While Steph extracted the pizzas from the oven, Lottie helped Jay set the table. Gales of laughter came from the kitchen and Lottie poked her head around the door.
‘You can’t look at these,’ the girls squealed. ‘They have top secret toppings.’
Dissolving into fits of giggles, they made Lottie and Jay wait at the table.
‘Why do I have a feeling that this is going to be like no pizza I’ve ever tried before …’ Jay said, as Lottie unfolded a serviette.
‘Well, you were warned,’ Lottie replied, still a little surprised he’d agreed to stay so readily although Steph had hardly given him much option.
Steph and the girls walked out, carrying plates covered in slices of pizza. Myra’s almost tipped over onto the carpet but they made it safely to the table. Jodie ran back into the kitchen and came back with a jar of Nutella and a spoon.
‘Um. What a feast!’ Lottie said when the plates had been put in the middle of the table and the girls were in their seats. ‘Pineapple, ham, mushroom – and what are those?’ Lottie peered at some of the slices, which were dotted with what looked like albino rabbit droppings, with the mysterious addition of bits of silver foil. The other slices were topped with chocolate gloop and pink bits, on top of the usual cheese.
‘These are white chocolate snowballs!’ Myra said proudly, dumping a slice onto Jay’s plate without him asking.
‘We tried to pick all the foil off,’ said Jodie.
‘But watch your teeth,’ Steph warned.
Jay poked at the slice with a fork. ‘I wondered what the shiny bits were …’
‘Try one, Auntie Lottie!’ Myra thrust the plate under Lottie’s nose. She took a slice. ‘Oh, yummy.’
‘And you can add more Nutella if you want to,’ Jodie said, spreading chocolate gloop from a jar onto her pizza.
‘Are the pink bits pink marshmallows?’ Lottie said.
‘No, silly. It’s pepperami!’ The twins fell about laughing. Myra literally slid off her chair, which made her laugh even more.
‘Please, can we eat these pizzas?’ Steph sounded frustrated.
Lottie nibbled the end of a slice. ‘Mm. Chocolate and spicy sausage. How delicious.’
‘It’s Mexican and Cumbrian fusion, is it?’ Jay said.
‘Exactly,’ said Steph with a grin. ‘Tuck in.’
After the pizzas, the girls quietened down a bit and sat on the sofa reading on their tablets. Lottie kissed them goodbye then she and Jay went to the door.
‘Enjoy the rest of your evening,’ Steph said. ‘Thanks again for all your help with the tree. Sorry about the cuisine.’
‘It was eclectic,’ Jay said.
Lottie laughed. ‘I’d call it experimental.’
‘No problem,’ Jay said.
‘Well, that wasn’t quite what I had in mind about having dinner in the pub,’ Lottie said as they walked back towards his van. ‘Thanks for staying. I’m sure the girls thought it was fun and Steph enjoyed the adult company.’
‘Adult?’ Jay laughed. ‘Not going by my jokes.’
Lottie laughed. ‘They still loved having someone new to torment.’
‘I enjoyed it too,’ Jay said. ‘Is there still time for us to go for a drink?’ he asked, surprising himself at how much he wanted the answer to be ‘yes’.
Lottie smiled. ‘It’s only half-past eight, so definitely.’
They drove the short distance into the town. Keswick nestled in a bowl that had been scooped out by a glacier in the ice age, leaving a deep valley with its lake. Some of England’s highest mountains encircled it, and by the light of the full moon, you could make out the outlines of Blencathra and Skiddaw with snow glowing eerily on their flanks.
Christmas lights twinkled around Keswick’s market square when Jay and Lottie walked to one of the town’s traditional coaching inns. It was a bitterly cold night, but the windows of several of the pubs and restaurants gleamed as people gathered for early festive celebrations.
A fire blazed in the hearth as Jay ducked his head under the lintel between the bar and lounge. Although it was busy with people, they managed to find a table in a cosy corner. Lottie had a glass of mulled wine, but Jay stuck to an alcohol-free beer as he was driving. She asked him how the first day of sales had gone at the farm and then told him a little more about the twins, and how Steph had done a fantastic job bringing them up.
‘I wish Mum and Dad could be here,’ she said wistfully. ‘We haven’t seen them for a year. FaceTime isn’t the same.’
Jay sipped his beer. ‘Will you see them at Christmas?’
‘They’re planning to come over again in the spring but it would be so lovely for them to join in all the fun and excitement with the tree and Christmas itself.’ She paused. ‘Will you be going to see your parents?’
‘I – I’m not sure. It’s a bit awkward with Ben and Nadia and the baby.’
‘Mmm. I can understand that. Have you heard anything from him since the other night in the pub?’
‘Not from Ben. My mum called me last night.’ He sighed. ‘Ben had told her what happened at the pub, of course. She was pretty upset.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be. It’s between me and Ben. Only we can sort it out.’
‘How old is Seb now?’ she asked.
‘Six months.’ Jay pictured Sebastian. He’d be asleep in his cot, wholly innocent and unsuspecting of the family turmoil surrounding him. Regret and guilt clogged Jay’s throat. ‘Would you like to see a photo?’
Lottie’s lips parted in surprise. God knows, Jay had surprised himself by offering.
‘Yes. I’d love to.’
‘Mum sends them to me from time to time on WhatsApp. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve deleted most of them and asked her not to send any more, but I did keep a couple of them. Christ, that all sounds so childish.’
‘Not childish. We all do impulsive things when we’re hurt and angry,’ she said.
‘I bet you don’t.’
She laughed. ‘Of course I do … you’ve no idea.’
He shook his head. ‘You’d never pick a
