Page 108 of Escape for Christmas
Sophie laughed. ‘Eight, if you count Gabriel and the sheep. I brought coffee. Now shoo, you three – let Brody get up.’
He pushed himself up, revealing his toned and naked torso, a sight that almost caused Sophie to spill the coffee on the duvet. She placed the mug on the bedside table.
‘Brrr,’ said Brody, suddenly cold now that his body was out of the warmth of the covers. ‘Has it snowed?’
‘A little bit, though not enough to cover the snowdrops.’
Sophie was wearing a sweatshirt over her pyjamas, and furry bootees. It wasn’t the most attractive outfit, but she’d had to put on something in the early-morning chill. The guest house was still closed to visitors and she hadn’t had the heating on. By day, she’d been working up a sweat doing some maintenance on the guest house, preparing to reopen; and at night she and Brody had kept more than warm enough, without the need for radiators. They’d alternated between spending nights at Felltop and at Sunnyside since the New Year, and then after she’d got back from her trips to Stratford and Gran Canaria.
Sophie sat next to Brody on the bed and he put his arm around her. Harold gazed up at them from the floor. The cats lounged on the window ledge, staring at them all.
Brody sighed. ‘Harold does not approve of long lie-ins. This face means he thinks I ought to take him for a walk.’
‘And I need to feed the cats,’ said Sophie, as Belle jumped deftly onto the bed with a plaintive mew.
Brody stroked the cat’s head. ‘The animals come first.’
Sophie nodded. ‘Always.’
‘On the other hand, itisSunday and I’m not on-call, so after we’ve done our duties we have the rest of the day to ourselves …’ He reached for her hand.
‘Woof! Woof!’ Harold barked on cue.
‘OK, OK. Let me finish my coffee and put some clothes on, then I’ll take you out, boy.’
After breakfast they took Harold out for a walk in the fields. Christmas might be only a memory, yet the scene was still as festive as ever, with snow-topped fells and the lake glinting in the valley below.
Brody threw a ball for Harold and then chased after the dog himself, when Harold decided to roll in something unpleasant. Sophie watched them both, finally able to reflect on the twists and turns her life had taken since the previous Christmas. The path ahead was straight and clear now and she felt at ease with herself.
She’d recently been back to see her parents and friends, and her brother and his family. They’d pulled crackers, worn party hats and played ‘Twister’, and Sophie had enjoyed every minute. She’d also met up in the rooftop bar of the RSC with Lyra, who’d bumped into Ben’s mother earlier that day in town.
‘I told her you were seeing a vet,’ Lyra had said with a grin.
‘She must think I’ve got distemper,’ Sophie had joked, and they’d both laughed so loudly that the people at the next table had frowned disapprovingly.
Lyra had raised her glass. ‘And I’m so happy for you. Even though I miss you, I’m absolutely delighted for you, and I can’t wait to come up and visit again in the spring.’
‘I can’t wait either,’ Sophie had said.
They’d then moved on to talk about the guest house and her plans for the future. Lyra had decided to borrow one of Sophie’s ideas and had organised a Stratford version of the ‘Escape from Valentine’s’ break, which was already fully booked at Sunnyside. Single guests or groups of friends could come to Sunnyside to enjoy an early-spring nature break of walks, wildlife-spotting and forest-bathing with like-minded people. Lyra had arranged a theatre visit and a wine-and-food tour around the local area and was also fully booked.
As they’d raised their glasses again, it was to the future.
A gust whistled off the fells now and blew a flurry of drifting snow into her face, but Sophie embraced it, tasting ice-crystals on her tongue and the sharp bite of the wind against her cheek. She would celebrate every season from now on, no matter what it brought.
Brody had started walking back towards her and, when his phone rang, a grimace crossed his face.
Sophie held her breath as he listened and spoke.
‘OK. Right. Oh my God. Oh … that’s a huge relief. I’m very pleased to hear it. Thanks for letting me know. Bye.’
His smile returned when he ended the call. ‘That was Fiona. Alan had surgery yesterday. They had a cancellation, so he was able to go in a couple of days early. It’s gone well and he’s back on a general ward, recovering.’
‘I’m so glad. That’s good. It must be a big weight off Tegan’s and Fiona’s minds.’
‘Yes. I’ll call Fiona later. Tegan’s back in the States, working out her notice. Fiona told me she’s coming back to theUK. Some company in London has head-hunted her apparently, so at least she’ll be in the same country as her parents and able to visit more often.’
‘I’m glad, for her family’s sake,’ Sophie said and meant it.
