Page 17 of Could It Be Magic?
As Thea packed away the debris of another educational but exhausting afternoon with her class of eager Year Four students, she braced herself for an equally long evening. When Nick had asked her to help out at the festive evening, it had seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea. Now, having masterminded her class’s participation in the upcoming nativity play, she felt more than a little worn out and even less prepared for an evening on her feet.
‘I think they’re coming along really well,’ her friend and colleague, Jan, who ran the breakfast and after-school clubs as well as providing in-class support at busy times of year, commented as she stuck her head around the classroom door.
‘They’re definitely better than they were last week! I have to admit though, it will be a relief when the performances are over, and we can just relax until the end of term!’
‘You’ve done a great job,’ Jan said. ‘And that Christmas break will be very well earned, when we get to it.’
Thea smiled. This time of year was always hectic but there was great satisfaction and fun to be had in seeing the children performing on stage and the armies of proud parents who all came to support them. Teaching was never going to be an easy profession, but the rewards kept her in the job.
‘Are you going to late-night shopping tonight?’ Jan asked as she helped Thea to hang up some of the costumes that had been shoved on coat hangers willy-nilly by the children as they’d hurried out of the door that afternoon.
‘Wouldn’t miss it.’ She still hadn’t told anyone at school about her job and figured that if anyone spotted her later, she could just fudge it and say that Nick had asked her to help out since the shop was short-handed with both Annabelle and Jamie being away. If she headed home now, she’d be able to grab a bite to eat before shooting back out to Saints’ Farm for the six o’clock start.
‘See you later, then.’ Jan gave her a last smile and walked towards the school hall, where she wrangled and shepherded the members of after-school club until their parents came to collect them at 6 p.m. Jan was a firm favourite of both children and parents alike, and Thea had got to know her well over the years. She’d used the club regularly when she’d been working in another school, but less in recent years when she’d got the job here. It was rare to find someone with the patience and the staying power to entertain a wide range of ages, but Jan did it with aplomb, and the kids loved her.
A short time later, as she pulled her car onto the driveway, she tried to fight off the inevitable exhaustion that a day in the classroom always created. She couldn’t remember the last time she didn’t feel tired, whether that was from the demands of being a teacher or a parent, she could never really tell. You need some fun, she told herself wearily. But fun, even at Christmas, seemed in short supply when money was tight.
Shrugging off the increasingly gloomy thoughts, she called a quick hello to both children, before falling back on her trusty and economical Bolognese sauce that she’d had the foresight to pull out of the freezer before she’d left that morning. She wondered, as she bolted down her own portion, if the amount of garlic she’d put in it would be off putting if she got too close to the customers tonight. As soon as she’d finished, she nipped upstairs and made free with the Colgate and the mouthwash.
‘Right, you two, I’m off to help Nick out at the late-night shopping,’ she said. ‘Gran’s on standby, but I should be back by nine o’clock.’
‘All right,’ Cora replied. ‘Have fun.’
Dylan, immersed in the antics of Mr Beast on YouTube, waved a hand in dismissal.
‘Love you, Dyl!’ Thea grabbed hold of her young son and managed to plant a kiss on his forehead before he squirmed away from her, grumbling that she’d made him miss the best bit of the live stream.
One thing she could be thankful for was her children, Thea thought as she reversed briskly off the driveway. They were growing up so well, despite the early upheavals they’d faced, and she felt relieved as well as thankful. As a parent, one day at a time had often been her mantra, and she’d learned to cherish the calm moments.
As she approached Saints’ Farm, she could see that a lot of stallholders were already getting ready to showcase their wares. Tables were springing up like flat-topped mushrooms all over the car park, and strings of fairy lights were adorning them, casting the space in a festive light. She parked her car at the side of the shop, well out of the way of the event itself, and then hurried in to find Nick and discover what he needed her to do.
‘Oh, come on, Nicky.’ A sweet, playful voice drifted from the direction of the shop’s counter as Thea walked through the front door. ‘The viewers’ll love it, and you’ll look adorable in it.’
‘Not on your life!’ Thea heard Nick replying. The tone of his voice oscillated between flirtatious and a cry for help. ‘It’s bad enough that my actual name is Nick Saint, I’m not going to dress like my namesake!’
‘Do it for me?’ the voice purred, and Thea felt a surprising stab of jealousy. As she moved through the store, she caught sight of Tally standing at the side of the counter. She was carrying an expensive looking Santa suit and wearing an expression that was halfway between flirtation and frustration.
‘No, Tally.’ Nick’s voice, firmer this time, sounded resolute. ‘I’ve danced to the tune of the production company for this shoot long enough. I draw the line at dressing up like Father bloody Christmas! I’m sorry Dad’s not well enough to do it like he did last year, but it’s one job I’m not prepared to take on.’
Well said, Thea thought. She gave Nick an imaginary fist bump of satisfaction for not letting Tally have her own way. Nick had set his boundaries, and that of the shop, very firmly throughout the shoot so far, and Thea was glad to see him sticking to them. There was something very compelling to her about seeing him in action on his home turf, and Thea was beginning to realise, the more she worked with him, just what a depth of knowledge and expertise he had. Including, it now appeared, telling attractive TV producers where to get off.
Tally tossed her head in frustration. ‘Oh well,’ Thea heard her say, ‘I suppose I can’t win them all.’ She dropped her voice seductively. ‘But I’ll be waiting under the mistletoe for you later…’ Smiling mischievously, she sauntered away from the counter.
‘Hi,’ Thea said, a little too brightly, as she approached the shop counter. ‘Everything all right?’
The sweet smile that crossed Nick’s face when he saw her made Thea’s heart do a little flip. Stop it, she told herself. Get a grip.
‘Fine, fine,’ Nick said, smiling at her in that genuine, open way that made her feel as though she was the sole focus of his attention. ‘And better now you’re here.’
Thea’s heart definitely sped up at the compliment. Something about the way his gaze lingered on her face, and the smile tugging at his lips made her want to lean over and kiss him. Stop it. You’re no match for five feet eleven of blonde television-producing goddess.
Still though, it was nice to get that kind of greeting from anyone. The fact it was Nick who said it made it even nicer.
Some time later, the Christmas market was in full swing outside, and Thea was going great guns at the counter inside the farm shop. She’d seen Nick striding about, bringing in a few more boxes of mince pies from the stock room and chatting amiably with the locals who’d come from all parts of Lower Brambleton to sample and buy the wares of the sellers in the car park. She was tickled to see him accept a pint of cider from the Carters Cider concession, who’d come over from the factory about thirty miles away in the village of Little Somerby. Local knowledge had it that Rob Saint had been good friends with the Carters Cider patriarch, Jack Carter, back in the day, and the business relationship, as well as the friendship, was remembered with great fondness on both sides, even years after Jack’s death. As a result, Carters always sent a few barrels and a bartender to the Christmas market to warm the Somerset locals.
The cider truck was over in the corner of the car park next to the hog roast. A pint and a pig roll sounded like a great proposition to Thea, whose stomach was growling. She’d eaten early so she could get to the farm shop on time, and the Bolognese seemed a long time ago, now.
‘I hope that old rogue, Rob Saint’s paying you overtime for the night shift!’ Lorelai’s amused voice cut into Thea’s musings, and Thea smiled back at her.
