Page 74 of Five Gold Rings
‘I will not shush. That’s a good thing. A Christmas smoochy. I get good vibes off him, too. I should tell you, we were never one hundred percent sold on Chris.’
I push him playfully as Noel steals us a couple of glasses of festive bubbles. ‘Why am I finding this out now?’ I tell him, clinking his glass.
‘Because we loved you and respected your choices.’ He watches Joe again as he returns to the kitchen. ‘I can think of worse people to have a rebound fling with, you know?’ he says casually, sipping his drink.
‘I just get the feeling he doesn’t want that at all. And I get it. A fling wouldn’t be fair on him. I don’t think being flung by a mate and then losing him in the aftermath is the best way to heal.’
‘I see you looking at him though.’
‘Shush.’
‘Evie. Love doesn’t have timing. Plus, it’s Christmas. It’s the season of—’
‘Secrets?’
‘Love. Giving. New things. That sort of shit…’
‘They should put that on cards,’ I chuckle.
I see my dad standing at the kitchen door, waving at Noel for assistance. ‘Duty calls. I love you,’ he says, kissing me on the cheek before taking his leave. The singalong is still in full resounding effect at this point and I look around the restaurant, at the glow of everyone and thing around this place.
‘Would you pull a cracker with me?’ a man says, standing next to me. He’s well dressed in chinos and a blazer with a Christmas bow tie, his silver beard smartly groomed for the evening.
‘Why, of course,’ I reply and I take a well-balanced stance as we pull it together and he wins the treasures inside. I pout.
‘Please,’ the gentleman tells me. ‘All yours.’
I bow my head to thank him and empty the cardboard roll to find a green paper hat, a giant plastic ring and the customary joke inside. ‘The hat matches my dress, it’s perfect,’ I say, arranging it on my head. The man then takes the plastic purple ring and places it on my engagement ring finger. The action raises some emotion in me thinking about the events of the last few days, but I’ll take this plastic purple one over any other fake ring, any day of the year. I hold my hand up to admire it.
‘That is stunning,’ I tell him. ‘I reckon at least twenty-four carats.’
He smiles, making his whole face crease up. ‘Merry Christmas. Is that a yes then?’ he asks me.
‘It’s a definitely. You should probably know my name though. I’m Eve.’
‘Clarence. Tell me your joke then?’ he asks.
I unfold the piece of paper in my hands. ‘What’s the difference between a snowman and a snow-woman?’
He shrugs.
‘Snowballs?’
We both laugh heartily, him putting a hand to a nearby table to support himself. ‘Apparently someone put in an order for rude crackers by accident. Audrey had a joke about Santa’s Hos that made her spit out her soup,’ he tells me. I like the cheeky glimmer in Clarence’s eye. He puts a hand out asking for a dance and I can’t refuse as it’s Bing Crosby. I love how he sings along with the music then pushes me out for a twirl under his arm.
‘You’re a good dancer, Clarence,’ I tell him.
‘Oh, that would be my Felicity. She loved a dance and trained me up.’
I sense the emotion in his eyes shift, the change of tense and work out why he may be alone this Christmas.
‘She sounds like fun.’
He beams proudly. ‘She was.’
‘How long has she been gone?’
‘Six years. But the time makes no difference, she is very much missed, every day.’