Page 60 of Only for Christmas

Lucas followed Sarah, hesitating by her bedroom door, out of earshot of the boys. ‘I hope it’s okay bringing them over. Things were a bit heated with Harper and Paul this morning. I thought they could do with a distraction.’

Sarah tied her hair into a ponytail. ‘It’s fine. They seem like lovely children.’

‘They are.’ He watched her pull on a fluffy blue hat. ‘But I’m biased.’

She wrapped a scarf around her neck. ‘They’re lucky to have you in their corner.’

‘It’s going to be hard leaving them after Christmas.’

‘I can imagine.’ She slipped on her coat. ‘Will they come and visit you in Houston?’

‘I hope so. Although probably not very often.’ It was a depressing thought. He’d enjoyed hanging out with them; he was going to miss them when he left.

She picked up Fred’s lead. ‘Ready when you are.’

They all bundled out of the apartment and headed downstairs.

Max looked puzzled when Sarah lifted Fred and hid him beneath her coat. ‘Why are you doing that?’ He looked up at her wide-eyed. ‘Can’t he manage the steps?’

‘I have to keep him hidden, because I’m not supposed to have him here,’ she whispered.

‘Why not?’ he whispered back.

‘No pets allowed in the building, so until I can find him another home, I need to keep him hidden. Quick, before anyone sees.’ She skipped down the steps, followed by Max, who was furtively looking around like a mini secret service agent.

‘No one saw us,’ he said, helping Sarah lower Fred to the ground. ‘Where will he go?’

‘Hopefully somewhere where he’ll get lots of treats.’ She ruffled Fred’s ears.

Max patted Fred’s head. ‘Good boy. I hope you find a nice home.’

Lucas caught them up. ‘Come on, let’s go meet Santa Claus.’

As they headed down the road towards the park, the boys skipped along and chatted nonstop. Their conversations switched from one topic to another and overlapped as they vied for Sarah’s attention. It was exhausting listening to them, yet amusing to watch. When Sarah asked them about their favourite hobbies, Max told her he liked drawing and football, and Elliot said he liked Lego and ring-tailed lemurs.

‘I also like dressing up,’ Elliot said, grabbing Sarah’s hand and making her flinch.

Lucas intervened and took Fred’s lead from her, relieving her of one exuberant mini male. ‘Sarah has an injured wrist, Elliot, so be gentle.’

Elliot looked mortified. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s okay,’ Sarah said, reassuring him. ‘No harm done. How about you hook your arm through mine.’ She positioned his arm inside hers to protect her wrist. ‘That’s better. So… who do you like dressing up as?’

As Elliot’s little legs struggled to keep up, he told her about his favourite costumes, playing a fireman, and being Spider-Man. In return, Sarah relayed the story of when she was ten and she’d been given two pounds to spend at the local jumble sale, but instead of buying several items as she’d been instructed to do by her mum, she’d returned home with a huge sparkly ballgown that was far too big for her, but she loved and refused to take off for a whole week.

Elliot seemed to find this hilarious. ‘Did you wear it to school?’

‘I tried,’ Sarah said, leading them across the road. ‘But the school wouldn’t allow it, so we had to find a compromise. In the end, my granny cut up the dress and made a throw for my bed and cushion covers out of the material. It was the only way they could stop me wearing the dress.’

Max laughed. ‘That’s funny.’

Lucas was amused too; it was a fascinating insight into Sarah’s childhood. ‘You mean, you used to be stubborn?’ he said, feigning shock. ‘Wow, I mean, no one would ever have guessed.’

Sarah glanced over her shoulder. ‘Still sarcastic, I see.’

He grinned. ‘You like it really.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘It’s my favourite trait.’

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