Page 11 of A Merry Irish Christmas
‘My plans?’ He turned to her, leaning back against the worktop.
‘For Christmas. Do you have other people coming?’ If there weren’t too many, maybe he’d let her spend the holiday with him and his friends. It could be fun.
‘Nope. Just me.’
‘Do you have family around here?’
He shook his head.
‘So you were planning to spend Christmas here all on your own?’ That was weird, but she tried not to sound like she was judging him. At least it meant her bedroom was free.
‘Yep. Still am, as a matter of fact.’
‘So what’s your deal, then?’ she asked.
‘My deal?’
‘Yeah. Whyareyou spending Christmas here all alone in the middle of nowhere?’
‘Maybe to avoid nosy people asking me questions like that.’
‘Sorry. Just curious. You can’t blame me for wanting to know. What if you have some sinister motive?’
‘I’m sure you know why.’
‘How would I know that? I only just met you.’
‘Seriously?’ He raised his eyebrows, regarding her warily. ‘You don’t know?’
She shrugged. ‘No. Should I? Is it headline news or something?’
‘Well, it didn’t hit theNew York Times, but it’s not exactly a secret. Unfortunately. Don’t you ever read the internet?’
‘I don’t go in for celebrity gossip much. Sorry.’
‘Fine by me. I wish there were more people like you around.’
‘So, what gives?’
He gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve lucked out by coming across possibly the only person on the planet who doesn’t know why I’m spending Christmas alone. I’d like to keep it that way if it’s all the same to you.’
‘You know I can just google it and find out the answer anyway.’
‘Knock yourself out,’ he said in a bored voice.
She sighed. ‘Look, it’s late. I’m going to need to stay here tonight at least.’ She was exhausted and deflated, and she couldn’t face the thought of taking one more step tonight. She just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. ‘I’ll sort something out tomorrow.’
He gave her a resigned look, lips pursed. ‘I guess that’s all right.’
‘Okay, thanks,’ she said grudgingly. ‘I’ll ring around and see ifthere’s someone I can stay with – or a local hotel that has a vacancy, though I doubt it at this stage.’
‘I’m sure you’ll find something,’ he said.
‘Well, I’d better give my folks a call,’ she said, standing. ‘Break the news to them that we’re on opposite sides of the Atlantic.’
It was only when she was in her bedroom that she realised if her whole family was in New York, then there were plenty of places she could stay. She’d been so discombobulated by the whole situation, it hadn’t even occurred to her, but her parents would have keys to Finn’s and Aidan’s houses, and she was sure Aifric would let her have Abbie’s room in the house they shared. Still, she was glad she hadn’t let Evan Prentice know she had options because he’d probably demand she leave straight away, and she really didn’t want to move another inch tonight. Besides, she wouldn’t just barge into someone else’s house without running it by them first.
She changed into comfy joggers and a pair of thick fluffy slipper socks, then pulled her iPad out of her case and sat back against the pillows on the bed before FaceTiming her mother.
