The Christmas Swap, стр. 33
Before she sat down, Lucy helped herself to a handful of green and red M&Ms from the ceramic dish in the centre of the coffee table, eating them one at a time, sucking on each until it dissolved in her mouth. Nate was doing the rounds with mugs of his boozy hot chocolate, and Lucy’s was on the table in front of her while she waited for it to cool.
And even though this wasn’t her family and she’d never actually had Christmas with so many people before, Lucy felt like she belonged. She was sure Will had something to do with that.
She popped the last M&M into her mouth as Will handed her a large sewing needle threaded with a long piece of thick cotton. She tied a knot in the end and speared the piece of popcorn she’d taken from the bowl next to her. It broke and she frowned at it.
Will, now armed with his own needle and thread, sat on her other side, close enough for his thigh to press against hers. As though she were fifteen and not a grown woman, she found herself wondering if people could tell that they’d kissed. Steph probably knew, she realised. She seemed like the type of person who would notice the tell-tale signs, like two thighs pressing together.
Still, nothing could be as embarrassing as what had happened with Jackie.
“The secret is to hold the needle perpendicular to the surface of the popcorn and press slowly.” Will demonstrated. “Then you gently pull the popcorn down to the end of the thread.” He held his up. “See?”
“Right.” Lucy was not going to be beaten by a piece of popcorn. She tried again and the second one broke. “Third time lucky,” she said gearing up to spear another piece. Broken.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone so bad at this.”
Her giggle came easily, which surprised her. Maybe the ordeal with Jackie had inoculated her against any further embarrassment. She hoped so. Sometimes it was exhausting worrying about what other people thought all the time.
“Paper chains,” she declared, as though she was answering his question for the first time. In the end, she was happy just to sip her hot chocolate and watch the bustle around her, humming along to the music. When the first chains and strings of popcorn were finished, Bridget and Briony took charge of draping them on the tree. An hour or so later, the bottom half of the tree looked quite festive.
“Um, everyone,” Lucy called out above Bing and the hubbub of conversation. Everyone stopped talking and listened, their fingers still stringing and gluing. “Two things. One, I’ve just remembered that I’ve got my mum’s Christmas cake upstairs. I’d completely forgotten, but it’s lovely and I’m going up to get it now so you can all have some. And two. I think we need to do something about the tree.”
All eyes flew to the tree. “The top half is naked, and I’m afraid that won’t do.” This was possibly the longest Lucy had spoken in front of a group of people who didn’t report to her and she tried to count exactly how many hot chocolates she’d had. Was it three or four?
In any case, it didn’t matter because she was having a lovely time. “Right. I shall go and get the cake.” She stood, a little unsteady on her feet.
In an instant, Will was by her side. “I’ll help.”
“Brilliant.”
*
“Will?” Lucy was on her knees rummaging through her carry-on. Had she already taken the cake out?
“Mmm?”
“I am quite drunk.”
He kneeled next to her. “I gathered as much.”
She stopped looking for the cake. “Are you drunk?”
“No. A little buzzed, but not drunk.”
She sighed and dropped her head to the side. “Will?”
He smiled at her and tucked a wayward curl behind her left ear. “Yes?”
“I quite fancy you, you know?”
“I do know, yes.”
“A lot. Even though you’re Jules’s baby brother and … she won’t be cross with me, will she?”
“No, of course not. Hey, look, it’s late and …”
“And I’m drunk.”
“Right, so maybe, do you want to just go to bed?”
“I definitely want to go to bed with you.” Good lord. Had she really just said that? She shook her head to clear it. “Sorry. That was …” She put her head in her hands. “Oh, Will. I’m very, very drunk.”
“Come on, let’s get you ready for bed.”
It was the last thing Lucy remembered before she was woken by her phone.
Chapter 15
Chloe
When they broke their kiss, there was almost a shyness between them and, as Archer pressed his forehead to hers, they both chuckled softly. Chloe took a long, slow breath, hyper aware of her pounding heart. “You know, I’ve been wanting to do that since I found you washing up in Mum’s kitchen.”
She leant back, still encircled in his arms, and looked up at him, her eyes searching his. She could have sworn that behind the playfulness, there was something else, something she guessed was tied to their experience with the Capels, but she would play along. They had only just met. “Is that so?” she asked cheekily.
“It is so.”
“Was it the rubber gloves or when I accidentally ate soap bubbles that tipped you over the edge?”
“Oh, definitely the soap bubbles,” he replied, his eyes creasing at the corners in amusement.
She could have stood like that for the rest of the day, just taking him in and sharing a wistful smile, but they were beckoned back to reality by his mother’s voice calling Chloe’s name.
Bugger, she thought. Even though Cecily had played matchmaker the day before, Chloe was not looking forward to facing her, not after that passionate clinch with the woman’s son, which Chloe felt certain was written