Page 2 of Mistletoe Kisses at Cwtch Cove

Ellen grinned. ‘Shut up! I was writing some names down and I remembered what I needed to add to my shopping list.’

‘Really? That’s a shame because I think Garlic Croutons would be a great name for a girl.’

They giggled together like they used to when they were teenagers.

‘I’ve missed this,’ Ellen said.

‘Me too.’

‘I wish you lived closer.’

‘Me too.’

‘It’s so hard not having family around. I know we moved to Cwtch Cove to buy this house and start a family near the sea, but I do miss being close to you and Dad. It’s only an hour away from you in Cardiff and just over two hours away from Dad in Bristol, but that can feel like a million miles away some days.’

‘Well, I’m here now and that’s what matters, right?’ Lucy could see her sister’s pain in her eyes. Before leaving for Norway, Billy had messaged Lucy to tell her that he was worried about leaving Ellen when she was so steeped in hormones, but he’d been delighted that Lucy was coming to stay. Thinking about it now, she realised it had probably helped him make the decision to take the job in the first place. He knew how close the sisters were and that Lucy would make sure Ellen was all right.

‘Yes, and you’re staying for almost two months, so we’ll get plenty of quality time together. Have you heard from Dad this week?’

‘Only the messages and photos in our WhatsApp group.’ Their dad was away on a cruise with some retired teacher friends. Since their mum had passed away two years ago, he’d striven to stay busy, and it seemed that he was ticking off the destinations he’d added to his bucket list. He was an energetic septuagenarian and one of the kindest and most considerate people Lucy knew. She didn’t think she’d ever find a man like him and her most recent experience had confirmed that for her. Lucy and dating just didn’t get on.

‘That photo of him in the yellow trunks!’ Ellen giggled. ‘What was he thinking?’

‘Who knows?’ Lucy shook her head. ‘But he’s having fun so…’ She shrugged.

‘He’s very excited about being a grandfather but it’s also hard for him because he misses Mum and knows how much she’d have loved to be here.’

‘Oh she would. She’d have been knitting like a machine right now.’

They fell silent and stared into their mugs. Their mum’s death from a sudden heart attack had been a terrible shock for them all.

‘I really miss her.’ Ellen’s voice wobbled. ‘She was there for me when I lost the first baby, and she was utterly devastated. Losing the second little one was dreadful without her there to talk to.’

‘Sweetheart…’ Lucy reached for Ellen’s hand again. ‘I’m not Mum but I’m here for you.’

‘I know and I’m very grateful. One day I hope I’ll be able to repay you and be there for you too when you’re pregnant.’

‘Ha! Thanks for that but I don’t see me ever becoming a mum. You need a man for that and I’ve not had much luck in that department.’

‘These days you don’t need an actual man if you have access to sperm, but anyway, you know what they say… There are plenty of fish in the sea.’

‘Off the coast of Cwtch Cove?’

‘I don’t see why not!’ Ellen laughed. ‘You deserve someone decent to love you and to make you feel as special as you are.’

‘I don’t need a man for that.’ Lucy finished her tea and set the mug back down. ‘In fact, I don’t need a man at all.’

‘Notneedno, but it’s nice to have someone.’

Lucy took their empty mugs to the sink and swilled them out. They’d had this conversation before, and she didn’t want to have it again. Some people fell in love but others didn’t and she really was fine with that; it was other people who seemed to think she should have a partner in her life. Her last attempt at romance had turned out to be a disaster and she didn’t think she’d ever be able to trust her intuition again because she’d got it so dreadfully wrong.

Drying her hands on a towel, she said, ‘Right then. Are you going to show me my room?’

‘Absolutely.’ Ellen stood up carefully and pushed her chair under the table then padded through to the hallway. Lucy followed, musing that from behind, she couldn’t tell that her sister was pregnant at all.

CHAPTER2

‘And that’s why I decided to become a paramedic,’ Jack Perry said then he smiled at the audience of children. ‘Any questions?’

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