On a long table underneath one of the large windows in the dining room, the snacks were laid out. Casting her eyes over the display, made even more Christmassy by the tinsel she’d woven between them, Nell was sure there were enough to go around. She’d roped Niall into coming over and making treats for the wreath-making and he was doing a great job. His chocolate bark, made of milk chocolate with white chocolate swirls and cranberries studded in, was proving a big hit with her and she had to make an effort not to eat it all. Then there were truffles, chocolate peppermint cookies, traditional coconut ice and much more besides. Nell imagined the residents’ faces when they came over.
After breakfast that morning, Nell had said goodbye to Harry who was off to see his family. His mother lived in the bay and had been poorly recently. Nell hadn’t pressed for details, but it seemed she was on the mend now and had been the reason for his unplanned trip over. When he’d told her, a tingle had run from the top of her head to her toes that he’d travelled at the last minute to see her. He hadn’t even made a hotel reservation which was how he’d ended up at Holly Lodge. ‘Was it fate?’ she wondered. Those amazing coincidences that somehow brought two people together, so their lives intertwined. It was like Serendipity. A very underrated film in her opinion. She hoped that the person his life had intertwined with was her.
While Niall was in the kitchen working away, Nell shoved on some Christmas music to set the scene and couldn’t resist dancing away as she adjusted the urns of water, glasses and cups she’d laid out. She’d prepared some coffee and hot water for tea and pulled out the best milk jugs for the milk. Pinching a chocolate truffle from one of the plates, Nell adjusted the biscuits on another and the mince pies on their glass cake stand. The smells coming from the kitchen were divine and making her stomach grumble even though she’d already had about five chocolates. The mayor was coming too but they had no idea what time. Nell’s mind flew back to that night at the Langdon Mansion Hotel. Hopefully the mayor wouldn’t mention anything after having seen everything that night. It had taken a while to get over the embarrassment, but Nell was thinking about it less and less as her plans for the business began to move forward. It was only two days until the wedding fair and she was incredibly excited for that.
She heard a van pull up out front and went to the window to see Tom jump out, back to his usual happy self. That scrape he’d been in wasn’t sitting easily with Nell. A horrible tightness settled in her stomach that something was wrong, but then he bounded in with his usual enthusiasm and she found it hard to reconcile the way he had always been so honest with her with the idea that he had a secret. Perhaps she was worrying about nothing – just her brain being overly dramatic as usual.
‘Hey, you,’ he said, bashing his cold hands together. ‘This place looks good. You ready to help me unpack?’
‘Yeah, of course,’ Nell replied, determined to make the day wonderful and fun for them both. She followed him out and they unloaded the van. He’d brought a small polystyrene wreath for everyone to decorate as well as boxes of tiny pinecones, reams of ribbon, different-coloured foliage and all manner of adornments like stars, bells and tiny sparkly Christmas trees. Seeing it all set out, Nell jiggled up and down on her toes in excitement. This was going to be such a wonderful event, but her excitement was in danger of vanishing as the terrifying Brenda and Cat unexpectedly walked in.
‘Thomas,’ Brenda said, arms outstretched. He glanced at Nell in alarm and she bit her lip to stop from laughing. ‘Thomas, how lovely to see you.’
‘Lovely to see you too, Brenda.’
Brenda air-kissed his cheeks then surveyed him, casting her eyes up and down over his frame. Nell saw him swallow. ‘You don’t look well. What’s the matter with you?’
‘Nothing. I promise.’ He ran his hands through his floppy hair. Nell glanced back at the window wondering if the light was different today as it reflected the different blond colours in his hair. It was something she hadn’t really noticed before. Frown lines were etching deeper and deeper into his forehead as they aged and the crow’s feet at the corner of his lacklustre eyes were reaching longer. He looked tired and careworn, like he wasn’t sleeping well, and the tightness in her stomach intensified.
Cat followed behind Brenda like a teenager who had just been told off. Her punky pink hair was so at odds with her downtrodden demeanour, Nell could only wonder what Brenda had been moaning about now.
‘Brenda,’ Nell said, in a bid to save Tom. ‘What are you doing here? You’re not here for the wreath-making, are you?’
Brenda adjusted the lapels on her long coat. ‘Cat and I have had a little chat about the buffet, and we think we need to make some changes.’ Nell looked at Cat. The corner of her mouth had lifted in resignation. ‘Yes. When Cat told me Niall was going to
