Page 66 of The Christmas Holiday
Chapter Fifteen
Late the next morning, the southern Californian sun was shining bright, sending out diamond-like flashes as it hit the creek that ran along the gorge two hundred feet below us. Liv had been overcome at breakfast with a sudden urge to shop. Sandeep was far less overcome by the idea so he and Hunter had stayed back at the hotel to use the gym and pool while Liv and I headedup to Rodeo Drive and I tried not to hyperventilate at plain cotton vest tops that cost more than a month’s rent.
Having quenched her retail thirst, Olivia and I made our way to the bridge where we’d arranged to meet the boys. As we approached, they were chatting to two young men who, judging by their branded shirts, were in charge of the private jump.
‘Hi, sweetie!’ Liv waved to Sandywho waved back and blew her a kiss, even though she was only a few yards away.
Hunter made a puking face and Liv flipped him the bird. As we got up to them, she reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. ‘One of these days, Hunter Scott, some girl is going to steal your heart and then where will you be?’
‘Screwed, probably.’
‘Quite. So, are we all ready to go? she asked, once we’d alsobeen introduced to the operators of the experience, ‘Well. Except you, obviously,’ Liv acknowledged as Hunter looked out over the gorge, the peak of his cap shadowing his face.
‘And Mia,’ he added.
‘I’m totally ready,’ I said, forcing enthusiasm into my voice and peering down into the drop from as far back as I could without obviously showing I was absolutely frickin’ terrified. I couldfeel Hunter’s glare on me and kept my face turned away from him.
‘OK. Great! So, who’s first then?’ asked Branded Experience T-Shirt Man number one, holding up a harness.
‘Excuse us a minute,’ Hunter said, and I knew what was coming next. ‘Mia, can I talk to you, please?’
Ummm. Probably best to go with no.
‘Actually, I think I’d quite like to go first. Gives me less chance to backout.’ I took a step towards the jump set-up.
‘It wasn’t a request, Mia,’ Hunter growled, his jaw clenched so tight I was amazed his teeth weren’t shattering under the pressure.
I noticed the others watching us, their curiosity clear. I had no wish to have this chat with Hunter, but I was even less keen to make a big show of it and thereby draw attention to the very thing I was trying tokeep low-profile.
‘Everything OK, guys?’ Branded Experience T-Shirt Man Number Two asked.
‘Yes. Absolutely.’ I returned a big smile and added a, frankly ridiculous, double thumbs-up for added emphasis. Mentally I blamed Hunter for that too.
‘Mia!’ Hunter continued, ignoring the message I was sending with my eyes, ‘you’re still getting headaches. You need to sit this one out.’
‘I’m not sitting anything out!’
‘Headaches?’ Branded T-Shirt Man Number One asked, now looking up from where he’d been going over things with Liv and Sandy.
‘Honestly, it’s really nothing. He’s just making a big deal out of it.’ I cut my eyes to Hunter. ‘As usual.’
‘You got smacked in the back of the head by a rock!’ Hunter threw his hands up in the air, ‘That’s not nothing! It’s especiallynot nothing when you’re about to strap yourself to an elastic band and fling yourself off a two-hundred-foot-high fucking bridge!’ His eyes were blazing at me now. ‘I can’t believe you would be so stubborn to insist on doing this just to avoid looking even mildly vulnerable for once!’
Liv stood up. ‘When was this?’ she asked, looking expectantly between Hunter and me. ‘You never said anything.’
‘Only because it really wasn’t worth mentioning.’
Beside me, Hunter let out a few words under his breath that I guessed meant he disagreed with me. Again. ‘Just after we finished the white-water rafting. Mia missed her footing as she stepped out of the rib and slipped over. She smacked her head on a rock when she went down.’ Helpfully, he filled everyone in on the details.
‘So, on thehike up to the Hollywood sign? When we went shopping? You were poorly and you didn’t say anything?’ Concern and upset showed on Liv’s face and I could have quite happily kicked Hunter in the nuts.
‘Honestly, Liv. I’m not poorly. Yes, I did bump my head but it’s really nothing like as bad as Hunter is making it out to be.’
Liv put her hand up to my head. ‘Let me feel the bump then.’
I automatically put my own hand up to try and catch hers. ‘Oh! No, really. It’s—’
Too late.
