Page 48 of A Festive Surprise

Chapter Sixteen

Holly

Holly checked her make-up in the old-fashioned three-way mirror in the bedroom. The quaint little room was perfect shabby chic and so utterly Georgia. Tourists would adore the country cottage style. Holly could take it or leave it. Behind her, the bed was still a mangled mess of covers and blankets. She smirked and a tremor of glee ran through her. What a delicious night she’d had. She pouted her sparkly lips and flicked her long, straightened hair over her shoulders. ‘Still got it, babe,’ she told her reflection with a wink.

Farid called her jamilati all the time, which apparently meant ‘my beautiful’. Well, she could do worse than being his beautiful. Gavin had told her she was a classic beauty back then, before the split. They’d always looked quite the pair at functions, him in his slick suits and her with killer heels, long legs and short skirts. Now, the idea of a smouldering-hot Farid on her arm in his lumberjack shirt spiked the gauge on her core temperature more than a blazer and tie.

Getting in the car was like stepping into a fridge. Holly flipped on the blasters to full pelt as she drove along the track. She had loads of projects on the go, but why turn down another one? Especially as it was on the island? Mostly, she preferred her own company when she was working but the isolation here was a whole new ball game and the opportunity to talk to someone else was appealing.

After the night she’d had, she wanted to sing. The first thing that popped into her head was “Holly Jolly Christmas”. Like a brain worm, it burrowed deep in her mind and she kept repeating it. Who cared if she hated Christmas? The song summed up her mood. Maybe Farid was right; Christmas wasn’t this or that but something for people to enjoy in their own way. She’d had a lifetime of shitty Christmases and a culmination event six years ago, but if she threw that thought away and embraced the fun, where was the harm? Especially if she translated embracing the fun into embracing Farid. That she could do.

She journeyed south along ridiculously narrow and twisty roads. Of all the places she’d lived, none had been quite so dramatic. She’d started off in Northumberland where her mother came from but she barely even remembered that. Some people said they still heard it in her accent but she’d been all over since then, from Helensburgh to Hullavington, from London to Edinburgh and then some. Some places she couldn’t recall the names or what they looked like. Now, she was aiming for an out-of-the-way village called Carsaig, where Robyn Hansen lived. They’d met at Georgia’s wedding and fleetingly again at the carol singing on Saturday. Georgia had called around on Sunday with a proposal. May as well check it out. Robyn ran a marketing company and was looking for web design for a client. Nothing was to stop Holly from doing this remotely but she wanted to get out and move. Sitting in the cottage all day was limiting and if she was only here for a short period, she should make the most of it.

The views were a refreshing change and she pulled up in Carsaig just over an hour later, energised and ready to hit the day running. Robyn opened the door of a jaw-dropping house set on its own at the end of a short lane with a large, flat surrounding garden, leading to a private beach and jetty. The front door was in an old cottage but it had been magnificently extended with a modern timber building to the side.

‘Thanks for coming.’ Robyn led Holly through the older part of the house, mostly taken up by a gorgeous country kitchen.

She blinked as she stepped into the open-plan living area. ‘This house is stunning.’

‘We built the extension,’ said Robyn. ‘It was just the cottage when we bought it.’

‘I love it.’

‘Do you mind sitting in here or would you prefer to go into the office?’

‘Here’s fine. Though the view’s a bit distracting.’ The floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the bay.

‘Isn’t it?’ said Robyn. ‘Would you like a coffee?’

‘I could murder one.’

When Robyn returned with two mugs, Holly had her tablet out ready.

‘Thanks.’ She sipped the coffee, then placed the mug on a side table. ‘So, do you want to talk me through what you’re after? And I’ll see if it’s something I can do.’

‘Sure.’ Robyn tucked her long, ice-blonde hair behind her ears and took a seat. ‘Carl used to work in software development, so he’s mocked up this demo for me, but it’s too far out of his field for him to complete the whole project.’

‘Can you email it to me and I’ll study it on here?’ Holly woke the tablet.

Robyn clicked away on a laptop, sending files and Holly looked through them as they chatted.

‘Wow,’ said Holly. ‘This is big.’

‘Yeah, is it too much for you to take on?’

Holly sucked in her lip as she scanned through the mock-up. ‘It looks really interesting and it’s definitely something I can do.’ She carried on down the page. ‘I want to say yes.’ But another project she was working on lingered in her mind, the Mardicon and Co. job she was liaising with Gavin on. It was big as well but her heart wasn’t in it. The thought of working with him turned her stomach. But this was too big to pull off alone unless she wound up the Mardicon job quickly. ‘I’m not sure I can do it in the timeframe.’

‘Carl might be able to help if—’ Robyn pulled a pained face and put her hand low on her tummy.

‘Are you ok?’

‘Yeah, sorry. Just a twinge. Must’ve eaten something dodgy.’

‘Eek, I hate that feeling.’ Holly furrowed her brow. Robyn blinked and bit her lip. Something in her expression wasn’t right, but she dipped her gaze to her laptop and started typing.

‘Can you let me know about Carl?’ said Holly. ‘I have other people I could try if he’s not able to.’

‘Ok.’ Robyn got to her feet. Was she deliberately arranging her face to appear happy? Holly was the mistress of that in the office but wasn’t sure she’d recognise it in someone else. Robyn’s smile didn’t seem to reach her eyes, but maybe that was just her way. ‘Would you like to stay for lunch or anything?’

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