Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,24

ask me out, even though I rejected him so many times. But a marriage proposal is an entirely different thing. No one should propose to someone unless it’s something they really want to do with every fibre of their being. They certainly shouldn’t propose just because they think they should.’

‘Chance!’

Molly spotted him hovering in the doorway, and she leapt off the kitchen counter. Just how much of that conversation had he heard? By the look on his face, the tight line of his jaw, and the slight hint of red in his cheeks, he’d definitely heard some of it. And she suddenly realised that he probably thought they were discussing his plans to propose to Jolene. Which of course, they had been. But Molly didn’t want him to know that.

‘I’ve just come down to ask you to take a look at samples on the walls,’ he said, avoiding eye contact with her.

‘I’ll come and look at them now. Be back in a minute, Sarah.’

‘I’m coming too.’ Sarah jumped down from the counter.

Molly tried to show her friend that she wanted to be alone with Chance for a moment, by gesturing with her hands and by the pleading expression on her face, but Sarah clearly didn’t pick up on that.

‘Chance!’ Molly said again, only this time it was a plea. ‘Please don’t mention to Terry that you heard us talking about marriage proposals. Sarah was just telling me that, as they’ve been together for four years this Christmas Eve, she’s hoping he might propose. I offered to give him a nudge in the right direction, but Sarah doesn’t want that.’

‘Oi!’ Sarah glowered at Molly. ‘Thanks for dropping me in it.’

Chance looked relieved. ‘Oh I see. I thought … It doesn’t matter what I thought.’ He smiled at Sarah. ‘Don’t worry, Sarah. Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t say a word to Terry. I promise.’

‘Thanks.’ Sarah was still scowling at Molly.

‘Sorry, Sarah.’ Molly linked arms with her. ‘But I had to say something, didn’t I?’

‘Oh yes. And I might have to say something too, if Terry gets to hear about this.’

Molly gave Sarah another pleading look and eventually Sarah smiled as they followed Chance upstairs.

Thirteen

Saturday had been the perfect day in Molly’s estimation: shopping with Sarah in the morning, spending the afternoon at the cottage writing lists, and going over them that evening with Chance, Sarah and Terry while eating fish and chips that Chance and Terry had bought from the nearby chippy in Piemaker’s Place. The bottle of Prosecco for her and Sarah and beers for themselves had added the final touch.

Afterwards, Terry and Sarah had gone home, and a short time later, Molly and Chance had walked back to his mum’s, leaving Chance’s car at the cottage because he’d been drinking. He’d offered to pay for a cab but Molly had laughed.

‘It’s a ten-minute walk at most, Chance. We don’t need a cab.’

‘But have you looked at the weather?’

He pointed up at the glass roof of the kitchen extension which was covered in a thick layer of snow.

‘Which means we’d have to wait for ages for a cab as half of them are probably stuck in snowdrifts and the rest of them have no doubt listened to the forecast and stayed at home. We’ll be fine.’

‘I could take a chance and drive. I’ve only had a couple of beers.’

‘No. There’s no point in taking unnecessary risks. Besides, the police will be out in force tonight despite the snow. It’s the last Saturday before Christmas and they’ve stepped up their ‘don’t drink and drive’ campaign. Let’s just walk.’

They’d hardly said a word to one another once they’d left the cottage. It seemed Molly wasn’t the only one with a few things on her mind.

The air was bitterly cold and it took her breath away at first, but as they crunched through the snow in virtual silence, save for the occasional swishing noise as a car passed by on the gritted, partly slush-covered road, she grew accustomed to the freezing temperature.

The cottage was only around the corner from Vicky’s, comparatively speaking, but in the deep snow, it took them about five minutes to reach the end of Wishing Well Lane – and that was quite a long time to be silent. At least it was for Molly.

‘I hope you’ll tell me if any of the things I bought today aren’t to your taste. Or to Jolene’s. I can take any, or all of them, back. I’d rather know. And you won’t