Page 89 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

He grinned at her and leaned forward for another kiss, dinner all but forgotten at that moment.

48

Katy was still thinking about all the kisses the following day.

The kisses with Ryan in the kitchen the previous evening had been the most passionate she had experienced in years.

Who was she kidding? She had never been kissed like that. None of the men had ever come close to her dreams of the perfect man.

She smiled a secret smile to herself as she looked out of the window at the darkening sky. The nights were drawing in now that December had arrived.

Katy thought she would hate it away from the urban light that she was so used to. But the darkening landscape, the wide expanse of sky all around her, was a revelation. The milky way in all its celestial glory was visible when clear. The sky was vast. It was the same sky as had been in London and yet she found herself gazing out at the stars most nights.

Now when she looked out or went for a walk on a darkening evening, she felt heartened by the lights in other people’s windows. Living in the city, she barely even recognised her neighbours, let alone knew their names. Here, everyone had a name and she was starting to know them. Starting to belong.

And it frightened her. Because she realised she wanted to stay. But it was impossible, wasn’t it?

Now that December had dawned, something else was beginning to draw into view on the calendar as well.

‘Right,’ said Ryan, after dinner one evening. ‘Where are we putting the Christmas tree?’

‘I don’t know,’ replied Katy, sitting down on the sofa. ‘Where does it normally go?’

‘In the corner over there,’ Ryan told her, pointing. ‘But I guess it’s down to us this year.’

Bob had told them both that afternoon that he was intending to stay on at Eddie’s cottage for the time being. Even though he no longer wore the boot and his foot was almost healed, he said that he was enjoying keeping his dad company and didn’t miss having to use the stairs.

‘How big is it?’ She looked around for the artificial Christmas tree, thinking that she hadn’t seen it yet.

Ryan laughed. ‘I won’t know that until we chop it down.’

Katy sat bolt upright. ‘You’re getting a real tree?’ She was boggle-eyed with shock.

Ryan looked at her, bemused. ‘Of course.’

Katy instantly shook her head. ‘Oh no. That won’t do.’

‘You don’t ever have a real tree?’ he asked.

‘Of course not. They shed pine needles and that’s unacceptable.’

He smiled. ‘But they smell wonderful.’

‘I remember…’ she said, before stopping herself from going on. All the memories of Christmas past came flooding back and she felt her insides clench when she thought back to that Christmas Eve.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been dwelling on the past until she felt Ryan sit down next to her.

‘What is it?’ he asked in a soft tone.

She sighed. ‘Well, you know, it was Christmas Eve when the bailiffs arrived and our world imploded all those years ago. So I deliberately worked hard over the holidays to make sure that I didn’t have time to think about it. Never decorated the apartment or anything. I guess I’ve never really got into the Christmas spirit since then.’

Ryan frowned and put his arm around her. ‘We don’t have to have a tree if it’s going to upset you.’

She shook her head. ‘It’s fine. It’s your home.’

‘Yours too at the moment.’

‘I know, but I don’t want to be a Grinch,’ she told him. ‘Perhaps it’s time to finally move on.’