here made perfect sense. ‘So, we’re the winter guinea pigs?’ Lucy wondered.
‘You are, I’m afraid,’ said Lois. ‘I wanted to know what difference these heaters made, whether they’ll do the job or whether we need something more. And already they seem to be working just fine.’ As though to prove her point, she unbuttoned her coat.
Lucy wasn’t about to take her own coat off just yet but Lois was right, for heaters that weren’t overly large, they did a good job of filling the space with warmth and once they were all inside it would be even cosier with the now-open barn door shut.
‘You’ve got Lois’s highly acclaimed beef Wellington for lunch,’ Barney announced, ‘so that’ll warm you up even more.’
When Lois had invited them all here she’d told them not to worry, she wouldn’t be making them sit through a traditional Christmas lunch given they’d all be doing that the day after tomorrow.
‘And you have to miss out?’ asked Lucy.
Lois laughed under her breath. ‘You’re joking. He’s already told me to leave his portion inside.’
‘I feel bad you won’t be joining us, Barney.’
‘Don’t feel guilty, I’ll be just fine in the house with a bit of peace and quiet.’ He squeezed Lois to his side as though he didn’t really want to be separated from her at all.
Barney loved company and after he headed over to the house, Lois said she wouldn’t mind betting he’d eat his lunch and then go for a walk along The Street to see who was around for a chat. ‘He won’t be able to help himself,’ she whispered to Lucy as she adjusted the cutlery on the place settings even though it all looked pretty perfect already.
‘You must like entertaining,’ said Lucy when Lois greeted Melissa next. At the door to the barn, her auburn hair caught the light as she stepped inside.
‘It’s my guilty pleasure,’ Lois admitted.
‘Hey, anytime you need us,’ grinned Melissa, who set down another bottle of wine on the table. ‘Barney’s always telling everyone how amazing your cooking is. We’ll bring the wine every time, just let us know when you next want us.’
With a smile, Lois nodded to the bottles and told them they’d all be checking into rehab if they did these sorts of lunches too many times.
Lottie, who ran the convenience store, joined them, coming inside with Patricia from the tea rooms, who could be away from work for an hour, leaving Etna to manage with the help of a family friend. Tilly would unfortunately miss out today because business was booming so spectacularly. Tracy was next through the doors, apologising for her tardiness after checking in more guests at the Heritage Inn. She laid down her own rule immediately by saying she’d only have one glass of alcohol given she’d have to return to work and, with a personality as bouncy as the curls in her dark-blonde hair, she took herself on a tour around the barn extolling the virtues of the decorations, comparing what they’d done here with what she’d done at the inn.
Braving the cold without coats, Lucy and Lois, with Barney’s help, brought food from the oven inside the house to the table in the barn and, cosied up with the barn doors shut, candles lit and lights twinkling away, they toasted to Christmas in Heritage Cove.
According to Lois, the secret to the silky mash served with the beef Wellington was a good dose of cream and a generous amount of butter. Tracy shared her concern that it was going straight to her hips and she’d rather not know the sinful truth, but whatever the recipe secrets, the entire meal went down a treat and Lucy, with a glass of red wine, found herself sitting back and looking around the barn at these smiling faces, these people who’d become so familiar in such a short time. Julian’s family had always enjoyed a good get-together and after she ended things with him Lucy had missed the sociable family so much that at times she’d thought about rejoining it. She never would, of course, but the urge had been there. She’d grown up an only child and when she met Julian, being whisked into a chaotic all-embracing family had been part of the spiral of attraction. She was similar to Barney in that regard, she liked to be around people, and the laugher and chatter now washed over her like it was meant to be.
Lois topped up Lucy’s wine. ‘You look as though you’re