Page 15 of A Merry Little Christmas
‘No. But I’m having coffee with Primrose this morning and then Ellie’s organised a tea party for me at the café – just the girls? I was going to pop in and see you and Dad on the way over there. Will you be in?’
‘Yes. I will tell him we’re having birthday cake this afternoon. That will be lovely, my darling.’
‘See you later, Gran.’
‘Katja?’
‘Yes?’
‘Would you like to go to the ballet with me? A treat for your birthday?’
‘Oh, I’d love to.’ Gran and I were both big fans of the ballet.
‘I will see if there are tickets for tonight. As you don’t have any plans?’
I swallowed. It wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined spending my birthday evening – going out with my gran. But actually, it came a pretty close second to spending it with Caleb. Gran and I had always been super-close.
‘I’d absolutely love that,’ I told her truthfully.
If Caleb happened to call last-minute and suggest he take me out tonight for my birthday, I’d just have to say, ‘Ah, sorry, no. I’m afraid I have something else planned.’And it would serve him right for not marking my big day the way a boyfriend should!
Gran sounded pleased. ‘Excellent. I will phone the theatre now. Say hello to Primrose!’
No sooner had I got off the phone with Gran than Primrose herself was bursting through the door and rushing over, full of apologies for being late.
‘So sorry,’ she gasped, her cheeks flushed and her green eyes sparkling, ‘but George decided to fill all the button holes in the Chesterfield sofa with orange juice five minutes before I was due to leave.’
‘Oh, no!’ I couldn’t help chuckling. It was such an amusing image, and Primrose was laughing about it, too, now.
She was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘He came to find me in the kitchen so he could show me what he’d done. He was soproudof himself!’
I grimaced. ‘Was there juice all over the sofa, then?’
‘Actually, he’d done a quite amazing job filling up those holes. There was hardly any mess anywhere else. Although obviously we then had to set to with the damp cloths and undo all his good work.’
‘He’s obviously got a steady hand. Maybe he’s destined to be a surgeon.’
We laughed about that and then Primrose sighed and said, ‘Honestly, life is so hectic these days. Especially with starting the new job. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
I nodded and smiled, so pleased for her.
Primrose hadn’t had the best of starts in life, losing her parents when she was still very young. But then she’d begun searching for the grandmother she’d never known and she’d finally managed to find her. She and Sylvia were so close now, and meeting and falling in love with Sam, and then having George, had been the final missing pieces in a life that had once been full of uncertainty.
‘What are you up to tonight?’ she was asking.
‘I’m off to the ballet, hopefully. If we can get tickets.’
‘Oh. How lovely to be with a man who likes that sort of thing. I think I’d actually have topaySam to go with me to the ballet! Even if itwasmy birthday.’
I forced a smile. ‘Blokes, eh? No, I’m going with my gran.’
‘Olga? Oh!’ She looked surprised. ‘What’s happening with Caleb?’
‘Oh, we’re fine. He’s just very busy. At work.’
‘Right.’ I could tell she was puzzled.
I sighed. ‘It’s kind of my fault, really. I’ve been going on about wanting to take things slowly.’ I shrugged. ‘So I can hardly blame him if he decides to play it a little cool about my birthday.’
