Page 97 of Cooking Up a Christmas Storm
‘I don’t think it is,’ Pavel tried.
‘So you’ll get her her own dress?’
‘I don’t think the groom gets a say in the dress,’ Anna pointed out.
‘Well good, if he’s going to make her wear some other woman’s frock.’
‘I’m not going to make her…’ Pavel desperately floundered for a way out of this conversation. There didn’t seem to be one. ‘She can choose her own…’
Suddenly he felt a small hand slip into his. ‘Ladies.’ Gemma smiled brightly. ‘I hope you’re not haranguing my fella?’
‘Not at all. Just making sure he’s being a gentleman,’ Flinty explained.
‘Fair enough. Shall I leave you to it then?’
Pavel tightened his grip on her hand.
‘Or maybe I should remind you that this,’ she pointed from herself to Pavel, ‘is very new. And we’re very happy but nobody is going to be buying anyone a wedding dress any time soon. OK?’
Anna shook her head. ‘Young people. They don’t think ahead.’
‘I only wondered about my hat,’ Netty added.
Eventually the three of them trundled off, presumably to interrogate another innocent villager about their personal life. He kissed the top of Gemma’s head. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome…’ She hesitated. ‘My darling.’
‘Is that our thing now?’
She shrugged. ‘I love it. I don’t like babe and sweetie and things like that. Sounds like a fourteen-year-old on TikTok.’
‘I wouldn’t know.’
‘“My darling” is classy. A bit more Mr Darcy. If Mr Darcy claimed he could bench-press Lizzie Bennet.’
Nina came over. ‘You two having a good day?’
Pavel nodded. ‘The yule log was great.’
‘Would have been even better if someone hadn’t eaten half the icing before I’d finished making it.’
‘Jodie.’ There was a stranger bearing down on them.
‘I’m called Jodie,’ Gemma whispered urgently.
‘What?’ His mum looked utterly confused.
‘Jodie, I didn’t think I was going to catch you again.’
‘Diane.’ Gemma let go of Pavel’s hand and kissed the woman on each cheek. ‘This is Pavel. He’s my…’ Pavel caught the gulp she gave. ‘My boyfriend. And this is Nina, his mum.’
His mum was still frowning.
‘Diane’s staying at the McKenzie estate,’ Gemma explained. ‘Where I work.’
He glanced at his mum. The penny hadn’t quite dropped yet. ‘The estate over the way. Where Jodie got a job,’ he added as casually as he could manage.
He saw understanding dawn. ‘Of course,Jodie.’ She all but winked.
