Page 47 of The Christmas Holiday
‘Watch.’ She slid her Chanel glasses down her nose a touch and glanced at the woman before pushing them back up again.
I frowned behind my own oversized Boots-own-brand sunglassesand waited.
The woman tossed her hair as she hooked her designer bag over her shoulder. Its gold clasps caught the sun, sending flashes across the pool. She began walking back towards the hotel, but instead of taking the path that led directly back in, she opted to walk poolside, her hips swaying softly, the breeze rippling the sarong as she walked. Unlike most people, she kept her sunglassesup on top of her head. And it was pretty obvious why. Hunter was still sitting sideways on the lounger, his arms resting loosely on his thighs as he chatted to his friend. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen her – Hunter had never been one to gawp at other women when we were together but he was single now and he’d most definitely been singled out. The woman kept her eyes unshaded in order for himto see exactly where her focus was trained. On him. When his head turned briefly, she shot him a wide, confident smile.
‘Hi there.’ The smile stayed as she spoke, her pace slowing a little.
I saw Sandy look out to Liv and his eyebrows waggled a couple of times above his sunglasses as he grinned at her. She lifted the cocktail out of the holder on her chair and held it up in a cheers motionto him, making sure her fingers were specifically placed in a message as she did so. His grin got wider and he rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide it.
Hunter smiled back at the woman, returned the greeting politely and then turned back to Sandy, picking up the conversation they had briefly dropped. Sandy shifted on the lounger, clearly surprised to once more be the focus of Hunter’s attentionso soon. The woman looked at Hunter, then at Sandeep, her smile in place but a little less bright and a little more fixed as she picked up her pace and sashayed on into the hotel, a flash of bright yellow disappearing behind smoked glass as she stepped through the doors.
‘Well… wonders will never cease,’ Liv murmured.
‘Do you think it’s a nationality thing?’
‘Huh?’ Liv was staringat Hunter. At my question, she pulled her attention back to me.
‘That woman. I mean, obviously she was hitting on Hunter – but she was so confident about it. I just wondered if you thought it was a nationality thing – she didn’t sound British – or if it’s just that she knows she looks hot as… you know… Or if it’s just some other sort of inner belief. I mean, I can do presentations and speakto pretty much anyone for work but I could never be that confident in the same situation.’
Liv downed the remains of her cocktail, motioned for me to do the same with my mocktail and then waved the glass at a passing waiter, indicating one more of each.
‘You totally should, though.’
I laughed. ‘I couldn’t! For God’s sake, I have dusters bigger than that sarong for a start. I’d be luckyif it covered one bum cheek, let alone two!’
‘I don’t think covering up is what that was about. It’s all about illusion. Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure.’
Liv and I were now paddling with our hands, as we steered our way to the shallow end and a safe depth to disembark without risk of losing our specs or ruining our straw hats. We slid off the chairs and stepped out of the pool, headingback to the cabana.
‘It really doesn’t bother you?’
‘What?’
‘That woman clearly hitting on Hunter. And you two were… or are…’
‘Oh! No. Past tense only. Definitely not “are”.’
‘Oh…’ Liv slowed her pace so she could finish her thought. ‘It’s just that you two disappeared part way through the fireworks at the party and we thought maybe…’ She left it unfinished.
I gave hera smile. ‘No. We did leave early but only because Hunter was…’
Liv pushed her sunglasses up, her hat now in her hand. She was waiting for me to finish.
‘Hunter was what?’
Ummm…
‘Coming down with a migraine. I had some tablets in my room so we just went to get away from the noise a bit. Nothing more exciting than that, I’m afraid.’
Liv gave a cute little head tilt that reallyworked for her. ‘Ohhh. We thought maybe the romance of India had worked its magic on you two.’
‘That would be a big nope. Which is exactly how it should be,’ I added, seeing another thought forming in Liv’s brain.
‘So it doesn’t bother you when he gets hit on?’
‘He’s really nothing to do with me now. And it’s bound to happen, isn’t it? He’s not exactly had many dealings with the uglytree.’
