Chapter 18: Cora - The Foster Child

Elliot isn’t working this Saturday morning so we have a bit of a lie-in, then after breakfast I finish off the birthday cake. As I add the unicorn topper and the piped pink icing I think back to the dinosaur birthday cake that brought me and Elliot together and how that meeting has changed my life.

Elliot comes in from the garden, he likes to go out and check everything when we get up. I’m glad he does, I’m still unnerved about the dug-up plants and I’m sure I didn’t leave the gate open.

‘You’re very talented at this,’ he says. ‘Have you ever thought of turning it into a full-time business?’ He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.

‘I wouldn’t want it. It would be too much pressure trying to earn a living from it. I prefer to keep it as a hobby.’ I glance over my shoulder at him and smile. ‘Besides I enjoy my job.’

‘You’re good at that too,’ he tells me.

‘Thank you.’ I’d started to doubt myself after that business with Tilly but thankfully it’s blown over now. ‘I can’t believe that it’s only a week ago since Lori and Jacob were here. So much has happened.’

‘I know.’ Elliot fills up the coffee machine with water. ‘I’m having an espresso. Do you fancy anything?’

‘A latte, thanks. And I think I’ll give Lori a quick ring, see how she is.’ I’ve barely heard from her all week, I’ve sent a couple of texts checking on her but she’s replied, I’m good, Mum, speak soon. I don’t want to pester, I know she’s busy with her uni work and everything but we’ve always kept in close contact. Still, she’ll be here for Christmas and hopefully we can have a good catch-up then. If only Jacob wasn’t coming with her.

Saturday afternoon we go shopping for the Christmas tree. I’ve done an internet search and found a nearby company that sells real potted trees, picks them up after Christmas and replants them. You can buy the same tree to use every year if you want to. I really like the idea and so does Elliot when I tell him.

‘It’s much better than dumping the tree when we’ve finished with it,’ he says.

I’m surprised how many trees there are, hundreds of them. Elliot lets me choose so I decide on a big, bushy one to stand in the bay window of the cottage. ‘I can just imagine it twinkling with lights,’ I tell him.

‘We’d better get some lights then. And some baubles to put on it.’

I can’t believe that he hasn’t got anything Christmassy at all. I had thought about bringing my Christmas tree and baubles with me when I moved in with Elliot, but I wanted to leave the past behind and build new Christmas memories. Lori had chosen her favourite baubles and taken them to university with her and I’d bought her a small tree last year to hang them on.

We pay for the tree and are told that it will be delivered on Monday about four, so we head off to do some Christmas shopping, stopping for a bite to eat first.

‘What theme would you like? Retro, classy or modern?’ I ask Elliot as we tuck into a chicken salad sandwich.

‘I didn’t realise there were themes for Christmas trees.’ He takes a bite of his sandwich and chews it. ‘What do you prefer? I’m giving you a free pass to do Christmas however you want. You’re far more of an expert than I am.’

I don’t need to think about it. ‘It’s an old cottage so how about retro? Nostalgia is big at the moment.’

He nods. ‘Sure. Does that mean we have to make paper chains and lanterns?’

‘Gosh I remember making them when I was a kid.’ My mind goes back to my childhood Christmases and decorating the tree with my parents. ‘Not that retro. I’m thinking lots of different coloured baubles, and Santa and angel ornaments, and tinsel. I like variety rather than a strict colour code of red and gold or blue and silver.’

‘Then that’s what we’ll do.’

We have a fun afternoon, Elliot gets caught up with all the Christmas planning too and chooses a gold fairy for the top of the Christmas tree and a big Santa and reindeer figure to stand around it.

‘How about we put some coloured lights around the window too. And a wreath on the door. We could put them up tonight, make it look a bit Christmassy before the tree arrives,’ I suggest.

‘Great idea,’ Elliot agrees.

We go present shopping next. I buy a gorgeous lemon cashmere sweater for Lori – lemon suits her colouring – and some makeup, toiletry bits and treats to fill a stocking for her. Elliot buys a beautiful ornate lamp for Christy and Joe, and a huge red truck for Leo. ‘I was thinking we could visit them one of the days before Christmas,’ he says.

‘Oh yes, that would be really good,’ I say, glad that Elliot is embracing the Christmas spirit.

‘I don’t know what to buy Jacob.’ I frown. ‘I should have asked Lori what sort of things he’s interested in.’

Elliot points to some expensive-looking leather belts. ‘Why not buy him one of these? All men like a nice leather belt.’

‘Great idea,’ I agree. I select a wide black belt with a silver buckle. Then buy another one in brown, as a surprise gift for Elliot. I manage to hand it over to the assistant without Elliot noticing.

We stop to buy a bottle of mulled wine and some mince pies before setting off home. I’m so looking forward to putting up the Christmas tree on Monday. And to the next couple of weeks at school. There’s going to be all sorts of festive things happening, the carol service, Christmas party, Nativity play…

I select some Christmas music and we sing along to it as I drive home. It’s dark now but the street lights are on. I love how Christmassy the village is already looking and admire the decorations and lit-up Christmas trees we pass. ‘It seems quite a few people put up their decorations on the first of December,’ I remark.

‘Yeah, you’re not the only Christmas fanatic by the look of it,’ he teases.

It’s starting to rain quite heavily now, the windscreen wipers whizzing backwards and forwards.

‘I really ought to get some automatic gates,’ Elliot says as I pull up at the gates and he gets out to open them.

I drive inside and park by the garage, and Elliot goes back to close the gates. I get out and the floodlight comes on as I hurry over to the front door, to open it. It’s really bitter cold now. Suddenly my shoe slips and I feel myself falling.

‘Whoa!’ Elliot is behind me and catches me, steadying me.

‘I slipped on some mud or something.’

We both look down and there, right on the doorstep, is a lump of dog mess.

‘Yuk! A dog must have got into the garden again,’ I exclaim.

‘Take your shoe off, I’ll clean it, you go inside, I’ll check out here,’ Elliot tells me.

I take my shoes off and walk barefoot into the house, heading straight for the lounge so I can put the bags down.

I expect Elliot to come in more or less straight after me but he doesn’t, so I slip on some flats and open the back door. The path is covered in rubbish and the bin is lying on its side.

‘What’s happened?’ I ask. It isn’t windy today so the bin couldn’t have blown over.

‘It looks like a dog’s got in again, knocked the bin over and rummaged through it,’ Elliot says.

I think about the dug-up plants, the dog mess on the doorstep, the orchid and now the bin. Is this all just a coincidence, or has someone got a vendetta against us?