Underneath the Christmas Tree
: Chapter 23

With it being the last shopping day before the start of the school Christmas holidays, it was another busy day at Wynter’s Trees and the visit to the grotto from the Wynmouth mother and toddler group made it even more memorable. I could hear the squeals of delight – and the occasional tears – from my spot in Wren and Theo’s hut and when the group lined up in front of the truck to have their photographs taken, with Santa and Mrs Claus at either end, they did look very sweet, almost angelic.

‘Don’t they look adorable?’ sighed Abbie, taking in the group which ranged from tiny babies in their mum’s arms to around three and struggling to free themselves from their father’s hand.

Noah looked at me and rolled his eyes.

‘Tears before bedtime and at least one tantrum on the minibus home,’ he sourly said. ‘Possibly even some vomit, looking at how that one on the end is wolfing down those cookies.’

Abbie gave him a thump and, given her position in her wheelchair, very nearly made his eyes water.

‘I love babies,’ she dreamily said to me. ‘I want at least three.’

‘I guessed as much from the look on your face,’ I told her.

‘What about you?’ Noah asked me, his eyebrows raised. ‘How’s your baby timer, Liza? Is it ticking like an internal timebomb yet?’

‘Noah,’ scolded Abbie, looking outraged. ‘That’s a very personal question.’

Noah shrugged. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I didn’t realise it was such a touchy subject.’

‘You’re fine,’ I laughed. ‘It’s not. Not for me anyway. I haven’t heard my timer at all, but then I work with what those babies turn into. The decision whether or not to have kids is a huge one. I mean, you just said you love babies, Abbie, but they’re only those bundles for a few weeks and then you’re responsible for a little person.’

‘That’s true,’ said Noah, who clearly had no paternal instincts and looked with disfavour at the line up as a ruckus broke out among the snowsuit brigade. The battle for the last cookie was on. ‘Give it a couple of years and you’ve got that on your hands.’

He covered his ears and marched back into his and Abbie’s hut as the wails reached a crescendo that only Bandit would be able to properly hear.

‘He has a point,’ I laughed, then spotted the look on Abbie’s face. ‘But each to their own.’

There were slightly more snow flurries as the morning passed, but nothing significant. From the winter months I could remember living near Wynmouth, heavy snowfall so close to the Norfolk coast had been a rarity but the falling flakes added to the atmosphere and made Wynter’s Trees look even prettier. With the tree deliveries finally finished, Ned had spent some time putting up even more decorations and if the snow kept falling then the party on Saturday night was going to have the perfect seasonal backdrop.

‘My goodness,’ gasped Theo, immediately noticing all the gaps on the shelves when he popped in later that day. ‘I knew you’d sold a lot from looking at the online banking, but seeing it like this is quite something.’

‘I know,’ I grinned. ‘It’s amazing, isn’t it? And nothing to do with me. It’s your products that have drawn the customers in. You and Wren are an incredibly talented duo. I hope you’ve got more stock.’

‘Um,’ he said. ‘Wren’s got more than I have, but we should be all right. If push comes to shove, I might see if some of my larger pieces will sell.’

I couldn’t help thinking he should have made them available from November, but it wasn’t my place to say anything. I got the feeling that he hadn’t been all that confident when the hut opened, but fingers crossed the popularity of his and Wren’s clever crafts had given him enough of a boost to realise that there was real value in what he produced at the wheel.

The recent boost to their bank balance had hopefully helped him with that too. I was so pleased I had been able to play a part in making sure they hadn’t missed out on this most lucrative, as well as most wonderful, time of the year.

‘I think that would be a fantastic idea,’ I encouraged him. ‘Nothing ventured and all that. How’s Wren feeling today?’

‘She’s great,’ he said, his face breaking into a smile. ‘Although a little nauseous, first thing but even that has made her happy.’

‘Really?’

Theo looked wistful. ‘She said she doesn’t mind feeling a bit yuk in the mornings because it’s all part of the pregnancy experience and proof that her hormones are doing their thing.’

I wondered if the novelty would wear off if the feeling dragged on for weeks. Given everything she’d been through, probably not. I daresay any reminder that she was pregnant was going be made welcome.

‘That’s great,’ I said.

‘And I’ll tell you what else is great.’

‘What?’

‘You stepping in and saving the day for us.’

‘I’ve only done what any friend would,’ I insisted, waving his words away.

‘No,’ Theo seriously said. ‘You’ve really gone above and beyond, Liza. All of our decent Christmas sales would have been lost if it wasn’t for you.’

‘There’s still next week,’ I reminded him. ‘Plenty more shopping days to capitalise on.’

‘Be that as it may,’ he said, unwilling to let me shrug his appreciation off, ‘but it’s this week that was always going to be the one that really counted. I reckon once the schools break up there’ll be more browsers than serious buyers. Families will come out to walk around the trees and see Santa, but a lot of people will have finished their shopping by now.’

Given how busy the last couple of days had been, I thought he was probably right.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘I’m happy to have been able to help. I wanted to take some of the pressure off the pair of you.’

‘You’ve made all the difference,’ he said, pulling me in for a hug. ‘It will be business as usual from tomorrow though, so you can have a lie in.’

‘You’re coming back?’ I asked, as he released me.

I didn’t want to let on that Chelsea and Liam had given me the lowdown.

‘Yep,’ he said. ‘I’ll be here bright and early.’

‘And what about Wren? I hope she’s not going to miss the party.’

‘She’s not,’ he told me. ‘She’s starting back tomorrow too, but she’ll come in a bit later if she’s feeling icky when she gets up.’

That was a surprise. Clearly, the conversation about Wren’s return to work had carried on after Chelsea had put in her two pennies’ worth and the plan had been amended.

‘As much as I would like to wrap my beloved up in cotton wool for the next few months,’ Theo carried on, ‘it wouldn’t be healthy for any of us. I think more than anything, she needs a bit of normality right now.’

Yes, that was Chelsea’s influence right there.

‘And so, do you, Theo,’ I told him. ‘I do understand the temptation to handle her with care, but I’m sure easing back into things now is the right way to go.’

Theo smiled. ‘I’ll go and start carrying over the few bits of stock I’ve got in the van,’ he said. He hadn’t taken many steps before he called over his shoulder, ‘you haven’t been talking to Chelsea about us by any chance, have you?’

‘No,’ I laughed, ‘but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been talking to me, does it?’

He shook his head and carried on towards the van. There was no need to elaborate because we both knew that conversations with Chelsea were often one-sided.

With the stock rearranged, Theo announced he was going to stay on for a bit, which gave me the opportunity to take a break. I’d discovered it was hard work manning the hut all day and standing on my feet for so long, especially in the cold, and I decided to take a walk around the plantation, collecting Bandit who was in the office with David, on the way. There was no sign of either Ned or Maya and I hoped I wouldn’t come across the pair canoodling among the trees. Although it was a little chilly for a clandestine outdoor lover’s tryst.

When I came to the tree where I’d caught Liam hiding out, I felt a renewed rush of affection for the boy. He had proved himself in so many ways since I’d found him cowering among the branches and ended up offering him a job. Just as it had been for Dad, Wynter’s Trees was a very special place for Liam and he had worked tirelessly, quickly picking things up and reaching way beyond everyone’s expectations. He’d even gladly volunteered to don an elf outfit for pity’s sake and, on that occasion, for no financial gain.

I hoped he wasn’t still dwelling on what his two former acquaintances, Bradley and Kyle, had said. It was cruel of them to try and sabotage his fresh start but he needn’t have worried that their meanness had made an impact on either me or Ned. We’d talked about it briefly the evening before and Ned was as unfazed by it as I was. We could see Liam for what he was: a hardworking, honest lad, eagerly embracing the break we’d given him and, if I had anything to do with it, he was soon going to be offered an even bigger one.

‘Come on!’ I called to Bandit, who had slunk off without me realising. ‘I need to talk to Ned.’

I didn’t know if he’d been thinking about it already, but with Liam poised to head into his last few months at school, I thought it would be the ideal time to offer him a permanent position, one with real prospects, to take up when he left.

It would give him something to work towards and, hopefully, make sitting his final exams more bearable. Surely, it couldn’t be that complicated to set up a traineeship or apprenticeship. If Ned was onboard, he could suggest a position that would combine working at the plantation with a formal forestry or arboriculture qualification. There might even be scope to do some volunteer work in the reserve too.

‘Bandit!’ I called again, laughing as he came tearing out of the trees.

He had as much energy as Liam and I allowed myself the luxury of imagining the look on Liam’s face when Ned shared the proposal with him. He would think all his Christmases had come at once!

Bandit was panting when we arrived back at the barn and rather than stop and greet the Wynter’s Trees customers who were always pleased to see him, he bypassed them all and headed straight for the office and his water bowl. I followed his lead and found David still at his desk poring over a pile of paperwork.

‘Any chance of a word with Ned?’ I asked him. ‘Is he about?’

David looked up from the papers, took off his reading glasses and rubbed his eyes before leaning back in his chair and grimacing as he stretched out his back and neck. He’d obviously been hunched over in the same position for some time and I wondered what had held his attention so intently, but didn’t ask. Now I had declared my disinterest in the business, it was none of my, well, business.

‘Afraid not,’ he said. ‘He went off early this morning and said he’d most likely be away all day.’

I was surprised to learn of his defection from the plantation. With just a few more shopping days before Christmas, I would have thought he would have wanted to be more firmly melded to the place than ever.

‘He didn’t say where he was going,’ David elaborated, before I asked. ‘Is it anything I can help with?’

‘No, no,’ I said. ‘It’ll keep, but thanks. I’m going back to help Theo now, so I’ll leave Bandit with you if that’s all right.’

‘Yes,’ said David, putting his glasses back on and picking up the papers again. ‘He’ll be fine in here with me.’

I’d barely made it out the door before I collided with Maya.

‘Shit,’ she muttered, bending to collect the decorations she’d dropped. ‘Sorry, Liza.’

‘No, it’s my fault,’ I said, rubbing my arm which had borne the brunt of our coming together. ‘I should have been looking where I was going. Are you all right?’ I added, noticing her unusually less than sunny disposition.

She looked distinctly ruffled. It wasn’t a state I’d ever seen her in before. What had happened to everyone all of a sudden? Ned was off on an impromptu away day, David was preoccupied with paperwork and now Maya was stressed. It unsettled me a bit. December the seventeenth was not the ideal date on the Wynter’s Trees calendar to let things slide.

‘No,’ said Maya, with a huff. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m not. I’m fed up. Ned has buggered off, David’s stuck in the office and I’m left selling the trees and trying to organise things for the party.’

She sounded in a right grump.

‘And then there’s…’ she let out a long breath, but didn’t finish her sentence.

‘And then there’s what?’ I asked.

She looked at me for a long moment. ‘Oh nothing,’ she said, shaking her head and dredging up a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘Ignore me. I’ve just got my knickers in a knot, that’s all.’

‘You do sound as though you’ve got your hands full,’ I sympathised. ‘And I would offer to help, but I’m supposed to be taking over from Theo again.’

She really had been left in the lurch. I hoped whatever Ned was up to was worth it.

‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘Really. Worst case scenario, I’ll leave the party stuff until we’re closed. I’d just planned to get it sorted early because I’m going out tonight and wanted a bit of time to get ready at the end of the day.’

‘Hot date?’

‘Something like that,’ she said, her smile fading.

‘Well, in that case,’ I said, ‘as I haven’t got a date tonight, hot or otherwise, you can leave anything you don’t get finished for me to sort, if you like.’

Her smile brightened and this time looked a lot more genuine.

‘Really?’

‘Of course,’ I insisted. ‘Just leave me a list and I’ll get it done.’

‘You wouldn’t mind?’

Given my recent behaviour, it was the very least I could do. Not only would I be helping Maya out, but my act of kindness might also go some way to assuage the bad feelings about myself that I still harboured. The post-kiss guilt which had gathered was proving to be far longer lived than the tingling sensations Ned’s warm, soft lips had aroused.

‘After rescuing me from the tree muddle,’ I reminded her, ‘I still owe you one and this can be a start.’

‘You don’t have to pay me back for that.’

‘I know I don’t,’ I swallowed, ‘but I want to. Only, make sure you leave the ladders out for me. My reach is nowhere near as long as yours.’

‘You’re a star Liza Wynter,’ she said, making me feel even worse. ‘No wonder Ned…’

‘Excuse me,’ a woman’s voice cut into our conversation. ‘Is there anyone available to help me with a tree?’

‘I am,’ said Maya, thrusting the box of decorations into my arms. ‘Just pop those in the barn, would you Liza?’

‘Of course,’ I said. ‘No problem.’

I deposited the box as requested, then went back to help Theo. When I returned to the barn at the end of the day, I discovered that Maya had managed to do everything anyway.

She really was the ultimate multitasker and, taking in the transformed space, a fabulous decorator too. The barn had been beautiful before, but now it was party-ready perfection. It seemed that there was nothing in the Wynter’s Trees world that Maya couldn’t turn her hand to. It really was no wonder that Ned was so taken with her.