Sinnerman

Chapter 49 Late Holidays & Love

"Eggnog. Presents. Home made cookies. Xmas pyjamas. All of it. I'm determined to do it right." Evie's smiling to Cally as they pack up for the day. She's winding up some unruly silky red ribbon from the counter. Tidying up the gift wrap display.

It is January the 8th. But this is the night her and Kylo reserved for their Xmas celebration.

It's half an hour to closing time in the shop. And they're tucking everything away and cleaning up for tomorrow. The shop feels oddly empty without all the Xmas decor bedecking every, every, inch of it. It's been put in the storage closet to wait out another year.

"That sounds so sweet." Cally explained. Plumping cushions on that chairs by the dimming fire. "And now you guys can get your late Xmas together." She says happily.

Evie's grinning from ear to ear. Cally is happy to see her boss so elated. Even she so obviously saw that she kept smothering back yawns behind her hand all day. She'd said been up late baking cookies, and preparing the Christmas feast for tonight.

"I'll bring in some cookies tomorrow. I made way too many gingerbread men for just the two of us. Even if Kylo does have a large sweet tooth." Evie tells. Cally smiles.

Oh, cause she'd gone all out.

She'd made a gingerbread house, she's cooking a honey roast ham, and the smallest turkey she could get her hands on - she'd be foisting leftover sandwiches on Kylo for work for about two weeks but she doesn't care. She hung up more twinkle lights around the front door. In the living room. The kitchen. She left all her Xmas decorations where they were. Twelfth night and all that. And she had a stack of Ella, and Doris day to play.

"I'll sort lunch tomorrow too." Evie tells her with a wink. "Christmas turkey and Ham sandwiches sound ok?" She asks Cally.

"Ugh. You know working here is such a complete chore." She answers sarcastically with a fake moan. Cally turns off the lights in the window and goes to grab her coat from the staff room.

Evie chuckles at her colleague. Calls through the door to her. "Must be torture. Such hellish working conditions."

Cally calls back. Voice muffled through the door. "Yeah. I'm setting up a one-man-union and going on strike."

That makes her smile. She stretches out her arms. Massages her lower back where she's been sat behind the till counter checking sales for the past hour. It was a bleak drab January Thursday. Rotten cold. Miserable and grey weather. But she's hopping with joy for tonight. Nothing will get her down.

All she has to do now is lock up, and go home, light the fires and shove her pre-prepared food in the oven for them.

Evie collects a stack of kids books from in front of her and rounds the counter to re-stock one of the displays. She crouches and arranges the books. Part of her fun 'new year, new me' themed display. Only she's put a witty spin on it. Instead of depressingly dry self help books. She opted for fun, quirky biopics about inspiring people and real life stories of hardship and triumph. All centred around books that celebrate body positivity and being happy with yourself exactly as is.

She's just sticking a hardback of 'Have your cake and be fabulous too' in the display. When the door bell tinkled behind her. Footsteps thudding in. Wood door creaking open. Evie loves that creaking sound. It meant that another beloved customer was walking through the door to come into her little shop. Stepping into the little piece of her body and soul where she loves to work day-in-day-out.

She's only sorry she's crouched with her back to the door. In her red sweater dress and tights and tan boots. Pendant on her neck like the silvery token of love that it absolutely was. She had it cleaned after the attack. Kylo's eyes had looked suspiciously moist when he saw her wearing it - wearing it even to bed and in the shower - while he'd been gone. Never giving up hope. Wearing it as she was now, here, looking silly, with her head stuck almost under the shelf as she's on her knees on the cold tiles. She speaks without looking back. If she does, she'd conk her head on the wood.