Page 46 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm (Highland Cookery School #2)

When Jodie came down on Christmas morning her mum was already in the kitchen and her dad was setting the table for eight. ‘I thought it was going to be just the three of us?’

Her dad shrugged. ‘Up until yesterday morning it was. And then Mrs Ashley next door’s cooker blew up doing mince pies so your mum asked her around and she was supposed to be having her daughter and her little one, so that’s two more and then…

’ He paused, counted the place settings, moved one up a bit and started to squeeze in a ninth.

‘Then it seemed rude not to ask Colin from the other side, cos his Shirley’s a nurse so she’s working.

And then last thing, your brother rang and him and Livvie were going to be in London but your mum said “Why not pop down?” So they’re popping down.

’ He counted the place settings again. ‘Nine.’

Jodie went into the kitchen, where her mother was leaning on her perch stool at the kitchen worktop chopping potatoes. ‘I can do that.’

Her mum raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah. I did some cookery classes.’

‘In Scotland? At this cookery school?’

‘Yeah.’ Jodie took up the peeler and set to work. ‘I made mash and tattie scones. I’m basically a potato expert now.’

‘Excellent. Well, you can start on the sprouts after this.’

Jodie almost giggled as her mother slid the bag of sprouts down the counter towards her. ‘You know you don’t need to cut crosses in the bottoms of them but loads of people do?’

‘I did know that. Yes.’

‘And you can fry or roast them with bacon.’ She picked up the bag. ‘Some people still think they should just end up in the bin though.’

Her mother laughed. ‘Like that guy on the internet.’ She started up a rough impersonation of Old Strachan. ‘Just put ’em in the bin…’

‘Where did you see that?’

Her mum shrugged. ‘Everywhere lately.’

‘I filmed that. In the kitchen at Lowbridge.’

‘Really?’ Her mother gasped in delight. ‘And then it went all viral?’

Jodie nodded. ‘It was supposed to be about imaginative things to do with sprouts though. So not really what we were aiming for.’

‘I bet it got a lot of people clicking on the cookery school account though? So that’s something.’

‘Yeah. Maybe it did.’

Christmas in Lowbridge this year was going to be a community affair. Pavel was sure his mum had a big hand in this plan, because when had anything happened without her agreement at the very least?

So on Christmas morning he found himself carrying a freshly made makowiec, as well as two carrier bags of wine from the shop and a Tupperware of his mum’s honey-glazed parsnips over the Low Bridge, closely followed by Netty, and her husband Gareth, and Anna and Hugh.

‘Flinty and Veronica were staying at the castle last night,’ Anna informed them.

‘Flinty’s probably already in the kitchen telling Bella what she’s doing wrong,’ Netty joked. ‘Is the reverend joining us?’ She directed the question at Pavel. ‘I mean, not that you’d know.’

‘It’s fine. And yes. She’s got a service in Lochcarron first but she’ll be here for lunch.’

Pavel filled the morning fetching and carrying, bringing drinks, carting chairs through into the small hall ready for lunch, which was massive. Everyone had contributed and Bella had catered for twice as many people as attended anyway.

‘Smile for the camera, Pav!’ Bella’s phone moved in front of him. ‘It’s for Insta.’

He nodded warily and watched her move on, filming the table and the mound of opened gifts and empty glasses.

It was the aftermath of the perfect Christmas dinner.

He was among friends and family. There was warmth and love and community.

He’d opened a pair of ridiculous Christmas socks and eaten more food than he normally would in a month.

He was exactly where he’d always belonged. He should be happy.

He really should, but Lowbridge, which had always been his home, felt empty now.

Later, after dinner, when the neighbours had gone home and her brother and his partner were dozing in front of the telly, Jodie made her way into the quiet garden at the back of the bungalow.

She pulled a blanket around her and leaned back to look up at the stars.

There weren’t as many here as at Lowbridge.

The street lights damped down the view, but there were some, and they were still shining.

Her mum came out to join her. ‘Room for another under that blanket?’

‘Sure.’

Her mum snuggled in next to her. ‘So what’s next for you? Back to Scotland?’

Jodie shivered in the night air. Her parents wouldn’t want her around forever. Of course they wouldn’t. Returning to Lowbridge wasn’t an option. The problem now was that she couldn’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else. ‘I’m not sure. I won’t stay much longer though.’

‘You can stay as long as you like. You know that.’

‘I’ll find a job.’ Jodie had no idea how. For the first time in her life she’d had a job she actually enjoyed, and that it was possible she wasn’t awful at. She didn’t think Bella or Adam would be writing her a glowing reference any time soon though.

‘I’m sure you will. What’s wrong though?’

‘Nothing.’

Her mum shook her head. ‘I thought it was Gemma but you said that was done with and if anything you’ve been worse since you got back.’

‘I’m just not sure what I’m going to do next.’

‘You’re sure you can’t go back to this place?’ Her mother had her phone out again, Instagram open on the Highland Cookery School page. ‘It looks like they put on a good spread.’

Jodie watched the reel. Christmas dinner in the small hall, by the looks of things.

That must mean they’d finished clearing all the stuff out of the ballroom corridor.

That was good. Everyone was smiling and chatting.

Anna, Nina, Darcy, even Veronica was tolerating a paper cracker crown.

Jodie felt a pull. She ought to be there.

Finally the camera panned round and lingered, just for a moment, over a less smiling face.

‘Pavel.’ The name was out of her lips before she had the chance to check herself.

‘Right. So is that who you’re pining over?’

Jodie wanted to protest that she wasn’t pining.

She knew she’d been nothing but trouble to her parents growing up and she had been determined not to cause them any more worry.

At the same time the effort of constantly presenting a happy face to the world – less successfully than she thought she had, it turned out – was exhausting. ‘Yes,’ she whispered.

‘He means something to you?’

‘Meant. I messed it up.’

‘I’m sure you didn’t…’ her mother started.

‘I did. I really did this time. It wasn’t like Gemma.’ Jodie hadn’t admitted this out loud yet. ‘I think you were right about her. Partly at least. I don’t think she actually liked me, and I ended up not liking myself either.’

‘And that made you think you must be very lucky to have her?’

‘Something like that.’ Her heart wasn’t with Gemma any more. ‘Pavel wasn’t like that. He’s kind and…’ Jodie thought back. There were some memories that weren’t for her mother’s consumption. ‘Strong and he made me feel capable somehow.’ She shook her head. ‘That sounds silly.’

‘That sounds lovely,’ her mother responded. ‘So what happened? Did he break up with you? Do you need me to go round to his house and tell him off? Cos I will, you know.’

Jodie didn’t doubt it. What she’d done was too big, too awful, to explain. ‘I wasn’t honest with him. I was pretending to be something I’m not.’

‘What?’

‘I don’t know. A proper grown-up.’

‘Nobody’s a proper grown-up. We’re all pretending. That doesn’t count.’

‘Sensible then. Responsible.’

‘You’re perfectly responsible.’

Recent behaviour would seem to contradict that conclusion. ‘I’m not. I’m scatty.’ There was Gemma’s word again. ‘I forget arrangements. I don’t think ahead. I’m messy…’

Her mother closed her eyes. ‘I mean, you do forget plans sometimes. And you attract mess like nobody I’ve ever seen, but then other times you can concentrate so deeply and create wonderful things.

Like when you’re drawing. And really I don’t think you can drive someone away by being a bit disorganised. ’

Her mum didn’t understand. ‘Gemma said I was impossible to live with.’

‘And this Pavel isn’t Gemma.’

‘She wasn’t as bad as you think.’ Jodie’s answer hung in the air between them. ‘She wanted me to do better. She…’ Jodie stopped. She sounded familiar. ‘She saw my potential.’ It was like she’d heard this speech before. ‘She liked things a certain way and… I sound like Fiona.’

‘Who?’

‘Someone from Scotland. She used to talk about her boss like that. He was a dick.’

Jodie’s mum nodded.

‘I thought you loved Gemma.’

‘What was I going to say? I think your girlfriend is a manipulative cow?’

‘Mum!’

‘This isn’t about her though, is it?’ her mum asked.

It wasn’t, but all the doubts that Gemma had put there, and all the ones Jodie already had that Gemma had tended and nurtured, were still in her head.

Pavel’s presence had made them quieter, but now he wasn’t here they were screaming at her once again.

‘I hurt him, badly.’ That was the truth.

‘Whatever I do next it won’t be with him. ’

Her mum wrapped her arms around her and pulled the blanket up to her neck. ‘It’s getting cold.’

‘Do you think it’ll snow?’

‘Not down here. Lucky you’re not still in Scotland.’

Jodie turned to her mum. ‘Why?’

‘Big storm coming.’ Her mother smiled slightly. ‘Storm Gemma, I believe.’

Jodie didn’t reply. For Lowbridge, at least, Storm Gemma had already hit.