Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Are you inviting me on holiday, miss?”
“I plan on staying for a week after, and I can always add you to the room… You just have to get yourself there.”
“Done and done.”
“You didn’t ask when it was! How can you just say yes?”
“You said it was your birthday. I know when your birthday is.” I settled in with her, circling my arms around her body. “Besides, Zara is still sniffing around with her nose halfway up my arse. She’ll do anything to get back in my good books, so I can take off when I want and leave her to run things here with the businesses.”
Sylvie paused. “Are you really still angry with her?”
“I’m not angry. We talked it through. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let her off easily, though. She makes a lot of stupid decisions for someone so smart—”
“Hey, sounds like Hazel.”
I chuckled. “—And I want her to really think things through before she commits. Right now, she needs to spend some time working on herself and her marriage.”
“In other words, she knows there’s a job waiting for her, you’re just making sure she takes care of herself and her family before you make her work hard again.”
I wrinkled up my nose. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah. Older sibling syndrome.” Sylvie snorted and tilted her head back to peer up at me. “You weren’t fooling anyone, least of all me.”
“Why? Do you know me that well?”
“No, you’re just terribly predictable.”
“Oh, yeah?” I shifted my body over hers and tugged her down, trapping her beneath me on the sofa.
She laughed the whole time, looping her arms around my neck, and then smiled up at me. “You got me. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Good.” I lowered my head and touched my lips to hers in a gentle kiss. She teased me, flicking her tongue against the seam of my lips, and I responded in kind, savouring the taste of her.
“Ewww! Uncle Tommy and Auntie Sylvie are kissing!” Danny yelled
We broke apart, and I sighed, resting my head on the sofa while Sylvie laughed.
“Get off my granddaughter,” Nana said, sniffling from the doorway.
I turned and couldn’t help my chuckle at her covering Danny’s eyes. “I apologise.”
“Don’t. You can get back on her later, but we’re about to play Monopoly,” Nana said, directing Danny towards the other room. “There’s also a cracking bottle of wine your mother has pulled out of the cellar, and I need Sylvie to distract her grandfather while I get drunk.”
“Monopoly?” Sylvie looked over at her. “Nana, the last time we played Monopoly, you gave yourself a papercut and almost threw your little figurine at me.”
“Oh, it’s Christmas, this is no time to hold a grudge.” She clapped her hands together. “Come on, chop chop. You can be lovers later. For now, we need to make sure everyone else gets so drunk they can’t beat me at Cluedo later.”
Neither of us moved.
“Thomas Castleton, get off my granddaughter before I forbid you from marrying her.”
I jumped right up like she’d lit a firework up my arse. “What’s the wine you’re on about, Nana? Come on. I know all the good ones.”
“Arse-licker,” she muttered, eyeing me doubtfully. “But, if you insist…”
I looped her arm through mine and looked back at Sylvie with a wink. She sat up on the sofa, hair mussed, cheeks a little pink, and smiled.
And, God.
If every Christmas from now on would be like this, it might just become my favourite season after all.
EPILOGUE – SYLVIE
Three Years Later
“If you’re looking at April, the gardens are particularly beautiful,” I said, sliding a folder out. “Actually, that’s when I got married this year, and I can show you some of the photos from my wedding.”
“Really?” Amy, the bride-to-be opposite me bounced in her seat. “I would love that!”
I smiled and slid it over to her. “There you go. As you’re aware, we partner with several local businesses in a package deal. You’re free to choose your own vendors, of course, and I can coordinate them with no problem, but the photos you’re looking at were taken by our partner photographer, Lucy Vale Photography.”
“Oh, they’re beautiful,” Amy breathed. “Sam, look. They look like a fairytale!”
Her fiancé bobbed his head. “They’re really nice.”
“Nice? Is that the best you can say?”
“They’re wedding photos, babe. I’ve seen thousands of them. If you like it, we’ll get married here. As long as you’re happy.”
“I’m so sorry about him,” Amy said, glancing at me as she leafed through more of my wedding pictures. “He’s got the appreciation of a turnip.”
“It’s fine.” I laughed and shook my head, pulling out another small folder. “Our partner florist is my sister-in-law—she did both my flowers and my sister’s before that. She’s incredibly talented, and…” I continued talking up Beth’s strengths, as well as going into brief details about the other local businesses we’d struck up close working relationships with.