Downshire Diary – (34) Moonlighting

 

Sharon Black was a pretty nurse with straw coloured hair, and despite the fact that she was almost six feet tall, she looked like a breadth of wind might blow her away.

But she was a very strong character and full of self-confidence, but it hadn’t always been that way because when she was a young girl she lived in the village of Bracefield in the Finchbottom Vale and she was painfully shy.

But that was a long time ago and now at the age of 33 she was comfortable in her own skin.

She hadn’t lived in Bracefield for many years and she lived alone in her own two bedroom house on a new development in the south of the town.

She had tried living with someone else and almost became engaged to him but after two months she realised two things, first that she didn’t love him and secondly that she preferred living alone. 

Sharon was an oncology nurse by profession and worked at the Winston Churchill Hospital but in order to pay for her to live alone in her own house, which she loved, she had to supplement her income with some private work.

So she started moonlighting for a private nursing agency and did a wide variety of roles, evenings and weekends, the only thing she refused to do was to work at the Churchill Hospital where she worked out of, as she thought that was taking liberties.

 

So that was why every other weekend Sharon made her way up to a private house on the outskirts of the Village of Tipton in the north of the county.

It was a big Art Deco house built in the thirties, very elegant and very stylish but for its owner Michael Booth it had become like a prison because even a gilded cage was still a cage.

He was a good looking man in his late thirties slim and even elegant and he always smelt gorgeous but the reason for his imprisonment was his wife’s illness.

Sharon’s role in regard to Nuria Booth was palliative care.

 

Normally when Sharon was on the night shift all she had to do, apart from managing the patients medication was to just sit with them.

So it enabled her to nap quite a lot so as not to impact on her day job, and she was fortunate in one respect that she had never slept for more than 6 hours a night in her whole life.

But with the Booths she stayed for the whole weekend and by the beginning of June, Nuria was very far along and barely conscious.

 

It was about three o’clock in the morning when Sharon woke from a restful dose, so she checked the patient and then decided to go and get herself a hot drink.

She crept slowly and quietly down the stairs so as not to disturb Mr Booth.

Sharon tip toed her way down until she was startled by a sound, which made her stop and then after listening intently for a full minute she then carried on.

As she approached the kitchen she noticed a light under the door of his Study.

 

Sharon Black crept slowly and quietly down the stairs from her patient Nuria Booth’s room so as not to disturb Mr Booth.

She tip toed her way down the staircase until she was startled by a sound, which made her stop and then after listening intently for a full minute she then carried on.

As she approached the kitchen she noticed a light under the door of his Study.

 

She made herself a drink and then went to investigate the light in the study and when she got closer she noticed the door was slightly ajar and she could see Michael Booth seated at his desk.

“Hello Mr Booth” Sharon said pushing the door open

“Is everything alright?” he said startled

“Yes I was just getting a drink” she replied

“Are you ok?” she asked and entered the room and approached him.

“If you’re having trouble sleeping I can give you something” she said

“I’m fine really” he said

“I don’t think you are” Sharon said and sat herself on the corner of his desk “So come on out with it”

He didn’t say anything immediately but Sharon noticed he was staring at her legs, and then he realised she had noticed and looked away.

“Well I’m ashamed to say it but…. I’m bored”

He admitted

“I can’t go out of the house and leave her but I can’t have people over here either”

“It’s not just that though is it?” she said as she noticed his eyes on her legs again.

“No” he agreed “I feel guilty because I resent her and her illness keeping me here”

“I see” she said

“Does that make me a terrible person?”

“Of course it doesn’t make you a terrible person Mr Booth”

“Please call me Michael”

“Of course it doesn’t make you a terrible person Michael” she said

“You love Nuria very much and it hurts like hell to watch her slipping away”

“She isn’t slipping away though is she? She’s dying by inches”

Michael said “and its torture”

Michael Booth was a very wealthy man with business interests all over Downshire but even with all his wealth he was helpless to help his wife.

“I know” she said “And all you can do is be there for her, hold her hand and talk to her, read to her, and let her hear your voice”

Michael nodded

“Any way I should get back” she said “Good night”

“Good night” Michael said and he watched her leave the room and as he had shown such an interest in her legs during their conversation she thought she would give him something more tantalizing to look at and walked out very slowly, and her boldness surprised her even though she was very self-confident.

Her brazenness of course was due to the fact that she had grown very fond of him over the months she had been nursing his wife.

But that night was the first time she realised that he was attracted to her.

“He really likes my legs” she thought as she climbed the stairs

 

Although Sharon Black had grown very fond of Michael Booth in the months that she had been nursing his terminally ill wife, and flattered though she was when she caught him ogling her legs, she had far too much professional integrity to act on her feelings.

But he had undoubtedly awoken feelings in her that she thought had gone forever.

 

Michael Booth was a good looking man in his late thirties slim and even elegant and he always smelt gorgeous.

But despite his great wealth he was sad, lonely and guilty, sad because the woman he loved was dying, lonely because of his self-imposed imprisonment in his home and guilty because of his growing feelings for Nurse Black.

 

Sharon Black was not the only nurse that looked after Nuria, he had twenty four hour a day, and seven day a week cover but she was the only nurse he looked at with a lustful gaze was Sharon and not because she was the only attractive one among them, which was why he felt so guilty.

Because if he’s lusted over every woman that stepped over his threshold he could have written it off as simple objectifying.

But instead he was only attracted to Sharon so that was a horse of a different colour.

 

He loved his wife Nuria, and he had done for all of the 15 years they had been married and the two years they were together before that, but it was breaking his heart watching her decaying before his very eyes.

 

Sharon was fully aware that she was on his radar and not just because he had shown such an interest in her legs.

And although she had dismissed it as a possibility for all manner of reasons, inappropriate and unprofessional being only two of them, she still found herself looking forward to her weekends in Tipton every other weekend.  

 

Michael was a lonely, soon to be widower, as his wife Nuria was dying.

Almost every waking moment he had thoughts of Sharon filling his head but he knew there would be no betrayal on his conscience.

He had far too much integrity to allow anything to happen like that and if he were to fall from grace the guilt would have lain heavy on him.

But he still felt guilty for having the thoughts in the first place, but it wasn’t just a physical thing, he really liked her and felt a connection to her.

 

Sharon was also conflicted having feelings for him whilst trying to remain loyal to her patient and so as she drove north from Abbottsford on Friday evening she promised herself that she wouldn’t do anything provocative or alluring but she promised herself that every time she set off but each time she failed.

 

Which was why when Sharon woke from a restful dose at three o’clock in the morning, after checking her patient, she decided to go downstairs because she knew that Michael would be sitting in his study.

She crept slowly and quietly down the stairs so as not to disturb him if he was asleep and so she tip toed her way down until she was startled by a sound and then she knew he was awake and when she got downstairs could see a light under the door of his Study.

 

“Hello Michael” Sharon said pushing the study door open “trouble sleeping again?”

“I’m afraid so” he said

“I was just getting a drink” she replied “Would you like one?”

“No I’m fine” he said

“I’m just going to read for a bit”

Sharon sat herself on the corner of his desk and he immediately began staring at her legs, she was unaware at that moment that he was  showing such an interest in her legs not that she was about to give him something even more tantalizing to look at.

She had seen in her peripheral vision that there was a book on the far corner of the desk so Sharon stood up and in one fluid movement turned around and reached across the desk to retrieve the book.

“So what are you reading?” she said without returning to the perpendicular.

“Dickens” he said in answer to her question while he stared at her wonderful figure as she was reaching over the desk but then his conscience got the better of him and he got up abruptly

“I think I’ll give it a miss after all” he said and left

 

As Sharon made herself a hot drink she reflected on the event that had occurred and thought that neither of them would be able to sleep any more that night.

 

After having her evening meal with Michael on Sunday, Sharon Said her goodbyes and headed home unbeknown to her that she would not be making the drive north for another weekend of moonlighting because three days later her patient Nuria finally ended her fight and slipped quietly away in the night.

 

So the next time she made the drive northward was to attend Nuria’s funeral, and she later found out that she was the only one of her nurses who bothered.

It was difficult when you were a palliative care nurse because all your patients died, and you couldn’t attend every funeral, so you just went to the ones where you had made a special connection, either with the patient of the family.

 

The funeral was held at St Hilda’s church in Tipton village and the wake was held at the Tipton Manor Hotel.

It was what Michael considered to be a proper funeral where everyone wore black, the men in black suits and ties and the women in the whole ensemble.

Which he always thought was nice, it was tradition, he liked tradition, and he also liked women in black and it would normally have been a source of titillation with all the women present dressed in black, but not of course on that day however as he was too emotionally drained to be interested in such things.

Even when he saw Sharon Black walking towards him, which was the first time he’d seen her out of uniform, he was unmoved.

But he was pleased to see her there nonetheless and he found her presence a great comfort and at the end of proceedings she held his hand and gave him her contact details.

“In case you want someone to talk to” she said and kissed his cheek.

 

Sharon continued in palliative care at the Winston Churchill Hospital as well as moonlighting for the agency but all the while Michael wasn’t far from her thoughts but it wasn’t until more than three months after the funeral that she heard from him again.

It was a Sunday morning just after 3 am, she was doing a weekend shift in Shallowfield and he knew with her habit of taking a hot drink in the wee small hours when she was on duty that there was a reasonable chance he would find her awake.

She opened the email and it began

“I’m sitting in my study reading Dickens and I thought of you”

 

Over the weeks and months that followed emails between them continued more often than not in the middle of the night and she found that even when she wasn’t working she would wake at 3 am just to check her mail.

 

The content of the mails varied considerably so were very informative, explaining that he was back at work and looking to the future, and some were quite candid such as when he told her that he didn’t want to contact her as a grieving widower looking for a sounding board or a shoulder to cry on, he wanted to wait until he could contact her as a friend with potential.

 

By the time the first anniversary of Nuria death had come and gone the correspondence had become romantic in nature and often quite intimate.

But once the anniversary had passed the email traffic stalled and each of them was waiting for the other to say or do something so when after she had awoken at 3 am one Sunday morning at the end of June to find no email, she showered and dressed and was in the car heading north by 5.30am.

 

She arrived at the house on the outskirts of the Village of Tipton in the north of Downshire.

It was a big Art Deco house built in the thirties, very elegant and very stylish just like its owner.

She hadn’t seen him for over a year but she had the picture of him in her head.

He was a good looking man in his late thirties slim an even elegant and he always smelt gorgeous and she was really looking forward to having the fragrance in her nostrils again.

But as she stood on his porch her head were full of doubts and she suddenly felt foolish.

And she thought about turning tail and returning home but then the door opened and a smiling Michael was standing there.

 

“Come in” he said and Sharon walked nervously in as invited.

It was not like her she was normally ultra-confident but she stepped into the hall she felt very timid, and having got there she had no idea what to do next.

But it was no more than a minute or so after she’d walked in and taken off her coat before he took the initiative and took her in his arms.

Downshire Diary – (33) The Slow Burn

 

It was a beautiful June evening when Jonathon Hardman and his colleague Neil Etherington were sat by the river in the beer garden of the Mulberry Tree in the village of Brocklington, which was about six miles downstream of the River Deighton discussing the upcoming weekend.

The two friends both worked for a firm of architects called New Horizons whose head office was in Sharpington by Sea.

Neil had a cottage in the Village and Jon was staying with him while his house the Dulcets was being fumigated.

The reason they were discussing the weekend was because he had two tickets to the Downshire versus Surrey one day match at the Abbottsfield cricket ground.

The main topic of the conversation was whether they would drive to Abbottsford early on Saturday morning or go up the night before and stay at a hotel and they were on their third pint of Mornington Ale when Neil’s phone rang which made up their minds for them.

 

The call was from their boss Russ Evans and he wanted Neil to go to an all-day meeting in Abbottsford the next day and he needed Jonathon in the office in Sharpington.

As a result Neil’s mind was made up for him regarding the weekend because as he was going to be in Abbottsford all day on Friday it made perfect sense for him to stay at a hotel that night.  

For Jonathon however it wasn’t an option as he wouldn’t get to Abbottsford until really late because of the Friday night traffic so he decided he would leave Brocklington early on Saturday and meet Neil at the Hotel.

 

While Jonathon and Neil were enjoying a drink or three, someone as yet unknown to them was just returning home to the village of Highfinch which sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills where the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.

 

Among the residents of Highfinch was Isabelle Decoene, a very slim and attractive girl, tall and slender and very well endowed with legs to die for.

She was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.

In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and at the age of 29 she still lived with her parents.

It was a bit of a joke among her friends but she didn’t care, it suited her and it wouldn’t be forever.

She worked as an accountant for Barraclough Ventures who’s head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, and she had to visit them all during the course of her job so she subsequently had to do a lot of traveling which was why she treated herself to her pride and joy, an Audi TT Roadster convertible in red.

However for Friday she had made sure she would end her week in Abbottsford where she would meet up with her best friend Samantha Barraclough at the Abbottsford Regents Hotel, for the start for what would prove to be a life changing weekend.

 

It was Friday morning and another glorious June day as John set off from the village it was an hour and a half drive from Brocklington to Abbottsford even on a good day and that Saturday morning was apparently a very good day and he arrived at the Black Heart Hotel bang on time to find Neil was still in the restaurant and it was 9 o’clock.

 

At that precise moment Isabelle was also having breakfast but she was at the Abbottsford Regents with her friend Samantha Barraclough.

And Izzy was feeling a little fragile as she had rather over indulge the night before and didn’t get to bed until late after having had a late night out with friends.

 

Her problem was that she had drunk so much to try and drown out Samantha’s constant wittering about a great man she had met and how she was kicking herself for not getting his number or at the very least giving him hers.

 

Because Neil was ready, as he had already breakfasted before Jonathon arrived they left for the cricket ground on foot and on the way there Neil recounted all the details of the previous days encounter with a drop dead gorgeous girl.

“Did you get her number?” Jonathon asked

“Erm no” was the reply

“Wouldn’t she give it to you?” Jon asked mockingly

“No, it wasn’t like that”

“But you did ask her?” Jonathon pressed him

“Well no I didn’t actually” he admitted

“You numpty” Jonathon said “you do realise that she might have been “the one””

“The thought did cross my mind” Neil admitted

“So you might well have blown it” Jon added

“Yes”

“So how do you feel?” Jon asked

“Like a complete numpty” Neil said

 

It was a glorious June day and there was a good crowd at the Cricket Ground and Neil and Jonathon went in as soon as the gates opened and after getting some refreshments they found their seats and took in the ambience as the ground began to fill.

 

Downshire won the toss and decided to bat first and they were in great form and the atmosphere was absolutely electric as Downshire went to work with the bat and they raced to 53-0 inside seven overs and declared on 225 for 7 after just 40 overs so the umpire called an early lunch, which pleased Jonathon no end because he missed breakfast.

Neil and Jonathon joined the throng to use either the facilities or one of the many food and refreshment outlets.

While Neil queued for sandwiches and crisps Jonathon joined a separate queue for two pints of Mornington Special.

 

Jonathon got the beers and returned to his seat and waited for Neil to appear and he waited, and waited, and waited.

“Did you have to make those sandwiches?” Jonathon said when Neil finally reached him.  

“I have something better than sandwiches” he said and waved the business card under his nose.

Neil had met the girl he had been enthusing about and she had given him her number.

“Result” Jonathon said as he turned the card over in his hand “But I hope you got the sandwiches as well”

 

Samantha Barraclough was in one of the executive boxes, as was Isabelle and when Sam returned to the box she couldn’t wait to tell her best friend Isabelle Decoene that she had given Neil her number.

“Thank god for that” she said “Perhaps you’ll stop going on about him so much now you have his number”

“Oh bugger” Sam exclaimed

“You did get “His” number didn’t you?” Izzy asked

“Oh bugger” Sam said again and plopped down in her seat

“Oh bugger” Isabelle echoed because she knew she was going to talk about her missed opportunity all afternoon.

 

When the cricket resumed Samantha’s 20-year-old step brother, who was Downshire’s Debutant all-rounder David Ball joined the bowling attack and clean bowled Surrey’s star man Gillmore with his first ball, a dismissal that sparked a spectacular collapse.

Surrey were all out for 165 with 12 overs to spare and Downshire won the match by sixty runs and the delighted fans disgorged onto the streets of Abbottsford in great spirits even before the tea interval.

 

Jonathon and Neil decided to return to the Hotel on foot and planned to stop for a pint or two along the way, they made slow progress however and bypassed the first three pubs because of the huge crowds and their perseverance paid off as the crowds began to thin out as people started to disappear up side roads in search of their cars.

The two men were both tall and as the crowd thinned they could lengthen their stride.

They had decided on the Downshire Castle as their port of call and they were within sight of it and anticipating a refreshing pint when they were brought back to the moment by the sound of a car horn, a very persistent car horn.

They both turned around to investigate and Neil saw Samantha standing up in the passenger side of a red Audi TT Roadster convertible waving franticly and grinning.

 

Isabelle and Samantha had left the cricket ground from the members car park and were heading very slowly back to the Hotel when Samantha spotted Neil ahead of them on the pavement.

“It’s him, it’s him, it’s him” she squealed

“Where?” Isabelle asked

“Over there” she replied excitedly and pointed

“Toot your horn, toot it toot it toot it”

 

Having successful attracted his attention Samantha gave him her most dazzling smile and said

“Hello again”

“Hi”

“There’s a big garden party in the grounds of the Regents, we’re going back to there now” she said at a hundred miles an hour “do you and your friend want to come?”

“Yes we’d love to” he replied and then the traffic started moving and Isabelle had to drive off

“I’ll meet you in reception” she shouted

 

“Was that him?” Isabelle asked “the one you’ve been bending my ear about all weekend”

“Yes that’s him” Sam said proudly

“He’s a bit ordinary” Izzy said and Samantha frowned “His friend was alright though”

 

Samantha sat in silence for the rest of the journey and digested what Izzy had said, she didn’t think he was ordinary, from the first moment she saw him she knew he was anything but ordinary.

She wasn’t inexperienced with men, but most of the experience’s she had had weren’t really memorable, or were memorable for the wrong reasons, looking as she did she had always attracted men, the problem was she chose the wrong ones, perhaps that was why she was attracted to Neil because he wasn’t the “type” of man she normally went for.

         

Isabelle went and parked the car and Samantha proceeded into the Hotel and rushed upstairs to her room to freshen up, so she would look her best when Neil arrived then she went back downstairs to reception and Izzy was waiting in reception for her and when Samantha came back she said to Izzy

“I don’t think he’s ordinary”

“I know that” she said “But the way you were talking I thought he was going to look like Robert Redford”

“I wasn’t that bad” she protested

“You were and I’ve never known you to be so obviously smitten by a man before” she pointed out “and I’ve certainly never known you to chase one down the street”

“Yes but ….” She began, but didn’t finish because she saw Neil and his friend walking towards them. 

 

Introductions were quickly made and Isabelle, who had liked the look of Jonathon the first time she saw him, liked him even more at close quarters.

Neil could only look at Samantha in abject admiration, but he appreciated her for slightly longer that he should and Samantha became self-conscious and looked at her feet and blushed.

Jonathon suggested drinks and Isabelle volunteered to go with him leaving Neil and Sam alone.

 

“I’ve never seen her like that before” Izzy said

“Well Neil is totally smitten, I don’t think he even realised the cricket had started again after he saw Samantha at lunch”

“She was the same” Izzy said “Absolutely besotted”

“Should we do anything to help?” Jon asked

“I don’t think we need to intervene” she replied “I don’t even think they’ll notice we’re even there”

 

Samantha was giggling when Jonathon and Isabelle returned with the drinks and they walked out onto the terrace and looked for a table.

There were no empty tables on the terrace but there was one with three vacant seats so they decided to take them and Samantha ended up sitting on Neil’s lap and then they only had eyes for one another which left Jonathon and Isabelle to keep each other amused.

Which was ok but there’s was a distinct lack of an instant attraction between them, in fact it was more of a slow burner, they liked the look of one another and they enjoyed the time the spent together but there was no spark.

There was definitely a friendly vibe between them but that was all and when they said goodbye they did hope to see each other again because they had enjoyed the day very much.

 

The love that bloomed between Samantha Barraclough and Neil Etherington in Abbottsford in June went from strength to strength and as their closest friends Jonathon Hardman and Isabelle Decoene assumed that they would see each other on a regular basis.

But it didn’t work out that way they only actually only met a handful of times in June and July and then nothing for months.   

It wasn’t by design however it was just the way it worked out, it was either holidays, or illness, or work commitments that conspired to keep them apart and the longer the separation the greater their desire to see the other as the slow burn continued.

But it wasn’t until September when it ignited. 

 

Isabelle Decoene looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection, she was an exotic looking woman and had beautiful long dark brown hair and dark skin, reflecting her heritage as did her large brown eyes.

In her ancestry she had French, Filipino and Spanish blood but she was born and bred in Britain and still lived with her parents.

Isabelle was thirty years old to the very day and for the first time in years she was going out with all of her besties on her birthday.

The previous five years of birthdays there was always someone who couldn’t make it, but that year there was a full complement and she was really looking forward to it.

 

For her 30th birthday Samantha had arranged the birthday evening for Isabelle and her best friends which started with a fabulous meal at a Lebanese Restaurant which had been named rather unimaginatively as Beirut.

None of them had eaten Lebanese before, so guided by the waiter they ordered the house special platter which consisted of a large range of meat, not at all unlike kebab meat but with much more sophisticated spicing.

They all enjoyed the meal very much and copious quantities of wine along with it and after settling the bill they all headed to a club called the Pull Zone.

As Isabelle was the first of her closest friends to reach her milestone birthday there was a lot of age related teasing.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright dancing with the young people dear?”

“It might be a bit noisy old girl”

“If you keep to the shadows you won’t look too out of place”

“Oh yes very funny just watch and learn as I put it to the test and see just how much of a “Pull Zone” it actually is” She boasted amidst derisive laughter although they all knew she would pull, because Samantha had arranged it.

 

While Isabelle and her friends were enjoying Lebanese food at the Beirut, Neil Etherington and Jonathon Hardman were in the same street eating Italian at a Restaurant called Roberto’s and when they had finished Neil suggested going to a club.

“Oh I don’t know about that” Jon replied

“Come on lets live a little” Neil insisted “When was the last time we went to a club?”

“Aren’t we a bit old?” Jon asked

“Too old?” Neil retorted “now we are definitely going to a club”

 

The club he took his friend to was of course Pull Zone and once they walked inside Neil sent a text message to Samantha.

“The Eagle has landed”

 

Despite it being her birthday Isabelle hadn’t been her normal sparky self that day, the first thing that brought her down was that she still hadn’t managed to hook up with Jonathon Hardman and the second thing was that she didn’t have him or any other significant other in her life.

However she had enjoyed the evening immensely and had not been given any time to think, the next day would be a different matter.

 

Once inside the club, Isabelle’s party were immediately targeted by the lounge lizards but there flirtations were quickly brushed aside 

The second wave reached them at the bar and with the necessity of prolonged exchanges of flirting, in her case with someone called Adrian, but then she caught sight of a familiar face further along the bar and then she had eyes and ears for no one else because as far as she was concerned Jonathon was the best looking and the best dressed man in the whole place.

However on the dance floor his dancing left a lot to be desired, until the slow dancing started and then things went to a whole new level.

 

Just on one o’clock she was starting to flag and told everyone she was leaving and Jonathon was going to walk her to the taxi rank.

“I told you I’d pull” she said to her friends

“He doesn’t count” one of them replied

“Why not?” she asked affronted

“Because you know him for one thing and you two have fancied each other for ages” was the reply

After they left the club they were walking arm in arm down the high street when Isabella suddenly turned left without any warning.

“That’s the wrong way” Jonathon said

“No it isn’t” she insisted

“It is” he said “the taxi rank is the other way”

“I need to go this way” she replied and walked into the church square. “In here” she ordered and led him into a courtyard and pushed him back against the church wall and kissed him and after a prolonged and passionate kiss she said

“Happy birthday to me”

“I hope I don’t have to wait until your next birthday to do that again” he said 

“You don’t have to worry about that” she said and kissed him again and then afterwards she said

“Now we can go back to the club”

“I thought you wanted to go home” he said

“No, I just wanted our first kiss to be in private and I’ve got my second wind now” she replied

“So you really want to suffer more of my dancing?” he asked

“Well I was thinking more along the lines of canoodling in the corner with my new boyfriend” she replied coyly

“Oh well that I can do” he agreed and put his arm around her as they walked back to the club.

Downshire Diary – (32) Mother’s Day Duty

 

Clare Harwood and her mother Anna lived in the village of Clarence which was a mile or so from Purplemere.

She was 27 years old, pale skinned, strawberry blonde, five foot nothing tall and whippet thin and her mother was just an older version of her daughter.

Her Father David had died the year before and as she was an only child there was only the two of them.

 

They both worked at the Royal Downshire Hospital in Purplemere Anna was a clerical officer and Clare was a district nurse.

The two of them did a lot of things together, shopping, eating out and the theatre.

But for Mother’s Day Clare had bought a three day, all-inclusive spa break for her mum, plus one, at the Tipton Manor Hotel and Spa in the north of the county.

She booked for two because she knew her mum would never go to a place like that on her own.

But her mum insisted she wanted to go with Clare, so they could spend some quality time together doing girls stuff.

Well that wasn’t the kind of thing Clare had in mind, it wasn’t her kind of thing at all.

The younger Clare wasn’t the rest and relaxation detox kind of girl at all, she was more of a “burning the candle at both ends” and toxing her socks off kind of girl.

So it was with some trepidation that she agreed to accompany her mum.

 

In order for her to get the best possible deal Clare had booked a midweek mini break, she was a nurse after all, so money didn’t grow on trees, but the earliest she could get was at the end of April.

 

It was a long drive from Clarence, on the outskirts of Purplemere, to Tipton in the north of the county but then they had taken the decision after getting off the expressway to take the scenic route through The Pepperstock Hills National Park.

But the scenery in the Park was well worth the additional time with its stark contrasts from the extensive tract of magnificent mixed forestry to the south and east, the old Quarries reclaimed by Nature to the west to the bare, and often barren crags to the north.

However despite the scenic splendour she had witnessed when they arrived Clare was not in the best of spirits.

To her mind there were much more enjoyable ways of spending her days off than babysitting her mother.

As much as she loved her she wasn’t exactly the type of company she was interested in she would have preferred to spend her days off searching for her prince charming, god knew it was difficult enough to do without having your mother riding shotgun.

But she resolved to make the best of it and try to get her monies worth.

 

They were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.

He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.

Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.

 

Clare and Anna were greeted in reception by a very attractive specimen of a man and Clare’s spirits rose.

He was over six feet tall, lean and muscular, very good looking and well groomed, he was manicured and pedicured, toned, tanned and smelt like a perfume counter.

Naturally Clare marked him down as gay.

 

“Good morning ladies” he said with the faintest hint of a French accent.
“Good morning” they replied in unison

“We have a booking in the name of Harwood” Clare said

“Ah the Harwood sisters” he said

“You know very well we're not sisters you cheeky boy” Mrs Harwood said in a style something akin to a Carry on movie.
“You're not sisters?” he asked feigning surprise
“Mother and daughter” she said
“And which one are you Mademoiselle” he said and kissed her hand
“Cheeky” she said and blushed
Clare didn’t contribute to the converse but continued her appraisal of the man and concluded what a waste it was for him to play for the other side.

When the Oscar Wilde capers were over and done with they managed to get themselves checked in, it was while her mum was signing in that Clare caught him at the back doing some appraising of his own, of her and her mother and she began to question her initial assessment.
“When you have settled into your room I will give you a tour of the facilities” he said “Shall we say on the terrace in 30 minutes?”

“That will be fine” Clare said

“Of course with your lovely pale skin you two will need to stay in the shadows” He said.

Clare smiled and her mum blushed at the compliment.

According to his name badge his name was Claude and he was very handsome and she thought things might well be looking up if he didn’t bat for the other side.

“You can check my skin anytime” Clare said

“I’ll bare that in mind” he retorted

“You’re a terrible flirt Clare” mum said

“I know” she said, “although I think of it more as advertising”

 

They went up to their rooms and settled in and then went down stairs to find Gorgeous Claude.

However as the approached the terrace they came across him fawning over another group of women of mixed ages, ranging from 16 to 60, and they watched as he ogled and drooled over all of them and Clare felt her skin crawl and she shivered.

“Yes I know what you mean” her mum said “he’s a real lounge lizard.

So they decided to skip oily Claude’s tour and just wandered around on their own.

 

Their sojourn took them to the pool area first, they saw the Rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool and the swimming pool as well.

After which they headed towards the sun lounge and refreshments which was when they literally bumped into Phil Grice and his uncle, Roger Greven.

 

The collision between the Harwood’s and Roger Greven and his nephew Phil Grice resulted in Clare falling into a planter and Roger lying flat on his back with Anna on top of him nose to nose.

Phil Grice was the only one left standing and unsure who he should help first.

 

He decided on the pretty young one in the planter, who was left like an upturned beetle, with her legs waving about, which was what he noticed, her lovely legs, she was also giggling which he liked to.

“I’m terribly sorry”

He said and took her hands and pulled her to her feet, it took little effort as she was a tiny little thing and he was over six feet tall.  

She was still giggling and was unable to respond and when she saw her mum lying on top of a strange man her giggles turned to belly laughs. 

 

All four of them were laughing by the time everyone was on their feet again and between the laughter everyone expressed their apologies for their clumsiness.

 

In between giggles Clare kept giving appraising glances at the good looking man who had pulled her to her feet and she liked what she saw, to the point that she though he put Claude in the shade.

He was six feet two inches, athletically built with short sandy hair, blue eyes and a close cropped beard.

And while she was looking at him he was sneaking glances at her, he had been very impressed with her legs when she was in the planter but now she was stood up on them they rather paled into insignificance compared to the rest of her.

 

When the laughter had subsided her mum said

“We were headed to the sun lounge for a coffee, perhaps you would join us”

The two men agreed and Clare thought “Nice one mum”

 

When they were seated in the lounge and the drinks were ordered the introductions were made.

Roger Greven, who walked with a stick, was a year older than Anna and Phil Grice was the same age as Clare.

Roger was there for aqua therapy to rebuild his muscles after shattering his pelvis following a fall from his horse, and his nephew Phil was there because Roger hadn’t been passed fit to drive.

“Are you from Tipton?” Clare asked

“No we are from Sharping St Mary in the Finchbottom Vale” Phil replied

“Really?” Clare exclaimed “we’re from Clarence”

“So we are practically neighbour” Anna said to Roger

They stayed in the lounge for over half an hour in which time Anna and Clare discovered that Roger was widowed and Phil was single.

Unfortunately before they could glean any further information one of the therapist staff approached the table and informed Roger that it was time for his session.

So they parted company with expressions that they hoped they would run into each other again during their stay.

 

After they had gone Clare and Anna looked at each other and said in unison

“Well they were nice”

 

During the remainder of their first day and all of the next, despite their best efforts, they didn’t see Roger or his nephew.

But they had a great time using the facilities and enjoyed the full range of what was on offer, fitness classes, gym, rock sauna, infra-red sauna, aroma steam room, ice fountain, drench showers, Jacuzzi, a Romanesque pool, Reflexology, Raki, facials, scalp massage, hand massage, Manicure and Pedicure you name it they had it.

But by the end of the second day Clare was getting increasingly frustrated that she hadn’t even had a glimpse of the lovely Phil.

After her and her mum had dinner together Anna went off to bed as she said she was exhausted and Clare went off to the Gym to try and relieve some of her sexual tension.

After an hour she realised it wasn’t working so she decided to have a swim before turning in.

While she was swimming Clare noticed she was not alone, and wondered what it was that brought them to pool.

She swam another two lengths and then got out but as she reached the entrance to the changing rooms her companion spoke.

“I see you managed to not bump into anyone” Phil said as he exited the pool.

“Yes” she replied “That’s because there was no one around”

“Ah that would explain it” Phil said

“I did try to bump into you again, but I could find you” Clare said flirtatiously have you been avoiding me”

“No” he replied “I just haven’t been here, I was only here to drop Uncle Roger off, and then I had to leave for an appointment”

“For what?” Clare asked nosily, hoping it wasn’t an assignation

“I had to see a client about a commission” he replied “I’m an artist”

“So when did you get back?”

“About 20 minutes ago, I was a bit stiff after the drive so I thought a swim might relax me before bed” he replied

“And did it work?”

“Not really” he replied

“What you need is a massage” Clare said

“Unfortunately there are no masseurs around at this time of night” he said regretfully

“I’ll do you if you like” she offered hoping he would take it the right way. “I’m a nurse and I have healing hands”

“Ok” he agreed

So she led him into a cubicle and said

“Lie down on the table while I find the oil”

Phil complied with her instruction and climbed onto the table and lay face down on the towel she had prepared.

When she had found the oil she turned around to see him lying on the table like a delicious buffet.

She applied the oil and began to rub it into his muscular shoulders

“That feels nice” he said and for the next 15 minutes she continued her massaging caresses of his sculpted body.

Although it was relaxing Phil it was unfortunately having the opposite effect on her so she slapped his buttock and said

“That’s you done”

“Wow that’s what I call a relaxation massage” he replied

“That was bloody marvelous”

“I told you I had healing hands” she said and he sat himself up and swung his legs around so he was sat facing her

“Do you have anything more to show me from your repertoire?”

“Well I do but I don’t think this is the time or the place for it” she replied provocatively

“But I do think this is the time and the place for a kiss though”

She continued and stepped in close to him

“But I’ve never kissed a man with a beard before”

“Nor have I” Phil retorted and kissed her.

 

Clare and her mum had to go home after lunch the next day but they spent lunchtime with Phil and his Uncle and when they left Clare and Phil found a secluded corner to share a goodbye kiss which would have to sustain them until the weekend when they were meeting up again.

Downshire Diary – (31) She’ll be Wearing Pink Pyjamas

 

Anthony Flood was approaching his 44th birthday and had never felt so young and vital as he had since the episode when had kissed Fiona Fortson in the stationary cupboard, or more precisely she had kissed him.

At the time he had known her for roughly six months and had had a crush on her since the first moment he saw her.

She was in his sister’s bible study group which was held at his house every two or three weeks.

When the diminutive woman standing 4 feet 11 in her stocking feet looked at him with her large saucer eyes he was ensnared.

Even before she deployed the warm mesmerizing smile he was smitten.

But as remarkably beautiful as her face was, her figure on the other hand was singularly unremarkable.

She had short chubby legs, a flat chest and a barely distinguishable waist.

Though her bum was an altogether different proposition and each buttock was beautifully defined inside her cargos.      

Anthony however despite being attracted to her didn’t envisage that anything would ever come of it, he was 12 years her senior and she was a sensible Christian girl.

So it came as quite a surprise when his sister Jane volunteered him to help Fiona retrieve something from the stationary cupboard and he ended up helping himself to a snog.

 

After the event Anthony felt a surprising lack of guilt about it even though he had snogged a fellow congregant on church property during the Sunday service while his sister Jane sat in the congregation.

He didn’t know if Fiona felt guilty, he hadn’t seen her to ask her.

Though in fairness it was Fiona who had initiated the action in the cupboard when she feigned a slip from the steps and fell into his arms.

 

He remembered so well watching Fiona taking her seat after the event and she looked across at him and smiled,

Anthony winked at Fiona and her face went scarlet and then she looked away.

But when a moment later she turned and looked at him again she smiled broadly and he knew the stationary cupboard kiss was a proper beginning.

 

However in the week following that eventful Sunday Anthony was away in Nettlefield on business so it hadn’t been the beginning of anything and so it was the next Monday when he decided to act and he decided to visit one of the places she worked and talk to her away from the church.

Fiona had a wonderful work ethic, which was something else he admired her for and she held down three part time jobs.

Monday to Wednesday she worked at Abbotts Gardens Centre, Thursdays and Fridays she worked Dustbusters domestic cleaning services and at weekends she worked in the café and bookshop at St Joseph’s church, which was situated on the edge of the town centre. 

 

He visited the Abbotts Gardens Centre numerous times but failed to see her, so he went into the café and bookshop on three separate occasions just in case she was doing extra shifts but there was no sign of her there either.

So he thought that she was obviously racked with guilt and was either keeping a low profile or had left.

Anthony couldn’t keep turning up at the church looking for her as people would doubtless notice and be suspicious, he had already visited the bookshop more times in one week than he had in the previous two years.

And that would have been that had it not been for an overheard conversation between his sister and the café and bookshop manager, Mrs Patmore.

“Yes I can do a couple of hours on Saturday” Jane said “And I hope Fiona is better soon”

After Jane had hung up the phone Anthony asked

“What was all that about?”

“Mrs Patmore is looking for help at the café while Fiona is laid up” she replied

“Why what’s wrong with her?” his asked casually

“She fell off those rickety steps last Sunday” Jane said in her “I knew that would happen”

He and Jane hadn’t been to St Dunstan’s that day as they had a christening to attend at St Lucy’s in Sharpington

“Oh dear” he said wondering if she was thinking about the previous weeks antics “is she ok?”

“Badly sprained ankle” Jane said

 

It was Wednesday when he got the news about Fiona’s fall, and once he realised she wasn’t seriously hurt Anthony wondered if it would be classed as a fall from grace.

Particularly if she was reminiscing on the previous outing on the steps.

He spent the next couple of days trying to think of a plausible ruse that would enable him to go round and see her.

The ruse would be superfluous for Fiona as she would know why his was really there, the ruse was for the benefit of Judith who was Fiona’s flatmate.

He racked his brain for a solution but none came so he resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn’t see her until she returned to work.

 

On Saturday morning he was busy in the garden pruning back the shrubbery when Jane appeared at the backdoor

“I’m doing a shift at the café this afternoon” she called

“Ok” he replied

“There is a bunch of flowers on the table” she continued “I don’t have time to drop them off, so can you do it?”

“Sure” he replied “who are they for?”

“Fiona of course” she said “why do you never pay attention”

Flowers, why didn’t he think of flowers, it was perfect.

So as soon as Jane had left he went upstairs and showered and shaved.

Then he got in his car and drove the six miles to the small block of flats where Fiona lived

He walked up to the first floor and rang the bell and a few minutes later it was opened by Judith Small the flat mate.

“Hi Judith” he said “I have flowers for the invalid”

“Hello Mr Flood” she said politely “Do come in”

As he followed Judith down the hall staring at her denim clad derriere he thought that Fiona’s flat mate had the three main attributes that Fiona lacked youth, height and breasts, but despite that there was something Judith didn’t have and that was the equal to her bum and more importantly her heart.

 

“It’s Mr Flood” Judith announced as he walked in

“Hello Anthony” she said recumbent on the sofa with her sprained ankle resting on a chair supported by a large cushion.

She was wearing a blue fleecy dressing gown over the top of pink striped pyjamas.

“What a lovely surprise”

“I come bearing gifts” he said and proffered the bunch of flowers which Judith snatched from his grasp and took them away to the kitchen

“They’re lovely” said the Carrington Chase educated girl and motioned with her head like someone watching the grand prix and has just seen the car race down the home straight.

He sat down on the sofa next to her.

“I would have come sooner” he said after Judith had gone.

“But…” He didn’t finish his sentence as Fiona had taken hold of his hand which she continued to hold until Judith reappeared.

“What happened?” Anthony asked with concern

“I fell off those blessed steps and you weren’t there to catch me” she said

“Or kiss me” she added in a whisper

“I wish I had been” he said and she blushed

Just then Judith’s mobile went off and she took it out of the room to answer it and the moment she went out the door Fiona took hold of his hand again but released it a moment later when Judith returned

“Will you be alright if I just pop into town?” she asked “I won’t be long”

“Of course” Fiona replied “Anthony will keep me company for a little while, won’t you Anthony?”

“Oh yes” he replied “I’ll take good care of her”

The second they heard the front door close Fiona took hold of his hand again and held it against her cheek.

“How’s your ankle?” he asked

“Not too bad” she said and Anthony took that to mean that she wanted a cuddle so he put his arm around her.

“I was hoping you would come to see me” she said in her posh wanton accent

“I came as soon as I could” he explained

“I know” she said holding his palm against her cheek and he moved closer to her and kissed her mouth.

She reciprocated instantly with lips, soft and yielding, and her mouth was hot and her tongue was inquisitive.

 

In the hour and a half that Judith left them alone together they did more than kiss, they declared their love for each other.

But they decided to keep it to themselves for the time being which they thought made their relationship all the more exciting.

Downshire Diary – (30) The Captain’s Bride

 

The village of Highfinch sits just on the edge of the Pepperstock Hills and the Lily Green Hollows Golf Club separates the village from the Hamlet of Lily Green, and the combination of those two and Kingfisherbridge made up the parish of St Martins.

 

Among the residents of Highfinch was Lorraine Weaving, a beautiful 29 year old with hazel eyes, 5 foot 7 inches tall, athletically built and completely bald.

She was completely devoid of any hair at all, no eyebrows, body hair and as everyone was always asking her, nothing down there as well.

And the answer to the other question she was always being asked, was that she fell out of a tree when she was six.

 

Lorraine was originally born in Childean, but in her 29 years she had lived all over the Finchbottom Vale which nestles comfortably between the Ancient Dancingdean Forest to the south and the rolling Pepperstock Hills in the north, those who are lucky enough to live there think of it as the rose between two thorns.

 

Throughout its history the Finchbottom Vale was largely dependent on agriculture and so it remained into the 21st century but many and varied occupations and endeavour’s thrived alongside the traditional rural livelihood’s but it was in agriculture that the Weaving family had earned their livings for centuries but Lorraine, who loved her family and the Vale in equal measure, decided pretty early on in her life that agriculture was not for her.

 

She could have chosen almost any Town or Village in the Vale to start her change of career but she chose Highfinch, partly because she had a great aunt living in the village who offered her a roof over her head but mainly because she held a particular affinity for the village because it was in Hawks Wood where she parted company with her hair.

 

When Lorraine Weaving took over as practice manager of the Highfinch Surgery she quickly made new friends as she made her mark in her quiet and unassuming way and Lorraine was well liked by staff and patients alike and she firmly believed she had found her niche.

So she had a nice little house in the village a job that she loved and wonderful friends and she was as content as she had ever been, but all of that changed on the 1st of July when she met Captain Peter Loosemore.

He was at the surgery with one of his regiment, Sgt Paul Russell, who had been severely wounded by an IED in Afghanistan, and he was a double amputee, his left leg had gone below the knee and his right just above it.

He was there for a physio appointment and the Captain was there for moral support.

But the meeting left the Captain and the Practice Manager completely smitten.

There second meeting was two days later at the Annual Finchbottom Vale Health Care Summer Ball at the Clayton Manor Hotel in the village of Clayton where they fell deeper.

But straight after the Ball he had to return to Barracks as the Regiment was deploying to Afghanistan.

They didn’t have their first date until after his short but bloody tour.

 

The first of many dates for Lorraine and Peter was in Purplemere but it wasn’t until after a carefully planned supper at her house in Highfinch that they made love for the first time

And as they lay panting in the afterglow Lorraine said breathlessly.

“Oh Peter, I love you”

And in response he kissed her hot panting mouth and replied.

“I love you too”

That was an entirely unexpected outcome for Lorraine, the thought that she loved him had never even crossed her mind.

She knew that she liked him from the first moment she met him but was that love? 

To her great relief Peter said that he loved her too, but did he?

In the post coital hours they discussed at length the implications of their declarations and the basis on which they made them.

The outcome of their deliberations was that they were indeed in love and were victims of love at first sight.

This was something they had both heard of but didn’t actually believe was possible in reality.

They thought it was just the stuff of Romantic comedies.

However the implications of their joint declarations were self-evident and before they made love for a second time Peter made and Lorraine accepted his proposal of marriage.

Peter had never felt so proud and Lorraine had never known such happiness.

 

The wedding date was set for May 21st and would take place in St Martin’s church in Highfinch, and the ceremony would be performed by Jenna Lawton.

Her parents were ecstatic when Lorraine broke the news to them and when she introduced Peter to them they fell in love with him as well.

   

Lorraine Weaving, slender a tall girl, athletically built with a lovely shape and stunning legs and her mother was just an older version of her daughter apart from the bald head.

Lorraine was thirty years old but looked much younger and her mum was beginning to think the day would never come when she could hand down to her daughter her own wedding dress.

 

Lorraine had been a happy singleton, and content to be so until the day when she walked into the waiting room of the Highfinch Surgery and met Captain Peter Loosemore.

 

Her mum handed Lorraine the dress box and she said

“You are the spit of me when I got married, I’d love you to wear this”

“What is it?” Lorraine asked

“Open it and see” she replied

Lorraine opened the box and her eyes widened as she unfolded, first the tissue and then the garment

“It’s beautiful” she said with tears welling up in her eyes

“Absolutely beautiful”

When she put it on it was a perfect fit and it was her mums turn to cry as her beautiful daughter wore her mother’s beautiful wedding dress.

 

Lorraine’s parents stayed at her house on the night before the wedding and Peter stayed at a nearby Hotel, The Montague Beaumont.

But at about 9 o’clock she put on her raincoat and said to her parents

“I’m just going out for a bit”

“Is everything ok love?” her dad asked

“Yes dad” she replied “I just need some air”

“Don’t be late back” her mum said “big day tomorrow”

“Don’t worry I won’t be late to bed” she replied and closed the door.

 

Lorraine left her parents in her house and drove the three miles to the Montague Beaumont Hotel and went upstairs to room twelve and knocked on the door.

“Come in” he called and she opened the door.

Peter was lying on the bed in his dressing gown watching TV.

“Hello soldier boy” Lorraine said in her best London street walker voice.

“Hello darling” he said as she walked over to his side of the bed and kissed him.

“What are doing here?” he asked

Lorraine stood in front of the window and drew the curtains.

“I’ve come to show you what I’ll be wearing tomorrow” she said as she undid the belt on her raincoat

“I thought it was bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding day”

“Well traditionally yes” she said “but this is for the groom’s eyes only”

And Lorraine let the coat fall to the floor.

Peter gasped as he looked at her standing with her back to him wearing white stockings, suspenders and a silk teddy.  

“Do you think it will be bad luck to see me like this?” she asked coyly as she turned around to face him.

“Oh no not at all” he said “I think the opposite is true”

“I think you might be right because you’re definitely going to get lucky” she said and joined him on the bed.

 

After they had finished she cuddled up close to her husband to be and he asked

“Can we do it like that again tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night you can have me in the dress” Lorraine replied

Afterwards he completely undressed her and then he made love to her like he did the first time when they first declared their love for each other.

 

On a sunny May afternoon beautiful Practice Manager Lorraine Weaving married Captain Peter Loosemore of the Downshire Light Infantry at St Martin’s church in the village of Highfinch.

She looked even more stunning than usual with her hairless head surmounted by yellow flowers and her veil and wearing her mother’s wedding dress.

In line with tradition her skin flushed pink on her big day.

Lorraine was thirty years old but looked much younger and her mother was so happy on her daughter’s wedding day that she cried all through the ceremony.

Outside the church when the bride and groom emerged there was a traditional military honour guard and when she saw Sgt Russell standing to attention with his comrades, she smiled because it was Paul who inadvertently introduced them.

 

But the amount of tears shed on the day of her daughter’s wedding were surpassed tenfold on the day Lorraine told her mother she was pregnant.

Downshire Diary – (29) The Girl in the Maternity Dress

 

It was Christmas Eve and it was understandably busy as Steve Berry stood behind the bar drying glasses and he watched his wife Holly as she walked around the lounge bar talking to the customers as was her usual habit.

He liked it as she walked from table to table, he liked the way the flared skirt moved across her lovely legs and found it quite sensual, she had a less graceful gait than she used to, but Steve still felt a great sense of pride that he was her husband and plus the additional pride that Holly was pregnant, very pregnant in fact.

It had been two years since they had met and she had changed the course of his life entirely.

 

It was Christmas again and Steve Berry had always had a dislike for it, despite all the jollity.

Unlike many of his Christmas mad friends he’d had no happy Christmas memories to anesthetise him against the season.

His childhood Christmases were memories he would rather have forgotten.

So he never trusted Christmas, he believed that shit lurked beneath the coloured lights and paper chains.

That was until Holly Davis opened his eyes to new possibilities and he realised that Christmas could also magnify joy and through her love Steve had been cured of his Christmas phobia.

 

After an excess of alcohol and some sneakiness from Holly he found himself working behind the bar in her Uncle Phil’s pub, the Pig and Whistle in Abbeyvale.

He was still, even to that day, uncertain quite how she managed to affect that, but affect it she did and during the ten days he spent working for her, she had turned his life upside down and it culminated at closing time on Christmas Eve as the church bells at St Mary’s chimed midnight, with him wishing her a Merry Christmas and kissing her.

Judging by the way Holly responded Steve hoped that the kiss on Christmas Eve might have been the start of something between them but alas for him it didn’t lead anywhere, immediately at any rate.

Holly had indeed responded to his advance and in fact had been hoping for it, but she knew it was far too soon to throw caution to the wind.

The effects of the kiss proved to be a slow burner which didn’t burst into flames until the early hours of New Year’s Day.

 

The two years since they first made love, had been very eventful, they became partners in January, engaged at Easter and Married in September. 

However it wasn’t only Steve and Holly’s fortunes that had changed over the preceding two years since they had met but so had those of the Pig and Whistle.

It had gone from a rundown dive with one large open bar to a thriving pub with a sports bar, a games room and a smart lounge plus it had a growing reputation as a gastro pub.

The restaurant had always been busy right from the outset but when Steve and Stephanos were in the kitchen, they provided good pub grub and no more, because they didn’t have the repertoire to take it to the next level.

However since Steve and Holly had returned from their Sharpington honeymoon the previous year with Chef Simon Clarke the restaurant had really taken off.

 

Simon Clarke had been working at the Granite Hill Country House Hotel where the Berry’s were staying for their honeymoon as a sous chef for an arrogant sadistic bully.

Now he was a Chef in his own right and Steve and Stephanos had grown as cooks under him.

So the reputation of the Pig and Whistles restaurant contributed greatly to the busyness on Christmas Eve.

 

So on Christmas Eve and Holly, despite being told to rest by Steve and everybody else, was doing her usual walkabout as hostess and as Steve looked at her he sighed because he was so in love with the lovely girl in the maternity dress.

 

Just like Christmas Eve two years before it was snowing, not as hard, but enough not to want to make any unnecessary journeys.

She had had a twinge or two which she just laughed it off, she said the baby had been really active all day.

“She’s dancing to the Christmas songs” she said to Steve “she really likes the Puppini Sisters”

But by 9 o’clock in the evening it was obvious the twinges were more than the baby Christmas Dancing and she was having actually having contractions.

Luckily Dr Claire Andrews was dining in the restaurant with friends

“Get Doc Andrews” Steve said to Petra

“Ok” she replied and ran off while Steve and one of the regulars helped Holly into the private room at the back of the bar.

 

“Where is she?” The doctor asked

“In here” Steve called

Dr Andrews threw her car keys to Petra

“Can you get my bag from the car please?”

“Yes doc” she replied

“Ooooooh” Holly exclaimed through gritted teeth “that was a big one”   

After Dr Andrews examined her she said

“She’s definitely in labour”

“I’ll call an ambulance” Steve suggested

“No she’s too far along” Claire said “the baby is going to be born here, and quite soon”  

“I’d be happier if we got her to hospital” Steve said

“So would I” Dr Andrews replied

“But she’ll never make it to the hospital”

“She’s really too close?” Steve asked

“Yes” Claire replied “so under the circumstance, here is going to have to do”

“Upstairs it is then” Steve said “but the first sign of an angel and three wise men and we’re calling an ambulance”

 

“Christmas is never dull with Holly” he thought to himself as one by one the remainder of happy customers disappeared into the snowy night amidst a peel of Happy Christmas wishes.

“I have to give her that”

 

Steve looked out the door as he said goodnight to the last customer and it was still snowing but still not hard.

He locked the doors and went back inside to where the live in staff were sitting, no one wanted to go to bed until the baby had been born. 

So they sat around a table in the bar until half past one when Noelle Claire Berry was born.

“How typical of Holly Berry to have the baby on Christmas Day” Steve said with tears in his eyes.