Page 41 of The Christmas Catch
Morgan detected a note of sarcasm. “If you believe it, you’re almost on the way to making it happen.”
“Do you believe this car will start?”
Morgan sat up straight, then gave Ali a solemn nod. “With every ounce of my being.” She was lying, but Ali didn’t need to know that. She’d enjoyed the flex of Ali’s forearm under the bonnet. The stretch of her neck and the smooth skin that covered it. She’d found herself enraptured. But had Ali actually done anything to get the car moving? The jury was still out.
“Here goes!”
Ali hit the ignition and amazingly, the car sprang to life.
“You’re a magician!”
Ali flexed her fingers. “Magic hands.” She grimaced like she’d just eaten ten flies. “Please forget I just said that.” Her cheeks flared red. She flicked on the windscreen wipers, then eased the car back onto the road.
The smaller roads were far less busy, with only a few cars passing in either direction. However, the roads weren’t gritted, so they were far more treacherous. Neither of them wanted to test the car’s ability to skate as an addition to their day.
Morgan pulled down the sun visor and checked herself in the mirror. Thanks to the good night’s sleep she’d had in Snowton, she didn’t look too shabby. She reached into her bag and touched up her lip balm. Her thoughts wandered back to the look she and Ali had shared under the bonnet. To their not-quite-necessary touching. She gulped. She hadn’t imagined it. It had been both ways. She’d even suggested meeting up.
She still couldn’t get her head around the fact she was attracted to Ali Bradford. Also, that she’d been Ali’s first crush. While Morgan was sure Ali had moved on, there was always something that lingered. If Ms Cherry appeared at the next service station out of nowhere, Morgan wasn’t sure she’d be able to form a sentence.
The car swerved a sharp left, and Morgan’s heart dropped to her feet. When she glanced up, a digger bore down on them. Ali had almost driven into a hedge to avoid it, and was now swearing under her breath. The digger edged past them. Once it was clear they’d survived, Morgan let out her breath.
“I don’t miss that from home, do you?” Ali glanced her way. “Also, thank god it was me driving and not Imogen, otherwise we’d currently be impaled on a digger.”
Morgan let out a yelp of nervous laughter. “I feared for my life the entire way to those services yesterday.” She paused. “One good thing about driving in Glasgow, on the rare occasions I do, is its lack of killer farm machinery. Unlike in Devon and here.”
“I’m skilled at avoiding them. I spent my teenage years doing so. You can count on me to keep you safe.” Ali gave her a smile.
“I believe you,” Morgan replied. She wasn’t lying. Morgan trusted Ali completely. More than she had anyone in ages. That thought pickled in her mind. She put the lid on it and flicked her sun visor to the roof. “From here on in, I see clear roads, and us gliding through to Devon, right?” She reached forward and turned on the radio.
It was East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day’.
Morgan bristled.
“Oh shit,” Ali said.
“This one again? Honestly, it’s about his brother’s suicide and they added bells to it! I like the song, but I want my Christmas tunes to be upbeat, not sad.”
Ali laughed. “I think you need to accept that it’s played at Christmas and move on.”
“It’s annoying though, right?”
“I don’t know. I don’t mind a downbeat Christmas track. Breaks up the relentless happiness.”
“I thought you told me you weren’t glass half empty.”
“I might have been lying.”
Morgan wriggled in her seat, suddenly aware she needed the loo. She didn’t want to stop the car again, but nature called.
“Ali, sorry to do this, but I need the loo. Could you stop at the next available place?”
“Sure. I could probably use it, too. If only to see if I can sort out my jumper.”
Up ahead, Morgan glimpsed the top of a very tall building. Was it a castle of some sort? As they drove through the snowy narrow lanes, a massive sign came into view. “Christmas Court at Muirhead Castle.”
“A Christmas Court. That sounds fancy.”
“I’m sure they have a toilet there. Shall we pull in?”
