‘Thanks! For a lawyer you’re pretty flippant. Nothing at all like Mr Seymour,’ she added mockingly.
‘Professional etiquette prevents me from passing comment on James Seymour.’
Callie giggled. ‘In other words, you found him as much of an old misery as I did, but your professionalism stops you from agreeing with me.’
‘Something like that,’ Bill acknowledged.
‘A typical noncommittal answer!’
‘Lawyers are meant to be noncommittal.’ He swallowed the last of his whisky before standing up. ‘I was going to ask you to spend Christmas with us, but in the circumstances…’ he gave a knowing wink. ‘Well, here’s one Father Christmas who’d better be on his way. Marilyn’s more excited than Paul is,’ he revealed indulgently.
‘Paul is still too young to understand.’
‘Edith is convinced he knows exactly what’s going on.’ He raised his eyes heavenwards. ‘Grandmothers!’
‘I’m sure yours doted on you too.’ Her eyes were a warm brown.
‘Probably,’ he sighed. ‘Have a nice Christmas, Callie. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t.’
‘There’s no answer to that!’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ he grinned.
‘Typical male!’ she tutted. ‘Give my love to Marilyn. And a hug for Paul.’
‘I will.’
Callie set about putting the tree up in a bucket once Bill had gone. When she had looked at it in the shop the tree had looked perfect, but once in her flat it looked much too big, reaching almost to the ceiling.
As usual she had trouble finding the decorations, finally running them to earth in Jeff’s studio. She spent a few minutes in the room that had been totally his, feeling close to him, seeking his approval of the man she Was going to marry. The room felt warm, comforting, almost as if Jeff did actually show her he approved. Jeff had believed that no human being should be alone, that alone you died. Yes, Jeff would have approved of her marrying Logan, would have liked the other man’s strength, his confidence. She left the studio with a feeling of well-being.
She had never felt so happy in her life, so breathlessly alive, wanting to shout her happiness to the whole world. Oh, it was going to be a wonderful Christmas, the best she had ever had!
CHAPTER SIX
SHE had already partly decorated the room when Logan arrived shortly before ten, suddenly feeling shy as she opened the door to him.
‘Very seasonal!’ He laughingly picked a piece of green-coloured tinsel from her hair, and bent to kiss her lightly on the nose. ‘Happy Christmas, darling.’
‘And you. Oh, Logan…!’ She looked up at him with love-filled eyes, suddenly feeling tearful, suddenly feeling too much happiness at once.
‘Let’s go inside,’ he groaned, leaning back against the closed door to pull her roughly into his arms, his mouth devouring hers with a fierce passion. ‘I missed you today,’ he murmured into her hair.
‘I missed you too.’ Callie trembled in his arms.
‘God…!’ His eyes darkened as he looked down at her youthful beauty, smoothing the straight golden hair from her face. ‘You look like a child,’ he muttered.
She smiled at him. ‘But I don’t act like one,’ she provoked.
‘No.’ He gave a husky laugh, his arm about her shoulders as they went through to the lounge. ‘I see you’ve started.’ He looked appreciatively at the decorations she had already managed to put up.
‘Mm, but I couldn’t reach the corners.’
For the next half hour they finished putting up the paper chains, holly and mistletoe, although the latter proved to be uproarious, as Logan insisted on kissing her every time she pinned a piece of mistletoe to a picture or door.
‘Stop it, Logan!’ she finally giggled.
He moved to attach a piece of the green, cream-fruited bush to the light-fitting. ‘Now there’s nowhere in the room you can go without my being able to kiss you,’ he said with satisfaction, very relaxed in a light grey shirt and black trousers, his black jacket discarded in a chair.