Page 10 of A Christmas Celebration
‘I think she’s too tall for the outfit,’ Dorothy said seriously, eyeing me with interest. ‘But the tights might stretch a bit.’
‘Don’t encourage him, Dorothy,’ I groaned, knowing he’d soon be looking online for a larger sized festive get up if hesensed even the merest hint that I might be willing to take the role on.
‘How do you fancy a trip into town tomorrow?’ he then asked me, dropping the subject of stripy tights and hats with bells on once he’d got a plate of food in front of him. ‘I thought it would be good to introduce you to a few people and get you up and running as soon as possible.’
I can’t deny, I felt a bit nervous, but he was right: the sooner I could make a start the better. Both for myself and the recipients of Anna’s generous volunteering.
‘Sounds good to me.’ I nodded, doing my best to sound more confident than I felt. ‘There’s no time like the present, is there?’
‘Exactly,’ he agreed, with another impish grin.
After a reasonably restful night, I discovered it was a fabulously frosty start the next day and even though I was still feeling the cold, the blue sky and crisp rime enhanced the hall and garden making it look even more picture perfect, and the town was a sight to behold too.
‘My goodness,’ I gasped, as Archie somehow squeezed Anna’s tiny Fiat 500, which was going to be one of the vehicles at my disposal while I carried out her role, into an even tinier parking space beside the market square. ‘I had no idea it would be this busy.’
When I’d arrived on the bus, I’d been too tired to take much of the town in, but a quick glance showed me it was vastly different to the place I remembered from my last proper visit.
‘I know.’ Archie beamed. ‘Isn’t it wonderful? The town has gone through quite a transformation in recent years and it’s always busier on a Thursday because the market has a few extra stalls.’
As well as the busy market, I also spotted a smart looking gallery, café and delicatessen within just a few metres of each other and they all looked idyllic. There were a few festive flourishes too, which I assumed were only to be expected as it was already mid-November and I wondered how the rest of the square would look once it was all properly dressed for Christmas. In fact, given the date, I couldn’t help thinking that it was a little behind where it should have been for the time of year.
‘And the area is fast becoming a magnet for all sorts of artists,’ Archie added, when he saw me admiring the gallery and before I had a chance to ask about the lack of decorations. ‘Which conveniently justifies our first stop.’ He grinned and rubbed his hands together.
He guided me around the market and then through the door of a place called The Cherry Tree Café. The smell of coffee mingled temptingly with the scent of sugar as we crossed the threshold and my stomach growled in response. It was warm too, which made it an even more attractive stop as far as I was concerned.
‘Just who I was hoping to see!’ called a woman with curly red hair who was standing next to the counter. ‘Grab a table and I’ll tell Jemma you’re here.’
‘Brace yourself,’ Archie said to me as we found a seat. ‘I’m not sure how this is going to go down.’
‘What are you talking about?’ I asked, my eyes scanning around and taking in the pretty décor. ‘It isn’t going to be a problem with me taking on Anna’s volunteering, is it? You just gave me the impression that you were happy to be coming in here.’
I sincerely hoped his change of heart about our first stop wasn’t connected to my decision to step into Anna’s shoes. My plan had been to solve problems, not create more.
‘Archie!’ said a different woman, before he could reply. ‘I was beginning to think I would have to come out to the hall myself. Hello,’ she then added, her eyes flicking to me. ‘Sorry, I don’t think we’ve met.’
‘This is Paige,’ said Archie, pulling off his scarf and gloves. ‘Mum and Dad’s goddaughter. She’s staying at the hall for a whileandtaking on Anna’s volunteering while she and Jamie are away.’
The woman’s eyes widened and she gave me the warmest smile. Clearly, Archie’s concerns weren’t about my stepping into Anna’s shoes after all.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘that’s wonderful news and what a relief. I know Kathleen was beginning to feel quite frantic about it all.’
I wondered who Kathleen was.
‘Your father has a lot to answer for,’ she added, pointing a finger at Archie.
‘Don’t I know it,’ he sighed.
‘But he means well,’ the woman went on, her bright eyes twinkling. ‘And I’m delighted to meet you, Paige. I’m Jemma, the currently frazzled owner of The Cherry Tree Café.’
‘Oh, crikey,’ said Archie, before I could respond. ‘You can’t be frazzled already, Jemma. You’ve still got weeks until it’s Christmas.’
‘I know,’ she groaned, fanning herself with an old-fashioned paper order pad. ‘I’m close to exhausted already and Lizzie’s run off her feet next door. Now, please tell me you’ve got Hayley’s designs, Archie Connelly,’ she added, her tone changing to something far sterner. ‘It’s the deadline soon and I hate cutting it this close.’
Archie looked at Jemma and shook his head.
‘You’re kidding?’ Jemma protested.
‘Sorry,’ Archie apologized, his shoulders visibly tensing up. ‘We still can’t find them and her phone is turned off.’
