Page 61 of A Festive Surprise

Chapter Twenty

Holly

‘Absolutely no,’ said Holly. ‘Have you lost your mind? Has Georgia? Why can’t she do it herself? Can’t Archie mind the shop for two hours and she could be the elf? Or I’ll mind the bloody shop and she can do it.’

‘It’s ok, jamilati.’ Farid took both her shoulders in his hands and held her steady. ‘She said if you could. You don’t have to. No one will make you. I can be the man-elf in my PJs.’

She broke away and rubbed her forehead. ‘If I don’t, I’ll feel really bad. Ugh. When we were at uni, Georgia and I had a summer job where we dressed up as court jesters and did silly displays for kids at a local castle. But this…’

‘So she knows you can do it.’

‘It was over ten years ago. I’ve grown inhibitions since then.’

‘Ha! No, you haven’t. You can’t say that to me, not after—’

‘Yeah, ok.’ She threw out her hands. ‘But in some ways, I have. And I’ve also developed an aversion to children.’

Farid cocked his head. ‘Why? They’re so important.’

‘I’m just an old cynic.’

‘Nonsense.’ He pushed his fingers into Holly’s hair and drew her face close.

Oh no, if he kissed her, she’d melt and do every bloody thing he asked.

‘If you do this, jamilati, I would like to help undress the naughty elf after.’

‘Farid…!’ She gritted her teeth as he gently kissed her neck.

‘I wear my Santa hat… and nothing else.’

‘Oh, good god. Do you think it’s a good idea for me to have thoughts like that rattling through my head while I’m trying to stop kids screaming at Santa for two hours?’

‘Come on, I do it with you.’

‘Seriously? Are you going to sit on the rug in your Santa hat and your birthday suit? You’ll have all the mothers queuing up to see that.’

‘Haha. No. I wear my lumberjack shirt over my PJs.’

‘You’d make more money with the mothers than I will with the kids.’

‘Does that mean you’re doing it?’

‘It appears I have no choice.’

∞∞∞

Holly grimaced at her reflection. When Farid dropped this costume at her feet a couple of weeks ago, she should have picked it up and hurled it into the ocean or burned the hideous thing. Instead, she was now roped into the tight Lycra looking like a cross between Diana Rigg in TheAvengers and Will Ferrell in his Buddy suit.

‘Oh, jamilati.’ Farid poked his head around the door. ‘Sexiest elf ever.’

‘Not helpful.’ She turned herself in the mirror. Her build was athletic and she was blessed with a reasonably flat bottom and stomach. Her hips were wide and her breasts a little too large to pull off the classic elfin style. ‘I already look more like I’m on the game than going to the grotto.’

‘You’re stunning. No matter what you wear.’

His words were always beautiful, his proficiency in English remarkable. His talents were boundless and shouldn’t be wasted by circumstances – or squashed by a bad relationship. He was only twenty-six and she was his first love. If she could make things good, maybe they could part on reasonable terms and he could go into the world with confidence and find someone more suited to him.

A tide of nausea ripped through her. Farid with someone else! No. He’s mine. And she’d scratch out anyone’s eyes if they tried to steal him from her. Stop this. She had to if they were going to part ways without her going crazy.

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