Page 19 of Confessions of a Christmasholic

She looked away, a familiar mixture of embarrassment and pride rolling through her. Embarrassed because she was kickstarting her career late, proud of what she’d achieved on her own. ‘I put myself through uni while working two jobs. I needed to support myself, so I couldn’t take the full range of modules each year.’

Sutton forced herself to meet his eyes, and saw, maybe, a hint of respect pass through all that blue. But it was gone too soon for her to be sure, and she wondered if she was simply projecting her need for affirmation onto him. She liked impressing people. She liked impressing impressive, confident, hot men even more.

But Gus wasn’t someone to toy with, he was the man handing her a lifeline, hauling her out of the deep hole Layla kicked her into. She had to keep her distance and ignore the lust rolling through her. He was her boss…

‘So you have a degree in occupational therapy…’ He winced and looked a little rueful. ‘I’m not sure what being an OT involves. You work with kids who have learning challenges, right?’

It was a common misconception. ‘So, basically, we teach people how to adapt their movements to complete a task. That could be helping children with their schoolwork, helping them improve their writing or anything involving any kind of activity or task. Icanwork with children, but I prefer to work with adults who’ve been impacted by trauma, whether that’s a stroke, a car accident or something else that’s derailed their life. I help them to do as much as they can, given their injuries.’

‘And you enjoy it?’

No, she loved it. It was exactly what she was meant to do. And she couldn’t wait to start a new job and get back into the swing of hospital visits and appointments. She loved seeing people progress, and helping her patients reach small, and big, milestones. ‘I do.’

Sutton folded the sheet of paper and leaned forward to tuck it into the back pocket of her jeans. Gus picked up a set of car keys and handed them over. ‘These are the keys for a car I keep as a company vehicle. I had an intern run to Kendal to purchase another set of car seats for the twins.’

She picked up the keys and looked at the familiar logo on the keychain. ‘You’re assuming I drive,’ she commented.

A half grin lifted the corners of his mouth. ‘I went through your purse. I saw both your South African licence and an international driver’s licence in there.’

‘Do I have any secrets left?’ Sutton asked.

‘Oh, I’m sure you have plenty,’ he told her, his voice deeper than before.

The air still sizzled between them, and little explosions of fireworks erupted on her skin. The room seemed to take a huge breath, the tension in the air causing the walls to shuffle inward, making the space more intimate and cosier.

Everything faded, her past and his present, her money issues and his challenge to give his twins what he thought they needed. Their eyes locked and Sutton couldn’t break his stare. It was a made-for-movies moment, one that didn’t need a soundtrack.

Man. Woman. Want. Need.

Then Gus leaned back, and the loaded-with-promise-and-sexual-innuendo moment vanished as his sexy mouth tipped up into a smirk. ‘Your music playlists are dreadful, by the way.’

‘There is nothing wrong with my choice of music!’

‘Eighties teen pop – sweet enough to make the enamel drip off your teeth.’

She liked those songs, they made her feel upbeat and happy. ‘I cannot believe you went through my stuff,’ she muttered.

‘I cannot believe you offered to help beat up Santa, killed a couple of snowmen, passed out on my couch and considered blackmailing me,’ Gus retorted.

Hot adventure guy, 1. Sutton, 0.

* * *

On the second morning of her Conningworth Confusion, as she’d named this period of her life, Sutton stood at the bathroom sink, contemplating her messy hair. She’d washed it last night and it hadn’t been completely dry when she went to sleep. It now looked like she’d shoved her tongue into an electrical socket.

‘What are you doing?’ Rosie demanded from the other side of the door. She’d found the twins at the end of her bed this morning, watching her sleep – creepy! – and while her nanny duties were only supposed to start after school, she climbed out of bed and stumbled down the stairs to use the bathroom, closely followed by the twins and Pig.

The twins groaned and Pig barked when she closed the door in their faces.

‘Whatcha doing?’

‘How long are you going to be?’

Sutton rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten that four-year-olds did not understand the concept of privacy. As the new girl in the house, they found her endlessly fascinating. Unfortunately, their fascination would only last until she told them to pick up their toys or when she insisted they eat their vegetables.

From the moment Gus told them she would be looking after them for the next few weeks, they peppered her with questions.Where do you live? How tall are you? Where does the sun go when it is dark? Do you have a sister? A brother? A baby? A monkey? Do you have a baby who is a monkey? Why don’t crabs have eyebrows?The best interrogators in the world could take tips from the Langston twins.

‘Sutton, I need to pee!’

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