of her, the sombreness was replaced by Christmas. There were windows with boldly decorated trees, wreaths adorning doors, lights dripping from gables, twinkling feverishly to brighten up the day.
The lights the council had installed were glowing, and families were already working their way around the treasure trail, giddy children dragging still-sleepy parents wearing Santa hats. She could hear ‘Last Christmas’playing somewhere in the distance, someone else singing Mariah Carey with wild abandon, and she inhaled deeply, as if she could breathe it into her soul, become the epitome of Christmas, her skin turning shimmery for the festive season.
Inside Sea Brew, with its Yule log bunting and the tantalising smells of cinnamon and gingerbread wafting through the air, she felt even more festive.
‘How’s Max doing?’ Stu asked.
‘He’s better,’ Ollie said. ‘He might be discharged in the next couple of days.’
‘In time for Christmas? Oh, that would be wonderful,’ Molly added, as she made Ollie’s latte.
‘His parents will be overjoyed to have him with them,’ Ollie said. She thought she’d kept the sadness out of her voice, but Max’s colleagues exchanged a look. ‘And it would be a million times better than having Christmas Day in a hospital bed. Are you preparing yourself for a busy day?’
