by Mandy Baggot
A quiet descended except for Aldo scraping every soupcon of gravy off his plate and onto his fork. Lara held her breath, wondering what he was going to say.
‘I found out yesterday … I got the role of Sam in A Soul’s Song.’
‘Oh my God!’ Kossy exclaimed, leaping again, this time hitting the other side of the tree, an angel flying down to the wood floor.
‘That’s fantastic news, son,’ Ted replied.
Lara threw her arms around him, tears in her eyes as she held him close. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she breathed. ‘You wanted that part so much. I know how much it means to you. Not just for the money and the better parts coming maybe, but because that was the part that made you want to find Candice.’
‘Yeah,’ Seth replied, his voice thick with emotion too. ‘And it was a part you helped me get. That night in Cafe Cluny.’
‘I’ll never forget it,’ Lara said. ‘Mussolini and tights.’
‘Alexa, play Michael Bublé,’ Kossy commanded.
‘Playing Michael Bublé from Kossy’s Spotify.’
At last the dulcet tones of the King of Croon sounded out and Kossy sat back down, satisfied.
‘I got you something,’ Seth said. He leaned back in his chair and produced a parcel from the bookcase.
‘Seth,’ Lara said, taking the beautifully wrapped, rather heavy package. ‘We said no presents. We said that me being here for Christmas was enough of a present for both of us.’
‘I know,’ he answered. ‘And it is. It definitely is.’ He put his hand in hers, squeezing it tightly.
‘So, this is?’ Lara asked, looking at the gift.
‘This is … a promise, if you like,’ Seth told her.
Lara swallowed, his words making her feel the kind of special she always seemed to feel when he was around. The type of special she had been feeling literally from the moment they first met. She looked up from the parcel to Aldo, her brother taking seconds of everything before she had even had firsts, her dad sampling the wine Ted was pouring for them, then opting for beer, Kossy encouraging Aldo to take even more food. Being here, being part of this new mix of family, had been so unexpected, but she was loving every second of it.
‘Open the gift,’ Seth urged her.
‘I don’t have anything for you,’ she moaned.
‘This is for me too, I hope.’
She slipped her fingers underneath the wrapping, beginning to carefully peel away the mistletoe-embossed paper … and then she gave up doing that and started to tear like a desperate lemur. Finally, free of the paper, there were guide books. The first one she saw was France. The next was Korea, Thailand followed, then Italy, Brazil, China and lastly, Puerto Rico.
‘You’re just starting your travelling adventure,’ Seth told her, his voice low and soft. ‘I want you to make lots of plans.’
Lara couldn’t stop herself from crying out loud. It was the most thoughtful, lovely gift she had ever been given and it said everything about how their relationship had come to be. She was looking forward to seeing Appleshaw again when this holiday was over, but she also knew she was excited about exploring so much else. And, while she could do all this on her own, strong and independent, she really had other plans.
‘You know I can see myself in Rio, on the beach, sipping a caipirinha while I dance a little samba.’
‘Me too,’ Seth admitted.
‘But drinking on your own is the first step towards having a problem, and you’ve seen those Brazilians dance, haven’t you? I’m going to need someone to do that sexy sway with.’
‘I guess you might,’ Seth agreed.
‘You’ll come with me, won’t you? Have these adventures too?’
‘Filming doesn’t start until the end of February,’ Seth told her. ‘How are you fixed for Valentine’s Day?’
She kissed him then, full and slow, uncaring that they were sitting at Christmas dinner and Aldo had eaten almost all the turkey. But then she broke away, wanting to just look into his eyes and be still in this flawless moment together.
‘I love you, Lara,’ Seth told her, reaching for her hand.
‘I love you too,’ she answered, her heart skipping a beat.
‘Merry Christmas, Lemur Girl.’
@TrentDavenport101: Breaking News: It’s official! You shipped them and … it’s love! @SethHuntActor and @laraweekend are a couple. You heard it here first! Merry Christmas everyone!
Letter from Mandy
Thank you so much for reading One New York Christmas and for choosing to spend some time in New York with Lara and Seth … and not forgetting Susie, David, Kossy, Ted, Felice, Earl, Mad Maggie and Trent. Plus, the lovable Aldo and the not-so-lovable Dan!
I hope you enjoyed this festive story. I had so much fun writing it and getting to know these characters … especially Seth! I would love to hear who your favourite character was. Did you enjoy unconventional heroine Lara? Or did you just fall in love with the Big Apple itself in this run-up to Christmas?
I do love connecting with my readers so please do tweet or Facebook me, or maybe share some photos of you with your copy of One New York Christmas on Instagram wherever you’re reading it!
Twitter: @mandybaggot
Facebook: @mandybaggotauthor
Instagram: @mandybaggot
Reviews mean so much to writers so, if you enjoyed this Christmas story, please leave a review where you usually hang out – Amazon, Kobo, iTunes, Goodreads etc.
And, if you want to find even more of my romantic reads, why not head over to my website. You can even sign up to my monthly newsletter for exclusive prizes!
Website: www.mandybaggot.com
Thank you so much for choosing One New York Christmas to read this winter and … here’s to every ever-after being a happy one!
Mandy xx
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me and my writing over the past six months. The list would be endless, but thanks go especially to …
Tanera Simons
Ebury Publishing
My brilliant street team, The Bagg Ladies
Rachel Lyndhurst
Sue Fortin
Zara Stoneley
Carrie Elks
Chris Edwin
Matt Bates
Lynne Rose
Mr Big
Enjoyed One New York Christmas? Enjoy another festive romance from Mandy Baggot
Imagine the perfect Christmas Kiss…
His strong arms around her waist, her hands on his face, the snow slowly starts to fall…
It’s enough to make Isla Winters cringe! While her sister can’t get enough of this – increasingly common – sight on the streets of London, Isla’s too busy trying to stop Hannah’s wheelchair from slipping on the ice, and making sure she’s not too late to her dream job at Breekers International.
But everything changes with the arrival of Chase Bryan, fresh from the New York office. He’s eager to learn everything about Isla’s beloved Notting Hill, but as the nights get colder, will cosying up to him come at a price?
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Epub ISBN: 9781473559998
Version 1.0
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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
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London SW1V 2SA
Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © Mandy Baggot, 2018
Cover illustration by
Lucy Truman
Lettering by Stephen Raw
Cover: www.headdesign.co.uk
Mandy Baggot has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
First published by Ebury Press in 2018
www.penguin.co.uk
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781785039256