A Little Christmas Charm by Kathryn Freeman

Author:Kathryn Freeman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, contemporary, romance, Christmas, Christmas Wishes series
Publisher: Choc Lit Ltd
Published: 2018-09-27T16:00:00+00:00

Gabby spent the afternoon cleaning her house. Though she was naturally tidy, in honour of her mother she bleached the toilet, hoovered already spotless carpets and mopped the already clean kitchen floor. Finally she neatly folded all the holiday clothes she’d laid out in the spare room and packed them into her suitcase.

She was about to head up the stairs to squeeze in a quick shower before driving to Owen’s, when the phone rang again.

This time she checked the number, and broke into an automatic smile. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey, yourself.’

His voice sounded oddly flat. ‘Is everything okay?’

‘Yes. Sort of.’ He let out an agitated sounding noise. ‘I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel tonight.’

‘Oh.’ The bottom fell out of her stomach. ‘Can I ask why?’

‘I’m letting you down at the last minute. By any standards you want to look at, that’s a bastard move. Of course you’re entitled to ask why.’ More agitated breathing, followed by a scratching sound. Possibly him rubbing a hand across his unshaven chin. ‘Just, can I save the explanation for tomorrow? I’ve kind of got a … thing going on here and I need to get back to it.’

‘A thing?’

His laughter carried an edge of hysteria. ‘Yes. I’m sorry, I know I sound vague, but trust me, I’ll explain it all tomorrow.’ He heaved out a sigh. ‘Christ, I’m so sorry, Gabby. Really, truly, sorry. I want to see you tonight like you wouldn’t believe.’ Now there was a tremor to his voice, as if he was on the verge of tears. ‘I’m so fucking pissed off right now.’

She’d never heard him use the F-word. Never heard him sound so upset. It made her want to reassure him that it didn’t matter, she wasn’t upset, but the words stuck in her throat, because it did matter. The ‘big step’ they’d been about to take had been cancelled. And she didn’t even know why. ‘Well, I hope whatever it is, sorts itself out.’

‘So do I,’ he replied heavily. ‘Can I pop round tomorrow?’

‘If it’s in the morning, yes. My mother’s coming at some point in the afternoon.’

There was a moment of silence. ‘She’s back?’ Then he laughed humourlessly. ‘Stupid question. Is she okay? Are you okay with her visiting?’ A choked breath. ‘God, so many things I want to talk to you about, but I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?’

‘Yes.’

‘You will let me in? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, but I’d like to know whether to bring my big coat or not.’

‘Your coat?’ What on earth?

‘If I’ve got to wait on your doorstep to see you, I want to be vaguely warm.’

She shook her head, her emotions muddled and messy. She was upset with him, with the situation, but a big part of her also wanted to hold him in her arms and ease whatever it was that was troubling him. ‘Of course I’ll let you in.’

‘I’ll ditch the coat then. Bring some humble pie instead.’

‘Just bring me an explanation I can understand.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.