Most of all though, she couldn’t stop thinking about Nick and longed for pick-up time each day when she might see him and the possibility of a conversation, albeit a brief one, lingered in the air. As the clock ticked around to three-fifteen, she fidgeted and flittered like a teenager. She hadn’t yet told him about her encounter with Mr Cole because it wasn’t something to discuss in a few minutes at the end of the school day and though she’d thought about knocking on his door and going in, the right time had never come. She and Nick had been like ships passing in the night with the hours of work needed on the giving tree. She was busier than ever, exactly what she’d hoped for when she’d started this whole thing, but it had meant she couldn’t just drop in and mention in passing something so important.

More and more donations were flooding in and now Saturday morning had come, she was looking forward to seeing Nick and Freddie as they came to volunteer for a few hours.

On this particular Saturday, something magical floated in the air. Knowing that it was the Christmas parade that evening and that the village lights and church’s nativity scene would be revealed, it felt like Christmas was almost here.

Bella stood in her little hut now decorated with tinsel and fairy lights, going through the forms and preparing more tags for the giving tree. Still in her hat, scarf and big winter coat, she shivered. There wasn’t any heating in the little hut, and she hoped her nose wasn’t turning red from the cold. The number of forms had reduced from the initial rush of requests, but she was glad they were still coming in and that the tags were being taken and wishes fulfilled. In general, there seemed to be an air of joy in the village. Whether that was down to the season or her work with the tree she didn’t know, but it was lovely to see everyone so happy.

Picking up the next form in the pile, she read through, scowling. Surely this was made up. She’d never heard of a Mrs Vi Brator. Had she? She searched her mind. Bella thought she knew everyone in the village, but maybe she didn’t. Perhaps they were new, but the address wasn’t familiar either. As she was running through all the people she knew in her mind, Nick and Freddie entered the hut.

‘Morning.’

‘Hi, Bella,’ Freddie said, shaking off his coat despite the freezing temperature.

‘Everything all right?’ asked Nick.

Bella frowned. As she moved past the personal details to the actual request, heat rocketed up her back. Mrs Vi Brator was requesting an intimate pleasure device ‘strong enough to make your teeth rattle’. Finally, she got the joke. ‘Very funny. Idiot.’