school for weeks.’
‘Sounds great fun. Good for the kids as well, I imagine, getting all that exercise instead of playing computer games after school.’
Anita nods. ‘Exactly. And then there’s Becca, of course. Marvellous singer. Always the star of the show.’
‘I heard that.’
‘Yeah. She’s sixteen, but she belts out show tunes and Whitney Houston numbers with such ease, like she’s just singing in the shower or something.’
‘It all sounds amazing.’
‘We hoped the local school might stage it this year, but of course the building’s locked up once the kids are on holiday and out of bounds. Health and safety regulations.’
‘Is there nowhere else?’’
‘Not really. Having it in the open air just isn’t an option in December.’
‘Shame. You could have sold tickets in aid of getting the village hall up and running again.’
We walk along in silence for a while, and my thoughts turn to Ronan, wondering how he’s getting on with his igloo.
Fairly well, as it turns out.
‘Wow, that’s amazing.’ Anita laughs with delight when we arrive at the gate and she spots it. We plough our way over the snowy lawn to admire it more closely. The igloo is really starting to take shape, with Ronan cutting blocks from the hard-packed snow inside it.
He stops to chat and I explain about the cake run we’re planning in the village.
‘Great idea. But don’t forget that charity begins at home,’ Ronan jokes. ‘I’m a bit partial to those blueberry muffins.’
‘I’ll save you one,’ I promise.
‘What happens when you get to the roof and the last block?’ asks Anita, frowning at the igloo. ‘Won’t you be stuck inside it?’
He laughs at her mind-boggled expression. ‘Simple. I’ll just cut out a door with my knife.’
‘He’s planning candles and a rug,’ I tell her. ‘How posh is that?’
‘Very romantic.’ Anita casts me a discreet but knowing smile, and I hustle her into the cottage before she has a chance to hint at anything else.
But I might have known she couldn’t let it lie! Once we’ve loaded up with goodies and we’re walking back to the store, she glances at me. ‘You two are getting on very well for people who only just met. Is there something going on there?’
‘No!’ I swing round in horror. ‘What on earth makes you think that?’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ She smiles mischievously. ‘Something in the air? Sexual tension, perhaps?’
My cheeks catch fire at her suggestion. ‘That honestly couldn’t be further from the truth. I like Ronan. I do. But, well…’
‘He’s not Adam?’ she says softly.
I swallow hard. ‘Precisely. I’ve got to get over Adam before I can even consider looking at anyone else.’
‘Can you be that logical, though, when it comes to attraction?’ she murmurs. ‘You’re either attracted to someone or you’re not, surely?’
‘Yes, well, I’m definitely not. Attracted to Ronan, that is.’ I scramble for a change of subject – and thankfully, one presents itself. ‘Oh, look, someone’s put Maud’s Christmas wreath on that snowman’s head over there!’
Anita glances over at the snowman that’s been built where the grass verge used to be. Then she looks over at Maud’s door, which sure enough is minus the wreath, and her eyes open wide.
She claps her hand over her mouth and signals frantically with her other hand – drawing my attention to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who’s standing proudly at Maud’s door. I glance at it – and my mouth falls open with guilty glee.
Someone has removed Rudolph’s shiny red nose and stuck it somewhere else altogether…
Anita giggles softly. ‘Poor Rudolph. A bad case of piles the week before Christmas! Isn’t that just typical?’
‘I can’t believe someone’s done that,’ I whisper, shaking my head, tears of supressed laughter springing to my eyes.
After creasing up as silently as possible, Anita grasps my arm and whispers, ‘Do you think we’d better put the nose back in place?’
We look at each other, considering this.
Then we shake our heads at the same time, and head back into the store. Anita goes through the back, still chortling, looking for some old backpacks, while I glance around the depleted shelves.
I’m relieved to be off the subject of Ronan.
I don’t know why Anita thinks there’s something between us. He’s a guy I happen to be sharing a house with, for the sake of convenience, that’s all. In a few days, we’ll go our separate ways and never see each other again…
My heart sags in my chest at the thought. But then I realise it’s not Ronan in particular that I’ll miss, but the village and everything about it.