Page 44 of The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field

There was a second or two of awkward silence, then Owen said, ‘Seen anything you like?’

Yeah, she thought,you!Oh dear… ‘There was a basket of toiletries on a stall over there, but to be honest it’s probably the sort of thing I would give to my mum, not to a twelve-year-old girl.’

‘Shall we keep going? You might find something suitable.’

‘I might not,’ she replied gloomily, as they wandered to the next stall.

‘Cup half-empty,’ he teased.

‘I’m not normally so negative,’ she said, giving the stall a quick scan and not seeing anything.

‘Hang on,’ Owen said, as she began to walk away. ‘What’s this?’ He was pointing to a brown cardboard box whose lid was propped open. ‘It looks kind of girly.’

It certainly does, Harriet thought, and she peered at it closely. ‘It’s a milkshake-making kit.’ There were four vials of powdered milkshake flavours, plus loads of packets of toppings. Her mouth watered just looking at the chocolate curls, mini marshmallows, white-chocolate stars and tiny pieces of fudge. She knew Sara would adore it if she received it as a gift, so Harriet suspected Darlene also might like it. After checking that everything was still in date, Harriet decided that if the price was right, she’d buy it.

‘How much?’ she asked, wishing sellers would put prices on things.

‘Three pounds?’

‘I’ll take it.’ Beaming at Owen, Harriet reached for her purse and dug out some coins. ‘What a cute idea. Sara will adore it.’ She sobered. ‘Let’s hope Darlene will,’ she added, giving Owen a meaningful look. ‘This is the child who asked for a Pandora bracelet, remember?’

‘If she doesn’t, then it’s her loss,’ Owen replied. He had been playing with his phone again, but he quickly put it away. ‘Do you want to carry on looking around the boot sale, or do you fancy a coffee?’

‘Bored already?’ she teased.

‘Not in the slightest.’

‘Do you mind if we stay here for a bit? It’s a treat for me to go shopping without the kids in tow, and I’d like to see if I can pick up a Christmas present or two while I’m at it.’

‘Not at all. I love seeing what you buy.’

‘You do?’ Harriet was surprised. Declan had hated shopping, unless he had been buying something for himself.

‘I like seeing things being repurposed, and I like it when people buy pre-loved stuff rather than new.’

‘So you do,’ she chuckled. She opened her tote. ‘Look, I’ve bought some clothes for Sara. She’s shot up recently, and most of what she’s got no longer fits her.’

Owen craned his neck to see inside the bag. ‘You’ll have to show me later.’

‘I will,’ she promised.

She bought a few more things – a pair of jeans for Sara, a sweatshirt for Bobby, plus a brand-new duvet set that was still in its packaging, which would be one of Sara’s Christmas presents. As soon as Harriet saw it, an idea came to her that she would redecorate Sara’s room. Her daughter’s bedroom hadn’t been done in ages and was looking rather tired, as well as babyish. She would use the duvet set as a theme and see if she could pick up a few things to complement it.

She wasn’t sure Owen would approve, though, because it didn’t strictly fit in with this refrain of not buying anything unless it was needed. When she mentioned that to him, he was surprisingly sympathetic.

‘You’ve got kids – you can’t ignore Christmas,’ he said. ‘I certainly won’t be ignoring it: I’ve got a mum, a dad, a brother and his family to buy for.’ He smirked as he added, ‘They don’t always appreciate my choice of gifts, though.’

‘Tell me more.’ They were making their way out of Holly Field and towards the one where Owen had parked his van. Harriet was gasping for a cuppa and was also looking forward to a sit-down for five minutes.

Owen pulled a face. ‘One year, I bought my mum a set of cotton mesh bags to take with her when she went grocery shopping. Bear in mind that this was before supermarkets started using paper bags or reusable plastic ones for you to put your loose fruit and veg in.’ He laughed. ‘I’ve mellowed a little since then. I now buy her a spa day, or a voucher for a wash and blow-dry.’

Harriet said, ‘I’m not sure I’d appreciate mesh bags for Christmas, either.’ Although that couldn’t have been any worse than Declan buying her some shapewear. She’d not long had Bobby and was feeling self-conscious about her muffin top. To this day, she still wasn’t sure whether he was trying to be thoughtful (she had been complaining about her flabby tummy a lot) or whether he was being judgy.

They were strolling down the lane and had almost reached Owen’s field, when he paused. ‘Are you hungry? I could do us a spot of lunch.’

‘That’s very kind of you but I have to get home to Etta. The poor dog’s legs will be crossed. Just because you came to mine for a meal, please don’t feel obliged to return the favour.’

‘I don’t. I just… never mind.’

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