It's a Wonderful Night by Jaimie Admans

Author:Jaimie Admans [Admans, Jaimie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008296896
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2018-09-10T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

A few days later, Leo and I have been going out every night. We’ve had Santa admiring a bunch of grapes on the old greengrocer’s window, Santa sniffing a bunch of roses on the florist, Santa trying out a new belt for his robe on what was once an independent clothing boutique, and Santa getting his hair trimmed at the hairdresser’s. It’s not exactly filling the streets, but Leo’s given away nearly a hundred candy canes and sold a few extra coffees, Maggie had to make an extra batch of gingerbread reindeers by midday on Monday, and at least one person a day has been stopping to take a selfie in front of the Bedford Falls window.

Neither of us have mentioned the almost-kiss again, and Leo hasn’t said another word about his mystery woman. I’m hoping he’s given up on finding her and that’s the end of it.

Until he walks into the shop on Wednesday morning.

‘Oh, Leo!’ Mary says suspiciously loudly.

I’m taking off the clothes that haven’t sold in the children’s section, nowhere near the back room doorway, and I let out a squeak of surprise, looking around desperately for somewhere to hide.

I do the only thing I can think of. I dive into the household rack and drape a curtain over my head. There are a few customers in and a lady examining a bedsheet nearby gives me an odd look.

‘Checking the rails for rust,’ I whisper.

The rail is a wide circular stand with a rotating chrome wheel where we hang household goods like curtains and duvet covers. It’s just about wide enough in the middle to hide behind with a bit of strategic draping. It’ll take me hours to fold these sheets up again when Leo leaves.

‘Oh, you lovely man,’ Mary says as Leo puts a tray of coffees down on the counter in front of her. ‘You didn’t have to do that again.’

‘Ah, I have an ulterior motive this time.’ Leo gives her a cheeky smile, the kind that would charm her out of her last Rolo. And Mary really loves Rolos. ‘I’m wondering if I can wheedle some information out of you.’

‘Wheedle away,’ Mary says, giving him the kind of bashful smile she used to give the greengrocer.

‘Unwanted stalker, is it, love?’ the lady asks me. She’s obviously noticed that my attention is on something a lot more interesting than rust.

‘Something like that,’ I mumble. If Leo looks round, he’s going to wonder why this poor woman is talking to a curtain.

‘Ooh, if you don’t want him, point him in my direction. He can come and hide in my bushes any day.’

I stifle a laugh to avoid detection and give her a grateful smile for acting like seeing the staff hiding in a rack of curtains is something you see every day.

Thankfully, she wanders away to browse the bric-a-brac. I love talking to customers but in the middle of the household rack, while the guy you’re hiding from is standing a few feet away, is not quite the ideal place for it.

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