The Chocolate Lovers' Christmas

  I was engaged for such a ridiculously short time and now I’m not. To make matters worse, I spent nearly all day yesterday on the loo and still didn’t find my diamond ring. It has gone, whizzing down the deepest, darkest, smelliest sewers of north London, never to be seen again.

  That has to be worth a chocolate brownie or two. Then I think of how I spent yesterday and my appetite for anything brown and squidgy suddenly goes. I have a Santa cupcake instead.

  I texted the girls ‘CHOCOLATE EMERGENCY!’ and, in adherence to our sacred code, they’re all coming in as soon as they can. Quite frankly, they can’t get here soon enough. I need their collective shoulders to cry on before I fall apart completely. If I wasn’t the only operative here, then I might have stayed in bed with the duvet over my head wallowing in my pain. As it is, I’ve had to come and face my public. The chocolate show must go on.

  Chocolate Heaven is full and I’ve had a morning filling a mammoth number of orders for Christmas cakes and novelties. Alexandra is run off her feet.

  They say that bad things come in threes and, of course, as well as losing short-term fiancé and diamond ring, there is also the small matter of the sale of Chocolate Heaven hanging over my head. I can hardly bear to think about it, but I’m aware that time is marching on. If I’m going to do anything, then I have to do it soon. But what?

  While I’m considering this dilemma, I hear the roar of a throaty engine as a red Ferrari pulls up outside the front door. Marcus. Make that four bad things.

  Seconds later, he strides in, shaking snow from his hair in the manner of a screen idol rather than a sneaky, low-life, ex-boyfriend.

  ‘Get out,’ I say. ‘You’re barred.’

  ‘I’ve only come to wish you merry Christmas, Lucy,’ he says earnestly. ‘Then I’ll be on my way. I’ll be out of your life for ever.’

  At that I burst into tears.

  All my customers look up from their cake and coffee.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I say, loudly and snottily. ‘I’m having a bad time. A very bad time. Go back to your beverages.’

  Marcus is round the counter in a flash. Sometimes I’ll swear that he moves like a vampire as I’m in his arms before I know what’s happening.

  ‘Shush, shush,’ he soothes. ‘Everything will be all right. I’m here now.’

  And, for a moment, just a moment, it feels so good to be held. He passes me a tissue before I get snot on his suit.

  ‘What’s all this about?’

  ‘Aiden has left me,’ I sob.

  ‘Really?’ Marcus doesn’t look as if he’s sharing my disappointment.

  ‘He found some photos on his computer with me in my underwear with another man,’ I confess.

  Marcus laughs out loud now and I whack him. ‘It’s not funny.’

  ‘It is,’ he insists. ‘What were you up to? It doesn’t sound like you at all.’

  ‘You don’t need to know,’ I say. ‘But it’s not what you think. It was your fault, too. Aiden says that you’re always there in our relationship.’

  ‘I like to think so,’ Marcus chips in.

  ‘But you’re not. I don’t think of you at all. Ever. It was the Bruges episode, the ball and the attempted snog and the canal swim. Aiden’s had enough of me being silly.’

  Marcus looks into my eyes, his smile gone. ‘Then he can’t love you as much as I do.’

  ‘Oh, bog off, Marcus.’ I weep noisily again.

  Some of the customers hurriedly finish their drinks and leave. ‘Come back,’ I call after them. ‘Don’t leave me.’ Even my customers are fickle.

  ‘They’ll be back.’ Marcus strokes my cheek. ‘Don’t you worry.’

  ‘Perhaps this is the way to keep Chocolate Heaven – lose all of Clive and Tristan’s customers and then they won’t be able to sell it after all.’ There is a glimmer of hope in my despair.

  ‘How’s that going?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ I admit. ‘I’m taking the head-in-the-sand approach.’

  ‘Something will work out.’

  Everyone keeps saying that, but what?

  ‘I brought you a Christmas present,’ Marcus says and he produces a beautifully gift-wrapped box from his pocket.

  ‘I don’t want a Christmas present from you.’

  ‘That’s not really in keeping with the spirit of the season,’ he chides.

  Reluctantly, I take it.

  ‘Open it now,’ he urges.

  Accepting that resistance is futile, I tear off the pretty paper. It’s jewellery. That much is obvious from the shape of the box. Sure enough, when I open it, inside there’s a stunning bracelet. ‘Tell me that’s not real diamonds.’

  ‘It is,’ Marcus says. ‘Nothing but the best for my Lucy.’

  ‘I’m not your Lucy,’ I remind him.

  ‘Technicalities,’ he says.

  ‘It’s very lovely, Marcus.’ Though it does make me pine more for my diamond ring that’s down the toilet. ‘However, I can’t accept this. It’s too much.’

  This is worth hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. If it was a box of chocolates or some smellies – even posh ones – then I might feel differently. But with this bracelet comes great responsibility and great indebtedness. And I don’t want to be indebted to Marcus.

  Again, using his vampire moves, he takes the bracelet and clips it around my wrist before I know what he’s doing.

  ‘There.’ He pats it in a very proprietorial way.

  It does look extraordinarily beautiful.

  ‘I want you to have it.’

  ‘Thank you, Marcus. But I want you to take it back.’ I unclip it from my wrist. I am a woman who is not destined to be adorned in diamonds. Gently, I lay it back in the box.

  ‘Don’t be alone at Christmas,’ he says. ‘Let me take you away. We could go somewhere fabulous, the Bahamas or the Seychelles. Or we could get a cosy place here, the New Forest or somewhere.’

  ‘I’m spending Christmas with all the girls. Chantal has fixed us up with a cottage in the Lake District.’

  ‘Oh.’ He looks crestfallen.

  Ha! Take that, you and your plans to whisk me away somewhere wonderful.

  ‘There wouldn’t be a little space for me?’ Marcus asks meekly.

  ‘No,’ I say. ‘There’s definitely no room at the inn for you, Marcus Canning. They’d kill me if I even suggested it.’

  ‘Does that mean it crossed your mind?’

  I sigh tiredly. It’s exhausting trying to keep one step ahead of Marcus. ‘You should go now,’ I say. ‘I have customers to alienate and a broken heart to nurse.’

  ‘I love you.’ Marcus’s eyes are bleak. ‘I love you more than you can ever know. One day, Lucy Lombard, I’ll make you realise just how much.’

  Marcus kisses me tenderly and then turns to leave. At the door, he looks back at me and blows another kiss. A second later, he’s in his Ferrari and roaring away.

  It’s then that I notice he’s left the beautiful diamond bracelet behind.

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  I’m still in a state of shock when the rest of the Chocolate Lovers’ Club arrive just as I’m closing up for the day. When the last of the customers have left, I get us all drinks and a plateful of treats – some leftover mincemeat cupcakes with brandy icing, a few with candy canes on top and there are brownies that I can’t put out again tomorrow as they’ll be a bit past their best by then. Much like me. We sit in our favourite spot by the window.

  It’s only a short time before Christmas now and the weather is determined to be as seasonal as possible. We very rarely have snow in London, but again today, there are a few flakes in the air.

  ‘Those brownies need eating today,’ I say and the girls oblige me by taking one each. ‘Where’s Stacey?’

  ‘She said she was busy,’ Chantal says. ‘Couldn’t make it.’

  ‘Oh. Is everything all right?’

  ‘I think so.’ Chantal shrugs. ‘Perhaps I’ll pop in on the way home to see her.’

  ?
??We should toast you, Lucy,’ Nadia says, lifting her coffee cup. ‘Autumn tells us that you and Crush are engaged.’

  ‘That was yesterday,’ I sigh. ‘A lot can happen in a day.’

  ‘It can in your life,’ Chantal agrees.

  ‘He proposed during dinner on Saturday night,’ I tell them, filling them in on the whole story. ‘Well, not quite. We didn’t get that far. He’d hidden the ring in a chocolate and I ate it.’

  They all fall about laughing.

  ‘I could have died,’ I point out, tearfully. ‘The ring got stuck in my throat. He had to take me to hospital and everything.’ I flush as I admit, ‘I was wearing the same skimpies as I had on in the hotel.’

  ‘Oh, no!’ Autumn says.

  More laughter. Guffawing, even. I don’t think that my friends are taking this as seriously as they might.

  ‘I was mortified. Then I had to take loads of laxatives to try to . . . um . . . retrieve . . . the diamond ring.’ My eyes fill with tears again. ‘I spent most of Sunday peering down the loo at my own poo looking for something sparkly in it.’

  The girls exchange a look and, as one, put down their brownies.

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘You can get another ring,’ Autumn says, soothingly. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’

  ‘It is,’ I sniffle. ‘I don’t even have a fiancé now. Crush left me.’

  ‘Have I missed something?’ Chantal asks, frowning.

  ‘He saw the photos of me in the hotel with Tarak and was so angry. I’d put them up on the computer, then had to dash to the loo. I didn’t have time to hide them.’ I sniff back my tears. ‘I’ve never seen him as cross. He said he’d had enough of my stupidity. He thinks I’m a liability.’

  Chantal frowns. ‘Crush said that?’

  ‘Not in so many words. I’m paraphrasing. But it all adds up to the same thing. He packed a bag and walked out. I don’t even know where he’s gone.’

  ‘He’ll be back,’ Nadia assures me. ‘He loves you.’

  ‘I’m not so sure. It sounded pretty final.’ My lower lip wobbles. ‘I have no fiancé and soon I’ll have no job.’

  ‘Call him,’ Chantal suggests, as if I haven’t tried a million times.

  ‘He’s not answering my calls. This really is it.’

  ‘Lucy, my love, don’t worry,’ Autumn says. ‘When he’s had time to cool down and think about it, he’ll come home.’

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘He won’t be able to stay away,’ she adds.

  But it’s Marcus who can’t stay away. Aiden is so much more resilient, more determined. I’m the one who needs him more than he needs me. The thought nearly has me in tears again.

  ‘You’ll both laugh about it in time,’ Nadia assures me. ‘Just as you have with all the other crazy things you’ve done.’

  The girls fall silent and exchange nervous glances. We all realise that there have been quite a lot of very silly incidents that I’ve subjected Crush to over the time we’ve been together. And this one could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

  ‘Have Clive and Tristan been in touch?’ Chantal asks, clearly in an attempt to distract me from my woes. But there are more woes lining up and we just go straight into another one.

  ‘Not yet. But it’s only a matter of time.’ I put my head in my hands. I feel like a sitting duck, here for everyone to take pot shots at. How depressing. I have no idea what to do for the best. Then, of course, I realise there’s only one thing for it. ‘Pass me a cake. Not a brownie.’ Thankfully, my appetite has come back with a vengeance and is fully embracing the concept of comfort eating. That’s one thing going my way then. Excellent.

  ‘I could lend you the money, Lucy,’ Autumn blurts out. ‘Or I could buy Chocolate Heaven and we could go into business together. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it until now. I have a hundred grand sitting in my bank account from my parents. Now that Addison and I have split up, I’m not going to give it to him to squander. My parents would be just as happy if I used it to buy this place. In fact, they’d probably prefer it. No taint of scandal with a chocolate café.’

  For a moment there is a spark of hope. ‘Could we really do that?’

  Autumn shrugs. ‘I don’t know, but we should give it a go. Surely? You and I could work well together. How much is it?’

  I tell her.

  Everyone round the table takes a deep gulp. It’s a lot of money by any reckoning.

  ‘Wow,’ Autumn says when she’s regained her power of speech. ‘It might not even be enough as a deposit. The mortgage would be colossal.’ She looks slightly deflated. ‘Who knew that commercial property cost so much?’

  ‘This place has such potential, though,’ I tell her. ‘The flat upstairs is huge and that’s currently standing empty. You could move into it, rent it out or even use it to expand the business. There are days when some extra tables would be most welcome.’ Listen to me talking as if it might actually happen.

  ‘Let me see what I can do,’ Autumn says. ‘I’ll see if I can borrow enough to be in with a chance. I’m reluctant to ask my parents for any more but, if push came to shove, then I could.’

  That sets me off crying again. ‘You’d do that for me?’

  ‘Yes. And for me too. I’m also out of a job now. Addison has cut my sessions at the Stolford Centre and I’ve nothing else on the horizon.’ She looks quite animated now. ‘This could be a really great move.’

  Suddenly, it seems like a wonderful suggestion.

  ‘It’s a brilliant plan,’ Chantal confirms. ‘Surely Clive and Tristan would rather sell to Autumn than anyone else? Lucy has already proved herself to be a brilliant manager. It keeps it in the family then.’

  ‘I’ll call them,’ Autumn says. ‘Then tomorrow I’ll get onto the estate agents, see what I’d have to do. Don’t give up hope just yet, Lucy.’

  That gives a lift to my tired heart. One day, I’d like everything in my life to run smoothly and to stay that way for more than twenty-four hours.

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Autumn dished out the Chinese takeaway. It was her first proper date night with Miles. Florence was with her mother this evening and she had no babysitting duties for Lewis. They’d been planning to go to a restaurant, but Autumn was just so tired that she couldn’t really face it. All she wanted to do was curl up on the couch with Miles, so she’d called him and asked if he’d mind if they stayed in instead. It was Miles who’d volunteered to pick up some food on the way over.

  Nadia had collected Lewis an hour ago, but she’d seemed very distracted. Autumn hoped that everything was all right in the shop with Tarak and she wasn’t hiding anything from them. She’d find time to sit down and have a proper chat with her tomorrow.

  ‘Can I do anything to help?’ Miles asked.

  ‘You could open some wine. Or there are a couple of beers in the fridge if you prefer.’

  He came and slipped strong arms round her waist. Autumn turned to kiss him. ‘I hoped that we’d be just like this together,’ she said.

  ‘Me too.’

  She rested her head against his. ‘I feel like I’ve known you for years.’

  Miles laughed. ‘Then I’ll have to come up with a couple of surprises. I don’t want to be like old slippers just yet.’

  ‘That’s not what I mean. You’re easy company to be with, that’s all.’

  She’d heard nothing from Addison and hadn’t really expected to as they had nothing to tie them together now. Autumn was sad not to be working for the charity anymore, but she’d find something else to do in that area when she’d decided where her future lay. For now she wanted to pour her attentions into the possibility of acquiring Chocolate Heaven for her and Lucy to run. Then there was the matter of her new relationship to concentrate on. This one felt right. Very right. It was only really when you met the person that you were meant to be with that you realised how wrong the others had been.

  They pulled apart and Miles fixed them some drinks.
She put the Chinese food on a tray and took it through to the living room, spreading it out on the coffee table. She’d switched off the main light earlier and the room was lit only by the fairy lights from the tree. It looked sparkly and warm. On the mantelpiece, she had a few festive candles and lit those too. She didn’t think the place had ever looked more romantic.

  ‘These are all the DVDs I have,’ Autumn said, indicating her bookcase. ‘Not the most extensive selection and many of them are Disney or Pixar films for Lewis.’

  ‘Florence would be in heaven.’

  ‘Next time I’m babysitting for Lewis, we’ll do a film night for them both. Get some popcorn in.’

  ‘That would be great.’ Miles rifled through the shelves. ‘What about this one?’ He held up Love, Actually. ‘This looks suitably festive.’

  ‘You don’t mind a chick flick?’

  ‘Love them. You’ll have to cope with seeing a grown man cry.’

  ‘I have tissues,’ Autumn said. ‘But let’s eat first before it gets cold.’

  They tucked into the food. She’d let Miles choose and he’d remembered that she was a vegetarian and had chosen some lovely dishes. The mushroom chow mein and the vegetable pancake rolls were a big hit.

  ‘You’ve heard nothing from the adoption sites?’ he asked.

  ‘Not yet. I can only keep hoping.’

  ‘I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.’

  ‘You’d be OK with it?’ she ventured. ‘If my daughter does come back into my life? It’s so important to me.’

  ‘Of course. She’s a part of you,’ he said. ‘Eventually, I hope she’ll be a part of us.’

  That would be nice. She’d always wanted a family of her own and Autumn could finally see it happening with this man. It was clear that he adored his own daughter and there was no doubt that he’d want more children in the future.

  ‘I have one other problem,’ she said. ‘My parents.’

  He waited for her to explain.

  ‘They’re very rich,’ she continued.

  He laughed. ‘How is that a problem?’

  ‘They have very little to do with me unless it’s to give me money,’ she said. ‘They have taken hands-off parenting to the extreme. They always have.’