Page 51 of Kiss Me at Christmas
He looked ready to shoot back something defensive, and then he seemed to change his mind.
“I want to be on their team.” The anger had gone out of his voice, leaving behind a kind of dispiritedness. “I wantthemto know that I’m on their team. But I can’t seem to judge it right, I keep putting my foot in it. And if I’m being completely honest, they, well, they…”
“They scare you a bit?” she said softly, making sure to catch his eye so that he knew she wasn’t mocking him.
He grimaced. “I hate to admit it, but I think maybe they do a bit. They’re so unpredictable. I never know what’s going to come out of their mouths next. Or whatthey’re going to do. One minute it’s all singing and dancing and the next they’re punching walls, literally.”
She laughed as she pulled her coat on. “But you’re a solicitor. Surely you must work with unpredictable people all the time?”
“I deal with adults. I can read adults, they’re straightforward, they may think they’re complex, but I can break them down and see how they tick. These guys…” He rubbed his jaw, which was well into five o’clock shadow. “They’re all over the show, I can’t get a handle on them.”
She shrugged. “That’s teenagers for you. Look, they haven’t been set in stone yet, they’re still figuring themselves out. Did you know that a teenager’s brain goes through a literal process of reconfiguration? They are not only physically changing but neurologically too. Imagine having to deal with school and peer pressure and exams and family and all that other stuff, all while there’s an illegal rave happening inside your brain.”
She pulled on her bobble hat and adjusted her hair in the mirror. James watched her reflection intently, his eyes studying her face as though seeing her again for the first time. She turned back to him.
“Okay,” he said, nodding as though answering a question only he could hear. “What do you suggest I do?”
“Try to relax around them. And then just accept that you’ve bought a one-way ticket for the banana express and lean into it. It’s the only way.”
“Right. Banana train. Got it.”
She finished doing the buttons up on her coat. “And I’ll try not to be quite so gatekeepery around them.”
“Thank you.”
The famous five had scarpered by the time Harriet got back to the auditorium, and James had left through the newly replaced back door, leaving the mystery woman alone on the stage.
“Sorry about that,” Harriet said, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
“No problem at all, I was just marveling at this interior. I’ve never been in here before. I’m Hesther, by the way.”
“Good to meet you, Hesther.” She shook her hand. “It’s a pretty awesome place, isn’t it? I’d never been here until a week ago and now I feel like I live here.” She chuckled. “But it is beautiful. Especially now that the repairs are properly under way, it’s like Sleeping Beauty waking up. Come along then, I could use a treat.”
The bistro was situated halfway along one of the narrow alleyways off the high street. Its bay windows were bowed with age, the little square panes of glass so thick you could see neither in nor out. Flower-shaped sconces glowed amber on the rough plastered walls, and candles flickered on the tables. There wasn’t a straight wall or floorboard in the place, and each table was fine-tuned by pieces of cardboard wedged under the legs to stop them from wobbling.
They ordered two bowls of French onion soup, and each nursed a steaming cup of decaffeinated coffee—it was after seven p.m.—while they waited for their food to arrive. Hesther was a striking woman. Her dark eyes were defined by black liquid eyeliner with perfect flicks at the corners, and a bright purple lipstick enhanced her heart-shaped lips.
“You’ve probably heard that the community centerhad to close all its spaces?” said Hesther. The community center had designated meeting rooms dotted throughout Little Beck Foss.
“I did.”This town!she thought.Always cutting back the resources most needed.
“Well, it’s left some of the groups out in the cold, literally. I run a group for refugee women, a safe space where people can meet and cook together and make new friends, you know, just find some sense of community in a new country. We like to share food. The familiar flavors can be a great comfort, especially for those living away from loved ones. We run a few courses alongside to help with their English-speaking skills and give them the tools they need for entering the workplace if that’s what they want. Anyway, I’ve been looking for a new place to set up camp and I was told that you might be able to help us.”
Harriet took a sip of her coffee as she considered. Technically there was plenty of room. And Evaline had agreed in principle to her idea for a community hub. And Hesther’s group was a part of the community very much in need of a home. Would Evaline agree? Probably not. Would Evaline need to know? Maybe not?
“How many of you are there?” she asked.
“Usually about twenty, give or take. Sometimes they bring their children.”
“Do you know what? Yes, absolutely, the more the merrier. It’s a bit like playing musical chairs—there’s a lot of shifting between spaces depending on where the maintenance teams are, and it gets pretty noisy, you heard that for yourself. But it’s friendly and we’d be honored if your group would share the space with us.”
Hesther’s smile was wide and joyful. “Thank you. You don’t know what it means to these women.”
“Don’t thank me, I don’t own the building; I’m prettymuch squatting there. But if you don’t mind squatting alongside us, then you’re very welcome. I can’t guarantee that it’s a long-term solution to your problem. The owner might feel differently to me, but what she doesn’t know…”
“Ah yes, the infamous Evaline Winter.” When Harriet eyed her curiously, Hesther continued, “Some of the women in the group live in her buildings, and let’s just say the property maintenance companies in her employ don’t deserve their title.”
“Oh.” She had heard something of this from Pete, and now here too. She would speak to James about it; surely he couldn’t condone such negligence. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
