Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop
Page 45
‘What, you weren’t stripping off his clothes when he was sick and vulnerable?’
‘You sound like Hetty,’ said Rosie. ‘It wasn’t like that. We didn’t get together for ages afterwards.’
‘How many ages?’
‘Mum. Stop it, okay? How we met isn’t important.’
For once, Lilian stepped in on Rosie’s side.
‘It wasn’t at all like that,’ she said to Angie.
‘Thank you, Lilian,’ said Rosie.
‘Basically, your Rosie flung herself at every man in the village, including Jake the farmhand and Moray, that nice young fairy doctor…’
‘LILIAN,’ said Rosie.
‘… and Stephen was the one who took the bait. Of course he was recovering from a long illness…’ she added thoughtfully.
‘Right. You are all horrible and I disown my entire family,’ said Rosie.
‘Before or after dinner?’ said Angie.
Chapter Thirteen
Rosie dressed in a nice green dress which suited her colouring, and popped into the shop to get Tina to put on her eyeliner. But when she got there, Tina was jumping up and down in excitement.
‘What?’ said Rosie.
‘I can’t tell you,’ said Tina.
‘What is it? Why not? Can I make you tell me by being your boss?’
‘Oh NO,’ said Tina, looking panicked. ‘I forgot about that.’
‘I’m only kidding,’ said Rosie. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. What is it?’
‘But I said I’d wait… Oh well, I’ll just tell Jake you made me.’
Rosie nodded.
‘What?’
Slowly and carefully Tina revealed her small, beautifully manicured left hand. On the fourth finger, sparkling in the light, was a tiny but immaculate diamond ring.
‘OH MY GOD!’ said Rosie, experiencing a rush of joy for her friend and a slight wobble she put down to being hungry and nervous. ‘Oh my God, Tina! Amazing! It’s beautiful!’
Tina blushed bright pink.
‘I know!’
‘Tell me everything.’
‘Well,’ said Tina. ‘It’s a bit rubbish really.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he meant to do it at Christmas. Then I was washing his overalls and I found it.’
‘He kept it in his overalls?’
‘Yes, he said he was terrified of me tidying around and finding it.’
‘But you were cleaning up after him anyway.’
‘I like doing it,’ said Tina, and indeed Rosie had often had cause to be grateful for her way with a feather duster.
‘Anyway, I tried to put it back in the clean overalls and pretend I hadn’t found it.’
‘Did that work?’ said Rosie.
‘Um, no,’ said Tina. ‘I couldn’t stop giggling and blushing and he found me out immediately. Do you want to try it on?’
‘Um…’
‘Come on!’ said Tina, and pulled it off, but it wouldn’t go over Rosie’s bigger finger. She admired it on her pinky instead.
‘Oh, it’s lovely,’ said Rosie. ‘What did he say?’
Tina looked confused.
‘He said, “Will you marry me?”’ she said.
‘Oh,’ said Rosie. ‘On one knee?’
‘On one knee,’ said Tina. ‘But he asked the children first.’
This made Rosie feel like she was going to cry.
‘What do you mean?’
‘He explained to Kent and Emily that he wasn’t their daddy, but he’d like to stay with their mummy if they were okay with it.’
‘Oh,’ said Rosie. ‘That’s amazing. What did they say?’
‘Kent thought about it and nodded his head and told Jake he made Mummy happy, and Emily dashed in to ask if she could wear a princess dress to the wedding and he had to grab the back of her collar to stop her spoiling the moment.’
Tina smiled at the memory.
‘But she didn’t. Not a bit.’
Rosie gave her a hug.
‘It’s wonderful,’ she said. ‘He’s a wonderful man.’
‘He is,’ said Tina complacently. ‘And you next.’
Rosie harrumphed. Her heart slumped.
‘At this rate,’ she said, ‘I think I’ll just be lucky to get out of tonight without a big fight.’
‘Your mum seems lovely on the phone,’ said Tina.
‘She is,’ said Rosie. ‘Everyone is lovely. It’ll be fine.’ She sighed.
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Tina, trying to apply eyeliner and admire her ring at the same time. ‘I bet Stephen will get you a ring next.’
Rosie tried to imagine it, but couldn’t.
‘Oh, we’re a long way from there,’ she said sadly.
‘Do you think?’
Rosie swallowed.
‘I… It doesn’t matter,’ she said. She had spent a very long time in her last relationship without getting engaged, so she wasn’t going to start fussing about this one. On the other hand, Jake and Tina had started seeing each other only a very little while before her and Stephen. What made them so sure? When she and Stephen were alone, the two of them together, everything seemed ideal; they loved each other and got on perfectly. It was only when their relationship was held up to the light of examination by family and friends that cracks started to appear. Other people seemed to think it was a strange match, or that they were odd together, and it made her doubt herself all the time. She knew what Stephen would say; if he wanted to do something, he couldn’t care less about what other people thought. But she did, and she couldn’t help that.
All she said was, ‘Tina, I’m so happy for you.’
Tina’s face glowed with joy so strong it lit up the little shop, closing up on the dark winter evening.
Up at Peak House, Rosie couldn’t help herself.
‘Mum, are you sure you want to wear that? You’ll freeze.’
‘Don’t I look good?’
‘You look amazing.’
This was not strictly true. Angie was wearing a strapless floral dress that might look amazing on a teenager, on a beach in Australia, in the summer, but that made the blood freeze to look at it in Derbyshire in December.
‘But it’s cold up at the big house.’
‘You sound like Hetty,’ said Rosie. ‘It wasn’t like that. We didn’t get together for ages afterwards.’
‘How many ages?’
‘Mum. Stop it, okay? How we met isn’t important.’
For once, Lilian stepped in on Rosie’s side.
‘It wasn’t at all like that,’ she said to Angie.
‘Thank you, Lilian,’ said Rosie.
‘Basically, your Rosie flung herself at every man in the village, including Jake the farmhand and Moray, that nice young fairy doctor…’
‘LILIAN,’ said Rosie.
‘… and Stephen was the one who took the bait. Of course he was recovering from a long illness…’ she added thoughtfully.
‘Right. You are all horrible and I disown my entire family,’ said Rosie.
‘Before or after dinner?’ said Angie.
Chapter Thirteen
Rosie dressed in a nice green dress which suited her colouring, and popped into the shop to get Tina to put on her eyeliner. But when she got there, Tina was jumping up and down in excitement.
‘What?’ said Rosie.
‘I can’t tell you,’ said Tina.
‘What is it? Why not? Can I make you tell me by being your boss?’
‘Oh NO,’ said Tina, looking panicked. ‘I forgot about that.’
‘I’m only kidding,’ said Rosie. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. What is it?’
‘But I said I’d wait… Oh well, I’ll just tell Jake you made me.’
Rosie nodded.
‘What?’
Slowly and carefully Tina revealed her small, beautifully manicured left hand. On the fourth finger, sparkling in the light, was a tiny but immaculate diamond ring.
‘OH MY GOD!’ said Rosie, experiencing a rush of joy for her friend and a slight wobble she put down to being hungry and nervous. ‘Oh my God, Tina! Amazing! It’s beautiful!’
Tina blushed bright pink.
‘I know!’
‘Tell me everything.’
‘Well,’ said Tina. ‘It’s a bit rubbish really.’
‘Why?’
‘Because he meant to do it at Christmas. Then I was washing his overalls and I found it.’
‘He kept it in his overalls?’
‘Yes, he said he was terrified of me tidying around and finding it.’
‘But you were cleaning up after him anyway.’
‘I like doing it,’ said Tina, and indeed Rosie had often had cause to be grateful for her way with a feather duster.
‘Anyway, I tried to put it back in the clean overalls and pretend I hadn’t found it.’
‘Did that work?’ said Rosie.
‘Um, no,’ said Tina. ‘I couldn’t stop giggling and blushing and he found me out immediately. Do you want to try it on?’
‘Um…’
‘Come on!’ said Tina, and pulled it off, but it wouldn’t go over Rosie’s bigger finger. She admired it on her pinky instead.
‘Oh, it’s lovely,’ said Rosie. ‘What did he say?’
Tina looked confused.
‘He said, “Will you marry me?”’ she said.
‘Oh,’ said Rosie. ‘On one knee?’
‘On one knee,’ said Tina. ‘But he asked the children first.’
This made Rosie feel like she was going to cry.
‘What do you mean?’
‘He explained to Kent and Emily that he wasn’t their daddy, but he’d like to stay with their mummy if they were okay with it.’
‘Oh,’ said Rosie. ‘That’s amazing. What did they say?’
‘Kent thought about it and nodded his head and told Jake he made Mummy happy, and Emily dashed in to ask if she could wear a princess dress to the wedding and he had to grab the back of her collar to stop her spoiling the moment.’
Tina smiled at the memory.
‘But she didn’t. Not a bit.’
Rosie gave her a hug.
‘It’s wonderful,’ she said. ‘He’s a wonderful man.’
‘He is,’ said Tina complacently. ‘And you next.’
Rosie harrumphed. Her heart slumped.
‘At this rate,’ she said, ‘I think I’ll just be lucky to get out of tonight without a big fight.’
‘Your mum seems lovely on the phone,’ said Tina.
‘She is,’ said Rosie. ‘Everyone is lovely. It’ll be fine.’ She sighed.
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Tina, trying to apply eyeliner and admire her ring at the same time. ‘I bet Stephen will get you a ring next.’
Rosie tried to imagine it, but couldn’t.
‘Oh, we’re a long way from there,’ she said sadly.
‘Do you think?’
Rosie swallowed.
‘I… It doesn’t matter,’ she said. She had spent a very long time in her last relationship without getting engaged, so she wasn’t going to start fussing about this one. On the other hand, Jake and Tina had started seeing each other only a very little while before her and Stephen. What made them so sure? When she and Stephen were alone, the two of them together, everything seemed ideal; they loved each other and got on perfectly. It was only when their relationship was held up to the light of examination by family and friends that cracks started to appear. Other people seemed to think it was a strange match, or that they were odd together, and it made her doubt herself all the time. She knew what Stephen would say; if he wanted to do something, he couldn’t care less about what other people thought. But she did, and she couldn’t help that.
All she said was, ‘Tina, I’m so happy for you.’
Tina’s face glowed with joy so strong it lit up the little shop, closing up on the dark winter evening.
Up at Peak House, Rosie couldn’t help herself.
‘Mum, are you sure you want to wear that? You’ll freeze.’
‘Don’t I look good?’
‘You look amazing.’
This was not strictly true. Angie was wearing a strapless floral dress that might look amazing on a teenager, on a beach in Australia, in the summer, but that made the blood freeze to look at it in Derbyshire in December.
‘But it’s cold up at the big house.’
