Page 117 of A December to Remember
The three little cousins were the apples of everyone’s eyes and had their aunty Maggie and uncle Joe wrapped around their little fingers. It was an endless source of joy to Simone and Star that their children would grow up so close together, both in age and proximity.
Star and Duncan reopened North Novelties & Curios, and it was by far the most popular shop on the high street, bringing in tourists from far and wide. Duncan kept his links with Sotheby’s and still did some freelance appraisal work for them. Star surprised everyone by completing an Open University degree in art history, and her natural eye for spotting a hidden gem at flea markets was even keener than Augustus’s.
When Patrick finished his degree, he got a job in Dorset, and Louella joined him soon after. Joe had become Patrick’s go-to for all matters of electric, career, and man-to-man advice. Patrick and Louella saved enough holiday each year so that they could spend three weeks in Rowan Thorp at Christmas. Maggie always cried happy tears when Patrick finally arrived and she had all her ducks in a row.
Verity was now fifteen with a stroppy age exactly appropriate for a fifteen-year-old. She was rebellious and forthright, andMaggie secretly loved that her daughter was such a force of nature, even as she grounded her and slapped her with curfews on school nights. She didn’t even really mind the tattoo that Verity had had done illegally, though she’d made a good show of parental outrage at the time. Despite her often prickly demeanor, Verity was a gooey blob of softness with her little cousins. Natalia had already decided she was going to have tattoos like Verity when she was a big girl.
With the proceeds from sales of the Hilliard and several other choice items, Maggie and Joe had saved enough money to take over the mortgage from the village of Rowan Thorp and now owned the grocer’s and the large flat above it outright. Between them, they had completely refurbished the flat and made it truly their own. They had also taken on two part-time employees in the grocer’s, which meant Saturday mornings were now for staying snuggled up in bed till 8 a.m. followed by a leisurely breakfast for two at Betty’s.
That first flush of love and passion had never waned for Maggie and Joe, and it continued to grow year on year as they settled into a life of togetherness. Maggie would never tire of stealing kisses with Joe and Joe would never stop feeling proud to have Maggie by his side; after having to hide their love for so long, Joe still reveled in the feeling of Maggie’s hand clasped in his as they walked down the street.
It was themorning of December 21, the day of the winter solstice celebration, and the North family were sat together in Star and Duncan’s garden—formerly Augustus’s—on four large garden sofas. They wore thick coats and hats and hugged steaming paper cups of coffee—hot chocolate for the children—which Maggie and Joe had brought from Betty’s café. Artemis was curled up asleep on a folded blanket. It was the quiet before the storm... well, relatively speaking; the children were definitely making themselves heard.
“This coffee doesn’t taste very strong. Is this a single shot?” Verity asked.
“Yes,” said Joe.
“I have a double shot now,” she replied, in that way teenagers have of making statements lilt up at the end like a question.
“Not on my watch.” Joe smiled.
“Da-ad,” she complained. “I’m not a child anymore.”
“You’ve got years ahead of you to become a caffeine head like your mother...”
“Cheers.” Maggie grinned and raised her triple-shot Americano in a toast.
“I just want you to embrace the natural energy that comes with your youth; you’ll need coffee to get going soon enough,” Joe finished.
“You sound like Aunty Star.”
“She’s a wise woman,” said Duncan fondly.
Primrose and Ava were sitting between Duncan and Evette, working on their Christmas coloring books.
“Is Sameera coming tonight?” Patrick asked his sister.
“Yeah, if she can bear to be apart from herboyfriendfor two minutes!” Sameera was not abiding by the “sisters before misters” rule. “I was thinking, I know we usually sit at the tables with you guys these days, but I feel like it’s time Natalia got her first taste of the solstice banquet in the tree house. Can we eat up there together?”
Natalia’s eyes lit up and she looked hopefully at Simone, who smiled and said, “It’s fine with me.”
Evette nodded and said, “I think that sounds like a wonderful idea.”
“But not Ava and Primrose,” Natalia clarified. “They’re still practically babies.”
“Don’t worry,” said Star. “Ava and Prim will be on the ground with us for a couple more years. It’ll just be you big girls.”
Natalia looked like she might float with happiness.
“We saw Fable Folk arrive on our way over here,” said Patrick.
“Betty said she and both the pubs have brought in extra stock just to keep them fed. I couldn’t tell if she was serious or not,” added Louella, and they all laughed knowingly.
“Right,” said Maggie. “Let’s finish these and get cracking.”
By now Maggie, Simone, and Star had the winter solstice preparations down to a fine art.
“I vote myself not to stuff the chickens,” said Star.
