Page 13 of A Festive Surprise

Chapter Six

Holly

As mornings after went, this was ok. A little too much wine had been consumed the night before. Coupled with the travelling, it had made Holly so tired she’d fallen asleep on the sofa in front of the fire. When she’d woken, someone had put a blanket over her.

Must have been Farid. She rubbed the dull ache on her forehead. ‘Shit and double shit.’ Had she blown it? Whatever ‘it’ was. It wasn’t like she had a game plan. The last thing she would have expected was to be holed up beside the most handsome guy in the universe… Apart from the overload of Christmas décor. Where that was an unwelcome surprise, Farid definitely wasn’t.

She showered and dressed, then found herself at the kitchen window, leaning on the sink, gazing out to sea. The sky was blue and clear but the sea was wild. Wind whipped across its surface. Holly pulled open the dishwasher. Shiny plates and glasses sparkled at her. Farid had cleared up. Seriously? Could he be any more of a gentleman? And she liked his pies – that meant two things. First, he was a good cook and second, she’d promised to stay for a bit longer. But something had to be done about this cottage first. The Christmas stuff was cringy. She pulled a cup from the washer and stopped, holding it suspended in mid-air. Running up the steep track from the beach some hundred feet below was Farid. Hot. Hot. Hot. Middle of winter, yes, but a cold shower was in order right now. He was in shorts, and his legs. Oh no. Not his legs too. They were strong, covered in dark hair and altogether the shapeliest man legs possible.

He stopped at the top, leaned over and rested his palms on his knees, panting. When he straightened up, he loosened the neck of his t-shirt and shook his curly head. Holly scooted back from the window. Don’t want him to catch me drooling. What the hell would he think? What did he think anyway? She was some lightweight who couldn’t hold her drink? Couldn’t have that. Ditching the cup, she nipped to the front door and wrenched it open. Her breath billowed in front of her.

‘Hey.’ She cupped her hand around her mouth. The distant rush of the waves and the rustle of the wind in the grass were the only other sounds.

Farid stopped at the end of the little patch of green before the house. Such a barren garden.

He leaned on the gate. ‘Hi. You woke up then?’

Folding her arms, she strutted towards him. Slippers be damned. He wasn’t leaving that gate until she’d made her point. ‘It must have been the travelling. I hardly ever do that. Or you drugged the pies.’

‘No, not me.’ He pulled an innocent face.

She cocked her head. ‘And thanks for clearing up.’

‘It’s nothing. Christmas spirit and all that.’

‘Seriously? Washing dishes is Christmassy now, is it?’

‘Everything is Christmassy in this crazy country. You should be Christmassy. You are Holly. I see holly in every display.’ He threw out his hands. ‘But does anyone know why?’

‘Search me.’

His eyes obeyed, roaming over her. A shiver coursed through her and she hugged herself. ‘It’s another figure of speech.’

‘No?’ He flashed an ironic look.

‘I’ve no idea why I’m called Holly. My birthday’s in September, so it was nothing to do with Christmas.’

He pulled up his eyebrows. ‘No?’

‘No.’

‘Maybe your parents found a Christmas connection. Ya’ni’, like the Christmas nine months before you were born.’

‘Oh, Jesus Christ.’ She slapped her palm into her forehead. ‘That’s an image I really don’t need.’ Though possibly, most annoyingly, he was right.

He laughed, turning her insides to liquid. ‘You cried the name Jesus Christ. That is definitely Christmassy, yes.’

‘Obviously. But does anyone celebrate Christmas because of that anymore?’ She held out her hands. ‘If that’s the true meaning of Christmas, then it’s lost.’

‘Sad.’ Farid tipped his head to the side, the corners of his lips drooping.

‘Why are you so interested in Christmas anyway?’

‘Because it’s everywhere here. It’s huge. But it makes no sense.’ He rubbed his arms and shivered. ‘I’m freezing. I stand still too long. I must shower.’

Holly arched an eyebrow. That would be fun to watch… or join.

He winked.

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