Page 58 of Make You Mine This Christmas

‘I’m getting out of here while I can,’ says Otto. ‘Good luck!’ He trots around the corner out of sight.

Hanging up the phone, Esther joins them back by the window. ‘Where did that man go?’

‘Can we help you with the... carrots situation? It looks like you’ve got your hands full here. Maybe we can go get some more?’ Haf asks.

Esther looks like the cat who got the cream. ‘Thank you, Haf. It’s very nice to see someone in this family wants to participate and help me in my hour of need.’

Haf’s stomach does the tiniest flip at the word ‘family’.

‘I was helping this morning! And I thought you wanted me to do the gingerbread house?’ protests Christopher.

‘And you’ll help even more by going to pick up some more carrots for me.’

‘Mother, how many carrots can nine reindeer possibly eat in a single day? Be reasonable. Are we even allowed to feed them many? Surely, the reindeer...’

‘Wranglers?’ offers Haf.

‘Right, surely the wranglers will bring food for them? There must be an upper limit of carrots they can eat. Or maybe we can’t feed them carrots at all.’

‘Like with ducks and bread,’ Haf mutters.

‘You can’t feed ducks bread?’ Christopher cries.

‘Frozen peas are much better. Bread fills them up, causes malnutrition and makes them... poop everywhere,’ she says, cautiously replacing the word ‘shit’ for something less rude.

‘Dear God, my childhood was a lie... and possibly the cause of death for a number of ducks.’

Esther pointedly waits for them to finish their little back-and-forth.

‘Don’t question me, Christopher. We need them for the reindeer, but also for the snowmen. How are children going to build snowmen without carrot noses, Christopher?’

‘There’s not even that much snow, Mother.’

‘Well then, they’ll just have to be healthy snacks for the children. Just go do it.’

Esther hurriedly types out several messages on her phone, her manicured nails clacking on the plastic. ‘There, I’ve sent you the details of the places you need to go.’

Christopher checks his phone. ‘Mother, there’s five places on here. Will any of them even be open this early?’

‘The sooner you get going, the sooner you will find out,’ she says, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

‘Should I go with him?’ asks Haf awkwardly.

‘No. You can help me here.’

Christopher gives her an apologetic look and backs away from the centre of operations.

‘Before we get going, I’m just going to grab a cup of tea, if that’s all right?’ asks Haf.

Esther gives her a distracted nod, so she takes the opportunity to follow Christopher.

In the hallway, he slips on his shoes. At the bottom of the stairs, looking slightly less tired than she did upstairs, is Kit.

‘What mission are you on?’ rasps Kit, now dressed in a slouchy grey knitted jumper and even slouchier jeans.

‘Carrots.’

‘Reindeer?’