Page 67 of Only for Christmas

‘Ah, that’s where you’re wrong.’ He glanced over. ‘Where shall I put the food waste?’

‘Caddy under the sink.’ She pulled out various baking tins, searching the cupboards.

Lucas continued chopping. ‘This recipe was given to me by this amazing Indian woman called Meera who served me today in a grocery store in Brick Lane. She said it’s the easiest curry recipe there is. You throw all the raw ingredients into a blender and then cook the sauce on a stove for an hour. While that’s cooking, you season the chicken pieces and grill them. Add everything together and there you have it. Chicken tikka masala.’

Sarah located the blender. ‘There has to be a catch.’

‘I guess we’ll find out. How was my sister today?’

‘Exuberant.’

‘Ah, yeah, I should’ve warned you. She gets a little crazy at times. I hope she wasn’t too full-on?’

Sarah focused on unpacking the blender, unwilling to divulge the true extent of their girly shopping trip, which had included visiting the Ann Summers shop in Kensington. An experience that had left Sarah hot and flustered. She had no idea who invented such bizarre stuff, but they had a vivid imagination, that was for sure. Even buying a fruity body lotion had felt slightly scandalous. Harper had no such inhibitions and had bought a selection of toys and gadgets specifically designed for the newly single woman.

‘Harper was fine,’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘I think she enjoyed the outing.’

‘Was it okay me suggesting she come over? I didn’t want you feeling alone today.’

‘It was fine; I had fun too.’ Sarah plugged in the blender. ‘She’s good company. But you really don’t have to worry about me. I have Fred.’

‘Who you can’t keep.’

‘I managed before without him, I’ll cope after.’ She switched on the blender. ‘Hey, it works.’

‘You sound surprised.’

‘It’s new.’ She returned to the floor and replaced the other utensils back in the cupboard. ‘A wedding gift the giver didn’t want back.’ She ignored the fact that his chopping had slowed. ‘You can find all sorts of guides to wedding etiquette on the internet, from best man’s speeches to seating arrangements for divorced parents, but funnily enough, there’s no instructions for being jilted.’

A beat passed. ‘So, write one.’

She looked up. ‘Excuse me?’

‘Write a blog. Put your shitty experience to good use for someone else. Sadly, you won’t be the last person whose partner turns out to be a dick. It might help. Both for you and them.’ He returned to peeling a lump of ginger. ‘Although, maybe leave out the bit about being off men for five years; that might prove a bit—’

‘Extreme?’ She climbed to her feet.

‘Negative. People like to believe that life will get better and even though they’re hurting in that moment, love still awaits them further down the line. You could become a shinning hope for all lost souls.’

She opened a tin of coconut cream. ‘I’d forgotten you were such an old romantic.’

‘Less of the “old”, thanks.’ He added the ginger and garlic to the blender. ‘Pass the tomatoes… Returning to the subject of Fred, I wish you didn’t have to rehome him. It makes me sad to think of you being here without him. You make a good team.’

‘It makes me sad too.’ She opened the garam masala. ‘He really didn’t like Stephen, did he?’

Lucas laughed. ‘He really didn’t. He’s a smart dog. Stephen isn’t a likeable man.’

‘He’s certainly deluded.’ She took the limes from him. ‘Let me help with that.’

‘He’s also dangerous; he doesn’t accept boundaries. I doubt he understands the concept of informed consent. He crossed a line tonight. Several. You need to report him.’

She refused to meet his gaze. ‘I know.’

‘Seriously, Sarah. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. I hate to think what he’d have done if I hadn’t shown up.’

She sliced the limes. ‘Lucky you did— Ouch.’ She went over to the sink. ‘You distracted me. I sliced my finger.’

‘Nothing lucky about it,’ he said, coming over and inspecting her finger. ‘I asked Mrs Kelsey to keep watch and call me if a silver Merc showed up outside. She spotted him when he arrived and called me straight away; I’d just arrived back from the shops.’ He washed her finger under the tap. ‘Mrs K would make an excellent spy. The FBI should hire her.’

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