Page 20 of Christmas Games
‘What are you doing?’
‘Getting ready. I want to have sex the moment we get home.’
Rory started the engine and eased out of the space. He could do this.
By the timethey turned down the track to the cabin, Zoe was naked from the waist up. However, as they rounded the final bend, Rory suddenly slammed the truck in reverse.
They were not alone.
‘Who the fuck was that?’ Zoe asked as she hastily redressed.
‘God knows,’ he replied. ‘But I’d rather they didn’t see your spectacular breasts or my “perfectly average penis”.’
‘Well, whoever they are, let’s get rid of them quickly.’
As soon as Zoe was decent, Rory eased the truck back along the track. The car parked outside the cabin was a big black SUV with tinted windows.
No one got out to greet them.
‘Dudes!’
Rory had been glad of the sex reprieve, but now his heart sank.
There, in the distance, walking up the hill from the loch towards them, hand in hand with Bandit at their side, was his mother and her much younger husband: Hollywood superstar, and all-round fruit-loop, Brad Bauer.
‘Promise you’ll behave,’ Zoe said.
Rory was silent.
‘Rory!’ she hissed.
He grunted.
‘Rory grumpy-pants MacGinley. You have less than a minute to get it together. You will smile. You will make pleasant conversation. And you will not lose your shit if Brad calls you—’
‘Son!’
Zoe’s nails dug into Rory’s arm, the pain a welcome distraction. His father, who’d died three years previously, had been a domineering bully, who’d sent Rory off to boarding school in England aged seven.
Rory was not in the market for a replacement father figure, certainly not one only a few years older than himself who drank smoothies for breakfast with the consistency and colour of something scraped off the bottom of the loch.
Zoe strode forward. ‘Barbara, Brad, what an unexpected surprise.’
His mother air-kissed her and Brad stared at her stomach.
‘Where is it?’ he asked.
‘Bradley, dear,’ replied his mother with the kind of tone reserved for toddlers. ‘We’ve been over this already. Zoe won’t show for at least another month, maybe longer.’
Brad looked disappointed, but immediately bounced back, hugging Zoe. ‘Babe, we’re so excited!’
Rory stalked over and Brad let go of Zoe and grabbed him in a bear hug. ‘There you are. Bring it in, man. Bring it in!’
Rory patted Brad’s back awkwardly until relieved by his mother.
‘Congratulations, darling,’ she said, leaving a good six inches between her air kiss and his cheek. ‘Although I’m not sure what allthisis about,’ she said, waving at his beard. ‘Are you planning to play Joseph in the nativity this year?’
‘Zoe wants me to be Santa.’
