White Christmas Read Free Page B

stand up and introduce yourself, then ask your question, I’ll do my
very best to answer it.’
    No one spoke for a few seconds, so in a bid to fill the
silence, Hal got to his feet.
    Lizzie stared at him in astonishment. She’d been so busy
concentrating on her dreaded PowerPoint presentation that she hadn’t spotted
him at the back before.
    ‘And you are?’ she asked coolly, even though she knew
perfectly well.
    ‘Hal. Hal Benson. From Last Ditch News.’
    ‘Ah yes,’ said Lizzie, her voice silky-smooth. ‘And your
question?’
    Hal wracked his brains frantically. He was half tempted to
ask if she’d have a drink with him, but was pretty sure that would go down like
a lead balloon.
    ‘Er, I was wondering about something. Are we going to have a
White Christmas this year?’ he said finally.
    A few of the academics at the front tutted with annoyance at
his low-brow question. Lizzie herself wasn’t sure whether he was joking, but
decided to treat it seriously.
    ‘You’re a weather presenter, aren’t you, Mr Benson? I’m sure
you have an opinion on this. What do you think?’
    ‘I haven’t the foggiest,’ grinned Hal. ‘I just thought I
might have a bet on it.’
    A couple of people in the audience laughed. Lizzie rolled
her eyes in exasperation and ignored his quip.
    ‘We won’t know for sure till about five days before
Christmas Day,’ she said. ‘Records show that snowflakes have fallen on December
25 around 38 times in the UK over the last half century, but a widespread
covering of snow isn’t very common at all. Wintry weather is far more usual
between January and March. So if you’re putting me on the spot, I’d say it’s
pretty unlikely we’ll have a White Christmas.’
    Hal stood up again, keen to continue the exchange.
    ‘But it snowed two years ago. Don’t you remember? My folks
live down a farm track in the middle of the Cotswolds and the snow was a good
twelve inches deep there. They couldn’t get out for love or money. And the rest
of the family couldn’t get to them either. We ended up having our Christmas
dinner the day after Boxing Day.’
    Lizzie stared at Hal. What was he on about? She’d spent the
best part of an hour giving a serious lecture and here he was, droning on about
his mum and dad.  
    ‘I’m very sorry to hear it, Mr Benson. But hopefully you’ll
be in luck this year. Hopefully it won’t snow and you’ll be able to sit down to
your turkey and Christmas pudding on the right day. Now, after that fascinating
interlude, can I thank you all very much for coming. I hope that it’s been
helpful and I wish you luck in all your meteorological endeavours.’
    As Lizzie closed her laptop and the audience drifted out of
the room, she looked up. Hal was still there, leaning back in his seat and
studying her intently.
    ‘Thanks for that,’ he grinned. ‘It was really useful. I’m
new to this game and I understand a hell of a lot more after your talk.’
    Disarmed by the compliment, Lizzie smiled back. Hal Benson
didn’t have a clue about weather forecasts, she thought, but he was certainly a
charmer.
    ‘How come you’re doing the weather for Last Ditch?’ she
asked, remembering the years she’d spent training as a meteorologist. ‘Jobs
like that are pretty hard to come by. There must have been a lot of
competition.’
    ‘God knows,’ said Hal. ‘The whole thing’s a mystery to me.
One moment I’m out of work, the next my agent’s on the blower telling me to get
round to Last Ditch and audition as a weatherman. It all seemed a bit of a
wind-up, except, well… I ended up getting the gig. It’s only for four weeks
though, just till Micky Lennon comes back. He’s drying… I mean, he’s on a
sabbatical. Do you know him?’
    ‘I’ve met him a few times,’ said Lizzie cautiously. She
remembered the last time she’d seen Micky Lennon only too well. He’d been a TV
weather presenter for twenty years or so, but in recent months his
unreliability and