‘You’re working late again, Saffy. I thought you’d be out on the town tonight celebrating breaking up for the Christmas holidays,’ said Freddie, the security guard, as he popped his head around the office door. ‘You’re finishing tonight, aren’t you?’
Saffron Baxter pushed a stray lock of her chin-length caramel bob back behind her ear and looked up from her computer screen. ‘Yes – I’ve got a couple of holiday days to use up still. I’ll be off as soon as I’ve done this spreadsheet. We’ve got a product meeting first thing on 2nd January and Ajay wants me to send the research data over before the Christmas holidays so he can take a look at it. I’ll be ten minutes max,’ she promised.
‘You’ll have to be. I need to lock up and go home,’ Freddie told her. ‘I’ll be back in ten minutes, no later.’
‘Almost done.’ Saffy turned her attention back to inputting her research data into the spreadsheet. She loved working for buycreative.com, an online company that brought small creative businesses and individuals together to sell their goods online. It had been going for six years now and was very successful. Saffy had been working there for three years, and as part of the digital product marketing team it was her job to work with the individual creatives to help them achieve the maximum sales for their business. It involved a lot of research but the end product, helping a small craft firm or a solo artist to achieve more sales, was worth it. What she really wanted to do though was be a business development manager and find new creatives to add to their list of partners. One of the development managers was leaving next month and Ajay had hinted that he was intending to promote someone from the office, and she was hoping it would be her. Saffy knew that two other product researchers were after the job too, but if she could produce an impressive product development plan then she might be able to convince Ajay that she was the best person for it, so it was worth working late to get it finished. Then she was off to meet Robbie and Meg, two of her oldest friends, for a pre-Christmas drink at Perry’s, the new wine bar in town.
True to his word, Freddie returned exactly ten minutes later.
‘Finished,’ Saffy said cheerily as she switched off her computer. She pushed her chair back and grabbed her black leather holdall from under her desk. ‘I won’t be a sec.’ She nipped over to the women’s cloakroom, took a lacy electric blue sleeveless top from the holdall and swapped it with the pin-striped shirt she was wearing. She replaced the thick black tights and ankle boots with sheer tights and black stilettos, thus transforming her black pencil skirt into a passable going-out outfit. She put her work clothes and boots into the holdall, then quickly added a touch of powder to her face, replaced the light pink lipstick with shimmery red, ran a brush through her unruly bob – the bane of her life – added another sweep of Luscious Lash mascara to enhance her dark brown eyes, took her camel trench coat from the hanger and was out again.
Freddie looked amused. ‘Well, that’s quite a transformation!’
Saffy grinned. ‘I don’t have time to go home and change so it’ll have to do.’ She blew him a kiss. ‘See you in the New Year. Have a good Christmas!’ Then she hurried out of the office. She was a bit late but Robbie and Meg wouldn’t mind.
Buttoning up the neck of her coat, she stepped out of the warm building into the cold night air. People bustled by, laden down with bags from their late-night shopping or gathering in the coffee and wine bars that dotted the street. It was almost cold enough for snow, Saffy thought as she thrust her hands into her pockets, wishing she’d remembered to wear her gloves this morning. She hoped it did snow. Everywhere looked so gorgeous all twinkly and white, really Christmassy.
Colourful fairy lights twinkled overhead, illuminating the street in a multi-coloured glow and a huge decorated tree shimmered and sparkled in the square. Saffy smiled and quickened her step. She loved Christmas; the decorations, the tree, the lights, the carols booming out in the shops, the drinks with friends and most of all the parties. Her diary was full of nights out planned for the following Christmas week, and she wasn’t back at work until 2nd January, thanks to being owed two days’ holiday. The rest of the office didn’t finish until lunchtime on Friday; Ajay had given everyone Christmas Eve off. Life was good. She turned the corner and hurried towards the sparkly lights of Perry’s.
Meg was already there, sitting at a table by the window, a glass of white wine in front of her. She stood up and waved as Saffy walked in. Saffy waved back, went to the bar, got herself a glass of rosé – she always found white wine too heavy – and made her way over to Meg.
‘Sorry, I had some work to finish,’ she said as she sat down. ‘No Robbie yet?’
‘No worries, I’ve only been here a few mins, we had a meeting after work.’ Meg’s short, blonde hair was still immaculately in place, as was her make-up. As manageress of a well-known beauty counter at the high street store she knew all the tricks of the trade. Saffy, Meg and Robbie had attended the same high school and now all worked in Birmingham city centre so often met up after work. They all travelled to work by train, which meant they could chat over a few drinks without having to bother about getting a taxi home.
Meg looked over Saffy’s shoulder towards the door. ‘Here’s Robbie now. He looks a bit excited.’
Saffy turned and saw Robbie heading towards them, fair hair sticking up like a hedgehog, tartan scarf flung over his shoulder, black coat half-buttoned up. ‘I’ve got something to tell you,’ he said, as he pulled out a chair and perched on the edge of it. ‘But first you’ve both got to promise not to breathe a word.’ He smoothed his hair down with his hands, which he then folded in his lap, obviously bursting with excitement.
Saffy and Meg exchanged amused glances and said together, ‘We promise.’
Robbie leaned forward. ‘I’m going to propose to Duncan on Christmas morning,’ he announced dramatically.
Saffy beamed. Robbie and Duncan had been together four years now and although totally different to each other – Robbie, a publicist, was like an excitable puppy while Duncan, an accountant, was calm and unruffled – they made a perfect pair. ‘I’m so pleased. You two are made for each other.’ She leaned over and kissed Robbie on the cheek. ‘Congratulations.’
‘Duncan hasn’t accepted yet,’ he pointed out.
‘He will. He’s mad about you.’ Meg clapped her hands and squealed in delight. ‘Oh this is so gorgeously romantic. We could have a double wedding.’ Meg and her partner Stefan had got engaged in the summer. ‘What a shame you aren’t with someone, Saffy. We could make it a triple wedding.’
Saffy gave a mock shudder. ‘Listen, it’s fantastic that you guys are getting your happy ever after – Meg’s right, of course Duncan will say yes, Robbie – but even if I was dating the sexiest guy on the planet I wouldn’t be getting married any time soon. There’s too much I want to do with my life.’
‘She hasn’t got time for romance, she’s planning on taking over the company,’ Meg whispered, leaning forward conspiratorially.
‘Knowing her, she’ll succeed, too,’ Robbie whispered back. ‘I reckon our Saffy can do anything she puts her mind to.’
Saffy grinned at them. ‘Never mind changing the subject to me and my career, I want to hear all about your proposal plans. When are you going to do it? Have you thought what you’re going to say?’
‘And have you bought the ring yet?’ Meg added. ‘Stefan proposed to me with a Haribo jelly ring because he wanted us to choose the ring together. I’ve still got the jelly ring,’ she added. ‘It’s in my memory box.’ Meg was such a romantic; she kept everything from their dates – cinema tickets, restaurant bills, the lot.
‘That’s just it, what do I do about the ring?’ Robbie asked them. ‘It doesn’t seem right to propose without one, I want to swoop the ring out of my pocket and put it on Duncan’s finger as soon as he says yes, but what if he hates the ring I choose?’
‘Are you sure he will want a ring?’ Saffy asked. ‘Not everyone does.’
‘He will, Duncan loves jewellery.’ Robbie stood up. ‘I need a drink, do you two want a refill?’
It was late when Saffy finally returned home. The drinks with Robbie and Meg had progressed to a visit to a local club but it had been a fun evening. Robbie had finally decided to propose using a lock of his hair for the ring, then he and Duncan could go out and buy a ring together on Boxing Day. Thank goodness she didn’t have work tomorrow so could have a lie-in, Saffy thought as she climbed into bed. She was knackered. As soon as her head touched the pillow she could feel herself drifting off to sleep.
She wasn’t very happy to be woken by the phone ringing at half past seven the next morning. Why hadn’t she turned it down when she went to bed? Saffy groaned, reaching for her handset so she could mute it and groaned again when she saw the image of her sister Hannah’s face staring at her from the screen. The last thing she needed right now was another awkward conversation with Hannah asking her to come down for Christmas, complaining that she was a stranger to the twins, and was the only family they had nearby now Mum and their stepdad Jon had moved to France. She was about to ignore the call when she remembered that Hannah, her husband Lee and their three-year-old twins, Miles and Lily, were on holiday in Tenerife – they always took their holiday after the summer rush and just before Christmas. Hannah wouldn’t be calling unless it was important.
‘Hannah… are the twins okay? Lee?’
‘The twins have caught measles and Miles has complications, a fever and ear infection. So we can’t fly home tomorrow.’ Saffy could hear the tremor in Hannah’s voice. ‘We can’t come home for Christmas.’
Saffy’s heart went out to her sister. She knew how important Christmas was to Hannah, she loved the whole atmosphere, the idea of family and friends being together – which was why she nagged Saffy to join them every year, not understanding that as a young singleton Saffy preferred to party. ‘I’m so sorry, Hannah. I bet you and Lee are really worried. The twins will be okay, won’t they?’ she added. ‘I mean, measles isn’t that dangerous any longer, is it?’
‘It can be. Lily doesn’t seem too bad at the moment, although she’s really miserable, poor thing, but Miles is burning up terribly. The doctor said that they can’t fly home until Boxing Day, at the earliest.’ Hannah’s voice broke. ‘I feel so guilty. It’s all my fault. They had a cold when it was time for their injection and I forgot to rebook it. We’ve been so busy at the B&B this summer.’
‘Stop beating yourself up, the days go so fast it’s easy to forget stuff,’ Saffy said, feeling sorry for her usually totally in control sister, who sounded so distraught. ‘Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to contact anyone for you?’
‘There is something…’ Hannah hesitated. ‘But it’s a big ask and you’ll probably say no. It’ll be too much for you.’
Hannah had a habit of expecting the worst of Saffy just because she’d had a few troublesome years in her teens. She didn’t seem to accept that Saffy was now grown up and quite capable, thank you very much. Saffy held back a snappy retort, knowing that her sister was stressing about the twins. ‘Ask away. If I can do it, I will.’
‘I’m gutted that we won’t be back for the Christmas party. It’s become a tradition now and everyone looks forward to it. They’ll be so disappointed if it’s cancelled.’
She’d forgotten about the party. Hannah and Lee had started hosting the Christmas party when they first opened their B&B six years ago and Hannah had found out that a young single mum living nearby was spending Christmas alone. She’d immediately invited the mum and her children to spend Christmas Day with them and then had decided to open the invitation to other single parents too. The party had been a huge success, so Hannah and Lee had hosted one every year since. Another reason Saffy hadn’t wanted to go down for Christmas. She wasn’t as fond of family events as Hannah and didn’t fancy spending her Christmas Day surrounded by kids.
‘I’m sure people will understand. Do you want me to tell everyone what’s happened?’
‘It’s too short notice for the parents to organise anything else, Saffy. Some of them won’t have budgeted for Christmas dinner so it’ll be a real struggle for them to provide one.’ Hannah paused. ‘I was wondering if you would go down and host the party for us?’ Her words were coming out in a rush now. ‘I can’t ask Mum because Jon is still recovering from his bypass so they’re having a quiet Christmas at home in France.’
And I want a fun Christmas with my friends. Saffy tried to think of a way to refuse without Hannah getting the hump. If she agreed it would be goodbye to drinks on Christmas Eve, followed by a lazy Christmas morning then a Christmas dinner party at Robbie and Duncan’s – hopefully celebrating their engagement – Boxing Day with Meg and Stefan and all the other socialising she had planned. ‘Please say you’ll do it. It’s all organised,’ Hannah continued. ‘The turkey and veg are ordered. I can get them delivered to the house for you, the cupboards and freezer are full of food, and there’s plenty to drink. I sorted it all out before we went away. All you have to do is cook the dinner, serve it out and organise a few games for the afternoon – oh and put the Christmas decorations and tree up.’
‘It’s a lot, I wouldn’t have any idea what to do—’ Saffy started to say but Hannah cut in.
‘I might have known you’d be selfish and refuse. We all know you’d rather spend your Christmas out partying but can’t you think of someone else for once? If we let these poor single parents down they’ll not only have to try and provide a Christmas meal for their children, we’ll be robbing them of the chance to let their hair down and enjoy adult company.’ Hannah’s voice was getting firmer. ‘Don’t you remember what a struggle Christmas was for Mum? She would have loved to have Christmas dinner cooked for her and to mix with other adults. That’s why I do this every year. I remember how Mum struggled to provide for us.’
Here comes the guilt trip, Saffy thought, bracing herself. Hannah, at thirty-four, was five years older than Saffy, so had always had to look out for her and never let her forget it.
‘When I think how I had to look after you when we were young, be a substitute mother, take you around everywhere with me while Mum worked… You’ve no idea what that was like for me. And now, not only can you not be bothered to come and see your nephew and niece, you’re too selfish to help me out when I need it. I’ve always been there for you.’ She sniffed. ‘All you care about is your work, and your friends. You’re just like Dad.’
That stung. ‘Look, Hannah, it’s a big ask. I’ve got plans for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, I’ll have to let people down too.’
‘The people you’ll be letting down aren’t lonely and short of money.’ Hannah changed her tone to one that was cajoling instead of accusing. ‘I wouldn’t ask you if I wasn’t desperate not to ruin Christmas for these single families. I’m worried sick about the twins as it is, I don’t need the worry of this too.’
Saffy bit her lip. Hannah was right, she must be going out of her mind with worry. The least she could do was run this party for her. If it was all organised perhaps she could go down Christmas Eve, put the Christmas tree and decorations up, organise the dinner and come back after the party. Then she could still go to Meg and Stefan’s on Boxing Day. And Robbie and Duncan always had a party New Year’s Eve so it wouldn’t be too bad missing their Christmas one.
‘Okay, I’ll do it. I’m sure I can manage to organise a party for a few hours.’
‘Oh thank you, Saffy.’ Hannah sounded almost tearful. ‘I’ll message you all the details, and Logan, one of our neighbours, has our spare key and will help you if you need anything. I’ll WhatsApp you his number. Oh and there’s a couple more things…’
Saffy braced herself. Hannah was such a perfectionist she probably wanted to tell her exactly how to decorate the house and tree. ‘Go on…’
‘We always have a real Christmas tree so you’ll have to get one. Logan will help you…’
Okay, so maybe she’d have to travel down Sunday night so she had time to locate and buy a Christmas tree.
‘That’s fine.’
‘And Logan is looking after Oscar, but he’s a single parent and works from home and I don’t want to leave our mad English springer spaniel with him for another week. Poor Oscar must be wondering what’s happening too, and would be much happier in his own home, so could you possibly go down as soon as you can? When do you finish work?’
Saffy bit her lip as she considered her reply. She didn’t want to tell Hannah that she had already finished work. But Hannah had always been able to suss out when she was lying.
‘Saffy…?’
‘I’ve finished, I go back 2nd January,’ she confessed, knowing what was coming next.
‘Oh, that’s brilliant. You can go down today then, can’t you? I’ll let Logan know. Thank you so much, Saffy. You will wait for us to come home before you go back, won’t you? We’d all love to see you.’ And she was gone.
Well, bang goes my Christmas, Saffy thought. That was typical Hannah; one moment she’d persuaded Saffy to host a party on Christmas Day, the next she’d talked her into going down to Cornwall for over a week. She’d be lucky if she got home for Robbie and Duncan’s New Year’s Eve party at this rate!
Her phone pinged. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was a WhatsApp message from Hannah.
Thank you, Saffy. I really am grateful. I forgot to say how many will be coming to the party. There will be ten parents and twenty-five children – ranging from a six-month-old baby to a couple of twelve-year-olds.
What? Saffy read the message again. Thirty-five mouths to cook for. And to entertain. What would she do with them all? She wasn’t as at home with kids as Hannah was. In fact, they scared her! Why had she let Hannah talk her into this?
Another message followed, containing details of where the Christmas tree decorations and trimmings were (and that Hannah always put them up Christmas Eve, like their mum always did), games she usually played with the kids, Logan’s telephone number and strict instructions to ask him if she needed any help as he knew how Hannah organised the party. Having persuaded Saffy to organise the Christmas dinner she was now obviously worrying that she wouldn’t do it properly. Hannah always seemed to think she could do everything better than Saffy. Well, if she thought this Logan was so good why hadn’t she asked him to organise it all?
Saffy sat up in bed, hugging her knees. What had she let herself be talked into? Then she immediately felt bad. Her sister had sounded really distressed on the phone. She was worried sick about the twins and trying not to let everyone down, that’s all. Poor Hannah, what a way to spend Christmas. She knew how much her sister would be missing home, especially at this time of year. It was selfish to bother about having to give up her own Christmas plans when Hannah had so much to think about.
Well, she’d better let Robbie and Meg know the change of plan. She called Robbie first.
‘That’s a bummer, Duncan has a surprise theme this year and you’d have loved it. Still, you can’t let your sister down, can you?’ Then his voice brightened. ‘You’ll be back for our New Year’s Eve party, won’t you?’
‘You bet! I’ll be back for the weekend.’
‘Well good luck, Saf. It’s not really your thing is it, organising a huge party for families, but I’m sure it’ll be fun. We’ll miss you though.’
‘You’ll have plenty of other guests to keep you busy,’ replied Saffy. Robbie and Duncan loved entertaining and she knew there would be at least a dozen other guests there. Shame they weren’t free to come down with her; organising the Christmas party would be a doddle for them. ‘Seeing as I’m not coming to the party you can tell me the theme now, can’t you? Let me know what I’m missing.’
‘No can do. Duncan will kill me. You’ll have to check out the pics on FB to find out.’
Whatever it was it would be flamboyant. Duncan never did anything by halves. ‘Have fun anyway. And good luck with the proposal – I can’t wait to see the ring you both choose. I’ll have to give you your present on Saturday,’ she said.
‘You too, hun. And good on you for helping your sister out. Christmas spirit and all that.’
Saffy couldn’t help feeling a bit wistful as she ended the call. Robbie and Duncan’s parties were always such good fun, she wished she could be there.
Don’t be selfish, she told herself as she dialled Meg’s number.
Meg sounded disappointed, and a bit envious, when Saffy told her. ‘Hey, we’ll miss you but that’s so kind of you. And it sounds fun, I almost wish I was coming with you. I think Christmas in Cornwall would be lovely.’
Saffy looked over at her white Christmas tree decorated with blue and silver baubles twinkling in the corner of her flat. She’d spent hours decorating it but it looked nowhere near as artistic as the one in the magazine she’d copied. She was good at her job but nothing practical that she did ever turned out how she wanted it, so it was no wonder Hannah was worrying about the party. Hell, Saffy was worrying about the party. . .
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