Page 27 of The Christmas Holiday
Chapter Seven
I was in the lobby and busy making a couple more notes on my phone while I waited for the others to appear.
‘You know, you are allowed to take some time off? Hunter said as he took a seat on the marigold-yellow velvet banquette next to me. ‘Tonight’s just dinner. Relax.’
‘So you’re off duty too?’
‘Mmmhmm.’
‘Right,’ I nodded, ‘so what’s that?’ I pointed my phoneat the Nikon resting against his thigh.
‘That is… for off-duty photography.’
I rolled my eyes at him and he gave me the smile that had knocked me sideways eight years ago… and probably countless women since. I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to have that effect on me these days but I turned my head to glance over at the bank of lifts to check for Olivia and Sandeep anyway. Just in case.
‘There they are,’ I said, standing and smoothing out my dress. ‘Wow. She looks stunning!’
Olivia wore a silk jumpsuit with a long, flowing jacket and strappy silver heels, and her hair was elegantly chic in a perfect chignon. The humidity seemed to have had instructions not to mess with it. I’d sent out the same memo but apparently mine hadn’t got through, because, since stepping foot inthe country, my normally fairly straight hair had taken on a life of its own and, although the weight of its length was keeping most of it under some sort of control, it definitely seemed to have grown in size and become far more petulant than usual. Consequently, tonight it was tied back in a plait, but there were still bits making a bid for freedom every so often.
‘You look fine.’
Iturned back to Hunter.
‘Pardon?’
‘If you’re stressing about how you look, then don’t. You look fine.’
‘Well, I wasn’t. Until now.’
‘What?’
‘I wasn’t stressing about how I looked until you suggested that perhaps I should be.’
He frowned, then shook his head. ‘No, that’s not what I said at all! I said you looked fine.’
‘Yeah. Fine. Wow. Just what every woman wants tohear.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t see the bit in my contract where it said I’m here to compliment you. I’m sorry I said anything at all now!’
I gave him a look. ‘I’m sorry you did too.’
I chewed on my lip a little for a moment, trying to pretend our bickering wasn’t quite as petty as it sounded.
‘Look,’ he said, whispering as the two of them got closer, ‘Liv’s rich, and she’s onholiday. You’re working. And you look fine. You always look fine.’
‘Could you please stop saying that? Honestly. You’re just making it worse. And I thought I was off duty tonight?’
‘Yes. You are. And what do you want me to say? You look super-hot? Sexy as hell?’
‘I…’ Wow. This Indian heat could really creep up on a girl, air conditioning or not. I risked raising my eyes. Hunter wasclearly waiting for an answer. ‘No. Of course not. That would be…’
Nice? No!
‘Inappropriate?’ he filled in for me.
‘Yes. Quite. Absolutely.’ I cleared my throat. ‘Look. I wasn’t fishing for compliments. I just… she looks amazing and her hair doesn’t seem to have gone all unbridled like mine.’
He tilted his head. ‘It’s called having a designer wardrobe, and going to the hotel salonevery day, Mia. It’s a different world. You have to remember that. You start comparing all the time and you’ll drive yourself nuts.’
