Page 88 of A Seaside Escape


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Chapter Eighteen

Christmas Eve was quiet and romantic. Greg cooked whilst Mallory put the finishing touches to a gift she was making for him. He’d been quite cagey about his gift for her, but she had a feeling he had spent too much money. His savings were from his inherited share of his parents’ estate and she hated the thought of him frittering it away on her. She had opted for making him a gift, as he said that was what he wanted more than anything. He still raved to everyone about the chalkboard she made him.

Greg called Mallory for dinner just as she had finished. He had opted for Moroccan lamb with couscous and the delicious aroma teased Mallory’s nostrils, making her salivate. The wine was chilling and Mallory went to change and rid her hands of the paint.

She returned to the dining table where Greg had lit candles and placed all the best dinnerware. It looked wonderful. He stood when she entered the room. He looked amazing in his black jeans and grey shirt.

He gazed lovingly at her as she walked towards the table and he shook his head as if in awe. ‘You look beautiful, Mally.’

She had slipped on black trousers and a lilac cashmere sweater she had bought when they were out shopping for gifts.Well it was a bargain,she had convinced herself. Her hair was loose around her shoulders just how Greg liked it. She smiled across at him and his eyes twinkled in the candlelight.

‘Can I make a toast?’ she asked, her head tilted to one side as she gazed at her love.

Greg nodded, his eyes locked on hers.

She held up her glass. ‘To us. May this be the first of many Christmases we share, until we are old, wrinkly and grey.’ She thought back to Edith on the train and her heart warmed. They clinked glasses and tucked into the delicious meal.

*

Christmas morning finally arrived and Greg was like a kid, bouncing on the bed beside Mallory to wake her up.

‘Can we get up now? Can we get up now? Can we get up now?’ He resorted to tickling and prodding at her, at which point she attacked him with a pillow.

‘Good grief, McBradden, remember how old you are.’ She laughed as she pushed him back and straddled him, trying to pin him down.

‘I’ve reverted back to childhood, but it’s your fault. I never got the whole Christmas thing until you.’ He wrestled her off him and flung her over his shoulder. ‘C’mon lazybones it’s prezzie time!’

Mallory squealed and hit his bottom as he carried her down the stairs. He only placed her on her feet once they were in front of the tree. She stood there in his oversized T-shirt and nothing else except for a smile.

‘Now you, sit,’ he demanded and proceeded to switch on the twinkly lights and retrieve a bottle of Bucks Fizz that was chilling in the fridge.

He had already lit the fire and there was a smell of bacon diffusing through the air from the kitchen. Two minutes later Greg returned with a tray, one of Mallory’s creations, upon which were the Bucks Fizz, two champagne flutes and two plates of bacon sandwiches.

‘Ah, well if I’d known you’d got up early to make bacon butties I may not have taken so much cajoling,’ Mallory laughed.

They huddled together in front of the fire. She had no idea what time he had got up, but he seemed determined to get Christmas day officially underway.

Once they had eaten, Mallory took out the parcel she had wrapped for Greg, late the night before. He stared at the package for a while and kept glancing up to smile at her.

‘Open it then,’ she prodded him.

‘Now who’s being impatient?’ he chuckled. He opened it slowly, taking care not to rip the pretty brown paper that Mallory had decorated with golden love hearts and snowflakes. He took out the rectangular sign and read aloud: ‘Welcome to Greg and Mallory’s Home.’ His eyes misted over. ‘Mallory, this is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever been given.’ He gazed over at her and then leaned in to kiss her sweetly.

‘What? Did you never get a bike or a Scalextric?’ she teased.

‘Aye… yes, course I did. But this means so much more becauseyoumade it for me and it makes our moving in together official. Best gift ever, just like I said.’

Mallory’s heart swelled.

She picked up the small package with her name on which she knew to be from Greg. It was flat and rectangular.

‘Now before you open it and go all apeshit on me, I just want to defend myself and say that it’s something for both of us. But I think you’ll be happy and that’s what matters.’

Scowling at his explanation and really worrying what she was going to find, she took a deep breath and opened the package. Inside was an envelope with ‘Canadian Airways’ emblazoned across it.

She took out the contents. ‘Bloody hell, Greg! Two first-class return flights to Canada?’ She pounced and flung her arms around him without protest.

‘Whoa! That’s not the reaction I was prepared for!’ He hugged her, laughing and grinning like the Cheshire cat.