An Unexpected Christmas (8 page)

Nate

'I
meant what it is that's bothering you.' I looked at her. Shit, was it that
obvious? I knew I was stressed out but I thought I was hiding it better. Who
was I kidding? I had been in such a good mood yesterday and then this morning
but since the call from Ian I had been trying to get as much stuff done as
possible. The one highlight in my day had been that kiss. I could have spent
all afternoon thinking of that kiss but I had to push it to the back of my mind
to concentrate on my work. Looking at April now it all came flooding back; the
way she felt against me, the way she tasted. I wanted to kiss her again. 'Do
you want to talk about it?'

I
didn't want to talk I wanted to drag her down onto the rug in front of the fire
and show her what her kiss did to me. That probably wouldn't be appropriate
with my mother and sister in the other room. I licked my lips as my mouth had
gone dry and noticed that April's eyes darkened at my action. 'It's nothing.' I
managed to say.

'Clearly
it's something.' She smiled at me, 'I have been told I am a great listener and
give great advice, so come on, spill it Hamilton.' She had only ever called me
Nate and hearing her refer to me as Hamilton brought a smile to my face.

'Alright.'
What would it hurt? Maybe it would even help to tell someone who I wasn't
related to. I took a sip of my whiskey then lowered my glass and rolled it
between my hands. 'I was really looking forward to this holiday. I have worked
practically nonstop for two years and all I wanted to do was spend time with my
family and not think about anything until I had to head to Miami the day after
Boxing Day but my manager keeps calling me. He sent over three more scripts for
me to read which at the moment gives me a total of twelve that I have to get
through and make notes on, and I know this all sounds awful because I should be
jumping at all the opportunities in front of me it's just...'

‘What?’
Her tone was soft and caring.

'I'm
really tired.' I let out a breath. It sounded pathetic. 'I feel like I could
sleep for a week and still want to spend all day in bed. I love my job, and I
love my life, but I would just like a few days away from it.' I waited for her
reaction. I really hoped she wasn't the sort of person to tell me to stop being
such a baby and just get on with it. That is what I had been telling myself for
the past few weeks, to just suck it up and get on with it but everyone needed a
sympathetic ear sometimes.

She
looked at me, then slowly leaned forward and reached out her hand. 'Give me
your phone.'

'What?'

'Your
phone, hand it over.' She was serious. I leaned forward and reached into the
back pocket of my jeans and pulled out my mobile then stretching across the
coffee table I placed it into her outstretched hand. I watched her locate the
power button and switch it off. Then she turned and placed it on the
mantelpiece above the fire. She turned back and smiled, 'there! Now your
manager can't call you.' I opened my mouth to tell her she might be a little
crazy but she held up her hand to stop me. 'I'm sure if it is really important
he can leave a message and when he asks why you didn't answer your phone, you
can either tell him a crazy person held it to ransom or a phone tower fell down
and there was no signal but it is now one less thing you have to think about.'

I
leaned back into the sofa and I couldn't stop the smile forming on my face.
'What about all the reading I have to do? I still have to get through twelve
scripts, that is if Ian doesn't send me more, and I have to give him feedback
for all of them before I fly out to Miami.'

A
smile, I could only describe as cheeky, crossed her face. 'Well, do
you
have to read them? Because if you haven't noticed I read, quite a lot actually,
and as you know I'm also a movie fan.'

I
shook my head. 'I couldn't ask you to do that, you're on holiday.'

'So
are you, and if I help it will be done a lot faster and you might be able to
enjoy some of the Christmas season.'

She
was amazing. I couldn't help myself, I stood and moved around the coffee table
and stood in front of her. I held out both my hands and she gingerly slipped
her own into them. I tugged and pulled her to her feet then wrapped my arms
around her.

She
was short but the perfect height for me to gently rest my chin on the top of
her head. I could smell her shampoo, it smelt like coconuts and something I
couldn't quite put my finger on. I moved my head so I was speaking into her
hair then whispered; 'Thank you.' At my words I felt her run her hands up my
sides and around my waist then leaned her head against my chest. I just held
her for a moment, savouring the way it felt and how for the first time in ages
I could feel myself physically relax.

'That's
alright, what are friends of your little sister for?' Her voice was quiet but
her words worried me. Surely she knew she meant more to me than just Ella's
friend? I didn't go around kissing all her friends for Christ’s sake. I pulled
away but kept my hands on her shoulders and looked down at her.

'April,
I... well.' Oh what was I trying to say? How could I express the way she made
me feel? It was too soon, I hardly knew her, but what she did to me was
unnerving in the most fantastic way. 'I wanted to talk to you about what
happened on the beach.' I watched as she dropped her gaze and bit down on her
bottom lip. 'I wanted...'

I
didn't get to finish what I wanted to say as Ella walked through the door. I
automatically dropped my hands from April and stepped to the side. As I turned
to face the room I realised that Ella hadn't noticed how close April and I had
been standing. I wasn't ashamed of my feelings for April, or that I had wanted
to kiss her again, and again, until we both couldn't breathe but it was just new
and exciting and until I could talk to April about what she wanted then I
thought it best to keep it just between the two of us.

Ella
had walked over to the sofa and plonked herself in the spot I had been sitting
in only moments before and reached for the tin of chocolates that sat open on
the coffee table. April sank back into the armchair and tucked her feet
underneath her.

'What
were you talking about?' Ella looked from me to April.

'When?'
April answered.

'Just
now?'

April
smiled at her. 'I was just offering to help Nate with his work... the reading
part, you know how bad I am at acting.' I looked down at her and really wanted
to find out how bad at acting she was.

I
turned my gaze back to Ella, her eyes narrowed and I thought for a moment she
was going to call bull shit but she seemed to accept April's answer and pushed
the chocolate she had unwrapped into her mouth then reached for the television
remote. April glanced up at me and sent me a small smile.

'I'll
just go and get those scripts then shall I?' She sent me a little nod and I
moved across the room, before I got through the door I turned and smiled at her
then headed out to the office to get the scripts.

We
had taken over most of the living room. After I had come back with the scripts
Ella had announced that she was bored and volunteered to help Mum with
something for the carol service or was it the pensioners' dinner? Anyway they
had both left us to it.

April
had curled herself into the armchair that I was beginning to think of as solely
her's and I had commandeered the whole sofa, sitting on one side and with my
legs stretched out across the rest. The coffee table was covered in scripts and
post-it notes in a variety of colours and empty coffee cups. I had already
finished a script about a guy who finds out he has a daughter when she turns up
on his doorstep one day; it wasn't bad but it didn't grasp my attention, and I
really couldn't see myself in the role. The one I was currently trying to get
through was some weird sci-fi mash up with werewolves and a robot that was
starting to hurt my brain. I lowered the script and turned my attention to the
woman sitting across the room.

She
really was beautiful. She had piled her hair up onto the top of her head and
secured it with a pen in a way that defied gravity. I knew that all I would
have to do was pull the pen out and it would tumble around her shoulders. I
watched as her smile broadened and then she bit down on her lip before darting
her tongue out to moisten it. I was getting turned on just watching her and
then she giggled and the sound went right through me and settled in my chest. I
took a deep breath to steady my heart beat.

'You
seem to be enjoying that.' Thankfully my voice came out steady and didn't give
me away, 'which is it?'

April
looked up and smiled a smile that was genuine and reached her hazel eyes. She
shifted in her seat a little. 'Umm.' She twisted so she could read the cover.
'Lost In The Night. It's the romantic period drama one.'

'Can
you give me a brief synopsis?' I sent her a reassuring smile. 

'Sure.'
She un-tucked her feet and twisted so she was fully facing me. 'It's set in the
nineteenth century and it's about a young woman of inferior birth who falls in
love with a Viscount. She had been covering for her employee, pretending to be
her and he doesn't know who she really is.'

I
sat up straighter and swung my legs off the sofa and leaned forward. 'Do you
think it's one I should consider?' I was coming to realise that I valued her
opinion.

She
looked at me and I could see her trying to work out how to answer me. 'I'm not
sure. Do you enjoy period roles?'

I
nodded. 'It usually depends on the period and the nature of the story.'

'Well
this one would be cravats, breeches and top hats, and it's a romance so it's
all pretty light.' She looked down at the script then back at me.

'Hmm.'
I rubbed my chin and thought about it. I had done a couple of period films
before I landed the Danger movie series and had enjoyed them and maybe
something a bit more relaxed would be a good move.

'Not
really something you would want to do?' She looked as if she was interested in
my answer and it was just something else to add to the list of things I found
intriguing.

'It's
something I would consider. You can put it in the maybe pile.' I watched as she
pulled the pile of papers closer to her chest and sent me the poutiest look. I
wanted to stand and cross the room and kiss her on those pouty pink lips,
instead I smiled. 'What?'

She
looked sheepishly at me. 'I might just finish it.' I couldn't help it, I laughed.
'I need to know what happens. I'm sorry'

'Hey,
don't apologise for that. If you need to know then you need to know.' Her smile
brightened then she turned her attention back to the script in her hands.

I
picked up another from the table but I couldn't give it the attention it
deserved. My eyes kept wandering across the room and I wanted to know which
parts made her giggle and which put the huge grin on her face. This, I decided,
was an incredible way to spend an afternoon. The silence was comfortable and
the company, well, she was perfect.

It
was about fifteen minutes later that April let out a huge sigh and dropped the
script back into her lap. She looked up at me and I watched as her smile
crossed her face and she was grinning at me again. She picked up a post-it and
pulled the pen from her hair she quickly scribbled something on it then threw
the script onto the small pile of potential choices. She then ran her hands
through her hair and stood. 'I need coffee. Do you want one?'

'Coffee
would be great, thank you.'  I watched her pad across the carpet and disappear
through the kitchen door. I reached for the script she had dropped to the table
and turned it so I could read what she had written on the post-it. In her
bubbly handwriting there were three words; breathtaking, epic, and romance. I
smiled then leaned back into the sofa and let out a heavy breath. I realised
that I was in great danger of falling for this girl. I hadn't had a serious and
successful relationship in two years as my schedule had been crazy and trying
to find time to see anyone would have been difficult, but April, she would be
worth every second of time I could spend with her, I just hoped she would feel
the same.

April

Nate and I had made a decent
sized dent in his reading and the afternoon had gone by quicker than I wanted
it to. I realised that just sitting in a room with him, not talking or doing
anything but read, was such a comfort. It was easy and I had fantasies of it
continuing; of us snuggled up on my sofa in my flat, each of us with our own
book and just being content. It was a silly, girlish idea and one that would
never happen.

Maggie and Ella had returned
around five and Maggie had said a quick hello then after a change of clothes
had headed out again. It was nice to see that she had a full life here in the
village and I hoped that when I was her age I could be just as active and
involved.

As we had been left to our own
devices as to what to have for dinner Nate suggested fish and chips and had
popped out to the only fish and chip shop in the village. I was surprised that
he took the Jag as I would never dream of stinking it out with the smell of
fried food but each to his own. I wanted to ask to go with him but I thought
Ella might think it odd and I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that
Nate and I had been spending a lot of time together even though my main reason
was that I still hadn't got a chance to sit in my dream car.

While Nate was out fetching us
dinner Ella and I were in the kitchen. Ella was sitting on the counter a glass
of wine next to her while she watched me look through cupboards.

'What is it that you're looking
for?'

I pulled a small pan out of the
cupboard under the sink and placed it on the hob then continued my search.
'Gravy granules.'

'Why do you want gravy granules?'
Ella swung her legs and I nudged her out of the way to get into the cupboard.

'To make gravy.' I found what I
was looking for and placed the tub on the counter next to the cooker and
switched the kettle on for boiling water.

'Wait, is this a northern thing?'
I took a spoon and added a few heaped spoonfuls of the granules into the pan
and once the kettle had boiled poured it over them.

'Yes, it's a northern thing.' I grabbed
a whisk from the pot by the cooker and whisked the water and granules together
over a low heat. I knew that the local chippy wouldn't offer gravy on their
menu so had to settle for the quick version; it wasn't as nice as the gloopy
gravy I could get back home but it would have to do.

Nate walked through the door and
the smell of fresh chips and battered fish hit me. He placed the bags on the
table and began to unload their contents onto plates. Ella and Nate made their
way into the living room; I stayed in the kitchen for a moment and piled my
chips onto my plate then poured the dark brown sauce all over them. I smiled
down at my loaded plate then grabbed a fork and followed them.

Ella had snagged my usual chair
so I moved around the coffee table and sat on the sofa next to Nate. I wriggled
a little to make myself comfortable then stabbed a gravy covered chip and ate
it happily. I stabbed another when I realised that Nate had stopped moving. I
turned my gaze to him and saw that he was watching me. 'What?'

He shook his head. 'Chips and
gravy? I'm not sure that's right.'

'Hey, don't knock it 'til you've
tried it.' I smiled up at him.

'Alright.' He pointed his fork at
my plate, 'may I?'

I lifted my plate up a little and
turned in his direction. 'Be my guest.'

He stabbed a gravy covered chip
and looked at it, and then he slowly lifted it to his mouth. I watched him chew
and then swallow. 'The salt and vinegar should not work with the gravy but it
does,' Nate stabbed another of my chips with a cheeky grin and ate it happily.

Ella looked over at us. 'You two
are weird.'

She shook her head but didn't say
anything else. She picked up the remote and switched the channel to a Christmas
comedy special that we watched whilst happily eating our fish and chips. Every
so often Nate would steal a gravy covered chip and I would let him, glad that
he was enjoying them. I wanted him to try real chip shop gravy as it tasted
much better than the instant stuff but the chances of getting him anywhere near
a northern chippy were slim.

Ella took control of our viewing
schedule and flicked through the channels stopping on more comedy shows. We had
finished our food and our plates sat empty on the coffee table. Nate had lifted
the tin of chocolates from under the table and placed it on the sofa between
us. I had wanted to move it; to snuggle up to his side, to feel his warmth,
have his arms around me and tuck my head under his chin but after only one kiss
and not really finding out how he felt about it, or if he was sorry that it
happened, it wouldn't really be appropriate. He had tried to bring the subject
up earlier but I hadn't been able to work out if he was going to say that he
regretted the whole thing or if he wanted something more.

I was distracted again as he
reached for another chocolate and wondered where he put it all. He seemed to
eat twice as much as everyone else but had the body of an Adonis. I guessed he
was blessed with a fast metabolism and he seemed to run quite a bit so that
probably helped. It made me feel a little bad and I made a mental note to make
a real effort to hit the gym in the New Year.

I focused my attention back to
the TV but my mind was still on the man next to me. I wondered how many of the
actors on the screen he had met or worked with? It was easy to see him as a
regular person here in his mother's home but it didn't stop the fact that he
was very much in the public eye and I would be kidding myself if I thought that
something happening between us would be anything but a holiday fling.

With my attention still on the
screen I reached in to the tin next to me and as my hand connected with
something warm I felt a tingling sensation travel up my fingers and settle in
my stomach. I looked down at my hand and saw it next to Nate's. I looked up to
his eyes which darkened slightly and I was lost for a moment. I couldn't quite
read the look on his face and I wondered if I would ever get the chance to know
him well enough to be able to; he seemed almost expressionless but I knew he
must be thinking something.

I moved my hand away, picked a
chocolate and messed with the wrapper. Out of the corner of my eye I watched
Nate stretch his fingers out then ball them into a fist. He let out a little
cough then shifted in his seat, moving both of his hands absently. He pushed
them up his thighs and back down again before coughing once more. 'Can I get
anyone a drink?'

'Gin and tonic for me, thank
you.' Ella didn't even take her eyes off the TV.

'Umm, same for me thanks,’ I said
as he stood. He nodded then headed into the kitchen and I tried to focus my
attention on the television but my mind had other ideas. I wanted to follow him
into the kitchen and ask him what he was going to say about the kiss.

A couple of minutes later he came
back in, two tall glasses balanced in one hand and he passed one to Ella, the
other to me, and then moved over to the drinks cabinet to pour himself a
generous measure of scotch before coming back to sit down beside me. I could
watch him perform menial tasks all day, the way he moved through the room had
me captivated.  It was half an hour later that Ella stretched her arms up, let
out a yawn and announced that she was tired and headed up to bed leaving me
alone with Nate. Once she had left the room I looked over at him and found him
smiling back at me, it helped me to relax a little. It was odd that I felt so
comfortable around him after only a couple of days but I suppose a lot had
happened between us in a short time.

'Do you fancy watching a film?'
Nate lifted the remote off the table where Ella had discarded it and switched
the TV off.

'I don't mind.' I really just
wanted to stay in his company and not head up to my empty bed.

'How about a game of cards
instead?' He was still wearing that easy relaxed smile.

'Okay, that sounds good.' He stood
and moved across the room to a bookcase that stood next to the window. He took
a packet of cards off one of the shelves and then moved back to the sofa. I
moved myself so that I was sitting sideways on the cushion and facing Nate. He
sat back down then lifted the tin of chocolates off the seat between us and
placed it back under the table. I watched his hands empty the cards out of the
box and then shuffle them his strong fingers working diligently to mix them up.

I heard the front door open and
then close, a moment later Maggie popped her head around the door. 'Did you
have a nice evening darlings?'

'We did. How was your evening?'
Nate smiled up at his mother.

'Oh it was lovely. Clare Weston's
son is getting married, and Kathy's daughter is expecting her second baby.'

Nate flashed a fleeting look at
me then turned his attention back to his mother. 'Well that's nice. Any other
weddings or babies I should know about?' He asked it jokingly but I could tell
that his mother mentioned people getting married and starting families quite
often to him, just as my mother had been doing to me for the past five years.

'I was just letting you know,'
Maggie replied with a smile. She walked fully into the room and over to Nate.
She leaned over the back of the sofa and dropped a kiss to Nate's head. 'Good
night darling.' She stroked a hand over his cheek.

'Night mum.' He smiled lovingly
up at her and I caught a glimpse of the child he would have been.

Then Maggie turned to me and
said, 'it's lovely having you here. Good night.' Then leaning down she placed a
kiss on my forehead. I felt a swell of affection in my chest for the older
woman, she was so kind and caring and I could see why Ella and Nate had grown
into such wonderful adults. 'Good night, sleep well.' She smiled at me and I
watched as she retreated out of the room.

When I turned back Nate was
watching me. After a moment he spoke, 'It is, you know.'

'What?'

'Lovely having you here.' He
grinned at me then, one of his famous grins that stretched across his face and
wrinkled above his nose. It was an infectious smile and so I found myself
returning it. He placed the deck of cards in front of him. 'Fancy another drink
before we start?'

I nodded and he stood to fetch me
a refill. I leaned back against the arm of the sofa and thought how wonderful
it would be to be a real part of this family. The only way for that to happen
would be to tie myself to Nate and make his mother's wishes come true but it
was a silly dream; one I knew I would visit from time to time once I got back
to my mundane life after Christmas.

Nate came back into the room and
handed me my now full glass. I took a sip then placed it on the table and
waited for Nate to re-fill his own glass and sit back on the sofa mirroring my
position. 'So, what shall we play?'

'I don't really know many card
games if I'm being honest.'

Nate had picked up the deck of
cards again and began to shuffle them for the second time. 'What do you know?'

'Well, I do know how to play
poker.' I let out a laugh and Nate looked at me curiously. 'Sorry, I was just
remembering the last time I played.'

'And what happened the last time
you played?' He gave the cards one last shuffle then began to deal them using
the middle cushion as a table.

'I managed to get a guy out of
his clothes.' Nate stopped then looked at me with a very serious expression on
his face. 'We were playing strip poker and he wasn't very good.'

'Or just pretending to not be
very good.'

'Perhaps.'

He dropped his gaze and continued
to deal. 'How did the game end?' I knew he wasn't asking about the game.

'Well.' I lifted my drink and
took a sip, feeling a little mean that I was making him wait for my answer. I
placed my glass back on the table, 'I went to bed and he slept in the room next
door…' I saw a hint of a smile cross his face ‘…with my roommate.'

His smile was bigger now. 'So
regular poker or something a little different?'

'What did you have in mind?'

Nate picked up his cards and
studied them. 'I was thinking truth or dare poker, what do you say?'

I picked up my cards and smiled;
I had a pretty decent starting hand. 'I say, let's play.'