Molly and Danny had enjoyed
Christmas and planned on enjoying the New Year’s Weekend in the same vein but
in the meantime, they were planning their trip.
The itinerary for the book
signings was already set in stone, and they had just received it by email that
morning, so the planning involved finding suitable accommodation in each City
and some research into what to see and do while they were there.
Also as they were going to
Australia it gave them the opportunity to see Danny’s brother and family
again.
On the Friday before New
Year’s, Sam Archer was taking his girlfriend Nikki Harrison, her mum Katie, her
other half George Wood, her aunt Louise Stratford and her husband Neil,
Shepherdess Hayley Stock and her boyfriend Jamie White, out to dinner at the Beaumont
Manor Hotel.
So he drove from Spaniards
Creek to Beacon Farm with Jada Ellington in the passenger seat who was going to
babysit the Stratford’s Twins for the evening.
George answered his knock
which was quite fortuitous for Sam to get George on his own and allowed them to
have a brief, yet important, conversation before joining the others, while Jada
went straight in.
Katie was in the lounge and
kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you, Sam,” she said,
and she was filling up, he wasn’t sure what exactly she was thanking him for,
was it for the meal or just for making her daughter happy.
It could have been either,
but it certainly could not have been for what he and George had just been
discussing.
He patted her on the back,
and she released her grip and turned away to wipe her eyes, and a few minutes
later Nikki came into the lounge, and he thought she looked as lovely as ever.
“Hello darling” she said as
she walked over and kissed him
“I didn’t know you were here;
I didn’t hear the door”
A short period of small talk
followed and then Nikki looked at her watch and said
“I think we should make a
move”
“Yes” Sam agreed “But before
we go, I want to ask you something”
“Can’t it wait until dinner?
I’m starved, I’ve been looking forward to my roast duck all day”
“You’re going to have duck
again?” Sam asked
“Of course,” she replied with
a confused look on her face
“There are other things on
the menu” he pointed out
“I know” she retorted
“You could just give
something else a try” he teased
“I have tried other things; I
had a stroganoff once” she retorted indignantly
“Just the one time?” he said
“Yes, but that’s because I
don’t like change” she replied
“You don’t like change?”
“No, I don’t”
“Then we might have a
problem” Sam said and glanced over to the sofa, George was smiling broadly, and
Katie looked bemused.
“What do you mean?” she asked
in alarm
“Well, I was going to suggest
that you change your last name” he said and fished out a ring box from his
pocket.
“Nikki Harrison, will you
please marry me”
“What?” she exclaimed
“Will you marry me?” he
repeated,
She just stood and stared at
him for a full minute, and he was beginning to worry that he had been premature
and then all of a sudden, she screamed and threw her arms around his neck.
“Is that a, yes?”
“Yes” she replied
George and Katie were
hugging, as Katie watched her daughter’s joy unfold, no doubt remembering long
passed moments from her childhood, then Nikki rushed over and hugged and kissed
her mum, then she looked over her shoulder and said
“I’m still having the duck”
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