Page 37 of Under the Mistletoe with You

Nash appears at the front door to the café, tapping on the glass to be let in, just as she turns to leave.

‘Hello again,’ Nash says, as Shaz opens the door.But she just slips past him with only a cackle as she disappears off into the snow.

Nash shuts the door behind him after a pause.‘Goodbye then?Is everyone so talkative here?’He hovers in the kitchen doorway.‘Um.Am I allowed in?’

‘Depends; are you going to attempt to make another home gym?’

‘No.’

‘Then yes.Provided you don’t touch anything.’

For some reason, Nash looks rather dishevelled and a little dirty.

‘Where on earth have you been?You look like you crawled out of a coal scuttle.’

‘I’m sorry, a what now?Acoal scuttle?’

‘Yes, where you keep coal.’

‘All right, Mr Victorian England.What are you making?’Strange that he moves the conversation swiftly along, Christopher thinks.Perhaps he fell in the snow and doesn’t want to admit it.That would be rather funny, at least.

‘Gingerbread reindeer.Shaz’s favourite.’

‘And that was Shaz, I presume?’

‘The one and only.She’ll be back later.’

‘I look forward to another thrilling in-depth conversation.’

‘Speaking of, she did mention that we might have a small issue.’

‘Shoot.’

‘There’s no room at the inns.Metaphorically or literally.’

‘Ah.Shall I just check Airbnb, in case there’ve been cancellations?’

‘Go ahead, but I think you’ll find the same,’ Christopher says, rolling out the gingerbread dough on the counter.

‘That smells pretty good by the way,’ Nash says without looking up from his phone.

‘It’s even better when it’s baked.’

They don’t speak any more, even as Christopher cuts out the dough into reindeer shapes and lays them on a tray.For the first time, Christopher doesn’t feel completely unsettled in Nash’s silent presence.It must be the baking.The room is soon flooded with the sweet scent of gingerbread cooking as Christopher washes up the pans and sets everything away.It’s a reset, or perhaps a bubble of normality.

Eventually, Nash looks up and puts his phone inside his shirt pocket.‘You’re right.There’s nothing.’

‘And I can’t get to Yorkshire to see my family either.’

The understanding that they are stuck together hangs in the air.But before they can discuss it, Shaz comes back through the bakery front door.

‘They’ve not even finished baking,’ Christopher calls, before realising she’s on the phone.

‘All right, love, I’ll see if we can get anyone up to you,’ Shaz says, one finger in her ear.‘I’ll call you back in ten, okay?’

She pockets her phone.

‘Everything okay?’Christopher asks.