Page 22 of Only for Christmas

‘Sure. Whatever you think’s best.’

It was so quiet on the bridge she could hear her heels clicking on the pavement surface. She glanced across at Lucas, hoping she hadn’t offended him. It wasn’t his fault she was off men. He seemed like a perfectly decent man. She should make more of an effort. It wouldn’t hurt to be civil for one evening. ‘How are you finding life in the UK?’

He seemed surprised by the question. She couldn’t really blame him; she hadn’t exactly been overly friendly with him so far. ‘Good, I guess, for the most part. I came over to visit my sister. She married an English guy, but they’re going through a divorce, and she’s finding it tough. I wanted to be here to support her. For a while, anyway. I start a new job back home in January.’

So it was a short-term visit? It wasn’t like she was interested. ‘In Duluth?’

He turned to her. ‘You remembered where I’m from?’

It was no big deal. She had a good memory, that was all.

He smiled. ‘The job’s in Houston. Different state entirely.’

‘Are you looking forward to it?’

‘I guess. It’s a teaching role at the hospital, so I’m excited about that.’

‘At least it’ll be warmer than the UK. You must be hating this cold weather.’

‘Are you kidding me? This isn’t cold. Last winter we had temperatures of minus thirty-five in Minnesota.’

‘Minus thirty-five?’ She’d stopped walking. ‘Goodness. I thought minus one was cold. I don’t think I could cope with those kinds of temperatures.’

‘You get used to it. Most folks have snow ploughs and chains on their tyres, so life mostly keeps going. I love this fog, though. You don’t get this back home.’ He looked over the edge of the bridge. ‘Look at that. It’s beautiful.’

She joined him and looked down at the Thames, dark and foreboding. The fog hovered above the water, glistening and sinister, like a scene from a Sherlock Holmes movie. ‘I think so, but most people prefer the warmer months. Not me – I like the winter.’

Lucas smiled. ‘Big fan of Christmas, huh?’

She pushed away from the wall. ‘Not Christmas, just winter. I avoid anything to do with the festive season.’

He looked puzzled. ‘Why?’

She turned away, chastising herself for revealing such an intimate fact about herself. That glass of wine had a lot to answer for. ‘What’s Duluth like?’ she said, walking off at pace. ‘I’ve never been to the States.’

It was a few seconds before he caught up. ‘It’s a great place to visit. Lots of open space and country parks. We had a vacation cabin on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It looked out across the water, not another building in sight, just the lighthouse in the distance.’

‘Sounds idyllic. Was that with your family?’

‘Yeah, although they don’t live there now.’ He fell into step beside her. ‘My parents divorced a while back and moved away, so I have no ties there now. No ties any place, in fact. I’m looking to lay down roots somewhere. Houston seems like as good a place as any.’

She pushed her hands into her coat pockets. ‘I hope it works out for you.’

‘What about you? Where’s home for you?’

‘London. I’ve never lived anywhere else.’ They reached the end of the bridge and turned towards Oxford Road. The lights from the busy Boathouse pub bled across the water, the inside packed full of Friday night revellers.

Lucas glanced at her. ‘Do you want to live someplace else?’

‘I’m not sure,’ she said, with a shrug. ‘My parents live in Devon now, so who knows, maybe I’ll end up living near them at some point. My brother still lives in London, so it’s not like I don’t have family close by.’

As they reached their building, a familiar voice cut through the frosty night air. ‘I want a word with you, young lady!’

Sarah flinched. ‘Oh, gawd, what now,’ she mumbled, wishing she could avoid another grilling from her neighbour.

‘What’s with all this noise I keep hearing on the stairs?’ Mrs Kelsey yelled, straining her neck to see. ‘Sounds like barking. You got a dog up there?’

Sarah crossed her fingers behind her back. ‘A dog? Me?’

---