"Ivy, I did yours!"
I smiled as Scarlet announced her cooking skills to me as Harry and I made our way into the dining room, her little face still lit up in a smile as she bounced about and Harry squeezed my hand.
"You did?" I asked, watching as she nodded. "Thank you."
"I helped," Michal cut in, his eyes rolling to the ceiling at me and I laughed, thank god, because did I really want to eat something a five year old had made?
I don't think I even washed my hands when I was five.
I smiled at Harry as he pulled a chair out for me just as Gemma took a seat on my right and Harry pulled the chair out on my other side and sat down and I glanced at him with a raised eyebrow as he squeezed my thigh.
"What?" I asked quietly just as Michal appeared carrying two bottles of wine and I finally took notice of how nicely the table had been set, and the little plates of thick white bread cut into four triangles in front of everyone's places.
Definitely feel like I should have done that.
"Nothing," Harry shook his head gently and I eyed him suspiciously. "Jus' like looking at you."
"Yuck," I muttered making him nudge me with his shoulder, the two of us laughing and I saw Gemma roll her eyes from the corner of my eye making me smile to myself.
Anne appeared carrying several very fancy, very shiny glasses filled with our dinner and I blinked as she started to place them down in front of Robin and Gemma, and then Michal appeared as Anne disappeared again and he put one glass down in front of me and the other in front of Harry.
"This is so fancy," I muttered to Harry who laughed at me and I looked back just as Anne and Michal came in with their own food and Michal placed a smaller, but still just as fancy and shiny bowl down in front of Scarlet.
"I had a wonderful little sous chef this year," Anne smiled once we were all settled, and I glanced at Scarlet who was grinning and playing with her small fork. "It's really lovely to be here with all my favourite people and I can't believe it's Christmas already!"
I smiled at Anne's cute little speech, if it could even really be called that, before she waved her hands and Gemma picked up her fork and stabbed a prawn immediately.
"Wine?" Harry asked me and I pursed my lips as I looked at the white wine bottle he was holding and I gave in and nodded.
"Thank you," I said quietly as Harry filled my glass, before he filled Gemma's and his own and I saw Robin fill his and Anne's with red wine whilst Michal sipped from his beer bottle.
I wonder why Harry wasn't drinking beer?
I smiled as Harry clicked his glass against mine, and then Gemma's and I did the same before I took a long drink, the crisp tartness making my throat tang and I realised I probably should slow down, this was my third glass.
I picked up my little cake fork and I stabbed a prawn and a chunk of cucumber before I brought it to my mouth and I felt my eyes widen at the tang of the sauce.
"Anne, this is so good!" I told her once I'd swallowed my mouthful, and I felt my cheeks heat as the biggest grin appeared on her face.
"Thank you sweetheart," Anne grinned. "I'm so happy you like it, the sauce was my Mum's recipe and I've been making it forever."
I listened to her explanation as I munched through my dinner, dipping one of my bread triangles into the sauce and I tried to cram as much of the sauce onto the bread as I could. It was arguably the best prawn cocktail sauce I'd ever had.
