The Perfect Christmas Gift by Katie Ginger

Author:Katie Ginger [Ginger, Katie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-09-20T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

A few days later, Bella took a moment to enjoy the twinkling fairy lights surrounding Santa’s grotto. If she put aside her worries over Freddie she was, on the whole, feeling more hopeful about Christmas than she had ever expected. Against a rather stark grey sky the lights glittered and shimmered, brightening even the darkest of moods and her mood had been dark since Tuesday.

Amias hadn’t been allowed in school on Wednesday but when he’d come back on Thursday, she’d felt the tension in the air between him and Freddie and seen the fear in Freddie’s eyes at playtime. The Coles hadn’t liked Amias’s punishment or that he was only allowed to play outside for a shorter time than the rest of the children, but the things he’d said and done were too severe to ignore and Mrs White had stood her ground. It was clear that his actions had had a profound effect on Freddie who now played as near to the teachers as was humanly possible while still joining in with his friends. He was frightened, and she was determined that before the school broke up for Christmas, she would have him feeling safe and secure and playing as he normally would, running around, tagging his friends or climbing on the apparatus.

Seeing Mr Cole shouting at Nick with poor little Freddie in the background had confirmed that he was one of the most horrid men in the village, but of course she hadn’t let that affect her dealings with Amias. The school was there to teach and hopefully Amias had learned that he couldn’t treat people like that. She was planning on catching up with him in a few days to ensure it and to allow him to play as normal with the other children if he’d shown some remorse.

The cold fresh air stung her nose as she took a deep breath. At least it didn’t carry the smell of manure, which was a hazard of living in the country. Instead, it was clear and crisp. Bluebell Park had become her own enchanted hideaway from the difficult feelings she’d been experiencing but recent events had pushed all thoughts of Evan and heartbreak from her mind. Although the park was an important part of the village, the way they’d transformed it for Christmas gave the place a special atmosphere.

Today she’d focus on the giving tree and wrapping the donations she’d received that hadn’t already been gift-wrapped or tagged. She didn’t mind – she absolutely loved wrapping presents and people were busy. She was just grateful they’d taken a tag and made a donation in the first place.

‘Morning, Mr Tomlin,’ she called as he marched along to the grotto.

The red of his Santa trousers was just visible between his huge duvet-like coat and big black boots. He waved and opened the door to be welcomed by her usual crew of Saturday volunteers. She swiftly followed, eager to escape the freezing, still air they’d been greeted with this morning. The

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