The Islands in the Bay – Chapter (235) Christmas Jumper Day

 

December

 

The fishing village of Spaniards Creek to the south of Beaumont Island which is so called because it was where a severely damaged Spanish Galleon from the Armada sought refuge from the English Navy and the storm in May 1588.

The only evidence of the event in the present day are the oak beams in the Tudor buildings of the old village dwellings.

However, in one of a row of terraced Victorian Cottages lived William Panton, a boat builder, and he lived next door to divorcee sisters Rebecca Heald and Lizzie Carol.

They were all in their mid to late thirties and with no romantic attachments, so they got on very well.

 

It was mid-December and William had just finished a week of long days and late nights to finish a client’s boat and then delivered it to Sharpington Marina and then got a lift back to the Island on a fishing boat, so he was exhausted when he got back to the cottage at 6am.

His first step was a hot shower, followed by breakfast and bed, however when he finished, he was annoyingly wide awake.

So he pottered around for a couple of hours tidying up then he sat down in front of the TV with a coffee mid-morning and started watching Alistair Sim in “Scrooge”, one of his favourite Christmas movies, but he lasted no more than 10 minutes before the long blinks set in and he spent the rest of the day sleeping soundly on the couch until he was woken from that long afternoons snoozing when he heard the sound of the doorbell.

 

The bell continued to ring as he made his way up the hall and when he opened the front door, he found a slightly inebriated Rebecca Heald leaning against the doorframe.

“William, thank God” she slurred, “I’m locked out, and in distress.”

“Come in and tell me how I can help” he said.

“Well, the trouble is I’m locked out” she said, “and Lizzie won’t be back for at least two hours.” 

“Could I be a nuisance and stay here until she gets home?” she pleaded “I’ll be no trouble, I promise.”

“Yes of course, what are neighbours for.”

“You are my saviour,” she declared.

“Come on then party girl, let’s get your coat off” he suggested but this proved to be more of an effort than he imagined, but they managed it in the end.

When they had accomplished its removal, she adjusted her skirt and straightened her brightly coloured Christmas Jumper.

William took a moment to admire the way she filled a sweater, and she had a very curvaceous figure, and the undulations were very pleasing on the eye, and it was not the first time he had pleased his eye on her curves. 

“Thank you kind sir” she said as she almost fell onto the hall table.

William caught her just in time and sat her on a chair in the hall while he pulled her boots off revealing her festive tights with Christmas tree motifs.

“Come in the kitchen and I’ll put the kettle on” he said.

“Wine will do” she suggested and fell against the wall giggling.

“Coffee would be safer I think” he replied.

 

After a couple of cups of coffee Rebecca had sobered considerably as she told him all about her office Christmas lunch and how much she had enjoyed it.

“Well, I could tell how much you enjoyed it by the way you fell through the front door” he said.

“Cheeky” she said and giggled.

“Do you want another cup?” he asked, and Rebecca checked her watch before replying.

“Yes please, but I need a pee first.”

“Ok, I’ll take it through to the lounge” William said, and he was sitting on the sofa when she tottered into the room, make up repaired, outfit perfect, and holding a sprig of mistletoe in one hand.

“Look what I have found,” she said, and he hadn’t a clue where she found it because he didn’t have any in the house, so she must have had in her bag or coat pocket.

But it was immaterial because while he was musing, she had reached him, and she raised it above her head.  

So, he stood up, puckered up and gave her a Christmas kiss but as his lips touched hers it was clear that she had an entirely different type of kiss in mind, which took him completely by surprise, so in the spirit of the season and just to be neighbourly he responded in kind and the upshot of her mistletoe ambush was that her festive sweater and tights spent the night of Christmas Jumper Day on his bedroom floor.