A Whole New World

Sometimes the perfect present isn’t something tangible but the discovery that what you really want is within your reach...

The man standing next to her was pleading with the sales assistant. “But I don’t have a clue. You have to help me.”

The girl, who clearly thought customer service was optional, gave him a weary look. “Scarf?” She thrust one towards him and he took it doubtfully.

“I want to get her something special.” “Purse?”

“She already has a purse. Why would she need another?”

The girl shrugged.

“It’s the thought that counts.”

“Only if it’s a good thought, surely?

I want to get her something she’ll love.”

Poppy lingered by the counter. She thought back to the previous Christmas when Rob had bought her an oversized bottle of cheap perfume that still had the duty-free sticker on it.

He hadn’t thought Iwanttogether something she’ ll love. He’d thought, I’ m about to break up with my fiancée so I’ m not going to waste lots of money on her Christmas gift.

It restored her faith in human nature to know that not everyone felt that way.

She knew she shouldn’t interfere, but she couldn’t help it. Her own relationship had withered and died, but maybe she could give a little boost to someone else’s.

She stepped forward. “Can I help?” He looked surprised. “You’d do that?” His suit suggested a traditional, corporate type of job, but his actions suggested the sensitive, thoughtful type. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.

“Of course. You’re obviously buying a gift for someone special.”

He handed the scarf back to the assistant. “She’s my whole world.”

Poppy was speared with envy. She’d ne ever been anyone’s whole world. She wasn’t w sure she’d even been a small co ountry. She’d never mattered that much m to anyone.

“A gift should be personal, so tell me so omething about her.”

The sales assistant rolled her eyes an nd turned away to serve another cu ustomer who knew what they wanted.

The man didn’t seem to notice.

He was considering Poppy’s question.

“She’s always been the adventurous type. This Christmas we’re going to see the Northern Lights. She’s dreamed of it for a long time and it was something I wanted us to do together.”

The Northern Lights.

Poppy had dreamed of it, too. Her father had proposed to her mother in a small, romantic cabin in the Arctic Circle. Poppy had never grown tired of hearing the story, even though she blamed them entirely for her ridiculously high expectations about relationships and

She’d DROPPED so many HINTS, the flat was like an OBSTACLE COURSE

romance. She’d wanted a love like theirs. And then she’d met Rob.

“The Northern Lights?” He’d frowned when she’d told him the story. “Is that up in Manchester? Further north? Are you sure you want to see them? A load of lights doesn’t sound very eco, and you’re always turning lights off.”

She told him about the aurora borealis and showed him on a map, hoping that maybe he’d take a hint and surprise her with a trip, the way her father had surprised her mother.

Maybe even a proposal?

“You can sometimes see them from Scotland, but my parents went all the way to the Arctic.”

She and Rob rarely travelled further than Ealing. She was desperate for them to be more adventurous.

When he’d proposed, it had been in the frozen food aisle of the local supermarket.

“You said you wanted to be proposed to somewhere cold.” He’d thought it was hilarious, but Poppy knew that whenever she looked at her ring, she’d think of chicken nuggets.

And how would she frame the proposal story for their children?

Before she could think about what to say they were surrounded by shoppers, all eager for something to lift the tedium of filling their baskets.

“Go on, love, say yes,” urged the woman in the red coat, reaching for a packet of frozen peas from behind Poppy.

“A couple who shop together, stay together,” said another woman, both hands filled with tubs of ice cream.

Shopping together wasn’t her idea of the perfect shared activity. Poppy felt the chill creep under her coat and thought This isn’ t the way my dream looked, but she knew her dreams were unrealistic and somehow found herself saying yes – even though part of her was yelling No.

When their relationship ended, it was hard to know which of them was more relieved. Poppy’s biggest disappointment was that she wouldn’t get to see the Northern Lights.

And now she was trying not to think about Christmas. She’d be spending it alone, in the flat she’d once shared with

Rob. She’d stocked up on drink and planned to spend the whole time slumped in front of the TV watching snowy movies where everyone had perfect lives.

This man and the love of his life would be spending the festive season with their arms wrapped around each other, making memories… She forced herself to concentrate on the task in hand.

“She sounds quite the action woman.” Poppy hoped his beloved knew how lucky she was.

“She is incredible. But it makes her hard to buy gifts for. She’s not the type who likes to accumulate possessions.”

“If she likes to travel, you could buy her something related to that. If you’re going to see the Northern Lights, it will be cold. Cashmere? A new camera to photograph the experience?”

She listed all the things she’d have loved Rob to buy her. She’d dropped so many hints, the flat was like an obstacle course.

Rob had never bought her an experience. If he had, it would have been a trip round a brewery or football tickets.

“A new camera is a great idea.” The man removed his glasses and polished off the rain so he could see her more clearly. “Maybe she’d prefer to use her phone?” “She doesn’t own a smartphone. A camera is genius. Thank you. I’m Luke.”

He held out his hand and she took it, feeling more electricity in that brief encounter than she had in her entire relationship with Rob.

“I’m Poppy.” She pulled her hand away, embarrassed. He was completely devoted to the woman in his life and here she was having indecent thoughts.

Still it cheered her to know that part of her was still alive, and not deep frozen forever by her experience in the supermarket aisle. And it proved to her again that she should be happy her relationship had ended. Not wanting to spend Christmas alone wasn’t a reason to continue a relationship.

Somewhere out there was a man who might think she was his whole world. She wasn’t willing to settle for less. If she had to wait for adventure, then she’d wait. “Well, Poppy, I’m grateful.”

“You’re welcome. Have a wonderful Christmas.” And he would, of course, because he’d be waking up in the Land of the Midnight Sun with a woman who loved him.

“You, too. Are you going to spend it with family?”

“I’ll be on my own.”

He studied her for a moment. “Is that difficult, or exciting? On the one hand it’s hard when everywhere you look you’re surrounded by images of happy

families, but on the other hand you can go anywhere. Do anything.”

Poppy felt something shift inside her. Goanywhere. Do anything. Why hadn’t she thought of it that way? She had money saved for a rainy day. Maybe this was that day. Instead of waiting for someone to share her dream of seeing the Northern Lights, she could take a trip by herself, see the place her parents loved.

Even without a proposal, it would be special. Not an act of love in the same way theirs had been, but an act of self-love. That counted too, didn’t it?

“It’s exciting,” she said, and for the first time since Rob had slammed the door behind him, it felt that way. The adventurous side of her had been bursting to get out for a while. Her mistake had been in thinking that she needed someone to be adventurous with.

She could be adventurous alone. She would be adventurous alone.

She almost hugged Luke out of sheer gratitude but she managed to rein herself in and shake his hand one more time.

Two weeks later, and just three days before Christmas, she was standing in the queue at the airport wearing the cashmere jumper she’d bought herself as a treat (why couldn’t a girl buy her own gifts?), and there he was. Luke. Casually dressed this time, but definitely him.

Same blue eyes and the same smile.

She waved and then snatched her hand back quickly. What was she thinking? Now he’d have to explain why a strange woman was waving to him.

She expected him to ignore her, but he didn’t. He waved back and strode across, kissing her as if they were old friends.

“Poppy! It’s fantastic to see you. Tell me you’re off to see the Northern Lights.”

“I am. You inspired me – but you needn’t worry,” she added quickly, “I won’t be following you around. I didn’t know this was the tour you’d booked. That’s a coincidence. Did the special woman in your life like the gift?”

“Loved it.”

Poppy searched for an adventurous looking woman with a camera.

“She’s probably wondering why you’re kissing a strange brunette.”

“She’d be delighted to see me kissing a strange brunette, although I think of you more as a kindred spirit than strange.” Poppy was confused.

“She would? But –”

“She’s old-fashioned. She wants to see me settled with a family, which is ironic given she is the original adventurous single woman. If she were here now and saw us talking, she’d be matchmaking like mad. It would be embarrassing.

“I went with your suggestion, by the way.” He held up the camera as evidence. “Unfortunately she won’t be able to use it in person. She slipped on the ice two weeks ago and bruised her hip. She’s mad with herself. It’s not easy being ninety.

“She’s not well enough to travel but she insisted I come and photograph everything with her new camera.”

“Ninety?” Poppy looked at him stupidly and his eyes narrowed.

“Yes. Why – what did you –?” He gave a slow smile. “You thought she was my –”

“Your whole world. You said she was your whole world.” Poppy was breathless.

“She is.” He spoke softly. “She’s my grandmother. My parents were killed when I was six weeks old. She sacrificed so much so that I could have everything.”

“I assumed you were buying the gift for – your wife.”

“No wife, although my grandmother lectures me on that regularly.”

Poppy had a lump in her throat. “You’re lucky to have someone so special.”

“I am. I can’t believe you thought – ” “I assumed.”

His gaze was very blue. Intense. “Let’s start this again, shall we? I’m Luke. You’re Poppy. Can I ask you a favour? My grandmother made me promise to take photos of every stage of my trip. This probably counts as the beginning, so shall we take one?”

It felt like a beginning to her, although the beginning of what she wasn’t sure yet. A relationship? Maybe, but most of all it was the beginning of a brand new adventurous version of herself.

It seemed fitting to take that photo together since he was the reason she was here, so she posed with him, beaming into the camera as he extended his arm and took a photograph.

“There. I’ll send it and then sit back and wait for the inevitable questions.” He tucked the camera away. “They’re calling our flight. I don’t suppose – ”

“Yes.” She was proud of her new daring self. “Yes, I would like to share this adventure with you.”

He smiled. “And you can help me with the photographs, as the camera was your idea. I’m so grateful to you for that.”

And she was grateful to him.

What he’d given her was priceless.

The perfect gift.

She could be ADVENTUROUS alone. She WOULD BE adventurous alone