Carole Singer's Christmas Read Online Free

like a jungle than it did when there were just weeds.’
    ‘Hmm. No wonder his business is thriving. Okay, I’ll be down on Friday. I’ll go to Gran’s first and I’ll pick you up after work.’
    ‘Great. I finish at four. I’ll be waiting at the school gates. I think you’re in for a bit of a surprise,’ Josie said.
    ‘I think this Nick will be the one getting the surprise, Josie. Oh, there’s another call trying to get through. I’d better take it, it may be work. See you Friday.’ She ended the call to Josie and, not recognising the number, adopted her business voice. ‘ Carole’s Illustrious Images , how may I help you?’
    ‘Well you can start by explaining why you’re not coming down until Friday.’
    Carole sat bolt upright in the bath, almost dropping the phone into the rapidly cooling water. For one dreadful moment she’d thought it was Sebastian but she realised this man’s voice was nothing like his soft melodic tones. This was granite, edged with ice.
    ‘Who is this?’
    ‘Nick. I’m a friend of Mitsy’s and I’d really like to know what is so important that you can’t drive sixty miles to look after your own grandmother when she has a broken leg and can’t possibly look after herself?’
    ‘W … what? What are you talking about? Are you telling me Gran has had an accident? When? Where is she? Is she all right?’
    The ice cracked a centimetre or two. ‘Are you saying you didn’t know? Didn’t Mitsy call you this evening?’
    Carole felt her backbone stiffen. ‘Yes. Gran called me but she didn’t say anything about a ... broken leg. Are you telling me that this happened before she called?’
    ‘Spot on, Sherlock. It happened yesterday.’
    Carole didn’t like his tone. ‘I don’t think sarcasm is called for, Mr ... whatever your name is.’
    ‘Nick. Just call me Nick.’
    She could think of several other things she’d like to call him but she refrained from doing so. She needed to know about her gran.
    ‘Well Nick , Gran didn’t even mention it so how am I supposed to know? I’m not a mind- reader. It happened yesterday, you say. I take it Dr Edwards has been to see her and–’
    ‘I took her to the hospital. They reset it and kept her in overnight but she insisted on coming home today. She told them that her granddaughter would come down and stay with her and I only agreed to bring her home on that basis. I can’t be here twenty-four hours a day and–’
    ‘You agreed to ...? Well! I think perhaps you’re taking a bit too much responsibility for my family, Mr ... Nick and I am so sorry to have inconvenienced you! As for you not being with her for twenty-four hours a day, I should certainly hope not and–’
    ‘Now who’s being sarcastic? It’s not an inconvenience. I’d happily look after Mitsy but I have a garden centre to run. I’m short-staffed at the moment and I can’t physically be in two places at once. I also have a dog and you may not be aware of this, but Arten doesn’t like dogs.’
    Carole’s mouth fell open. Of all the!  Now this man was telling her the likes and dislikes of her grandmother’s four-year-old cat, as if she were the stranger in this scenario.
    ‘Of course I know that Arten hates dogs! And his name’s Arkenarten. Arten is just his ‘pet’ name.’
    ‘Pet as is ‘cat’ you mean?’ Nick said, suddenly chuckling. ‘I thought you’d named him after that dancer on Strictly Come Dancing until Mitsy told me about your fascination with ancient Egypt and that Arkenarten was your favourite of the Pharaohs.’
    Carole was surprised not only by the fact that he had a very appealing laugh and that he knew of her love for the ancient Egyptian culture but that he had almost got the name right for one of the dancers on Strictly . This conversation was getting more bizarre by the minute.
    ‘I think the dancer’s name is Artem, actually. May I speak to Gran please and I’ll sort something out with her.’
    ‘She’s asleep at the