‘Wow,’ said Tom.
They turned to see Kieran having demolished his sausage, now eating an iced doughnut with red and green sprinkles. The man had hollow legs. ‘Be careful or your wedding suit won’t fit, porky,’ she teased, mimicking Brenda and her obsession with slimness.
‘Hey! I burn enough calories doing my job.’ Licking his fingers, Nell and Tom giggled.
‘I want to go to Stella’s stall, she’s doing gorgeous wooden Christmas decorations,’ said Nell, shoving her hands deep into her pockets. Even her fleecy gloves weren’t keeping the tips of her finger’s warm tonight. ‘They’re my favourite type.’
Stella had come to Swallowtail Bay in the spring and turned around the fortunes of Old Herbert’s Shop. It was lovely to see her tonight in one of the little wooden huts, selling the wonderful Christmas decorations she was stocking. She was also recently engaged and beginning to plan her wedding. Nell hoped that if Cat and Kieran’s wedding went well, she and her fiancé, Miles, might think about booking Holly Lodge.
‘Come on then.’ Tom placed a hand at the base of her back and guided her forward. It felt different somehow, but it was nice to have her Tom back.
The three of them wandered over and Nell perused the little wooden snowmen, big fat Santas, gingerbread men and robins. There were all manner of sizes from enormous ones to sit on windowsills and bookshelves, to little ones with tiny green ribbons for hanging on the tree. ‘Stella, these are amazing.’
‘Thanks. I couldn’t resist them. I just love them, and they’re all made locally.’
‘Really? I love that. Look at that little nutcracker one, Tom.’ Nell pointed to it in the corner of the stall.
‘Where?’
‘There.’ She pointed at it again and watched as he tried to focus his eyes but still hadn’t spotted it. ‘Look, there.’ She picked it up and showed it to him.
‘Oh, that one,’ he replied, giving a chuckle. ‘Sorry, I thought you meant a different one.’ The laugh sounded hollow and forced, carrying a hint of a lie. As far as Nell could tell, he’d turned his head in the right direction but just hadn’t seen it and it was the only nutcracker there. Nell frowned but decided not to say any more as he seemed a little embarrassed. Unable to resist the festive temptation, she purchased one to hang on the tree at Holly Lodge. She had a little tree in her flat but as she spent most of her time in the hotel itself, the tree in the lounge got all the attention. Just as they were walking away, Tom stumbled, and Kieran caught his arm.
‘You all right, mate?’ he asked, and Nell became instantly aware of the concern on his face. Normally, Kieran would have cracked a joke or teased Tom. Nell felt her chest tighten, closing over at the base of her throat.
‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ Tom reassured them, standing straight. ‘I just stubbed my toe on a cobble.’
He hadn’t though. Nell had seen it all. He’d done that thing where you stepped and lifted your leg higher than necessary and then because the ground was lower than you thought, you kind of crumpled down. Maybe he needed glasses. That would explain the headaches too. He really should go to the optician’s and she hoped it wasn’t ridiculous manly pride keeping him from doing so. Worryingly, Kieran’s concern seemed like he thought it was about more than just needing the optician’s. His face had lost all fun and satisfaction at his food and taken on a ghostly look. Tom suddenly brightened but it was faker than the Christmas tree at Holly Lodge. ‘Oh look, there’s the roasted chestnut guy. I’m going over. Anyone coming?’ Tom stalked off, his hands in his pockets, head down.
‘Yeah,’ replied Kieran enthusiastically, having recovered enough to still be a bit peckish.
‘In a sec,’ Nell answered. ‘I’ll just put these bits away.’ In reality, she had no intention of squashing the lovely decorations she’d just purchased into her tiny cross-body bag, she wanted to speak to Kieran and pulled him back by his arm as he tried to walk away. ‘Kieran?’ Her voice rang with worry. ‘What was all that about?’
‘What?’
‘You know exactly what. That! Tom and that whole couldn’t see the decorations thing, and then stumbling over his feet. I’ve never seen him do anything like that before and your face was …’ She tried to find the words.
‘What was my face doing?’
‘You looked …’ She continued to search her brain for the right word but the only thing she could come up with was, ‘Scared. You looked scared.’
‘No, I didn’t. He just tripped.’ Kieran shrugged. ‘He’s fine.’
A person dressed as an elf collecting for charity walked past them. After giving them some money, Nell said, ‘Well, I don’t believe you. And where was he on Thursday?’
Kieran paused like a rabbit in headlights and Nell raised her eyebrows expectantly. So Kieran did know where he was. ‘He was at an appointment – with a supplier – just a
