Snowflakes at Lavender Bay: A perfectly uplifting 2018 Christmas read from bestseller Sarah Bennett!

A couple waiting at the bar for a table turned at their entrance, the man’s eyes lingering on Claire for a few more seconds than was strictly polite. To Owen’s satisfaction, Claire made a point of slipping her free arm through his as she leaned into him, making it clear who she was with. There was no hiding the little smile on her face, though, but that was all right. There was nothing wrong with a woman enjoying being admired; if he hadn’t already been with her, Owen would’ve taken a second glance himself.

‘You have a reservation, signore?’ The maître d’ asked.

‘Coburn. Eight o’clock. I believe you have a corner booth for us?’ Owen slipped the man a tip large enough to make his eyes gleam.

‘Most certainly, let me escort you to your seats.’

They’d just got settled when Owen’s phone vibrated in his pocket. Alex, his second-in-command at CCC had promised to let him know the moment they heard anything from Taylors. Owen glanced across the table to where the maître d’ had been replaced by a waiter who was fussing and fluttering over Claire. Figuring he had a couple of minutes’ grace, he slipped out his phone and opened his emails.

‘Owen? Owen?’

‘Hmm? Whatever you want to order is fine with me.’ He glanced up from the email response he was hesitating over and caught Claire’s exasperated glare. His fingers clenched around the phone. Contrary to his expectations, the news from Taylors wasn’t good. Far from offering to sign on the dotted line, they were demanding a fifteen per cent reduction on a contract already pared down to the bone. Swallowing down his frustration, Owen gave his companion his most winning smile. ‘I’m being rude. Forgive me?’

The ice around her eyes melted a fraction. ‘You’ve not heard a word I’ve said, have you?’ He stared across the corner booth at his dinner date. The perfectly made-up face he’d first admired at a local networking event was currently twisted into a disappointed pout. Owen bit back a sigh. One of the things he’d found attractive about her was that she ran her own business and would therefore—he’d assumed—understand his erratic schedule. Apparently not.

Eyes on the prize, mate. Reaching over, Owen took one of her hands and raised it to his lips in a calculated gesture he’d melted many a frosty heart with in the past. ‘I’m sorry, Claire. I just need a couple of minutes to resolve a work problem, and then you’ll have my undivided attention, I promise.’

As expected, her pout transformed into a delighted smile. Nails lacquered in the same café au lait shade as her lipstick dug briefly into his palm as she squeezed his hand. ‘Don’t mind me, I’ve just been looking forward to this evening ever since you told me you’d booked us a table here.’

Booking Fabiano’s gave the right message to a woman like Claire who valued symbols and linked them to her own sense of self. She’d worked hard for those rewards, and he understood the desire to control perceptions and project the right kind of image. As a child, he’d been powerless to do so, and been judged by people who couldn’t see past hand-me-downs and bargain basement rubbish. Those days were gone now, and he wouldn’t stint himself, or anyone he spent time with. ‘Why don’t you order us some champagne, while I finish this up?’

Eyes sparkling, Claire waved their waiter over. Owen let her grand production of perusing the wine list amuse him for a moment before turning back to his phone. He’d done enough to seal one deal for the evening, time to put the other one to bed, so to speak. Thumbs poised over the automatic keyboard on his phone, he considered the best way to phrase his response. Taylors had enough money to buy Owen a thousand times over and still wanted to bleed him dry. The fifteen per cent they were demanding would mean less than nothing to a business as large as them, but would cover decent year-end bonuses for Owen’s staff or help to replace a couple of their older company vans. And what if all the other companies he was hoping to attract through this new contract were just as tight? Kudos wouldn’t pay the bills.

What was he doing risking the company he’d built from scratch? Was his ego so bloody fragile he’d throw away everything he’d worked so hard to build for the chance to link his name to people who wouldn’t give him the time of day if they knew his background? There were better jobs to chase than Taylors. Jobs which would bring a decent profit margin and be a damn sight less stressful for all concerned.

Mind made up, Owen tapped a quick reply. Tell them, thanks but no thanks. We’ve offered a damned good package and if they can’t see that there are plenty of others who will. Send the email then GO HOME! Debrief at 8 a.m.

The waiter returned just as he was putting his phone away. ‘Your champagne, sir. An excellent vintage, and if I may suggest the perfect accompaniment to the chef’s dish of the day. The salmon is truly exquisite.’

Owen’s eyes travelled from the distinctive shield-shaped label on the bottle to the slight smirk on the waiter’s face. He might well look pleased with himself considering Claire had ordered the most expensive offering on the menu. The commission on a bottle like that would be a nice boost in the waiter’s pocket. Well, it served Owen right for being an arse and ignoring her, he supposed. Some days, being the boss sucked, but he’d take the hit to his wallet. ‘Ladies first.’ He gestured the waiter towards Claire and watched her simper and fuss over tasting the straw-coloured wine like she knew the difference between a two-hundred-pound bottle of Dom Perignon and a supermarket prosecco. The champagne matched her hair, nails and dress to perfection. Fifty shades of beige.

Out of nowhere, the image of the black-clad, wild-haired pixie from Lavender Bay popped into his head. He bet she’d never set foot in a place like Fabiano’s, and likely wouldn’t give two hoots about it. No sexy high heels and skin-tight dresses for her. He couldn’t imagine her sulking over his need to deal with a work problem if they’d been out on a date. She’d have either understood and let it go or turned on her heel and walked away. A wry grin teased the corner of his mouth. She’d already done the second, so a date with her was never going to get beyond the hypothetical. Not that she was his type.

Resting his chin on the tips of his fingers, Owen studied the woman opposite him. He could admit to a grudging admiration for the audacity she’d shown in ordering the top-priced champagne the waiter was currently pouring with a flourish. It was all just business at the end of the day. Owen had let his guard down and she’d taken advantage. Score one for Claire. It was what people did. What she hadn’t realised yet, was that he would only let someone get away with it once.

His gaze roamed around the room, more than half a mind still on the pretty, spiky girl who’d marched away from him clutching an ice bucket. She’d bought champagne that night, too, and likely enjoyed it as much if not more because her eyes hadn’t watered at the cost of it. The sleek lines and discreet lighting of Fabiano’s were a world away from the cosy, slightly shabby taproom at The Siren, and a deep desire to be standing at the bar with Mrs Barnes smiling up at him filled his heart. A bone-deep weariness crept over him as the disappointment over the failed Taylors deal struck home. Whilst he didn’t regret saying no, there was still a big hole in their projected work schedule which needed to be filled. He should be at home with a takeaway, a cold beer and his laptop, not trying to prove his success by being seen at the right place with the right kind of woman.

Owen gave himself a shake. This was why digging around in the past had been a bad idea. He wasn’t one for self-doubt and deep introspection. He’d built this life for himself, and it was a damn good one. A night off with a beautiful woman would do him good. All work and no play makes Owen a dull boy, and all that. Accepting a crystal flute from the waiter, he raised it in toast to Claire. ‘What shall we drink to?’

Mirroring his pose, she fluttered her eyelashes. ‘How about to the future?’

‘Perfect.’ Owen drained the sparkling liquid from his glass and tried to ignore the ping of his phone. Claire’s mouth tightened as he reached for it. With a swipe of his thumb he turned it off then tucked it in the inside pocket of his jacket. Work could wait for a couple of hours. He’d been the one to suggest their date, the least he could do was give her a nice evening. Reaching across the table, he took her hand. ‘I’m all yours. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve been up to lately?’

The rest of the evening went well. Once she’d got over her initial mood, Claire proved to be as interesting and knowledgeable as he’d originally hoped. Beneath the labels and the perfect spray tan sat a sharp mind and a level of ambition to match his own. As they lingered over coffee, the spectre of the lost deal with Taylors came back to haunt him. Regardless of his gut instinct that turning down the deal was the right thing to do, he hated losing something he’d worked so hard for.

Fingers touched his. ‘Earth to Owen.’

Shaking his head, he pushed his work worries to one side and offered Claire a smile. ‘Let’s get out of here, shall we?’

Her lashes flicked down then up. ‘I’d like that.’

The taxi stopped outside a neat block of flats and he ducked his head to study them through the window. Not the best part of the area, but by no means the worst and he knew the local council were working with investors on several regeneration projects. Give it a few more years and the place would be worth considerably more than current market value.

‘Are you coming up for coffee?’ Ah. The universal code for extending the evening. On autopilot, he paid the cab fare and slid out after Claire. As she fumbled around in her oversized handbag, an image of the two of them a few years down the line formed in his mind. They were sitting at a long dining table in an immaculate flat full of chrome and granite and all the latest gadgets. To his left and right sat two rows of shiny, well-to-do couples in grey suits and neutral body-con dresses chattering about their latest holidays to somewhere exotic. The right place, the right wife, the right friends, it was exactly the kind of thing he’d dreamed of as a kid scuffing along streets like this in a too-thin coat picked up from the local charity shop for a couple of quid. Now, though, it seemed cold and lifeless, more nightmare than fantasy. A shudder rippled down his spine and he took a step backwards.

‘There it is!’ Claire gave a little laugh of relief as she slid the errant key into the lock and pushed open the door. She’d made it a couple of steps inside before she realised he’d made no move to follow. ‘Owen?’

His feet were glued to the pavement. His future was right there in front of him, but all he wanted to do was run. ‘I’m sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me, Claire. I’ve got a bit of a headache, so I’m going to pass on that coffee.’ And anything else that might come after it.

‘Oh.’ Uncertainty flickered in her eyes. ‘Well, if you’re sure?’

If he crossed her threshold, she’d want something more from him than one night and she deserved it—just not from him. Owen nodded. ‘Goodnight, Claire.’ Tucking his hands in his trouser pockets, he forced himself to stroll down the front steps—rather than sprint as his brain was urging him to—and turned randomly to his left, desperate to get away from the eyes he could feel boring into his back. At least he’d done the right thing and walked away now before things got any further down the road between them. The thought didn’t make him feel any better.

He wandered aimlessly for a few streets, trying to get his head around the jumble in his brain. Claire was perfect for him, so why didn’t he want her? The blue-haired pixie’s face popped into his head and he shoved the image away with a silent curse. He needed to forget about her, and everything else about Lavender Bay in the process. There was nothing there for him. He’d made it through the last thirty years without his mother, hadn’t he?

A fine drizzle drifted from the sky adding another layer of misery to his mood. Ducking into an empty shop doorway, he withdrew his phone and switched it back on in order to summon a cab. He’d barely clicked on the app when the phone started ringing. Hoping it wasn’t Claire checking up on his non-existent headache, he was relieved to see an unfamiliar dialling code on the screen. Did he even know anyone who used a landline these days? He swiped to answer. ‘Hello?’

‘Oh…umm…hello, is that Mr Coburn?’ The deep country burr was about as far from Claire’s clipped tones as Owen could imagine. He’d spent a weekend surrounded by that rich accent, and all thoughts of his disastrous date fell away as a sense of anticipation filled him.

‘Speaking.’

‘Ah, right then. I hope you don’t mind the lateness of my call, it’s been a very busy day and I’ve been in two minds over whether I should even be bothering you at all. I want the best for me and my girl, see, and I heard on the grapevine you might be looking to buy a property down here in Lavender Bay, and it seems like too good an opportunity to pass up. I was thinking about retiring next year, so I think we could help each other out. You’d have to promise not to breathe a word about it until after Christmas as I need to get a few things in order and I haven’t talked to my girl about it. I know she’ll be on board though, once I explain it all to her properly. She’s had no life here, you see, and I’ve not been able to give her the chance she deserves to get out and see the world for herself. Well, not until now, that is…’ The stream of consciousness pouring into Owen’s ear trailed off leaving him not much the wiser.

‘I’m not quite sure what you’re saying, Mr…?’

‘Stone. Mick Stone. I heard you were looking for a business to buy in Lavender Bay and I’ve got one to sell, but maybe I got that wrong? Beth was talking about it in the emporium, see, and there was your business card sitting on her counter so I popped it in my pocket.’

All those good intentions of forgetting about Lavender Bay fell away in an instant as his heart began to pound. If he believed in providence, he’d take this as a sign. Getting himself established in the community might be the key to finding some answers about his family. It didn’t have to be forever, but people might open up to him if they got used to seeing him around the place. Worst case scenario, he could spend a couple of months doing up the place, turn it around for a profit and walk away again. Hope bloomed inside, and he had to fight to keep the excitement out of his voice. ‘No, Mr Stone, you didn’t get it wrong. Please tell me more…’

Chapter 3

‘Now you’re sure you don’t mind me popping out for a bit, Libby-girl?’

Libby bit back an exasperated sigh and turned instead towards her father with a smile. ‘Of course not, Dad.’ Taking in the whiteness of the collar of his shirt half-trapped beneath the lapel of his best jacket, she cocked her head. ‘You look smart, got yourself a hot date?’ She’d meant it as a tease—though nothing would please her more than if her long-widowed father found a companion to share his life with—but regretted the words as an ugly flush mottled Mick Stone’s cheeks.

Gaze dropping to the cap clutched between his fingers, Mick shook his head. ‘Nothing like that, lovey, just a bit of business. The accountant wants to discuss last quarter, the usual stuff.’ Libby relaxed. The books were all in order, but their accountant still liked to keep in regular contact. It was a personal touch she knew her dad appreciated. And just maybe the conversation would work its way around to plans for the future.

Stepping forward, she eased the wayward point of his shirt collar free and straightened it before letting her hand drop to smooth over the rough tweed covering the big heart which had given her all the love a girl could ever have needed growing up. ‘Ignore me, Dad. It’s nice to see you looking smart, that’s all. Take as much time as you need. Eliza’s still at a loose end, so she’s going to give me a hand with lunch club.’

Friday lunch club was a tradition her parents had started when they’d first opened their fish and chip shop on the seafront promenade at Lavender Bay. The tradition of eating fish on a Friday might have waned in popularity, but the pensioners still flocked through the doors for a bargain meal. Rain or shine, through the high heat of summer and the cold depths of winter, they turned up like clockwork and went away smiling with a small cod and chips, and a pot of mushy peas for those so inclined. What they lost in profits through the discounted price was more than covered by the return in numbers—and community goodwill.

It was not lost on either Libby or her dad that for some of their customers, lunch club was a highlight of the week. Nobody was rushed through their order, and on warmer days such as that morning they put a handful of folding tables and chairs outside the front door for those who wished to linger and share their meal.

Her father paled. ‘Oh, lovey, I forgot all about blooming lunch club when I made my appointment. I…I could put it off.’

This time she didn’t hide her sigh. ‘Give it a rest, will you? I can manage the shop with my eyes shut. It’ll do Eliza good to do something other than mope about the place.’ Libby scrunched her nose. ‘That sounds awful. I don’t mean it like that, I’m just really worried about her. Nothing’s been the same since she came home.’ Eliza, one of Libby’s two best friends, had recently split from her husband and returned to live with her parents who ran The Siren, the main pub a few doors along the promenade from the fish and chip shop. Her other best friend, Beth, lived next door in a flat over the shop she’d inherited earlier in the year.

Since leaving Martin, Eliza had been at something of a loose end and Libby worried that if she didn’t find her way soon she might think about leaving Lavender Bay again. Both she and Beth had moved away permanently following their university courses, leaving Libby alone. University had never been on the cards for her, not that she’d ever been that academically inclined to begin with. From the first moment the careers advisor had called her in to talk about the future, Libby had had only one answer: she would work alongside her dad in the chippy.

Though the loss of her friends’ physical presence had sat on her heart like a stone, she’d never felt jealous of them. Lavender Bay was her home, and she couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. This was where her mum was: in every grain of sand upon the beach; in the cry of the wheeling gulls high over the rolling waves; in the weft and warp of Libby’s daily routines.

There was no denying her relief that both Beth and Eliza had returned to the bay, nor that she’d been completely lost without them. Oh, they’d each done their best to keep in touch with regular Skype chats and not-so-regular visits home, but it had only served to emphasise the difference between their lives. While they grew and expanded their life experiences through both successes and failures, like a fly suspended in amber, Libby’s life had remained resolutely the same.

And then there was her dad. Mick Stone had always hung the moon and stars for Libby, and his quiet strength had been the rock she clung to through the maelstrom resulting from her mother’s painful illness and eventual death when Libby had been barely 13 years old. Her resultant teenage rebellions as she struggled to adjust to their new status quo had bounced off Mick’s solid frame without seeming to make a single dent at the time. It was only as she grew older that Libby had begun to come to terms with just how difficult she’d made things for him.

Mick’s weathered face softened. ‘Poor Eliza, she’s been through the mill, hasn’t she? Let me get this business out of the way, and then I’ll pick up the slack here.’

She snorted. He wouldn’t know slack if it pinched his nose. No one worked harder than her dad. Though she did her best to ensure they split the work as evenly as possible, he was forever looking for an excuse to give her a break. She adored him for it, even as it drove her crazy. They were partners in crime, a team through thick and thin, though she didn’t plan on selling fish and chips for the rest of her life. The future she’d mapped out for herself lay under this roof, and her dream was to turn the chippy into a café and bakery. But those plans were for other days, and she was happy to bide her time until her dad decided he’d had enough and was ready to hand over the reins.

In spite of it being the hottest day of the year so far, lunch club had proven as popular as ever, and without Eliza’s help, Libby would’ve been rushed off her feet. With the fryers on, the heat inside the shop had been punishing, even with the little air-con unit on the back wall running at full blast. With the last customer served, she clicked off the power to the fryers and the heating cabinet then moved to stand beneath the air-con and let the cold air wash over her. Eyes closed, she stood there until the combination of the frigid air and her sweat-soaked T-shirt sent a shiver through her entire body.

‘Oh, that looks good.’ Opening one eye was almost too much effort, but Libby cracked a lid and watched as Eliza propped the folding chairs she’d been carrying against the wall then came to stand beside her. ‘Okay, I’m never moving from this spot.’ Eliza dragged the hygiene covering from her hair and gathered the mass of curls spilling loose in one hand to expose the nape of her neck to the chilly blast.

Since they’d been little girls, Libby had always envied Eliza for her hair. The curls always seemed full of life and vitality, not like the limp, brown mop her own hair would be without all the dye and gel. Picturing the horror show lurking beneath her hat, Libby shook her head. ‘How is it possible for you to work non-stop for two hours in Lavender Bay’s own version of Dante’s Inferno and still look like some pre-Raphaelite goddess at the end of it?’

Eliza laughed. ‘You must be joking. I caught sight of myself in that mirrored sign over there as I walked past, and my face is glowing like a neon sign.’

Libby didn’t agree but was too hot and tired to argue the point. With a healthy flush on her cheeks and a bit of life back in her eyes, Eliza looked better than she had since returning home. ‘Have you thought any more about what you want to do?’

Laughter fading, Eliza scrunched up her face. ‘Not a clue, but I’ll have to find something soon before Mum and Dad get too used to the idea of me being behind the bar again. It’s great to be home, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t fancy the idea of pulling pints for the rest of my days. Do you know what I mean?’

Not really. With the death of her mum, it had been only natural for Libby to step into her shoes and help her dad with the business. At first it had been a case of pitching in around their two-storey home above the shop, keeping the place clean so her dad didn’t stay up half the night doing chores after being on his feet all day. It had progressed to prepping the batter, stocking the cold drinks fridge and taking orders whilst Mick manned the fryers. The day he’d deemed her old enough to work them herself was still one of the proudest moments of her life. Not a grand achievement to most, but it had been a milestone on her path from adolescence to adulthood. She loved the shop, loved the ebb and flow of people’s lives through the door. Shared their triumphs and commiserated their disasters as she shook, and salted, and wrapped the food which kept them going at the end of a long day.

It was the people she loved the most. Her people. They came through that front door in good times and bad. If someone was having a hard time, it showed in the way their orders changed. When a regular customer reduced their order, her dad would often slip them an extra piece of fish or add another scoop of chips to their standard portion size. He greeted each and every customer with the same ‘What’ll it be then?’, even those whose order never deviated in the dozen years she’d been helping him out. She’d asked him about it once, and his answer stuck with her.