Page 62 of The Christmas Holiday
Chapter Fourteen
‘So, let me get this straight,’ Olivia said, as she skewered a piece of kiwi fruit with her fork. ‘You meet and agree to go on a date with a perfectly nice, good-looking man who is super-keen on you…’
‘I wouldn’t have said he was super-keen…’
‘I would. And I’m never wrong about these things.’
Sandy looked over at me. ‘That is true.’
I chased a blueberry roundmy bowl with my fork before giving up and grabbing it, slightly uncouthly, with my fingers and popping it in my mouth. ‘Sorry. I’ll still be here at lunchtime otherwise.’
‘I do it all the time.’ Liv waved her fork in dismissal. ‘Bloody things. But back to last night.’
Hunter slid me a look and the hint of a smile brushed his lips, all of which saidNice try.
‘So, nice dinner, niceman, and you point him in the direction of someone else.’
‘She was obviously keen on him, and she lives here. And then I find out he had a crush on her for years? It was clearly meant to be.’
Hunter snorted.
‘Excuse me?’ I raised an eyebrow.
‘Meant to be?’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘I do. And it’s—’
‘Don’t even say it!’ Olivia warned him.
Hunter blew out a sigh andturned his concentration instead to the fried breakfast that had just arrived.
‘Anyway. He’s got my email and I asked him to let me know how things go. He’s going to ask her out this weekend. I suggested he take her somewhere other than his aunt and uncle’s restaurant for a bit more privacy.’
Liv pushed her fruit around and eyed the three fried breakfasts now surrounding her, the decisionto refuse one clearly now being questioned in her mind. ‘You do know how dates are supposed to work, don’t you?’
I pulled a face as I loaded up my fork. ‘To be fair, I’m probably a little rusty.’ I took the forkful and got amused looks from Sandeep and Hunter, and a less amused one from Olivia.
‘Really?’
‘Liv. Honestly. It’s not a big deal. I’m not even interested in dating at themoment. I’m concentrating on trying to get my career on the path I want it to be on right now. I only went out with Marty because Hunter thought I wouldn’t.’
Oops.
Hunter suddenly swallowed his mouthful and joined the others in staring at me. ‘I never said you wouldn’t.’
‘You didn’t need to say it in those exact words. It was your whole… aura!’
‘My whole what now?’
‘You knowwhat I mean.’
Hunter stared at me for a moment. ‘I literally have no idea,’ he said, then went back to his breakfast.
‘Anyway. Marty was nice and I liked him so I went.’
‘And then, instead of having a night of hot sex, you set him up with his high-school crush to probably live happily ever after.’
