Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,22

good cause. Every team pays to enter and the spectators pay to bet on how many balls the winners will get in their pie. All the proceeds go to a local Children’s Hospice. So keep that sarcasm under wraps, Mister, if you want to be on my team.’

‘No more sarcasm from me, I promise.’ He meant that sincerely. ‘When does this take place?’

‘On the twenty-second,’ Sarah said. ‘Which is this coming Tuesday.’

‘Great. I’ll put it in my diary.’ Chance took his phone from the back pocket of his jeans and entered the words, ‘Snowball Pie – Pub’ on his calendar. ‘There. That’s a date. Oh. Er. Not a date kind of date.’

‘I know what you mean,’ Molly said. ‘Don’t worry.’

Terry and Sarah were giving him odd looks and he quickly changed the subject.

‘Okay. Let’s get these paint samples done. And I’d like to get some ideas about furniture. I realised today that with the Christmas break, I might be cutting it close with delivery times.’

Sarah tutted. ‘You’ll be lucky if you can get anything delivered before Christmas, and if we do have bad weather, deliveries between Christmas and New Year’s Eve might be delayed. Why didn’t you order your furniture sooner?’

‘Because he needed Molly’s help,’ Terry replied. ‘Only he didn’t realise he needed it until yesterday. We men don’t think about stuff like that.’

‘Now I am worried.’ Chance looked at Molly. ‘I will be able to get the important things, won’t I?’

‘Like a bed, you mean?’ A crimson blush swept over her face. ‘And a table and chairs. A sofa. A TV. A couple of chests of drawers. Some things should be fine if we buy them from one of the local, independent stores. At least you’ve already got a Range fitted in the kitchen, along with all your white goods, so that’s something.’

‘And a hot water tap. So I don’t need a kettle.’ He grinned at her. ‘I do need pots and pans and mugs and such though.’

Molly returned his grin. ‘Those things we can definitely get locally. Let’s make a list. Why don’t you and Terry go and apply the paint samples while Sarah and I sit in the kitchen and write out your list? You don’t have any chairs, apart from one old battered thing, so you won’t mind us sitting on the kitchen counters, will you?’

A vision of Molly perched on his kitchen counter popped into his head. She was wearing her PJs and her top was open.

‘Chance? Did you hear me?’

‘What? Oh yes. That’s fine.’

‘Don’t you need Chance to tell you what he wants?’ Terry asked.

Molly shook her head and smiled, and as her long golden apricot locks danced around her shoulders, Chance felt a flame flicker inside him.

‘Nope. I’ll check it with you later, Chance, but I think I know exactly what you want.’

He doubted that.

He doubted that very much indeed.

Partly because he wasn’t entirely sure himself exactly what he wanted.

Although he did know that right now, it had nothing to do with furniture, or anything else for the cottage.

Twelve

‘Wow!’ Sarah said. ‘That’s a really long list. Chance is going to need a miracle if he hopes to have all that in here by New Year’s Eve.’

Molly frowned. ‘It’s longer than I expected. He doesn’t have a thing apart from the Range cooker, a boiling water tap, which he’s ridiculously proud of, a dishwasher, fridge-freezer, washing machine and tumble dryer. Oh, and one battered and paint-splattered chair. Even the mugs we use here are his mum’s. But he does have built-in wardrobes in the bedrooms, so that’s something, I suppose. Nevertheless, I think his girlfriend may be in for more of a surprise than he realises.’

‘Yes. Especially when she discovers you and Miracle have been living with her boyfriend. I bet Chance hasn’t told her about you.’

Molly tutted. ‘Because there’s nothing to tell. I’m just a friend helping out. Besides, I’ll be leaving the day after she arrives. Oh, wait. They will still let me and Miracle stay until New Year’s Day, won’t they?’

Sarah pulled a face, screwing up her mouth. ‘I don’t see why not. Isn’t the plan for Chance and Jolene to move in here, anyway? So it’ll just be you, Miracle, Vicky and Beauty at the other house for New Year’s Eve night. Won’t that be cosy?’

Molly hadn’t thought about that. She’d tried not to think about Jolene at all, if she could help it.

‘Nowhere near as cosy as Chance and Jolene will be,’ she said, scowling. ‘Wrapped in one another’s