Page 11 of Confessions of a Christmasholic

Cute and Cuter exchanged a long, who-is-she look. ‘Hello. Is Gus in?’

Sutton hopped from one foot to the other as cold air swirled around her. ‘Sorry, no.’

The blond wrinkled his nose. ‘Oh, damn, have they left already? We wanted to say hi to Gus, Felix and Rosie before they went off to school.’

‘Eli, I told you we were too late. And his Land Rover is gone.’

Eli, the blond, pouted. ‘I was hoping you were wrong.’ He pointed to his chest, then placed his hand on his partner’s shoulder. ‘I’m Eli, this gorgeous creature is Will. We’re Gus’s neighbours.’

Eli pushed past her and stepped into the hall. Will rolled his eyes and followed his partner inside and Sutton shut the door behind them. She rocked on her feet. Um…what was the protocol for letting strangers into a strange man’s house? What if they ripped him off and Gus pointed the finger at her? She couldn’t take the chance so she yanked open the door. ‘Maybe you should go. I’ll tell Gus you stopped by.’

Eli sent her a reassuring smile before nodding to a framed corkboard behind her. Sutton slowly turned and in amongst the twins’ art, a voucher for a bookstore and a list of numbers was a photograph. In it, each of the men held a twin, while Gus stood behind the foursome. Both twins had their arms wrapped around Eli and Will’s necks. Once she saw the photograph, Sutton’s panic receded.

‘You can start breathing again,’ Eli said. ‘We really are good friends and neighbours.’ He gave her a bright smile and Sutton squinted at his whiter-than-white teeth. ‘So, I’ll make coffee while you tell us who you are and where Gus found you. Are you a one-night stand or will you be back?’

Sutton blinked at his departing back and turned to look at his partner. ‘Help,’ she whispered. She wanted coffee but she didn’t think she could cope with being interrogated.

Will smiled and patted her arm. ‘Eli is spectacularly nosy but if you tell him to mind his own business, he will. Maybe.’

Sutton had her doubts. But on hearing the sounds of fresh coffee beans grinding, she hurried to the kitchen. She’d slam down a quick espresso, maybe two, and then she’d split.

Eli gestured her to the window seat. Sutton did as she was asked and pulled on her boot. She eyed the coffee machine, hoping Eli would get on with the crucially important task.

‘I noticed the Santa inflatable is looking very sad and deflated,’ Will said, leaning his shoulder into the wall next to her. ‘And half of Gus’s decorations are flattened. What happened?’

Me. Tequila led me into temptation.

Sutton followed Will’s gaze and twisted to look behind her. The smirky Santa lay across the lawn, looking thin and grotesque. And yes, it did look like a spree killer had annihilated the snowmen. She didn’t blame Gus for feeling pissed off.

‘Thank goodness his house isn’t in the village because it’s not a great advertisement for Kate’s Christmas Shop.’

Wait! What? Sutton was momentarily distracted by Eli pushing a cup of espresso into her hand. She inhaled the divine smell,yum yum yum, and took a brain-reviving sip. Then another. She held up her finger, silently telling the pair she’d be with them in a second. She drained the first cup and handed it back to Eli. ‘More,’ she muttered. ‘Please.’

Eli turned back to the could-launch-rocket-ships-complicated coffee machine and Sutton looked at Will. ‘Run that by me again... Does Gus own the Christmas shop? The one in the village?’

‘Kate’s Christmas Shop. Yes. It’s open year-round,’ Will replied, sounding proud.

There was so much wrong with his sentence. Like festive music in shops, Christmas shops should only be open in December. Secondly, who was Kate?

‘Well, he also owns a tour and team-building company, but in December, he takes on the role of Mr Christmas,’ Eli added.

So Gus was the Mr Christmas they’d gossiped about in the pub last night. The one who ran everything Christmas-related in town – the Christmas market and the tree-lighting ceremony. He was supposed to be old and a little weird, not young(ish) and sexy. What was this crazy world she’d tumbled into?

‘Gus is Mr Christmas?’ she repeated. Maybe if she said the words a few more times, they would begin to make sense.

Eli’s beaming smile was as bright as the African sun. ‘He is! He’s crazy about anything to do with Christmas. He concentrates on the Christmas shop in December. It was his wife’s, but she died.’

His wife was dead? That was a scenario she hadn’t considered. When? How?

‘I’m so happy we’re back for Christmas, Will. The twins are finally able to understand Christmas, and we can help make itfantasticfor them.’

Sutton smiled at Eli’s enthusiasm. Christmas had never been a big deal back home. Firstly, there was never much money for presents, and if there was, then her siblings got something and she, as the much older child, didn’t.You’re a tough girl, Sutton, and you’re old enough to understand, they aren’t!She was always at the bottom of her mum’s list of priorities, the child who was more helper than daughter, taken for granted, a convenient outlet for her mum’s frustration. There’d only been a couple of slaps, but lots of yelling and emotional…well, abuse was a strong word.

Her mum was always worse at Christmas, and Sutton now understood that the pressure of the season probably got to her. Along with Christmas presents, January was also the start of the new school year, and that meant finding money for stationary, textbooks, and new uniforms. Tensions ran high during the long summer holiday – the six weeks starting at the beginning of December – and, as she knew, it was difficult to keep three energetic boys entertained in a small flat with no money.

Was it any wonder she didn’t get Christmas?

Sutton brushed away her memories and tuned into Eli telling her about Christmas in Conningworth.

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