Page 72 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

And he wasn’t the only one. Libby joined them shortly afterwards as she came out of Platform 1 and agreed that the footage was incredible.

‘There’s just one problem,’ she said to Ethan when it was just the two of them. ‘We need some snow.’

‘Sorry but my powers of persuasion aren’t that good that I can change the weather,’ Ethan replied, laughing.

‘Can’t we put down some fake stuff?’ she asked. ‘I think it would really make the whole thing come together. You know, that stuff out of a can?’

‘We’re going to need an awful lot of cans,’ said Ethan, shaking his head. ‘Besides, I honestly have no idea how to make snow.’

‘I do!’ said a familiar voice nearby.

Ethan inwardly groaned as they both turned around to come face to face with Dodgy Del.

‘Del,’ began Ethan.

But Dodgy Del was already holding up his hand. ‘I know someone who knows someone,’ he said, with a wink. ‘Let me help out Uncle Eddie.’

‘Like you did with the Halloween train?’ asked Libby, scowling at him.

‘That was an honest mistake,’ said Dodgy Del quickly. ‘So let me make amends. The stuff I’ve heard about will work wonders.’

‘Will it?’ Ethan sighed. ‘I’m not so sure.’

Libby giggled and he smiled at her for a second before the air between them grew heavy.

Ethan knew that they were both thinking about the kiss. He had barely thought of anything else, his mind straying to Libby whenever he stopped thinking about the train for even a second.

‘Now, let me show you what I can do,’ carried on Dodgy Del, breaking their gaze as he came to stand next to them.

Libby said a quick goodbye and rushed off down the platform, leaving Ethan breathing in the soft whisper of her perfume after she had gone.

43

Libby placed the last of the boxes of all her cooking items into the large understairs cupboard at home. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but she just about managed to get everything in.

‘My word,’ her dad gasped, nodding thoughtfully as he stared inside the cupboard now full from top to bottom. ‘Who knew it took all this to make such delicious chocolate,’ he said with a bewildered smile.

She hesitated before she brought out a small packet from her handbag, feeling nervous, all of a sudden.

‘What’s this?’ asked her dad, as she placed the packet in his hands.

‘Well, you said you’d never tasted my chocolate,’ she told him. ‘So I’ve got some samples for you to try. If you’d like.’

‘Of course,’ he replied, smiling broadly. ‘Let’s sit down, shall we?’

As they sat down at the kitchen table, Libby thought how much things had changed. He could now manage the washing and housekeeping at his own pace. He had even let her show him how to do online shopping for the supermarket, which had been delivered that morning. They were such small changes in thescheme of things and yet it had transformed him. He was a little more talkative and after so many years their relationship finally felt more balanced too.

He looked at the first truffle carefully before placing it in his mouth. She waited nervously for his assessment, having decided to start off with one of the plain flavours.

Finally, he gave her a delighted smile. ‘They’re delicious, Elizabeth,’ he told her, reaching out to take her hand to give it a squeeze. ‘Absolutely tremendous. You’ve got a real talent there.’

‘You really like them?’ she asked, desperate for his approval.

‘Of course,’ he replied. ‘You know, they taste just like your mother’s did.’

She nodded. ‘I know. That’s what I was aiming for.’

‘Do you mind if I try another?’ he asked.