Christmas for Beginners: Fall in love with the ultimate festive read from the Sunday Times bestseller by Carole Matthews

Author:Carole Matthews [Matthews, Carole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Published: 2020-10-28T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Forty-One

Once the alpacas are secured and admonished, I go up to the workshop and find the mayor. He turns out to be a whizz with a hammer. Together we spend the rest of the day repairing broken bits of barn so it looks smart for the open day. It’s late afternoon when we’re finishing stringing up the lights together and it feels like a job well done.

The students have calmed down too and they’ve had their lessons this afternoon with no reports of mass hysteria, brawls or refusals. I can rest easy tonight. I say goodbye to them all and it seems as if Erin and Lottie are the best of friends again. For now. I show Lottie the deep scratches to my hand and she looks suitably chastened.

Their guardians come to collect them all and I wait with Asha until his taxi arrives. Tomorrow is another day. Thank goodness.

Alan shuffles across the yard and leaves without saying goodbye. A few minutes later Bev comes out of the tea room. ‘See you in the morning, Mols,’ she shouts.

‘Is Alan OK?’

‘He’s having a sulk. Says he’s not feeling well. Attention-seeker!’

She waves and jumps in her car.

‘Small domestic,’ I explain to Matt. ‘Alan has started to mention marriage and Bev’s less than keen to jump into a white frock and race down the aisle again.’

‘Ah. They seem well-suited.’

‘They’re perfect together. Bev’s just got the collywobbles.’

Matt hooks up the last set of lights and climbs down the ladder. When we try them out, suddenly the yard is transformed. Just that little thing gives the place more of a Christmassy air.

‘That looks great. So much better.’

Lucas appears as Matt and I are standing admiring the lights. He slopes into the yard and comes to stand with us.

‘Hi, Lucas.’ The mayor high-fives him and Lucas doesn’t look at him as if he’s a loser.

‘Hey,’ Lucas says. ‘The lights look good.’

I risk putting my arm round his shoulders. ‘Where have you been all day?’

‘I had a long walk round the fields,’ he says with a shrug.

He does really well with the kids that come here, but perhaps we all need time to ourselves and he gets very little of that.

‘You missed lunch.’ I’d called his phone, but he wasn’t answering.

‘I’ll get something now.’

‘I could do an early supper. What do you fancy?’

‘I’m going out with Aurora tonight,’ he says. ‘She’s picking me up soon.’

‘Oh.’

‘We’re going to work on some poetry together. Hang out.’

I guess that’s a good thing, though I’d rather he was doing it at the caravan where I can see him. ‘Tell Matt of your triumph.’

‘Molly,’ Lucas huffs. ‘Do you always have to be embarrassing?’

‘Yes. I’m very proud of you. I want to show off.’

Lucas sighs and, as if it’s no big deal, mutters, ‘I won a poetry slam competition last night. At the King’s Arms in Stony Stratford.’

The mayor looks suitably impressed. ‘Brilliant. Well done.’

I go all showy-offy. ‘He got a hundred quid and a slot at the Green Scene Literary Festival.’

‘Fantastic,’ Matt says.

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