A Safe Pair of Hands (21 page)

Nancy looked at him in surprise. He had already placed several
gifts under the tree yesterday afternoon.

She smiled suddenly. “She's just in the kitchen, why don't you
go and say good morning to her?”

“
Great… thanks!”

Sadie was peeling potatoes when he stepped into the kitchen,
and she turned around expecting to speak to Nancy, only to see Nick
standing there, with his hands behind his back.

“
Nance…” she began.”Oh… it's you… good morning Nick, and happy
Christmas to you... again,” she cut up the last potato and dropped
it into the saucepan of water.

“
There,” she sighed as she dried her hands and turned back to
face him.

He was standing awfully close, now and the twinkle in his eyes
was very… exciting to see.

“
Happy Christmas, Sadie,” Nick said solemnly as he held out the
parcel to her.

Her face lit up with excitement. “Is that for me, can I open
it now?” she squealed.

Nick laughed. “I was rather hoping that you
would
open it now,
yes.”

She tore off the gay wrapping, and put the box down on the
table so that she could lift the lid.

“
Oh,” she whispered in surprise, at the sight of the deep blue
and furry slippers sitting in the box. They were really lovely, and
obviously expensive, and absolutely the last thing that she had
expected. There was a little card on top, with Nick's scrawl on
it.

It read simply.

'Because a beautiful woman should only ever wear beautiful
things!”

There was a little sprinkle of tinsel lying across
them.

“
Well my slippers have seen better days!” she laughed lightly
as she kicked off her flat and comfortable shoes.

“
Yes, I remember,” Nick chuckled.

She pulled the tinsel out of the way, so that she could take
the slippers out of the box, but as she did, something else came
flying out with it, to tumble to the ground.

“
What's that?” she asked as she crouched down quickly to scoop
the object up.

She opened her hand as she stood back up, and saw the little
jewellery box for the first time.

She sucked in a breath, and looked up at Nick, who was looking
more than a bit apprehensive.

“
Open it!” he ordered huskily.

She flicked open the box automatically. “Oh!” she whispered
tearfully as she looked at the beautiful sapphire and diamond
ring.

“
I know that I might be rushing you a bit…” Nick whispered.
“And please feel free to tell me to take a hike, but I just can't
wait for you any longer, I have to know, Sadie… it's already been
too long…”

Sadie looked up at him again as she heard the pure anguish in
his voice.

“
You are the love of my life, Sadie… will you marry
me?”

The tear trickled down her cheek, as she stared up at him,
memorising his face, his clothes; she just loved the smell of him,
the smell of his soap and his aftershave, mixed in with his own
musky scent. She breathed in deeply, as she sealed these thoughts
and feelings forever in her mind and heart, the way that he looked
at her at this moment in time.

Then she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered, “oh yes… of course…
yes, I will marry you!”

She didn't need to say anything else then, as he pulled her
against him to kiss her in the warmest, softest, most passionate
kiss she had ever received.

And they were still locked in each other's arms when Nancy
came looking for them.

“
Sadie,” she said absently, “haven't you finished those
potatoes yet?”

She came to a halt as she saw the two of them, with torn
wrapping paper everywhere, and a box sitting on her kitchen
table.

“
What did he get you?” she knew that she should retreat and
give the couple some privacy – but she just could not contain her
curiosity.

She stepped closer and the two of them moved away so that she
could see.

“
What?” she saw the slippers and felt a real sense of
disappointment; she had had such hopes with Nick, but slippers
weren't exactly the most romantic of gifts – no matter how nice
they might look!

She looked at her glowing sister then, who held out her
hand.

“
He got me this as well,” she whispered emotionally.

And that was the first time that Nancy saw the glittering
engagement ring on Sadie's finger, with a little sprinkle of tinsel
still wrapped around her hand.

“
Oh now that is just perfect!” Nancy exclaimed as she beamed at
the two of them.

The End

You did... sort of save me that day. When you looked at me the
way that you did, it crystallized everything for me, it made me see
what I wanted from my life, and if I couldn’t have that then I
didn’t want anything.

He frowned with concern at the implication. “What do you mean
by that!”

She sighed. “I mean of course,
who
I wanted in my life... I meant
you.”