Maxine Morrey - The Best Little Christmas Shop

I waved the comment away with my piping bag. ‘It’s fine. He apologised. It just shows how much he must value you to trust his son with you like that.’

‘Well, I guess we’ve got to know him quite well since he moved here. At first, he wouldn’t accept any invites but I can be quite persistent.’

‘No!’ I did a mock shock expression and Giselle squinted one eye and aimed her piping bag at me. I hid behind a naked gingerbread man.

‘Anyway!’ she said, grinning. ‘Eventually he gave in and now he comes over for dinner a fair bit. George will snuggle up on the sofa with Sophia and is usually asleep within moments of his bedtime.’

Sophia was Xander and Giselle’s incredibly cute cockapoo and was quite possibly the laziest dog in the world, so the fact that she would snag an opportunity to lie anywhere with another warm body didn’t surprise me at all.

I lowered my biscuit shield. ‘He did say something about not being used to people being nice or something. What was that all about?’

‘Had a bit of a rough childhood, from what I can gather.’ Xander’s deep tones drifted through moments before he followed them in his socked feet.

I let my friends have their moment of greeting as I concentrated on giving my latest creation a matching stripy hat, mittens, and wellies.

‘All right, Muppet?’ Xander said, and bopped a kiss on my temple. ‘They look good.’

He reached his hand down towards the biscuit in front of me and I gently elbowed him away.

‘Come on, just one.’

‘No. They’re for the shop. Plus your beautiful wife has made something delicious for dinner and you’ll spoil your appetite.’

I knew for a fact that this was unlikely. Xander and I had been best friends since literally the day we were born and he’d been a dustbin from day one. It still amazed me thirty-odd years later that he could pack food away and not be the size of a house.

‘She won’t mind.’

‘Yes, “she” will!’ Giselle looked up from the pan she was now stirring, one hand on her hip.

Xander threw me an “oops” glance. ‘Maybe after dinner then,’ he conceded, winking at Giselle. ‘Where’s the dog?’

‘Asleep on my feet under the table. At least I’m assuming that’s what’s keeping them warm.’

Xander bent down. ‘Yep. Honest to God. I think we got a cock-a-sloth by mistake. I’m supposed to be greeted by a happy little dog, pleased to see me after I’ve had a long, hard day at work.’

‘You’ve hardly been down the mines,’ I said, concentrating on piping a smile.

‘He’s a tough boss,’ Xander replied, purposely nudging me.

I sat back in the chair and fixed him with a look.

‘Oh dear, look at that. Can’t really sell that one, can you?’ Before I could move the gingerbread man was headless and half devoured.

I switched my look to Giselle. ‘Honestly, I don’t know how we put up with him.’

‘Think yourself lucky you’re not married to him.’

I did a theatrical shiver and Xander flicked me on the ear my hair was tucked behind.

‘OK. Ow!’

‘Honestly, I really hope this baby is a boy. I need some backup around here.’ He pulled out a chair next to Giselle who had now sat back down opposite me and he placed his hand on the ever-growing bump. I watched for a moment and then lowered my eyes back to my task. Even though these two were like family, I still felt a little intrusive in such moments and rather like one of the big, fat gooseberries Giselle currently had thawing in a bowl, destined for some delicious culinary fate.

‘Right. That’s the last one,’ I said, putting the final biscuit on the tray and standing up to lift it.

‘Here,’ Xander said, getting up and coming over. ‘I’ll put it up here, just in case the dog ever discovers any energy. She’ll have the lot of them.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Dinner’s ready,’ Giselle declared. ‘Xander, would you pour the wine, please?’

Xander set about pouring wine for him and I and a soft grape drink for Giselle as she dished up the chicken. I sat at the table again, having been told there was nothing I could do, and enjoyed the smells swirling around me. The delicious aroma of dinner mixed with ginger and baking, plus the faint tang of soft roses from Giselle’s perfume. I absent-mindedly thought about the expensive bottle Dan and Claire had bought me, which usually languished in a dark drawer, hoping to prevent evaporation. I really ought to get it out and actually use it, now that I wasn’t wearing Eau d’Engine Oil every day.

I watched my friend as she expertly dished up the food, not splashing a drop, or missing a plate. Everything was perfect, elegant, beautiful. Just like her. I smiled and she caught me.

‘What are you smiling at?’

‘You.’

Giselle laughed. ‘Why?’

‘Because we’re so different and I love that but I also wish I could be more like you. If I was doing that, half the Aga would be covered and the dog would be having a field day.’

‘Oh rubbish. You’re perfect as you are. And you’re totally capable of dishing up food neatly. I’ve seen you.’

Xander opened his mouth and then shut it as Giselle shot him a glare.

I laughed. ‘It’s fine. Whatever he was going to say was probably true.’

‘Anyway, you have your own talents. Look at that time you fixed your date’s car, even though it pretty much ruined that beautiful dress. Did you ever replace that by the way?’

I shook my head as I took another sip of wine. ‘Nope. Not a lot of call for it in my life right now.’

Or any time soon .

‘And yes, I did fix his car, which resulted in him never contacting me again.’

‘Oh, I’m sure that wasn’t the reason,’ Giselle said, then realised she was in a sticky position. ‘I mean …’ She put the plates down on the table and pulled a face.

‘It really was the problem.’ I waved her awkwardness away, filling her in. ‘I ran into him a few months later in a pub. His very pretty, very feminine, then girlfriend nipped to the loo and he mentioned that he had been planning to see me again right up until the moment I fixed his car. It was a “turn-off”, I believe was the phrase he used.’

Xander shook his head. ‘Idiot. Didn’t deserve you then anyway.’

‘No. Exactly,’ I agreed with as much emphasis as I could before thanking Giselle and tucking in to the meal in front of me.

Chapter Four

‘So, what was that about Cal not having had a very good childhood?’ I asked Xander later while on my third glass of wine as I sat waving goodbye to my normal resolve to avoid gossip.

He topped up my glass then his own as he pondered his reply. ‘He’s not said a lot to be honest, has he, Gis?’

Giselle didn’t need wine to enjoy a good gossip so long as it wasn’t hurting anyone. ‘Not really. From what I can gather he spent a lot of time in care.’

‘Does he have any family?’

Xander shook his head. ‘Nope. Just him and George.’

‘What about George’s mother?’ I asked, snagging a couple of gingerbread men from the tray and handing one to Xander.

Giselle raised an eyebrow. ‘Honestly. You two are as bad as one another.’

I beamed and fluttered my eyelashes at her innocently then stopped when I realised it was making the room spin. Obviously, that was the reason. Absolutely nothing to do with the wine.

‘Not interested in seeing him. The little one was a complete accident. She was pretty horrified to find out she was pregnant apparently. Some high-flying career type who absolutely didn’t want to be a mother at that point. Actually ever, from what Cal intimated. I didn’t like to ask too much else, but he said they worked something out in that she’d go ahead with it all and once the baby arrived, he’d take full responsibility.’