Page 68 of Suddenly Mine
As he opened the door, Margot stood waiting on the threshold, her hair pulled into its usual no-nonsense chignon and her face looking pinched.
“Margot,” Lewis said warmly, stepping aside for her. “I’ll leave you in the capable hands of the man in charge.”
She nodded, watching him go, then walked into the office, giving Christian a terse smile. “You wanted to see me?” she said, her words clipped.
“Sit down, Margot, please,” Christian said, offering her the seat at the other side of the desk.
She perched at the very edge and sat with her hands in her lap. Christian felt a bolt of sorrow for all that she had been through.
“You’ve given this place everything,” he said. “Even when it didn’t give back.”
Her face twitched, a small blossom of pink colouring her cheeks.
“I know my father wasn’t always fair to you,” he said, gently. “But you have worked so hard for Carroll’s for as long as I can remember. We might not have some of the same views, and I will be doing what I can to make the store more ethical, but there’s no doubting your heart was fully given over to Carroll’s.” He held out a folded envelope. Inside was a written offer of a generous retirement bonus. “You’ve more than earned a little sunshine.”
She stared at it. “Is this your way of firing me?”
“No, Margot, it’s my way of thanking you. There will always be a job here for you, if you want it. But if you’re staying out of guilt or stubbornness or feelings for my father, don’t. Go live your life, Margot. Go be happy.”
For a moment, she said nothing. Then she sighed, softening in a way he hadn’t seen before.
“I blamed you,” she said, her voice thick. “For years I thought your absence broke this place, and then your dad did what he did to bring you home. I blamed you for all of it. But the truth is, it wasn’t your fault. I can see why you needed to leave and your dad just lost his grip.”
Christian nodded. “So did I.”
Margot stood up and walked around the desk. For a moment, Christian thought she was about to hug him, but she patted his shoulder and tucked the envelope into her coat.
“If I end up on a beach with a cocktail before New Year’s, I’ll send you a postcard.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
She left, her heels clicking down the hallway like punctuation marks on the end of an era.
He had one more job to do up in the offices before he could go and join the staff on the shop floor and help with the Christmas Eve rush. They were still short of hands on deck, but Christian was hopeful that he’d be able to persuade some of the old ones back and recruit some new faces in the next few weeks. Crossing to the intercom, he flicked it on, and spoke clearly:
“Attention all staff: Carroll’s will be closing at 4 p.m. today. Go home. Be with the people you love. And this year, as a special thank you, we’re staying closed on Boxing Day. This place will still be here when we all come back on the twenty-seventh.”
He turned off the mic and stepped out into the corridor, feeling the buzz of happy staff around him. As he walked across the tenth floor, heading for the elevators, he caught a glimpseof Santa through the grotto doors. The old man gave Christian a knowing wink as he ho-ho-hoed at a group of excited children.
Christian grinned and shook his head, laughter bubbling up in his chest. He still had no idea how the man looked exactly the same as he had when Christian was a boy. He needed to ask him what his secret was, but he’d wait until after his queue had gone. Besides, there was something a pinch more important than Santa’s skincare waiting for him on the ground floor.
On impulse, he ducked into the service closet, and there in the corner was his old janitor’s trolley. He wheeled it out with a quiet laugh and rode the elevator down with it, earning a few curious glances along the way. When he stepped out on to the shop floor, the hubbub of happy shoppers wrapped around him.
Merry caught sight of him pushing the trolley and, without missing a beat, beamed and called out, “Happy Christmas, sir — and welcome to Carroll’s! We hope you find exactly what you’re looking for.”
Christian smiled, stopping in front of her.
“I already did,” he said softly.
Because the only thing more magical than Christmas at Carroll’s was Merry.
Epilogue
CHRISTMAS EVE
ONE YEAR LATER
Merry wasn’t sure what had woken her.