Christmas with her Boss

melted. Her body moulded against his and she was crushed against him.

Meg.

But the doors of the train were sliding open and the conductor was stepping onto the platform.

‘All aboard,’ he snapped, straight at them, and there was no avoiding the inevitable. For one last moment Meg clung and he held, and then she was standing back and there was nothing he could do but lift his bag and board the train.

She drove home feeling sick. Life as she knew it was over.

Well, that was a stupid thing to think. She had cows to look forward to. And finding a local job. Plus there was a rather nice young farmer who’d been interested before she’d left to take the McMaster job. Letty told her every time she came home that he was still single. Maybe she could drum up some enthusiasm.

Only she’d taken the job with William for a reason and the reason still stood. She loved the farm, but it wasn’t enough.

She’d adored working for William. For Mr McMaster.

For William. He could never be Mr McMaster again. She knew that. He was too cute, too warm-hearted, too… hot.

And too needy. See, there was the problem. What really hurt-or, if she was honest, what hurt almost as much as missing him-was the thought of him going back to his sterile life in Manhattan. Sure, he had his part-time kids and now he had his part-time dog. Sure, he thought he was happy. He was rich and confident and a powerful figure in the world’s economy.

But he wouldn’t call his parents and she guessed they wouldn’t call him. He’d probably call one of his Cool-To- Be-Seen-With women to fill in the gaps in his life, and that made her think dark thoughts about life in general and Cool-To-Be-Seen-With women in particular. She dredged up an image of the erstwhile Sarah, and imagined the picture as a dartboard.

How childish was that?

She was being childish. But there was more behind what she was feeling than childishness, and she knew what it was.

For she’d fallen in love. Some time over the last two days, she’d fallen hard. Maybe it had been latent, waiting in the wings to strike when the time was right. Maybe she’d been in love with W S McMaster for years; she just hadn’t known it.

And he was going home alone and she felt sick-and sad for him as well as for her. He’d go back to the life he knew and she didn’t envy him one bit. He might be rich and powerful but she had Scotty and Letty and the dogs.

She didn’t have William.

He’d asked her to go with him. How crazy was that? Oh, but she’d wanted to. To board the train and leave, flying to Manhattan with William, stepping into his life…

His part-time life. For she was under no illusions as to what an affair with William would be. She’d made arrangements for too many such affairs in the past. Glorious indulgence and then mutual parting, no hard feelings.

She pulled the car off the road and got out. She walked round the car, then round again. It was no use going back to the farm until she had her head in order.

William was gone, and she had to move on. She had to walk into the kitchen at home and be cheerful.

Right. One more round of the car, or maybe two, and she could do it.

She must.

He heaved his bag up onto the luggage rack and he thought for the first time-he had been preoccupied until now-that his bag was heavier than usual. And, almost as he thought it, the zip burst open.

His luggage was quality. Zips did not burst.

Nor did plastic bags and plastic containers spill out onto the floor of the train.

But, over Christmas, W S McMaster had become William, and someone had packed leftovers in William’s bag. The transparent containers held turkey, plum pudding, grapes, cherries, chocolates and more. There was also a plastic bottle labelled Brandy Sauce.

Meg would never do this. It must have been Letty. Meg was far too sensible to pack him leftovers.

Or was she?

He’d get rid of it at the airport, he thought, gathering the containers while bemused passengers watched. He travelled first class. Leftovers compared to the airline’s best haute cuisine?

But then he thought, this was Letty’s cooking and Jenny’s cooking. Maybe there was even Meg’s cooking in there somewhere. She’d definitely stirred the pudding.

Maybe he wouldn’t get rid of it.

He started shoving the containers back into his bag and realised there was something deeper. He delved and found…a bazooka. Complete with foam bullets. It was the same as the ones Letty and Scott had found in their stockings, orange, purple and gold. A note was attached.

To William. I had huge trouble finding you one of these at short notice but I knew you’d be jealous of Letty and Scott so, with Mickey’s help, here’s your very own. I thought it might cheer you up when you reach home. You and Pip and Ned can play with it in Central Park. Just don’t take it on board your plane as hand luggage. You could get into Very Serious Trouble. Love Meg.

Ridiculous.

But… He had been jealous this morning as Letty and Scott had shot each other. As if he was on the outside looking in.

Pip and Ned would think this was cool. He thought it was cool. He wanted to try it out now.

Or not. Mature businessmen did not shoot foam bazookas on trains.

He read the note again.

Love Meg.

Don’t go there.

He stowed the bazooka. He managed to get his bag refastened, and finally sank into his seat.

The train was almost empty. Of course. It was Christmas night. Who’d be travelling tonight except people going from one family to another?

There was a young mother in the seat opposite, hugging her baby. Maybe she wasn’t going from one family to another. She looked wan and tear-stained.

The W S McMaster of Friday would hardly have noticed. But now… ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘I…yes. Thank you.’ She managed a watery smile; she clearly wanted to talk. ‘My husband’s working on an offshore oil rig so we can save a deposit for a house. We only have one week together a month. It’s only for a year but I hate being a part-time family. And I have to go back to my parents tonight… Night’s my favourite time. When the day’s over, snuggling down and talking about it… Oh, I miss him. I love him so much.’

She sniffed and blew her nose and there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. He retrieved some of his leftover chocolates. They shared their chocolate and their silence, and neither of them was happy.

I love him so much…

There was a lot in that statement to avoid thinking about. He decided he’d think about the rest.

Night’s my favourite time…

He hated Christmas night. Christmas Day was usually bearable-there were always social functions, and last year he’d had Pip and Ned. Only at the end…

When the day’s over, snuggling down and talking about it…

That was what was missing. He’d never figured it out. How could he miss what he’d never known?

Christmas night alone… He always did Christmas night alone.

Maybe he’d be home in time to see Pip and Ned.

He checked his phone and then remembered. No reception.

‘You can ring when we go through towns,’ the girl told him. ‘Only you need to talk fast.’