Page 36 of The Christmas Catch
“That’s where we’re heading, isn’t it?”
Ali nodded. “Uh-huh. I don’t know about you, but after yesterday, I just want to keep moving. We’ve got a sat nav, so are you okay if I get off at the next junction and try to take the back roads?”
Morgan nodded. “Of course. Like the man said, we’ve got festive tunes, so long as they’re not East 17.”
“You really need to let that go,” Ali told her.
“It’s been said before,” Morgan replied. “If nothing else, we can sing to keep warm.”
Ali leaned down and grabbed the gift shop bag. “But before we move again, I have something else to get us in the mood.” She produced a pair of fluffy festive dice and hung them on the central mirror. Then she gave Morgan a grin. “You told me I needed to be a little more festive.” She motioned to the Christmas dice. “Does this count?”
She was funny. Morgan loved funny. She smiled warmly at Ali, and couldn’t stop her gaze from sliding to Ali’s lips.
“Yeah.” Morgan dragged her gaze upwards. “It counts.”
* * *
Even though theywere on the smaller roads, the traffic was still a nightmare. They crawled through a small village, passing a sign that thanked them for only driving at 20mph. They didn’t have a choice.
“Is there a reason you don’t love Christmas?” It always intrigued Morgan, as it was so alien to her.
Ali shook her head. “I don’t hate it, I just don’t go all-out.” She tapped the dice. “Apart from this year, of course.” She gave Morgan a grin. “I suppose growing up, we had the pub, so it was always busy. I associated Christmas with hard work. My parents did what they needed to do. However, this year, we’re shutting the pub on Christmas Day.” She paused, as if searching for her next words.
“Why’s that?”
Ali gripped the wheel tighter and shook her head. “No particular reason. My mum’s getting older, so it’s time.”
Morgan would swear it was more than that. Ali’s mum was younger than hers, and still very able. Had something happened to her or her husband, Tony? There was something Ali wasn’t telling her, but they had many more hours for her to spill the beans.
“Also, I’ve lived through a couple of terrible Christmases with my ex, so all those people who go on about it being the most wonderful time of the year? Not always.” Ali shook her head. “And can I just say, I don’t normally tell people this shit. I blame temporary insanity brought on by extreme circumstance.”
Morgan smiled. “For what it’s worth, she didn’t deserve you if she let you go.”
Ali glanced her way. “Thanks.” Her cheeks blushed pink.
Morgan turned down Wizzard singing about it being Christmas every day. “I don’t want it to be Christmas every day. We’d be in traffic jams forever.” They slowed to a stop. Up ahead, bright yellow roadworks signs warned of delays. They were correct. “Was that your last relationship?”
Ali nodded. “We were together for seven years. Then she got ants in her pants and left. Just upped, and moved to Australia to be with someone she’d been having a secret online relationship with for a year. I understand they’re married now.”
Morgan let her lower jaw drop. “That’s got to hurt.”
“It did at first.” Ali shuffled in her seat. “But then I realised she wasn’t right, and we weren’t right, so she did me a favour. But it’s definitely dented my trust in other people.” Ali eased the car to the end of the road. She flicked on the indicator and turned right, almost driving straight into an oncoming tractor taking up the whole road. She swerved just at the last minute, then slammed on her horn. “Fucking idiot. That is not how I want to die, either. Trampled by a cow, or flattened by a tractor.”
“We’re dicing with death this trip.”
“What about you? No girlfriend back at the ranch? I know we told Imogen that yesterday, but you could have been lying for some weird reason.”
Morgan let out a strange noise. “I wish. No lies here. My work demands a lot of hours, and I don’t have the patience to swipe constantly on dating apps.” She shrugged. “I suppose I’m old-fashioned at heart. I either want to meet someone in person just randomly and have that initial spark you can’t get through a phone screen, or else I’d like to get together with someone I already know. Like my sister Annabel and her husband Josh. They met at school.” She blinked and wriggled her bum on her seat. “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to marry my school boyfriend—”
“That would be awkward.”
“Very. But you know what I mean. Someone who understands you a bit, someone you don’t have to start from scratch with.”
Ali glanced across and rubbed her chin. “I always think starting from scratch is part of the thrill. Although Nicole says she’d never start again with someone else, so Stu’s stuck with her. She’s trained him now.”
“I can just imagine Nicole saying that,” Morgan replied. “The belief in romance clearly runs in the family.” Morgan sighed, then looked Ali’s way. “I suppose I want it both ways. I wanted to leave Devon, but it’d be nice to meet someone who understands it too.”
“I get that. Plus, your chances aren’t terrible. It’s a big county. The third largest in the UK.”
