Page 54 of A Christmas Celebration
‘You didn’t dance like that with me,’ Rodger called out, giving me a cheeky wink.
‘Or me,’ added Jack, with a look of surprise.
He was right. I hadn’t danced like that with him or felt like that with him either. Jack and I might have had lots of laughs, but dancing with Brodie had been a wholly different experience. It was expressive, inspired, intimate and a complete shock to the system.
‘I’m sorry,’ Brodie said, stepping further away. ‘I really have to go.’
And just like that, Prince Charming left the ball.
I didn’t even try to sleep that night. My head was far too full of music and song, Brodie’s face close to mine and the sensations his touch had aroused. Suddenly we’d somehow bypassed going for a drink together in the pub phase and landed on something far more intimate. At least, that was how I felt. I wasn’t sure I wanted to delve too deeply to find out if he harboured the same thoughts too, in case he didn’t.
If I had my way, Jack was going to be very disappointed with me and I hoped Brodie’s connection to Angus wasn’t going to turn out to be anything that had the potential to halt our relationship’s progress either. I had told Molly I wasn’t looking for love, or even a quick fling, and even though I had no idea what it was that I had found with Brodie, I knew I liked it. I liked it a lot.
The third of December dawned bright, clear and cold, which meant the weather was going to be perfect for the long-anticipated switch-on. I knew it was going to be a busy day too, as Angus and his festively decorated sleigh playedperhaps the biggest part in the evening’s proceedings, but I hadn’t expected to find the hall a hive of activity quite so early in the day.
‘Morning.’ I yawned as I walked into the kitchen.
‘Morning,’ said Dorothy, pointing at the tea tray. ‘I’ve just refreshed the pot, so pour yourself a cup.’
Catherine was already up too and so, surprisingly, was Molly. I didn’t have a chance to ask why she was out of the cottage so early because Dorothy asked a question which shoved all other thoughts clean out of my head.
‘So,’ she asked, as I plonked myself down, ‘how was the dance?’
‘Oh,’ I said, trying to play it cool. ‘You know, much as you’d expect.’
‘I suppose Kathleen was putting everyone through their paces?’ Dorothy sniffed.
‘A bit.’ I shrugged. ‘Did I miss anything here?’
‘Angus on fine form,’ Molly laughed. ‘And completely over-excited about tonight.’
‘Which reminds me,’ said Dorothy, thankfully distracted, ‘I must finish sewing those bells more securely on his hat. He kept letting the little ones ring them last year and they almost came off.’
There was a knock on the back door which set the dogs barking.
‘Come in!’ shouted Dorothy. ‘It’s open.’
Will, the vet I’d met the day before, came shuffling in with a rush of cold air and all three dogs in a tangle aroundhis legs. Clearly, he was as popular with his canine patients as the feline ones.
‘Good morning,’ he smiled.
‘Good morning,’ we all chimed back.
‘Paige,’ said Catherine, ‘this is Will, our local vet.’
‘We’ve already met.’ He nodded at me. ‘Haven’t we, Paige? How was Bella after her trip to the practice yesterday?’
‘She was fine,’ I told him. ‘Still a bit sleepy, but happy enough.’
‘Who’s Bella?’ Dorothy frowned.
I hadn’t had anywhere near enough caffeine to feel up to explaining that I’d embraced a PWC which had nothing to do with my recently assigned roles and therefore picked my next words with care.
‘A cat who belongs to one of the people I see on my rounds,’ I simply said.
‘I thought you just did Tuesdays and Thursdays,’ Molly piped up. ‘It was Friday yesterday.’
Thank you, Sherlock.
