Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,57

were last night. Before the call from Jolene. But can we talk about this later? I’ve got to get out of here. I can’t risk bumping into Chance. I’m pretty sure that would tip me over the edge and I’d really lose it and collapse into a sobbing heap at his feet.’

Molly didn’t bother to shower. She dressed and packed her bags and crept downstairs where Vicky was waiting in the sitting room, curled up on her loveseat with the dogs.

Molly hugged them all. Several times. It was breaking her heart to leave. She really didn’t want to go. But she heard Chance moving about upstairs and that was it. She hugged them all again, said a last, ‘Goodbye. I love you all’, and fled as quickly and as quietly as she could, slipping and sliding in the deep snow in front of Vicky’s house.

She was both astonished and grateful to see Sarah and Terry’s car coming towards her and even more so when both Sarah and Terry jumped out.

‘You’ve come to get me?’

‘Of course we have.’

Sarah linked her arm through Molly’s, and Terry put Molly’s cases in the back after giving his sister the biggest hug.

‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ Terry said. ‘But we weren’t going to let you come home on your own.’

Before she could say a word, Molly burst out crying.

Twenty-Eight

Boxing Day had dawned bright, and warm lemon sunshine flooded Molly’s bedroom in Terry’s cottage. After leaving Vicky’s, Molly had tried to get some sleep and had wanted to spend the entire day in bed, but Sarah and Terry wouldn’t let her.

The snow outside began to melt rapidly as the temperature rose to an unseasonal high. By lunchtime, the roads were even passable, if you had the right type of car for icy conditions. The occasional snowdrift was still clinging to one or two parts of the highway and some of the pavements were treacherous in places, according to the local news reports.

The day flew by without Molly realising where it went, or really remembering much about it.

She did remember that they had gone to Seahorse Harbour to have a Boxing Day drink with Asher Bryant, and to meet his new girlfriend, Lottie Short in the only pub in the village, The Seahorse Inn.

It was owned by a friend of Asher’s, called Mikkel Meloy, and Molly could remember Sarah telling her in the car on the way, how gorgeous Mikkel was and that he had only recently become single again, after a break-up had left him with a broken heart.

‘At least you’ll have that in common,’ Terry had said, somewhat unhelpfully.

‘I’ve met Mikkel before,’ Molly reminded them. ‘He’s gorgeous, I’ll give you that, but if you think that throwing us together is a good idea, you’re clearly both as mad as a pair of drunken reindeer. I can’t believe you’re even suggesting it.’

‘We thought it might help you to know that you’re not the only one going through this.’ Terry gave her a comforting smile via the rear-view mirror.

Molly slumped further down on the back seat.

‘Yeah. Nothing helps like knowing you’re not alone in your misery. But crying with someone into my beer isn’t exactly how I pictured spending my day. I wanted to stay in bed.’

‘You don’t drink beer,’ Terry said.

‘I think you’re missing the point, darling.’ Sarah tapped him gently on the arm.

He furrowed his brows and glared at Molly in the mirror.

‘You stayed in bed all morning. You need fresh air and conversation.’

‘I need chocolate ice cream, several boxes of chocolates, and alcohol. At least I’ll get the alcohol in Mikkel’s pub. I hope he serves wine by the barrel.’

Sarah sighed. ‘Perhaps this was a mistake.’

Truer words had never been said, as Molly pointed out to Sarah when they arrived a few minutes later at The Seahorse Inn to find not just Asher and his lovely girlfriend, Lottie, seated at a table in front of a roaring log fire, but also Lottie’s beautiful spaniel, Merry.

‘I’m so sorry, Sarah. I completely forgot you’re allergic,’ Asher said, apologising profusely when Terry reminded him that Sarah had a bit of a problem with dogs.

‘It seems I’m not the only one.’ Molly gave Terry a sardonic smile.

‘Don’t worry about me.’ Sarah was already sniffing but she held up a hand and waved at Asher and Lottie from a distance of a few feet.

‘It’s lovely to meet you, Lottie,’ Terry said, ‘and we really don’t want to be rude, but I think we’d better go home.’ He shook