Page 63 of The Christmas Holiday
‘Yeah. Well. That’s a good ending too.’
‘But the night of hot sex sounds tempting,right?’ Liv questioned, her eyes wide and excited.
‘Would have been nice.’ I winked and took a bite of sausage.
Hunter threw me a look, amusement and exasperation mixed on his face.
Sandy laughed and Liv clapped her hands and giggled. ‘Then we totally need to add that task to the agenda.’
I shook my head, laughing. ‘I’m pretty sure the agenda is already full enough.’
‘Alwaysroom for an extra night of hot sex,’ Liv countered. ‘Just ask Hunter. He’s the expert.’
‘Is that right?’ I asked, turning to him with one eyebrow raised.
Hunter rolled his eyes at his friends and went back to demolishing his breakfast.
***
‘Oh my God!’ Liv exclaimed as she flopped down beside me at the side of the path, ‘I thought my personal trainer was tough! You’re even worse.I thought you said you’d not done much stuff like this before!’
‘I haven’t,’ I said, my words coming in huffy, staccato bursts. ‘I just really, really wanted to sit down and I knew it wasn’t an option until we got up here. Motivation.’
We both flopped on our backs and Liv gave up trying to talk.
‘Come on, darling! We have to get a selfie in front of the sign.’ Sandeep came joggingup and Liv and I rolled our heads, exchanging a look of disgust that anyone could appear as fresh as he did right now while jogging up a hill in LA.
‘I am not doing a selfie now, Sandy! I’m practically purple after being frogmarched up here by Sergeant Major Mia. There’s no way I’m letting that out into the world!’
‘I think you look gorgeous. As always. And if you still don’t like it,we can always put a black and white filter on it and no one will be any the wiser.’
Liv propped herself up on one arm, considering it.
‘I have final say on what you post.’
‘As always,’ Sandeep replied.
Liv put her hands out. Sandeep took one while Hunter took the other, pulling her to her feet.
‘Come on. There’s a good spot just up here.’ The two lovers walked off a littlefurther up the path, Liv complaining only slightly about yet more walking. I stayed exactly where I was and kept my eyes closed. I felt the shadow fall across my face and the sense of someone next to me.
‘Please don’t ask me to move just yet.’
‘No. You’re all right for a bit. They’ll be up there for a while getting the perfect shot.’
I opened one eye and peered at him. ‘Does it reallybother you? That you’re here to take photos and they’re still doing selfies.’
He turned his face from the sun towards me, the lowering glow of it haloing around him, throwing deep shadows along his cheekbones and jawline. ‘Nah. Of course not. They’re having fun and that’s what matters the most to me.’
‘You’re close with them, aren’t you?’
He lowered himself down onto one elbow andpicked at a scrubby blade of grass with his fingers. ‘They’re good people.’
‘They are. I like them.’
‘They like you too. I’m pretty sure Liv wants Jeremy to adopt you. She told me years ago she’s always hated being an only child.’
I laughed. ‘I’m pretty sure there are more suitable options than me for that role.’
