The Best Little Christmas Shop

George gave me a smile and moved his bear to his free hand. The bear’s head lurched again and I winced, half expecting it to plop off and roll across the pale sanded floorboards of the shop. Luckily it stayed in place but I didn’t have great hopes for that state lasting very long. I chewed my lip for a moment.

‘Do you have any brothers or sisters?’ I asked George.

He shook his head. ‘No. But I’d like some!’

I swallowed a grin. With a dad who looked like his did I was pretty sure the odds were quite favourable on that front. I glanced up and met a wary gaze.

‘I have three brothers,’ I began as the little boy listened, ‘and when we were younger, sometimes we would argue and occasionally my teddy would get caught in the middle of it.’

‘Was he trying to stop you arguing?’

‘Umm … yes, I think he probably was.’ I risked a look up at the man. The storm had gone from his eyes now and a hint of amusement played there instead. ‘Anyway, sometimes teddy would be in need of a bit of repair so I ended up training as a Teddy Bear Surgeon. I am, in fact, fully qualified.’ From the corner of my eye, I saw that delicious mouth quirk again.

‘You are?’ George asked, his eyes widening.

‘I am.’

This wasn’t exactly too far from the truth. All right, I didn’t have paper qualifications but I’d had plenty of practice. My youngest brother Joe had gone through a phase of yanking off bits of my bear whenever we were arguing. We were the closest in age and the most likely to get into a big barney. After repairing Ted three or four times, my mum had given up and said that if we were going to destroy things, we were also going to have to repair them. So, I’d learned how to sew and my teddy, although slightly wonky, was definitely more robust when he went in for the next round.

‘Do you think you could help Bear?’

‘George, I’m sure she has plenty to do already –’

‘It’s really no trouble,’ I interrupted. ‘I mean. If you don’t mind. I quite like to keep my skills fresh so you’d actually be doing me a favour.’

Cal hesitated. ‘I’m not sure –’

But George was already handing me the teddy. I met his dad’s eyes as I took it. I could see he was still uncomfortable about a relative stranger doing something for him. He obviously wasn’t local. If he’d been from the village, he’d have realised this was all part of normal life here. Unlike many places, the village had managed to retain its closeness and community. And whilst it was hard for people not to know everyone else’s business, it was generally in a kind and considerate way rather than gossip. Of course, there was always a bit of that too – the villagers were human after all.

I looked the toy over and made a couple of ‘hmming’ noises before returning my attention to Cal and George.

‘It’s good news, you’ll be glad to hear. Definitely nothing serious. He’s already had some excellent surgery.’ George giggled and beamed at his dad. Cal’s face remained impassive but I saw his Adam’s apple bob briefly. ‘He really only needs a tiny bit more. If you two want to have a look around the shop, he’ll be fully recovered and waiting for you when you come back. If you want to go ahead of course.’

‘Can we, Daddy?’

Cal gave me a look and a tiny shake of his head, but I could see the faintest of smiles on his lips.

‘If Lexi doesn’t mind, then yes, of course. As long as you’re going to help me choose the decorations now. I’m not sure I can decide all by myself.’

‘Of course I’ll help you. Don’t worry.’ He kept hold of his dad’s hand as he looked at me. ‘You’ll look after my teddy, won’t you, Lexi?’

‘As if he were my own, I promise.’

‘Come on, George. Surgeons need peace and quiet to work in. Let’s start with finding you an advent calendar, shall we?’ Cal led George away, throwing me a quick grateful glance over his shoulder as he did. I gave him a quick nod and reached into the drawer of the old wooden desk I was sat at and pulled out a biscuit tin. Opening it, I rummaged around in the sewing supplies it stored to find a cotton that matched the fur of the bear and then set about threading up a needle. Steadily I worked around the bear’s neck, squinting at him occasionally and trying to ensure his head was level so that he wouldn’t be for evermore looking askew at the world.

Finally, I gently took out the larger, uneven stitches that had been put in at the time of the original incident, the love that they clearly represented more than making up for what they lacked in skill. By the time Cal and George came back to the desk, laden with items, I’d not only repaired Bear but also whipped the scarf off a toy we had on sale to finish him off properly. Luckily, I knew the maker of the scarves and would put in an emergency order by text once my customers had gone.

‘Bear!’ George cried as he saw his teddy casually lounging on the table that held the till. ‘Daddy, he’s got a scarf too, and it’s the same colour as mine!’

Cal smiled. ‘You really shouldn’t have. How much do I owe you?’

‘Ha! I’m good, but I’m not that good. I’ll have to ring them up first,’ I said, pushing my chair out to get to the till, leaning over for his basket as I did so.

‘No, I meant for the repair –’ he tilted his head ‘– and his new scarf.’

‘Oh!’ I shook my head, frowning. ‘Nothing.’

‘No. I must. It’s taken your time when you obviously have plenty to do anyway. I’d like –’

‘Really. It was my pleasure. There’s no charge.’

Cal was a good head and half taller than me but I’d grown up with three brothers and spent my entire career in a male-dominated world. I knew how to make a point when I needed to. Matt called it ‘The Tone’. Even without this inside knowledge, Cal clearly got the idea I wasn’t prepared to argue the point any further.

‘Well then, thank you. Sewing, admittedly, is not my forte.’

I smiled. ‘Then that makes two of us. You did a great job, honestly. There are plenty of people who wouldn’t even know where to start! And George thinks you’re a superhero so don’t be too hard on yourself. Honestly, I’ve just tidied it up a bit, that’s all.’

Cal tilted his head at me. ‘I’ve a feeling you’re being more kind than honest but I’ll take it. Thank you, again.’

‘You’re welcome. OK, let’s get your purchases sorted, shall we? I think all this shopping has tired someone out.’

Cal turned in the direction of my nod to where George was now curling up on one of the faux fur beanbags, his fingers wrapping around the bear’s scarf distractedly as his own eyelids drooped heavily.

‘Oh crikey, hang on, I’ll just get him –’

I caught Cal’s sleeve. ‘Don’t. He’s not doing any harm. Just leave him whilst we’re sorting this out.’

‘But isn’t that your stock?’

‘Yep. But it’s made for sitting on.’

‘Yes. Once it’s paid for.’

‘Look.’ I turned George’s dad around by his arms. ‘You’ve clearly taught him well. He’s even taken his shoes off. He’s fine. The stock is fine. Relax!’

Cal looked down at me and I realised I was still holding his arms. I dropped my hands quickly and shoved them into the pockets of my jeans.

‘Things are very different here from London,’ he said, his expression relaxing.

‘Yes. They are. Which is a good thing, I think.’

‘Definitely.’

‘OK. Let’s see what we have here.’ I started ringing through Cal’s purchases, wrapping the breakables, and stacking things carefully in a couple of boxes to make it easier for him to carry and transport back at home.

‘Have you got a long journey back?’ I asked as I rang up the final total, glancing over at the now sleeping George.

Cal gave me a quizzical look as he dipped a hand inside the padded jacket he wore, retrieving a wallet from the inner pocket and pulling a credit card out from inside.