Follow your star

… and d you never kknow whatht wonderfuld f l things it might lead to

You’ve got to be joking! Are you seriously telling me you’ve arranged to meet this guy – a complete stranger – just because a sign by the road told you to Follow the Star?” Marian asked, disbelief and disapproval written all over her face.

Evie didn’t even attempt to answer, it was obvious the question was purely rhetorical. Marian was bound to have more to say before she would be allowed to get a word in edgeways.

“You’re mad, you know that, don’t you? Who’s to say he’s not a raving nutter, an axe-murderer or something?”

“And who’s to say he’s not just a nice, normal bloke?” Evie replied calmly. But she couldn’t resist adding, “Actually, now you mention it, he did have a chainsaw in his hand when I met him, not an axe though.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Evie wished she’d resisted the urge to wind up her friend. Marian’s face went pale, then very red, as though her body couldn’t quite decide whether to faint or explode. “A chainsaw?” she gasped. Evie decided to put her oldest friend out of her misery.

“Well, he was cutting down Christmas trees at the time, so I think a chainsaw was perfectly appropriate, don’t you? That’s what the Follow the Star signs were for, they were pointing the way to the Christmas tree farm.”

Marian sniffed. “I see. But just because this guy’s working at a Christmas tree farm doesn’t make him one of Santa’s little helpers, you know!”

“I know, but he seemed really… nice,” Evie replied, a smile playing about her mouth.

Marian was completely taken aback. Matt had been dead for three years now and Evie hadn’t once shown the slightest interest in anyone else, even though she’d had plenty of offers. Marian was genuinely torn between encouraging her friend to take a chance on love again and protecting her from any more hurt and heartbreak.

What if Christmas Tree Man didn’t turn out to be as nice as Evie thought? She’d darn well kill him, that’s what!

“And Finn and Jack really liked him too,” Evie continued.

“Of course they did!” Marian retorted. “A man with a chainsaw cutting down Christmas trees? He must have seemed like a cross between Bob the Builder and Santa Claus,” Marian wailed. “But your sons are four and six years old – you’re thirty-two, so what’s your excuse?”

“I just don’t see why he’s got to be some kind of nutter because he wants to meet me for a coffee,” Evie muttered mutinously.

Marian looked anxiously across the kitchen table at her gorgeous friend.

“I don’t think he’s a nutter for asking you out, Evie. I think you’re a nutter for agreeing to go! Look, you met him in the middle of a field, you don’t know anything about him and you only talked for five minutes. That’s not exactly a great basis for a relationship, is it?”

“Well, it’s not exactly a blind date either. Besides, plenty of people use online dating these days and go on proper dates with someone they’ve never even met before. I’m only going for a coffee, in broad daylight, at the garden centre café.

“Even if he was a stark, staring lunatic – which I’m sure he’s not – I can hardly come to any harm there, can I? Do you honestly think I’m going to get hacked to death among the flapjacks and cheese scones, right in front of Mrs Barton’s beady eyes?’

Marian sighed. “I suppose not. Anyway, if it came to a fight between Betty Barton and an axe-wielding lunatic, my money would be on Betty.”

Having obtained Marian’s very reluctant approval, Evie decided it would be best not to tell her friend the full story. If she was jumpy about the whole meeting-a-strange-man-forcoffee-in-the-garden-centre thing, she’d have a complete fit if she knew Evie had been seeing stars for weeks now.

And not just seeing stars but following them and letting them guide her. She could almost hear Marian’s voice in her head. You’renotgoingall NewAgeHippyonme,areyou? Or Just becauseit’snearlyChristmasdoesn’t makeyouoneoftheThreeWiseMen, youknow!

Evie smiled to herself. Following stars hadn’t been such a bad idea so far, in fact it was turning out to be one of the best things she’d ever done.

It had all started a few weeks ago when someone ran into the back of her car. At the time Evie just thanked her lucky stars the boys hadn’t been with her and no one was hurt.

But her little banger had been a write off. It hadn’t looked too bad to her, but the insurance company said it wasn’t worth repairing and had offered her a thousand pounds for it. Even Evie had to admit it was on its last legs, but a thousand pounds? What kind of car could she get for that amount of money?

Finn and Jack had been heartbroken about Rosie, who was the only car they’d ever had. So Evie had waited until they were safely at school and preschool before asking a friend to drive her to the local garage to find a replacement. She knew she wouldn’t be able to manage for long without a car, not living out in the middle of the countryside.

They were actually en-route to the garage when Evie spotted it.

There, parked in front of The Seven Stars pub was a bright yellow VW Beetle, her dream car, with a For Sale sign in its window.

“Stop!” she yelled, terrifying her friend and almost causing another accident. They looked at each other in disbelief. It had to be a mistake; you couldn’t buy a VW Beetle in that condition for that price!

But they were wrong. You could and Evie did.

The landlord grinned wickedly as he took Evie’s cheque made out for £999. He explained that the car had been his ex-wife’s pride and joy and she’d be livid when she found out what he’d done.

But the car had only been the start of it. Since then Evie had won a Spot the Elf competition in Starbright, a free local magazine, and had spent a glorious day being pampered in the exclusive spa at The Royal Star Hotel.

She had applied for a part-time receptionist post at Arcturus Publishing, just because their logo had a star on it, and been offered the job!

She’d even inherited some money from a mad old aunt in California who she had never even met. The aunt’s name? Stella.

Every time Evie saw a star and followed it, something wonderful happened.

Even so, she wandered nervously round the garden centre for a whole ten minutes before she found the courage to cross the courtyard and walk into the café for her “date” with Matthew.

There he was, sitting at a corner table with his dark hair flopping over his face as he studied a gardening catalogue. Was it a good sign that his name was Matthew? Or was it just weird that he had the same name as her husband?

Suddenly Evie wasn’t so sure. She hesitated in the doorway and was about to take a step back when Mrs Barton shouted, “Come in and shut the door girl, before we all freeze to death!”

Evie mumbled an apology and stepped inside. Too late. Now she would have to stay. But Matthew turned out to be just as lovely as she remembered.

He helped her out of her coat and went up and ordered her a hot chocolate. Soon they were chatting and laughing like old friends. But Marian’s words of warning kept popping into her head. Evie wished she could be sure she was doing the right thing.

Just then Betty Barton plonked a mug of hot chocolate on the table in front of her and the air was filled with the delicious scent of chocolate and cinnamon.

Evie looked down at her drink, gasped and looked up into Betty’s grumpy old face.

“Don’t go blaming me, he was the one who asked for it!” she said and stomped off towards the kitchen.

“You don’t mind, do you? It is Christmas after all,” Matthew said.

Evie gazed at her hot chocolate. There, floating on the top in cocoa sprinkles was a star…

When Evie saw a STAR and followed it, something WONDERFUL happened