Page 82 of A Festive Surprise

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Holly

The happy tears Holly had shed with Robyn and Carl earlier wouldn’t be forgotten quickly. She drove towards Tobermory, still smiling. And to hell with it, she was having music on, even if the first thing that belted out was bloody Mariah Carey and ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’. Well, damn it, all she wanted for Christmas was Farid. She couldn’t bear the idea of never seeing him again.

But she’d blown it. What a frigging idiot. She’d been so vehement in her aversion to relationships she’d cast him off. Even now the idea terrified her, but after going less than twenty-four hours without him, the thought of giving him up terrified her more. She was like a puppy wrenched from its basket and left out in the snow. Who would give her the cuddles she needed to get her back where she wanted to be?

Gavin had shattered her dreams six years ago, making her question what she’d grown up wishing for. But maybe it hadn’t been just the man who wasn’t right, maybe the time hadn’t been right either. What about now?

She whizzed the car into the car park in Tobermory and checked her phone. ‘Oops.’ Several missed calls had registered. Her parents, Alice, and Georgia. Who to return first…? Or leave them all? No one had left a message, so it was unlikely any of them were urgent. In that case, Georgia’s seemed the most pressing. She was on the island, after all, and she might want something picked up. Holly’s parents and Alice were more likely to be doing the I can’t believe you’re missing another Christmas with us speech.

‘Hi, Georgia, did you call?’ Holly zapped the car shut and nipped towards the main street. Fairy lights glittered in the shop windows like something from a film.

‘Hi, I just wanted to check you were ok after the hospital trip today. Carl rang; they’re so happy. Thank goodness you were there.’

‘Yeah. I’m glad it’s worked out for them.’

‘Farid was here.’

‘Was he?’ As Georgia’s nosiness was legendary, Holly knew exactly why she was bringing it up.

‘I said I wouldn’t interfere but…’

‘You’re going to anyway?’

‘Yup,’ said Georgia. ‘I’ll say my piece and be done.’

‘Fine, let me have it.’

‘Farid isn’t Gavin. I don’t know what happened with Gavin but I can guess it wasn’t pleasant. Whatever it was, Farid doesn’t deserve to be tarred with the same brush. He’s a good guy and all it seems he’s done wrong is tell the truth about how he feels. Would it be so hard to give him a chance?’

Holly gazed into a gift shop window and the icy Christmas display twinkled back. ‘I agree with you. I’ve been stupid. How can I put it right? I don’t know what to say. I made an idiot of myself – exactly what I did with Gavin and he couldn’t forgive me for it.’

‘Farid will, Holly. No matter what you’ve done, he’ll forgive you. Now, for heaven’s sake, go and see him.’

‘Ok, I will, but I’m in Tobermory. I need to get some things.’

‘Just don’t leave it too late.’

They wished each other Merry Christmas and Holly ended the call. She could do this. First, she had to check in with her family. Number one, Alice.

ME: Hi. Hope you have a great Christmas. Sorry for disappearing off radar. Christmas has been pretty crap for me since ‘Gavin-gate’. And before you start bad-mouthing him, I should fess up. He didn’t propose to me out of the blue and hurt my feelings. It was the other way round. I proposed to him and made an arse of myself. Eeek. Guess I should have owned it from the start. Anyway, enjoy Christmas and I’ll see you in the new year. XX

Right. Done. She exhaled slowly. Now, Ma and Dad. As she scrolled through her contacts, a message head popped up. She frowned at the little picture. Speak of the devil. Gavin. What was he messaging her about? Surely nothing could go wrong on Christmas Eve? Was that her fate for Christmas Day? To spend it virtually with him, trying to debug a programme?

GAVIN SINCLAIR: Holly, I feel I need to send this message and not let another Christmas go by without acknowledging it. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long. When you proposed to me, I got the shock of my life. We were only twenty-six and, in my mind, I hadn’t thought we were anywhere near marrying or even getting engaged. Now, I’m thirty-two and I realise I was naïve, narrow-minded, and selfish. I’ve never come close to meeting anyone else who was as special as you. I know our time has passed and I won’t insult you or your intelligence by suggesting we get back together. But if I’d had my wits about me six years ago, I would have said yes. The solid friendship we built our relationship on could easily have grown into a robust marriage over the years. I was afraid to commit so young, afraid of what it might mean in the long run.

All that remains is for me to wish you well and offer up my sincerest apologies for the appalling response I gave to your Christmas surprise. Merry Christmas. Gavin.

Wow, ok. That was unexpected. Maybe he’d done the right thing. She wasn’t sure his version of a robust marriage was what she’d craved. She appreciated the message nonetheless. Her fingers whizzed over the screen.

ME: Hi. Thanks for your message. I must say I’ve been pretty embarrassed – understatement of the year – about it ever since. Looking back, you were right to say no. What we had was good but not spectacular, and I don’t mean that cruelly; I just mean we weren’t right for each other. One day I hope you find the woman who is. Merry Christmas. Holly.

Sent. Yes, she hoped he would be happy one day, just as she hoped she could after today. A few things remained. Amongst a plethora of wintery objects and trinkets in the window, one thing caught her eye and made her grin. She pushed open the door and went inside. For a small shop, it was surprisingly busy. As she waited, she made a quick call home.

Her father answered. ‘Ah, you’re alive.’

‘Obviously. Why wouldn’t I be?’

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