Page 61 of Only for Christmas

‘Now who’s being sarcastic.’ He nodded ahead. ‘Mind the step.’

Wandsworth Park came into view and a huge inflatable archway filled the entrance. Through the middle, Lucas could see a pen filled with reindeer and a marquee with Santa’s Grotto written above. There was a stall selling candyfloss and toffee apples. Beyond was a bunch of people dressed as elves dancing about to ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.

‘Shall we say hello to the reindeer?’ Sarah led them towards the animal pen.

‘Which one’s Rudolph?’ Lucas asked the boys, who were almost running, they were so eager to meet the herd.

Elliot pointed to a reindeer with its head stuck in a bucket. ‘That one!’

The boys climbed onto the wooden fence and peered closer, pointing to the animals. A wooden sleigh had been positioned inside the pen, adding to the illusion of it being Santa’s base camp.

Lucas leant next to Sarah. ‘Fred’s not a fan of the reindeer,’ he said, trying to hold on to the lead. ‘Not that I blame him; they’re three times his size.’

‘There’s nothing to be worried about, Fred,’ she said, crouching down to fuss over him. ‘Come to Mummy. That’s it. Good boy.’ Scooping him up, she cuddled him close. ‘Daft animal.’

Lucas smiled at another little insight into Sarah’s character. There was definitely a softer side beneath the prickly exterior. And then he saw her wince. ‘Here, let me take him.’

She handed him over and rubbed her wrist. ‘He’s put on weight. Entirely my fault – I’ve been overfeeding him. But he’d been neglected; a bit of pampering was necessary.’

‘And he milks it for all he can.’

‘He’s an impressive manipulator, that’s for sure.’

Lucas watched her for a moment. ‘Did you have pets as a kid?’

‘We always had a dog,’ she said, stroking Fred’s ears. ‘My first memory was of Tang-Lee the Pekinese; he liked to chew furniture and refused to leave the house when it rained. We had him for years. And then we had a corgi called Rusty, who sadly ran away a few weeks after we got him and was never seen again. And then there was Shandy, a Heinz 57 variety, who might’ve looked like a scruffy mongrel, but who was definitely lord of the manor. He had us all running around after him. Lovely dog. Bonkers, but lovely.’

Lucas’s arms were aching under Fred’s weight. ‘You haven’t had a dog since?’

‘It’s not been possible,’ she said, with a shrug. ‘Not living in shared accommodation at uni, and then moving into a rental place. Hopefully one day I can get one.’ She kissed Fred’s nose. ‘One I can actually keep.’

‘He’s eating from that man’s hand!’ Max said, jolting them from their conversation. ‘Can I feed him too?’

Sarah reverted her attentions to the boys. ‘Absolutely.’

Lucas watched Sarah grab a handful of feed from a bucket and demonstrated how to feed the reindeer, encouraging his nephews to do the same. Max followed her lead, but Elliot was nervous and clutched her coat. Their confidence eventually grew, and it wasn’t long before all three were stroking the reindeer and trying to guess which one was Prancer and which one was Vixen.

To anyone watching, they looked like a little family, and it gave him a pang of longing. He’d hoped to be in this situation for real by now. He’d spent so much effort concentrating on his career, and ensuring he had a stable future and was ready to support a family, that he’d kind of assumed the rest would fall into place. It hadn’t, and he wasn’t sure why.

Sarah moved away from the reindeer enclosure. ‘Right, who’s up for the bouncy castle?’

She sprinted off, followed by Max and Elliot, who laughed in that uncontrollable way only kids can, as they stumbled on the grass and nearly smacked into Sarah when they couldn’t stop at the other end. Sarah was tickling them, which caused Fred to start barking.

‘You have a very loud bark,’ Lucas said, lowering the dog to the ground, his left ear ringing. ‘You nearly deafened me.’

By the time he’d joined them, they’d removed their trainers and were climbing onto the inflatable castle.

Sarah bounced up and down in her socked feet. ‘Are you joining us?’

‘I’d better stay with Fred; he doesn’t look keen.’

Sarah jumped off and came over. ‘I’ll stay with Fred; you have fun with your nephews. He’s my dog, after all. Or, at least, his temporary custodian.’

‘I’m fine watching.’ Lucas smiled at her. ‘Besides, it’s fun seeing you enjoy yourself. I never knew you were such a child at heart.’

‘I’ve no idea what you mean,’ she said, poking her tongue out. ‘I’ll have you know, I’m very mature. The epitome of sophistication and poise.’ She ran off and launched herself onto the bouncy castle, landing with such force she shot into the air, squealing.

He shook his head. ‘Sure, real mature!’

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