Page 15 of A Merry Irish Christmas
‘You can’t blame Max for that. Obviously, he couldn’t have known I’d be here.’
‘No, but if he’d just got me a straightforward rental in the first place, like I asked, instead of signing me up for a house swap, this wouldn’t be happening.’
Mary sighed. ‘Okay. Fair enough.’ She had to concede he had a point. ‘I’ll see if I can find some kindly innkeeper who’ll let me bed down in their stable for a few nights,’ she said, attempting to invoke the spirit of Christmas and tug at his heartstrings.
‘Great.’
Huh! Evan’s heartstrings were clearly in need of some tuning.
‘Well, I’m knackered.’ She yawned widely. ‘And starving. I’m going to make a toastie and then hit the hay. Want to join?’
He looked at her sharply and there was a flicker of something in his eyes. ‘Tempting,’ he said with a crooked smile.
Heat rose to her cheeks as she realised what she’d said and her breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. God, he was hot! But that wouldnotbe a good idea, even if she had the energy for it, which she absolutely didn’t. ‘I meant a toastie,’ she said, dragging her gaze away. ‘Do you want a toastie?’
His lips twitched with the vaguest hint of a smile. ‘I’m not sure what a toastie is, but?—’
‘Grilled cheese,’ she said, slipping back into New York lingo.
‘No, thank you. But yes, you may help yourself to some of the food in the kitchen.’
She snorted a laugh. ‘Don’t try to tell me there isn’t enoughfood in the house to feed an army, let alone the two of us. I know my mother.’
‘You’re not wrong there.’
‘Okay, then.’ She stretched and pushed herself to standing. ‘I’m going to make that grilled cheese, then bed. Night, night.’
‘Goodnight.’ He picked his book up again as she headed for the kitchen.
‘See you in the morning.’
‘Not if I see you first,’ he murmured as she left the room.
She was aware of Evan out in the living room as she busied herself in the kitchen, cooking her sandwich. She gasped when she turned to find him standing in the doorway.
‘Actually, can I change my mind about the grilled cheese?’ he said. ‘That smells really good.’
She smiled. ‘Sure.’
She tried not to be unnerved as he leaned against the doorjamb watching while she turned the sandwich over in the pan and pressed it down with a spatula. Then she grated more cheese on top before flipping it over.
‘You can have this one,’ she said when it was done, sliding it onto a plate. She was too self-conscious with him standing there, and she didn’t want him watching her while she made another one.
‘Sure?’ He took the plate she handed him. ‘I can wait.’
‘No, take it. I’m waiting for my mother to call anyway. If I go up to my room now, I’ll just pass out. Do you want coffee?’
‘No thanks,’ he said opening the fridge. ‘I’ll just grab one of these.’ He took out a bottle of beer, then headed back to the living room.
When she’d made her own sandwich and a mug of tea, she brought them up to her room, calling goodnight to Evan as she passed through the living room. He was watching some noisyaction movie on TV and gave her a little salute with his beer bottle without taking his eyes off the screen.
Evan didn’t look away from the TV until Mary was safely out of the room, determined not to make eye contact. He knew he was acting like a jerk, but this was so unfair! Screw Max and the horse he rode in on! He hadn’t wanted to do a house swap in the first place and now he was left feeling bad just because he wanted what he’d signed up for – a house to himself where he could lay low for a few days and no one would bother him. Was that too much to ask? Now he was lumbered with having to be the bad guy and kick this Mary character out of her family home… at Christmas no less. Still, he’d just have to harden his heart and tough it out until he was rid of her. This was all bloody Max’s fault! He heaved an angry sigh and took a swig of beer.
Maybe he shouldn’t blame Max entirely. It probably served him right for being a spoiled brat with a PA to arrange everything for him. If he’d booked his own trip like the grown-ass adult that he was, this wouldn’t be happening right now. He could at least have been more mindful of Max’s annoying habit of deciding he knew what was best and overstepping his brief whenever he saw fit. Then he might have been more precise about what he wanted when he’d asked Max to find him somewhere he could hole up for Christmas at the last minute after the whole debacle with Olivia. Instead, all he’d said was ‘no hotels, just somewhere private where I can be anonymous and won’t have to interact with anyone, and where the paparazzi can’t find me.’
Max had called over to Evan’s apartment, in full-on crisis mode as news broke of Evan’s break-up with Olivia.
‘Okay, it wasn’t easy this close to Christmas, but I’ve found theperfect place for you,’ Max said, pulling his laptop out of his backpack.
