Page 94 of The Cornish Cream Tea Bookshop
She spluttered out a laugh. ‘OK. Done. That wasn’t a hill I was going to die on anyway.’ She did a little twirl and a curtsy, then rushed forward and pulled Liam into a hug. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, while Thea and Becky whooped and clapped. ‘Thank you so much.’
Liam pushed back, holding her at arm’s length. ‘Thankyou, Ollie. I don’t think you realise quite how special you are. I’m glad Max does.’
Ollie felt a prickle in her eyes that she wouldn’t give in to. She had no time for tears now, not when there was so much to do to get ready for their magical new headline event. They had to pull out all the stops, and they only had three days to do it.
When she crawled into bed that night, Ollie felt simultaneously wired and exhausted. The last few days had been an emotional rollercoaster, more extreme than anything she’d find at Disneyland. She wished she was climbing into bed alongside Max, even if it was a hospital bed, but he needed rest, and so did she, if everything was going to work out.
She selected the photo Becky had taken of her in the Santa dress, attached it to a message and typed:
Liam’s on board! This was the only Christmassy outfit we could come up with. How are you feeling? xx
The dots popped up immediately, and Ollie was delighted that he was still awake. Perhaps he’d been waiting for the verdict. His reply appeared:
Just calling the doc – think I might be having a heart attack! Bloody hell though, no wonder Liam said yes! Are you keeping the outfit? x
Don’t joke about your . Dress is Becky’s. Don’t worry, I’ll surprise you with something else. Sleep lots, get better, I love you. xx
I love you too. Sweet dreams, Ollie. Mxx
Ollie held her phone against her chest, grinning stupidly, and then, instead of getting the beauty sleep she so sorely needed, she clicked on to the Victoria’s Secret website and checked whether she was too late to get something delivered in time for Christmas.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ollie’s walk to work the following morning took her past several of the light displays that had been appearing around the town over the last few weeks. Meredith had told her that on the twenty-third, the day of the pageant, there would be a treasure hunt of sorts. She wished she’d have time to take part in it.
There were the traditional displays: stars in the crooks of lampposts, a giant Christmas pudding twinkling down by the harbour, a group of snowmen at the top of Main Street, near the community hall. Then there were the unusual ones: a pink crab, pincers shimmering, near the Happy Shack; a row of seashells stuck to the wall outside Sea Brew, the flashing, chasing light pattern making it look like they were dancing. Ollie wondered if Max had had a say in what went where, and made a mental note to ask him.
She walked into Sea Brew, and found Stu and Molly, two of Max’s colleagues, behind the counter. They had alreadybeen given the news that he was recovering well – Max’s mum, Cath, had made the phone calls – and that he would soon be back, ruling over his cake-laden empire.
Their relief was obvious in their wide smiles, and in the tight hugs they gave Ollie, slipping out from behind the counter to embrace her. When she ordered a box of cinnamon and brandy butter doughnuts – she couldn’t wait to meet Beryan, then perhaps kidnap her for her own culinary ends – they refused to let her pay.
‘I hope this isn’t going to become a habit,’ she said, after she had gratefully accepted the box.
‘Oh no,’ Molly said, her ponytail swinging as she shook her head. ‘As soon as Max is back all this special treatment will stop.’ She grinned, and Ollie laughed.
‘The problem is,’ Stu added, leaning on the counter, ‘if he gave freebies to everyone he knows, he’d be bankrupt in weeks.’
‘The love of his life might be a tad different though, no?’
Ollie turned, surprised, and found Lizzy smiling at her. She was wearing a knee-length, berry-red cagoule and Hunter wellies, and was carrying a large sprig of mistletoe.
‘Love of his life?’ Stu frowned. ‘I knew they were close, but …’
‘There was a love declaration at the hospital worthy of a Hallmark romcom,’ Lizzy told them.
Ollie’s mouth fell open.
‘Who are your spies at the hospital?’ Molly asked.
Lizzy tapped the side of her nose. ‘Never you mind.’
‘I need to get to work,’ Ollie murmured. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Lizzy’s gossip. She would happily shout her love for Max from the roof of the Old Post House, butwhat they’d said at the hospital – how emotional she’d been, how personal some of it was … For the first time, she felt uncomfortable that the Port Karadow rumour mill was fully operational, and turning its attention to her.
‘Ollie.’ Lizzy put a hand on her arm as she passed. ‘Don’t take offence. I can’t think of anyone who isn’t wildly happy about you and Max. Jealous too, of course, but not in a serious way. From the moment you got here, nobody else stood a chance.’ Her smile was uncharacteristically gentle. ‘Bask in the glow. Don’t worry about me, or anyone else.’
Ollie muttered a ‘Thank you’, then took her box of doughnuts up the hill.
She arrived at the same time as Becky, and could immediately feel her and Thea’s jittery panic. The entire bookshop was abuzz with nervous anticipation, and the enormity of the situation hit her. They had three days, not including Friday itself,to get word out that Sophia Forsythe-Hartley was off the programme, and that Bryan Mailer was onit.
