Page 38 of The Perfect Gift

She’d spoken them into the phone, but the words were for Ed, and Ed alone.

19

Ed watched Frankie as she finished her call with Chloe. He couldn’t take his eyes off her and she was holding his gaze too. Something about her had changed in the last few minutes. Gone was that haunted, unhappy expression and in its place something that stole his breath. She was looking at him in that indelible way women did when they’d decided they want something. Ed hoped like hell the thing Frankie had decided she wanted was him.

It didn’t take long for him to get his answer. Frankie said goodbye to Chloe, tossed her phone on top of the piled-up clothes on the sofa then closed the gap between them. She was tiny in comparison to him, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder, but nothing about her felt small. Her blue eyes were luminous, her mouth full and ripe and so perfectly kissable it took all his control not to fall upon her like an uncouth beast. He didn’t dare let his focus stray from her face to the curves and contours her casual T-shirt and jeans did nothing to disguise. He clenched his fists at his sides, determined that whatever happened next he would let Frankie take the lead.

She raised a hand and placed it in the centre of his chest and he wondered if she could feel his heart thundering beneath her palm. ‘You know what you said before about liking me and wanting to get to know me better?’ she asked.

‘Mmm.’ The sound was all he could make because the tip of her pink tongue had stolen out to wet her lips and there wasn’t enough blood left in the upper half of his body to keep his brain functioning, never mind render him capable of speech.

As if she was aware of the power she had over him in that moment, her eyes glinted in what he was sure was satisfaction and she rose up on tiptoe until their mouths were no more than an inch or two apart. ‘I want that too,’ she whispered and then she kissed him. It was a feather-light brush, a hint of what could be and then it was gone. Frankie patted his chest then stepped away. ‘If I’m going to stay, I’d better clear up this mess.’

Ed cleared his throat and attempted to clear his brain at the same time. As much as he wanted to help Frankie tidy up, he didn’t think it would be a wise idea for them to go near her bedroom right then. Tempted as he was to grab her hand and haul her upstairs, Ed knew it would be a mistake. Frankie was riding an emotional roller coaster and he didn’t want her to regret anything that might happen between them. She’d told him as much the other night, about how filming took a toll on her emotions, and he wondered not only if that had played a part in her fallout with the girls, but if it was influencing her behaviour now. Best to take their time. Make sure they were both in a good headspace first. ‘Why don’t we leave it for now and sort it out when we get back? The roads are going to be busy so it might be worth us going out for your tree before it gets really manic.’

Frankie smiled. ‘I don’t really need a Christmas tree, Ed.’

‘Of course you do! Look, I tell you what, I’ll run some of this stuff upstairs while you sort yourself out and get your coat and whatever.’ Not waiting for an answer, he scooped up the nearest stack of clothes from the sofa.

‘Wait a minute!’ When he paused, Frankie tugged a fleecy pink hoodie off the top of the pile in his arms. Their eyes met and her smile turned sweet. ‘Thanks.’

He wasn’t sure if she was thanking him for helping out or for stopping them from taking a step too far too soon. ‘It’s my pleasure.’

He ferried a couple of piles of clothes upstairs, placing them on the bed in what had been Matt’s old room and hurrying quickly downstairs before he could start cataloguing the pretty, feminine touches she’d added to make the room her own. He couldn’t do anything about the scent teasing his nostrils. It was everywhere, sweet with a hint of freshness, like the blossoms on the trees in spring as the sea air stirred them.

When he jogged back downstairs Frankie was sitting on the now-cleared armchair. She’d tugged up the legs of her jeans and was zipping a pair of black knee-length boots. Ed swallowed hard at the sight of them as he wondered if he could coax her into wearing them with the black, sequin-covered dress still draped over the back of the sofa. New Year’s Eve, maybe? Trying to ignore the images filling his brain of slow-dancing with her as the clock counted down to midnight, Ed dropped to his knees and wrestled closed the full suitcase on the floor. He managed to get it fastened with a bit of brute force then carted it up the narrow stairs. He was puffing by the time he hauled it into her room and decided to leave it on the floor at the bottom of the bed rather than putting it on top and crushing the stuff that was already on there.

When he reached the ground floor once more, Frankie had her coat on and was rummaging in her bag, checking she had everything she needed. The front room was looking a lot less messy and it wouldn’t take her long to clear the rest of her things once they got back. ‘All set?’ he asked as he headed into the kitchen to retrieve his own jacket from where he’d hung it over the back of one of the chairs.

‘I think so,’ she replied as he returned, keys dangling from his fingers.

As he’d predicted, there was more traffic on the roads than usual but it was free flowing at least and it didn’t take them too long to reach the large garden centre on the outskirts of Port Petroc. ‘You want to get the tree first?’ Frankie asked him with a frown as he scanned the busy car park for a space.

‘I’m hoping we can get most, if not everything we need here,’ Ed said as he parked and turned off the engine. ‘They’ve usually got a really good selection of Christmas decorations and there’s some nice independent outlets inside so I’m hoping I can find something for Mum.’ He’d already picked up some fancy chocolates when he’d popped into Port Petroc with Rick the other day, which would be perfect for Kat, Issy and Anya. He’d also had a quick mooch around the toy shop while Rick had been queuing to collect Freya’s present and found a pink rabbit with the floppiest ears he’d ever seen. He and his brothers always had a competition to see who could gift the worst present for under a tenner, so hopefully something would catch his eye while Frankie was browsing for decorations.

‘If I’m coming for Christmas lunch, I’ll have to look for something for your parents,’ Frankie said as he paused to unhook a large trolley from the rank of them by the front door.

‘You don’t need to get them anything,’ Ed assured her.

‘I am not turning up empty-handed,’ she retorted, with a roll of her eyes that said he was an idiot for even suggesting it.

Ed laughed at her disgusted look. ‘I’m just saying they’ll be happy to have you there and there’s no expectation on their part.’ He pushed the trolley forward and the automatic doors opened, engulfing them in a wave of heat and Noddy Holder shouting ‘It’s Christmas!’ as that perennial favourite song ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ came to an end.

The decoration display was immediately to the left of the door, and trees of every size and shade of green stood in a sparkling miniature forest. Ed steered the trolley to one side and waited for Frankie to join him. ‘Do you want an artificial tree or a real one?’

Her eyes widened as though the question hadn’t occurred to her. ‘I don’t know. What do you suggest?’

‘It’s up to you. Mum and Dad love a real one and it always looks fantastic, but the needles are a pain in the arse after the first few days so Mum’s forever hoovering them up.’ He eyed the display in front of them. ‘I think all of these look pretty decent, so if you want the low-maintenance option then I’d go artificial.’

‘That’s probably for the best,’ she agreed. ‘I… wasn’t expecting quite so much choice.’ He’d thought she must’ve been joking before when she’d said she’d never had a tree, but from the dazed expression on her face, perhaps it was true.

Ed’s heart went out to her. Amongst his very favourite memories were the hours he and his brothers had spent decorating the tree growing up. His mum still had the angel Liam had made at nursery school from an empty toilet-roll holder, some wool and an old net curtain for the dress. It was more than a little shabby these days, and Dad had glued it back together more times than Ed could count, but it was one of his mum’s most prized treasures. She packed it away each year in a special Tupperware box along with a few other handmade decorations they’d brought home over the years. It was sad to think Frankie might not have those kinds of memories and it made him more determined than ever to make this Christmas something special for her. He thought about that little kiss she’d given him earlier. Hopefully they could fill the next two weeks with lots of great memories for both of them.

He walked up to a tree that was roughly the same height as him, covered in traditional red baubles. The branches were a deep, rich green and marched upwards in neat, even layers to form a perfect pyramid. Every decoration matched in perfect symmetry. It looked great, but too neat for his tastes, more the sort of thing he’d expect to see in a hotel lobby than decorating someone’s front room. He glanced back at Frankie, who was still looking a little overwhelmed in the face of so much choice. ‘Did you have a colour scheme in mind?’ he asked.

Frankie shook herself as though coming out of a daze. ‘Sorry, what?’

‘I was asking if you’d thought about what colours you wanted for your decorations. If you can decide on those then we can see which shade of tree will look best with them. Unless you want one like that?’ he asked with a grin as he pointed at a white tree covered in fluorescent pink tinsel and balls.