Page 79 of The Secret Christmas Bookshop
Harry rolled his eyes. ‘I take absolutely none of the credit.’
Together, he and Sophie opened the large cardboard box and lifted the goat out. Sophie had forgotten how cute it was, how much attention had been given to the ears, the little horns, the hooves. Harry unwound the cable and went to plug it into their outdoor extension box, and Sophie positioned it below the tree, so it looked like part of a nativity scene, waiting for its farmyard friends.
‘That,’ Jason said, standing in front of it and crossing his arms, ‘is a great goat.’
‘I love him,’ Simon added. ‘What does he do?’
‘Do?’ Sophie frowned.
‘What colours does he turn?’
‘Oh! Loads of different ones, I think. Harry?’
‘Hang on,’ he called. ‘Just taking a look. It’s got about a hundred different settings.’
‘Let me see.’ Dexter joined him, crouching alongside the wall of the village hall, where the weatherproof electrical box had been fixed.
With Dexter and Harry occupied, Sophie turned to Jason and Simon. ‘Can I show you something?’ She tookJane Eyreout of her bag and showed it to them both, telling the story all over again.
They exchanged a glance, their expressions puzzled.
‘What is it?’ Sophie asked.
‘We got one of these,’ Jason said.
Sophie’s heart thudded. ‘Really?’
‘Moby Dick,’ Simon said with a laugh. ‘It looks a lot like this, except the cover’s blue, with silver fish. I wondered if it was because of Batter Days.’
‘Did it come with a postcard?’
‘Yeah,’ Jason said. ‘A tacky one of the prom and the cliffs. On the back it said something like, “For the hardest-working couple in Mistingham. Happy Christmas from The Secret Bookshop.” No idea what that is, but it was pushed through our letter box, hand-delivered because it didn’t have our address on.’
‘It’s someone local.’ Sophie tapped her fingers against her lips. ‘Winnie got one too, so maybe they’re going to work their way around everyone before Christmas?’
‘Maybe,’ Simon said with a shrug.
‘The more people who get one,’ Sophie mused, ‘the more it narrows down who could have sent it.’
‘Unless they send one to themselves,’ Jason pointed out. ‘If I was doing this and wanted to stay anonymous, that’s how I’d throw people off the scent.’
‘Isthat what you’re doing?’ Sophie asked, slidingJane Eyreback into her bag.
‘No way.’ Jason laughed. ‘I’m far too busy concocting baked Alaska recipes for the Oak Fest to go round being secret fucking book Santa. Besides, where would I get them from? They must cost a fortune.’
Sophie sighed. ‘You’re right, so what—?’
‘We’ve got it working!’ Dexter called.
At the base of the oak tree, the little goat was shimmering a bright, pillar-box red. It pulsed purple, then pink, then orange and green. It was the perfect accompaniment to the lights twinkling in the branches above.
Sophie glanced up as Harry came to join her, her breath catching when she saw his grin. He looked proud, even though he’d grumbled about the goat from the beginning.
‘We’ll have to bring Felix here to show him,’ she said. ‘He’ll love it.’
Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulder and planted a kiss on the top of her head. ‘He’ll probably want us to bring it home once the festival is over. You’d better start thinking of a name.’
He’d said it casually enough, probably by accident, but the words lanced through her like a spear.Want us to bring it home.She’d only spent one night at the manor, and he’d spent one night at her flat, but maybe it had slipped out because he felt the same as her: that what they had togetherhad all the fun and thrill, the heady desire of a new relationship, but also felt solid and safe, as if they’d known each other for years. As if they belonged together.
