Esme opened her laptop to begin work on her blog as a strong golden light poured in through the living-room window. The sun was no longer hidden behind white clouds that rushed across the sky, blown along by a strong wind. The temperature had dropped even further and Esme, who couldn’t wear anymore clothes and still move her arms, wore thermals under her jeans, huddling over her computer with the log fire burning.
She and Joe had enjoyed another few dates and things were progressing well. His face looked younger each time she saw him as the lines around his eyes faded. They’d been to his flat and, after some gentle coaxing, had unpacked the remaining boxes in his living room. Amongst his things they had found a picture of him and Clara together. Joe was going to put the photo away, not wanting Esme to feel uncomfortable, but she’d laughed and placed it in the centre of the mantelpiece, saying that Clara had been such a huge part of his life that he should keep her picture out. When they had pictures of their own they wanted to put there, they might think of moving it somewhere else, but she wouldn’t let him hide Clara away when he’d only just let his pain go. They spent days walking through the woods with Joe taking photographs and then evenings together eating her food and drinking wine under blankets on the sofa. And once she had some more money, she was determined to show Joe how wonderful London was. She wasn’t going to give it up entirely, but now she had someone to share it with.
The new year had started well for the blog too. She still needed money, but a few more cake-making jobs had come in and she had just enough to live on for another month or so. Joe had said she could move in with him, but she didn’t want to. She wanted to take it slow and if needed, would move back home, or find a job doing something completely different. But things were looking up. She had some advertising on her blog and was looking into sponsorship opportunities, and her audience was getting bigger every day. The live broadcast on Boxing Day had been a huge hit and had even made it onto YouTube. People had commented how she’d made the right choice, how they wanted more videos of her day-to-day life, how much they admired her for sticking to her guns. It had been a strange experience, and now, every time she posted a new video or blog post, the little community she’d created came together, commenting and discussing their attempts, their lives, their memories, and it filled Esme with hope. Joe wasn’t having to comment as Penny85 (a name he’d made up after his own granny whose name was Penny and was 85) anymore as her subscribers grew and the blog took on a life of its own.
Esme decided to check her emails, and a strange one caught her eye. It had no title other than ‘Private and Confidential’ and was from a name she didn’t recognise. Esme felt her eyes widen and her fingers hovered over the keys. She opened the email. It was from an American publisher. He’d heard about her blog and wanted to talk to her about a book deal. Please could she get in touch and arrange a time to speak to one of their editors.
For a moment Esme couldn’t move. She’d taken a big breath in when opening the email, thinking it was Felicity suing her, even though the papers had found out what she was like and run a story. Esme had noted with delight today’s headline, which indicated she had returned to the Maldives to hideaway again. Which reminded her, Felicity’s former housekeeper had been in touch and wondered if Esme would take a guest blog from her. Juanita had quit after the truth about Felicity had come out and reached out to Esme after returning home to Spain. She was sweet and had some great Spanish recipes to share and bonded as they were by Felicity, Esme wanted to help her if she could.
As excitement coursed through Esme’s body, her muscles tensed and each breath came in quick gulps. She reached for her phone without taking her eyes from the screen and called her parents. When she explained to her mum what the email meant, Carol screamed and shouted at Stephen to open the champagne they were saving for special occasions. ‘We did buy it for your wedding day, but this is so much better seeing as Leo is a useless sack of shit. I like Joe so much more. He’s much more suitable for you. So normal. We think he’ll fit in with the family very well.’
Poor Joe, thought Esme, rolling her eyes. Her parents had been over the moon when she’d told them they were dating and showed them the Boxing Day broadcast. She’d had to be extremely clear that they were taking it slow, blaming her break-up with Leo. She hadn’t told them any more about Clara. Poor Joe might not be able to cope with her mum’s mollycoddling if she did.
After saying goodbye to her mother, she called Mark. He also screamed down the phone. ‘OMG, sweetie, OMFG! I knew you could do it! I bloody knew you could do it! That shows Felicity.’ Esme giggled. ‘I’m so proud of you, Ezzy. So, so proud.’
Mark had promised to call Helena and Lola, leaving Esme free to call Joe. Even though he was at work, he said he’d be right over. Esme couldn’t contemplate emailing them back just yet. What could she say except for yes, in big capital letters? Underlined. Highlighted. In red. Or purple as that was her favourite colour. It was all so unreal. So strange.
When Joe arrived and opened the door, he took a big step forward, put his hands either side of her face and drew her in for a kiss. She fell into his embrace, elated. The world had gone mad, but Esme didn’t care. This time she was quite happy to go along for the ride. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ said Joe. ‘I knew you could do it.’ He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her and spinning her around.
When he put her down she leaned in and kissed him again. ‘I’m glad you knew I could. I didn’t.’
‘So, what’s next for Esme Kendrick then?’
‘Hmm.’ She stood back and stared into his eyes. ‘World domination, maybe?’
Joe glanced at the log fire, and then at Esme’s additional jumpers. ‘Or you could get central heating installed.’
If you loved Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage, don't miss Katie Ginger’s heart-warming new Christmas romcom, The Perfect Christmas Gift. Available to order below!
Click here if you’re in the UK
Click here if you’re in the US
Carry on turning the pages for an exclusive sneak peek!
And if you’d love to hear directly from Katie herself sign up to her newsletter by clicking here