Page 62 of The Cosy Travelling Christmas Shop

Realising that Daniel was gloveless, she freed one of her hands and gave the glove to him. ‘We can each wear a glove while we hold hands,’ she said, ‘and the other hand can go in our pockets. That way I can hold your hand without feeling guilty.’

‘I don’t feel the cold much,’ he said. ‘I think it’s because I work outside all year round and don’t wear gloves very often.’ But even so, he took the glove she was holding out to him and wriggled his hand into it. Luckily it was stretchy enough to fit.

They strolled across the road, and when they came to an old-fashioned pub advertising darts nights, they went inside. It mightn’t be trendy, but at least they could hold a conversation without having to yell.

Seren plumped for an orange juice, hoping to soothe her throat which was starting to get sore from all the singing, and they settled into a little nook near the fireplace, where a log burner was kicking out a fair amount of heat. Fairy lights were draped along the shelves behind the bar and soft Christmas music played.

Shedding her outer garments yet again, she shuffled closer to Daniel and he slipped an arm around her. ‘This is nice,’ she murmured. ‘I could stay here all night.’

‘So could I.’ He held her tighter and she moulded herself into him, her head on his shoulder.

After the excitement of the evening, the tranquillity was just what she needed, and she was happy to spend the next half an hour snuggled up to him.

Eventually it was time to go, and when he pulled his van up outside her house, she was sorely tempted to ask him in because she didn’t want the evening to end.

However, a twitch of the curtains in her dad’s bedroom soon persuaded her it wasn’t a good idea. He’d be sure to make some excuse to come downstairs, and the last thing she wanted was for him to catch her and Daniel mid-snog. She had to content herself with a lovely tender kiss in the front of his truck instead.

But what a kiss it was, and it left her wanting more. Much more.

This evening Seren fancied ‘Jingle Bells’ for her tune of choice as she trundled around the streets in Dippy, and the cheerful song made people look out of their windows and come to their doors.

She still wasn’t convinced that this was the best way to sell her goods, but she was willing to give it a go. She’d give it a few more shots but she wasn’t expecting great things from it; besides, she didn’t have anything else to do this evening, so she may as well try to drum up some business. Even if she didn’t sell much today, the effort wouldn’t be wasted because the more often that people saw her little van, the more accustomed they’d become, and the greater the chance that they’d buy something the next time they saw it. As her dad said, it was all about getting your name out there.

Seren drove into a cul-de-sac and parked at the top end, the jaunty tune still playing, and she noticed the familiar pulling aside of curtains as people peered through their windows, wondering what was going on.

A little boy was standing in the window of the house opposite, gesturing for someone to come and have a look, and she smiled at him, before clambering out of her seat and going into the back of the van in case she did happen to have a customer.

Sliding the window open, she gazed down the street, enjoying the sight of brightly lit Christmas trees and marvelling at the different styles and colours, and the number and variety of decorations. Then there were the additional decorations, such as blow-up reindeer, illuminated Santas climbing up ladders, and neon-blue icicles hanging from roofs.

Oh, how she loved this time of year! Everything was so magical and pretty, and she couldn’t get enough of it.

‘Hi,’ she said, spying the little boy she’d seen a moment ago. He was with his mum, and they smiled back at her. ‘Are you looking for anything in particular?’ she asked.

‘My son thought you were Father Christmas, paying him an early visit, and he wouldn’t believe me when I said it wasn’t and he insisted on coming out and checking.’

Seren leant forward and lowered her voice. Speaking directly to the child, she said, ‘I’m not Santa, but I do know him. It was his elves who made all the things you see here.’

‘You know Santa?’ The child’s eyes were round and full of wonder.

‘I most certainly do!’

‘Will you tell him I’m a good boy?’

‘I expect he knows already. He has a naughty list and a good list, and he knows the name of every child on there. Has he been a good boy?’ Seren asked his mum.

‘Very good. He’s doing ever so well in school, aren’t you, Nathan?’

Nathan nodded vigorously.

‘Hmm…’ Seren put a hand on her chin and pretended to think. ‘Nathan… Nathan…? Ah, yes, I think I remember Santa mentioning that you are a good boy.’

The child was tongue-tied as he gazed at her solemnly, then he tugged at his mum’s arm, pulled her down to him and whispered in her ear.

When the woman straightened up, she was trying not to laugh. ‘Nathan wants to know what Santa would like for Christmas, because it’s not fair that he doesn’t get any presents.’

‘Aw, that’s so sweet.’ Seren beamed at him. ‘Santa’s present is seeing how happy he makes all the boys and girls,’ she said.

She had a heart melting moment when she envisioned Daniel chatting to numerous small children, all of them thinking he was the real deal.

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