Page 32 of The Christmas Holiday
‘So what would you rather I do? Wail and demand to be picked up? Make a big song and dance. I slipped on my arse onto a carpeted floor. It’s no big deal.’
‘God, no! But you’d have reacted the same if you’d tumbled down a flight of concrete steps. You always do… I mean,did.’
‘And that’s funny?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah.’ He looked up from where he was fiddling with a couple of buttons on the camera. The low light made his face all shadows and sharp planes, and his eyes looked almost black. ‘I’d forgotten that.’ His voice was soft as we held our own conversation, just as Olivia and Sandeep did across the limousine. ‘You always could make me laugh.’
‘By myreaction after coming a cropper?’
I could see his smile. ‘Not just that, no.’
I let out a sigh, turning a thought over in my mind. ‘I’m glad you can remember some of the good stuff too, Hunter. And I’m sorry I had to blurt things out there earlier, but it seemed like it was just going to get more awkward and complicated. I probably should have checked with you first.’
‘It’s fine. Itwas going to come out sooner or later anyway. And if your boss gives you any grief, get him to speak to me. I could have told him and didn’t, so I’m just as responsible.’
‘That’s kind, but I can handle Jeremy. Don’t worry.’
I could tell he was looking at me, but I couldn’t make out his expression. He moved his head and glanced through the gap, out of the windscreen. ‘Yep. Sure. Of courseyou can.’ His tone had changed and I wasn’t sure what had caused it but I did know I was sorry it had. For a moment, I’d glimpsed – felt – the Hunter I’d known. And I realised I’d missed him more than I’d ever thought. But that kind of thinking was going to get me precisely nowhere. Like I’d said in my speech, it was a long time ago and we were both different people now. We’d moved on. Admittedly,Hunter had done it in a more spectacular way than I had, but it was the results that counted. Flashier wasn’t necessarily better. Slow and steady won the race. A whole bunch of other clichéd metaphors ran through my mind until I told myself to shut the hell up and asked Sandeep whereabouts the restaurant was.
‘Right here!’ said Sandy, as the car began to slow.
Small mercies.
We steppedout of the air-conditioned car into the still, warm evening. I wrapped my soft cotton pashmina around my shoulders and chest and waited as Sandy spoke to the driver for a moment. Hunter and Liv were chatting. Liv had her hand on his arm and I imagined she was apologising again for accidentally barging into our history. I saw him wrap an arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze. Turningaway again, I studied my surroundings. It was quiet and, unless I was missing something, there was no sign of a restaurant. All I could see were shops and a few alleyways.
‘OK. This way,’ Sandy said, taking Liv’s hand and heading off up one of the alleyways.
Hunter made a gesture for me to go in front of him and this time I accepted without question. Not only because he’d made such a bigthing about it previously, but because, actually, it seemed like a heck of a rabbit warren around here and getting lost looked like something I’d be able to do with very little effort. We turned a couple of corners, went down a flight of stone steps, turned another corner and carried on along a little back alley, past closed-up shops and living spaces. A gap between two buildings held a narrowstone staircase and we all followed Sandeep in climbing it. At the top, hidden from the view of all around and below, like a delicious secret, was the restaurant. We were greeted and led through to the rooftop dining area, entirely lit by lanterns and candles, their light catching on the glasses, reflecting and dancing around us. Along one side was a traditional band, the female singer dressed ina sari of the most vibrant green, trimmed with silver. Her bangles and the sparkle on the sari caught the light in the same way, entrancing me before I’d even heard a note of music. The sides of the terrace were castellated stone and the whole place overlooked what appeared to be a large garden or park, a stone wall encasing it with trees running the full length, their dark shapes playing with thelight that came from two small floodlights beaming up onto a sandstone ruin, the orangey artificial light enhancing the stone’s natural colour.
I took my seat and tried to be professional and calm.
‘This place is amazing!’
Oh well, so much for that idea.
‘I can’t believe all this,’ I waved my hands, ‘is here. You wouldn’t have a clue! I thought the guy had dropped us off at thewrong place when we got out.’
‘Isn’t it fabulous?’ Liv added, her eyes taking it all in as much as mine.
‘You like it then?’ Sandy asked.
‘It’s wonderful!’ we both chimed.
‘Then just wait until you try the food.’
