Page 92 of The Twelve Dates of Christmas
“What do you mean?” said Kate.
“Well, you’re bossy at the best of times,” said Matt. “I can’t begin to imagine what you’ll be like in a time-pressured environment.”
Kate reached out to swipe him, but she was sleepy and her reflexes were slow. Matt dodged effortlessly out of her reach and out the front door. He waved at her as he trundled down the path and she stuck two fingers up and her tongue out at him and closed the door. She patted herself on the back.He’ll never know, she thought.
THE NINTH DATE OF CHRISTMAS
•••••
Clashes, Kisses, and Bust-Ups
Kate didn’t wake up until midday. The world outside her window was thickly blanketed in white once more and the weak sun looked as bleary as she felt.
At the bottom of the garden, Mac, welly deep in snow, tended the vegetable patch: tweed cap pulled on tight, his trusty wheelbarrow by his side. Kate knocked on the window and her dad looked up and smiled.
•••••
A quick shower later and she was padding down the stairs in her furry snowflake bed-socks with pompoms, a pair of elastic-waist tartan leisure trousers, and an old sweater she’d once borrowed from Dan and accidentally-on-purpose never returned.
Today was comfort day. Today was for decorating the house with the spoils from last night’s shopping extravaganza. Today was for eating comfort food every hour, on the hour.
In time-honored tradition Laura would be over later with the kids to help decorate the house. Mina took this role very seriously; she had an eccentric decorating style, as most four-year-olds did. Kate was still finding last year’s baubles in the most unusual places as late as this March.
She shuffled into the kitchen to find Matt sitting at the table, leafing through her drawings. Her portfolio lay open, the contents spread out across the table. Matt looked up at her and grinned sheepishly.
“Hello, sleeping beauty,” he said. “You look cozy.”
“What are you doing here?” Kate asked without preamble. She hadn’t had coffee yet and she was hungry.
“I found another bag of your Christmas decorations in the van,” he said. “Thought I’d drop them round.”
“Oh,” said Kate. “Thank you.”
Matt went back to studying Kate’s sketches, resting each one back carefully in its place before picking up another.
“These are incredible, Kate,” he said.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” said Kate.
“No really,” he said. “You blow my mind.”
Kate blushed.
“Well. Thank you,” she said.
“Oh, by the way,” said Matt without looking up, “Richard called.”
Kate thought her stomach might drop out through the bottom of her trousers. Her eyes darted to the worktop, where she had left her phone to charge last night.Shit!she thought. But she feigned nonchalance.
“I told him you were still in bed because you’re a lazy cow,” said Matt.
“Matt!” Kate rounded on him.
He threw his hands up in surrender.
“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” he yelped. “I saw his name flash up on the screen, but I didn’t answer it, I swear to God.”
Kate snatched up her phone. Five missed calls and eleven messages.Shit!she thought again.I hope he doesn’t think I copped off with Jim last night.
