Page 6 of The Christmas Holiday
‘Hey!’
‘Sorry.’
She shrugged, tossing her hair back.Across the room, a smart-looking businessman tipped his drink down the back of his mate.
‘It’s fine. Kinda true. I did ten years of deep and meaningful... except it wasn’t either in the end. I figured it was time to have some fun after that.’
I pulled a face and put my hand on her arm. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like a bitch. Seeing Hunter today, just out of the blue like that,it kind of threw me.’
Lorelei covered my hand with her own. ‘Honey, it’s fine! You’re honest. I like that about you. And I know you didn’t mean it in a nasty way. What can I say? I really like sex.’
The buzz of pub conversation decided at that very moment to take a lull and Lorelei’s declaration sang out loud and clear. In the corner, the man who’d just finished drying his jacket withpaper towels following his earlier dousing turned just as another colleague’s eyes took in my friend, and the connotations of her statement. The end result was a momentary loss of concentration and half a pint of beer going south. The same unfortunate victim looked down at his now-sodden shirt, then back at his friend.
‘Are you fucking kidding me?’ The man grabbed his damp jacket, flasheda filthy look across the room at us and strode out of the pub, the door banging as it hit the backstop hard. His two friends exchanged sheepish looks, before tentatively glancing over at Lorelei. She made an “oops” face and they immediately both lost sight of the awkwardness that awaited them back at the office.
‘Oh great. They’re coming over,’ I muttered.
Lorelei turned her back and leanedcloser to me, giving off a message that intrusion wasn’t welcome. From the corner of my eye, I saw the two hesitate, dither for a moment and then casually head towards the door as if that had been the plan all along and they hadn’t just been blown off.
‘Right. They’re gone. So. Now. I need details. Seriously? You didn’t think to tell me your ex was Indiana Jones on steroids! Hunter Scott?Photographer extraordinaire? And totally damn gorgeous to boot.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘You forgot to mention his bum. You were a big fan of that too, remember.’
I stabbed a chip viciously into the ketchup, the resultant mess looking like I’d murdered it. Studying it for a moment, I then rammed it in my mouth.
‘You done?’
‘What?’
‘Got some issues there, babe.’
‘I have not!’I protested through the mouthful of chips I’d now shoved in.
It was true. I didn’t. Yes, it had thrown me to see Hunter this morning, and although I would rather have stuck a fork in myself than admit it to him, it had hurt to hear him so blatantly admit he didn’t think I was up to the job. Not to mention pissing me off immensely.
We stepped out of the bar and back into the Autumn chill.A cold October wind rushed up the Thames flowing next to us. Occasional white caps caught glints of deceptively cool sunshine, sending out glittering reflections.
‘Jeremy’s out this afternoon. Why don’t you go home? Give yourself plenty of time to get ready and psyche yourself up? Then you go out there with your absolute A-game. Show this Hunter guy he can’t try and get you thrown off an assignmentjust because his ego got bruised five years ago.’
I shrugged. ‘To be fair, I think I did a bit more than bruise his ego.’
‘Yeah. Maybe. But it usually takes two to break something like that.’
‘I’m not sure he sees it like that.’
‘Then maybe it’s about time he did. You want me to talk to him?’
‘No!’ I squeaked, my voice shooting up so high I was pretty sure several dogs werealready on their way over. ‘No. Thank you,’ I repeated, this time at a more normal pitch.
I’d told Lorelei the whole story, minus names, two years ago, after an ill-advised decision to continue the office Christmas party at a club, and an even more ill-advised decision to have a “cocktail or two”. Or two turned out to be five, and frankly it still surprised me I was even alive. Christmas wasn’texactly a great time for me, what with my relationship having pretty much been annihilated during the festive season five years ago.
On the day it had happened, the day things had finally fallen apart into so many pieces there was no hope of ever putting them together again, everything had felt so sudden. I’m not sure what I had expected. I do know I hadn’t expected my fiancé to be completelyout of my life for ever within half an hour. To quote Lorelei, I hadn’t had proper closure. Maybe this trip was the chance to get that. Finally.
Lorelei was looking put-out.
‘Sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. I just don’t think it would do any good. The damage is long done.’
‘Your choice.’
