Alex was amazed. ‘That’s fucking genius Deana!’ he exclaimed. ‘Absolutely brilliant. Christ, I wish I’d thought of it,’ he laughed. Seeing the angry expression on Deana’s face, Alex changed his attitude. ‘Is she okay? Her and her daughter, are they both all right?’
‘Yeah, her daughter was staying at her dad’s. And Magda sometimes works nights at the supermarket shelf filling for extra cash.’
‘You’re a nosey fucker who’s found out a lot from a neighbour we hardly speak to.’ He grinned.
Giving him a knowing look, she smiled. ‘Maybe I’m more like my father than he realises. Oh, and by the way, I thought I would give you the heads up about Mum’s Christmas plans. It’s going to be big this year!’ she laughed and walked away.
Slowly making his way back into the pub, Alex fought his way through tinsel, Christmas trees and even more lights and decorations. Maggie had gone mad decorating the place, he thought to himself. It was like Santa’s grotto, but it had kept her mind busy. Seeing her behind the bar polishing glasses, he walked towards her and nonchalantly enquired about her Christmas plans for the family.
‘Oh, I’m glad you asked that Alex, I was going to tell you, but, with one thing and another it went clean out of my head. None of our Christmas bookings have been cancelled; on the contrary, nosey buggers want to come and see what’s happened since it was on the news. But I thought when we’re finished in the afternoon and the last customer has left, we could have our own Christmas dinner down here in the pub and I’ve invited all the neighbours and staff. It’s a goodwill gesture considering everything that’s happened, and Chef is more than happy to pop another couple of turkeys in the oven, especially as he’s staying too.’ She beamed.
Alex’s heart sank. ‘Don’t they have families they want to be with? Maybe we could throw a party afterwards.’ The very idea of it made him squirm inside. He hated big social occasions and the fact that they weren’t having Christmas together for the first time in a long time, made him wince. He knew the smile had disappeared from his face, but thankfully Maggie hadn’t seemed to notice.
‘I’ve said all are welcome and that includes their immediate families. Phyllis is on her own, so why shouldn’t she stay? Pauline was going to her son’s but likes the idea of staying here. It saves messing around on Christmas Day getting taxis or her son not being able to have a drink.’ Maggie walked over to him and put her arms around his neck, giving him a peck on the lips. ‘I knew you would be the Grinch. Which is why I didn’t mention it earlier. And do you know the best part, Alex?’ She winked.
Alex really couldn’t see a ‘best part’, his mind was already swimming about trying to eat his Christmas dinner with everyone’s kids running around the place.
‘We are going to provide some bottles of wine and some soft drinks for the kids and after that they have to buy their own. And as we’re opening Christmas night they will stay and fill the cash register. Plus, Phyllis and Pauline can work Christmas evening and I’ve got a couple of agency staff from the brewery to help us out with the bookings. See, I’m not just a pretty face.’ She laughed and kissed him again.
‘My God, you have it all worked out, don’t you, Mrs Business Brain?’ Alex had to admit, it was a good idea and she was right. ‘You’re a devious woman Mrs Silva, I’ll grant you that.’ Shaking his head with disbelief, he held her tight. She was his heart and soul and he loved her. The very nearness of her caused a stirring within him and if having a big Christmas party dinner made her smile, who was he to complain?
‘You can keep that swelling in your trousers firmly away,’ she laughed. ‘I have things to do. Save it for later.’ She winked, pushing him away playfully.
‘Is that a promise, Mrs Silva?’ The smile spread across Alex’s face at the thought of the evening to come.
‘Cross my heart,’ she said, ‘especially if you agree to wear the Christmas jumper I’ve bought you. There could be added bonuses.’
Alex held up his hands in submission. ‘Count me in, your temptress.’
Within the blink of an eye, Christmas was upon them. The street looked as though nothing terrible had happened and everyone was surprised that things had been done so quickly before the Christmas period. They had even given Percy some kind of government grant so that he could buy bits of furniture from second-hand places and with Olivia and Emma emptying their households of things they supposedly didn’t need he was up and running again. Everyone was in high spirits, and even Alex had to admit it was infectious.
Olivia and Emma were sorting out Christmas presents that had to be put under the pub Christmas tree that they would all open after lunch, making a real Christmas occasion of it. Dante had expressed concern, in case any customers pinched any of the growing gaily wrapped parcels, but Alex had assured him they would presume they were just empty boxes wrapped in Christmas paper for effect, which put his mind at rest.
Dante seemed pleased that he would be having his friend George to dinner on Christmas Day, and for the sake of his family happiness, Alex was going to step back and let them have their moment. Maggie had even gone so far as asking the witness protection police if they wanted to join them. When they had declined, she had made a point of buying them presents. They had kept them safe, and as far as she was concerned, they deserved a thanks in return for their hard work.
As always, Alex had gone to a local Catholic church for Christmas eve mass. His mother had always done it when he was a child and he kept up the tradition in memory of her. The family had tagged along, although he’d said they didn’t have to, but it was nice to have them there with him. Afterwards, it seemed like they had only had a few hours’ sleep when they heard Dante’s bedroom door open and slam shut.
‘I thought they were grown-ups now and didn’t believe in Father Christmas,’ yawned Alex. ‘Bloody hell, can’t anyone have a lie-in?’
‘Come on grumpy, it’s Christmas morning and it’s snowed. If you and your family traditions hadn’t kept us up so late, you would have slept longer. Merry Christmas darling.’ Maggie cuddled up to Alex and nestled her head in his arms.
‘Talking of Christmas, I have something for you. You can sort this while I go and put the kettle on.’ Getting out of bed, Alex opened a drawer of the dresser and took out a mobile phone. ‘Ring your mother. They can’t trace this, no one knows about it. There are different SIM cards in there with different telephone numbers. Get rid of each one after you use it, then your mum can’t be tempted to call you back. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s for the best. Merry Christmas love.’ Seeing the tears well up in her eyes, he knew he had done the right thing. This had made her Christmas.
‘Oh, Alex love, I don’t know what to say. Mum will say nothing, you know that. Thank you.’ She was about to reach out for him, when she heard Dante’s excited voice cry out her name. ‘The joys of being a parent, Alex. Go on, I’ll join you in a minute.’
Alex went to join Deana and Dante as they began opening their presents. For the first time in a long time, they had legal money to spend on their kids. All of Alex’s accounts had been emptied because they had been classed as ill-gotten gains and they had been left absolutely penniless which had hurt Alex’s pride. But now they ran the pub and had a wage, which gave them the chance to splash out and buy the family some proper new presents.
Dante had already taken off the big red sheet Maggie had put over the electric bicycle they had bought him. He was always unsteadily balancing on the back of George’s bike and desperately would have liked one of his own and Maggie had made his wish come true. ‘It’s just like George’s. It’s fantastic!’ he beamed, while sitting on it in his pyjamas. ‘Can I go out and try it out and show George?’
Alex looked out of the window. ‘Sure, why not, but don’t you want to open the other ones first?’
‘In a minute. Help me carry it downstairs. I’ve not had an electric bike before. They are ace, but heavy,’ Dante laughed.
‘I know Dante, I carried the bloody thing up.’ Alex walked over and ran his hands through Dante’s black hair, which resembled his own. ‘Don’t you want to put some clothes on first? It’s snowing.’
Looking down at his clothing, Dante smiled and left the room while Alex carried the bike downstairs and opened the back door, quickly followed by a hastily dressed Dante. Going back upstairs, Alex saw how radiant Maggie looked. She had obviously made her call and it had made her day. As far as she was concerned, Father Christmas really did exist. ‘Well, Deana, aren’t you going to open any of yours?’
‘I’m not a kid any more, I can wait until you’re both here,’ she scoffed, ‘although I do like the look of that slim, long box.’ Reaching out for it and ripping off the paper, Alex and Maggie saw the excitement on her face when Deana realised, she had a new laptop. She had moaned for weeks that she had to go to the library to use theirs or stay behind at college to finish essays. Now she had her own and Alex and Maggie knew they had made the right decision coming out of hiding and trying to make a new life for themselves. Things like this made it all worthwhile. Family first, no matter what.
‘Here’s your jumper Alex. Remember you promised to wear it and wear that frown upside down,’ laughed Maggie, handing Alex his present.
‘Any other presents under there for me? Such as any bonuses if I wear it?’ His dark eyes twinkled naughtily as he winked at her.
‘No one gets a bonus until later today, or tonight in your case. So maybe, just maybe, there might be something extra in your stocking.’
‘Or in yours love. I prefer my stockings on you.’ He grinned, then looked towards Deana, who plainly wasn’t listening. She was too busy looking at her laptop.
Maggie laughed. ‘Come on, we need to get up and at ’em. Chef’s coming earlier than usual, and we need to get sorted out. First sitting for lunch is twelve.’
Alex couldn’t believe his eyes when the army of customers started coming through the doors on Christmas Day. The brewery had sent two agency staff to help them, one for the bar and kitchen, but even then, they were still struggling. So Olivia and Emma rolled up their sleeves and came to the rescue – all in the spirit of Christmas.
‘Are you Spanish?’ Julia, one of the agency workers, suddenly asked Alex.
‘No,’ answered Alex swiftly. He felt it was unnecessary for a temp to be so nosey. ‘Why, are you prejudiced or something?’
