Once the manager left, I set about exploring the room. On the bed sat a dark wooden tray which held a laundry bag and the requisite signs to hang on the door, along with an assortment of toiletries. More toiletries were artistically arranged on the vanity in the marble bathroom. A large bath and luxury shower took up one side, making me smile. I did love a bath and couldn’t wait to run one, relax back and soak for a while. Hopefully it would ease some of the tension I could feel tingling in my shoulders. I told myself it was from the travelling but I was fairly sure most of it had to do with having Hunter Scott back in my life, even temporarily.
Flopping onto the bed, I was soon up again as the doorbell rang and a quiet, polite man delivered my luggage, taking care to put my case on the luggage rack and enquiring as to whether there was anything else I required. I assured him there wasn’t and handed him a tip before closing the door. I sprawled out on the bed again, having grabbed the room-service menu. It seemed ages since we’d eaten on the plane and I’d been too nervous and excited to eat much anyway.
I ordered a sandwich and a drink and busied myself with unpacking the things I’d need for the next few days. The food arrived quickly and I finished it even quicker, before setting about running a bath. Emptying the contents of the entire bubble-bath tube into the tub, I stripped off and grabbed one of the soft, fairly-enormous-on-me robes from the back of the door, snuggling into its softness as I sat on the edge of the bath, waiting for the level to get deep enough. When it came to me and baths, that pretty much meant as full as I could get it without causing a flood. Someone had once told me they had “hip-level” baths. I’d looked at them askew and had briefly wondered if we’d actually be able to be friends any more. Hip bath? Seriously? What was the point in that?
The bubbles skimmed the rim and I dropped the robe to the floor and stepped in. As I lowered myself into the warmth, I felt my worries and tension melt into the water. Relaxing back, the water licked up on my hairline and I closed my eyes. Which was when the doorbell rang. I waited for the announcement of “housekeeping” so I could call back that it wasn’t required, and cursed myself for not hanging the Do Not Disturb sign on the door before I’d got into the bath. But no further request came. I knew I’d put the catch on the door so I wasn’t worried about any staff members coming in to do something and getting an unexpected surprise. I figured someone had just got the wrong door, realised and moved on. I sloshed about a bit more in the water, getting comfy, and closed my eyes again.
Diiiing doonnnng
‘Who is it?’ I yelled, fighting to maintain my politeness. After all, I was the one who had forgotten the Do Not Disturb tag.
‘It’s me.’ The deep South African tones came back, a slightly terse edge to them. ‘Are you going to open this damn door?’
‘No!’
‘Mia, don’t be—’
‘Remember how you wanted to know where I am at all times? I’m in the bloody bath! There! Happy now?’
So far, since meeting again, several of the heated exchanges Hunter and I had shared had been in whispers. I didn’t miss the fact that we had apparently now gone to the opposite end of the scale and progressed to yelling through doors at each other.
‘I’m ecstatic.’ His flat tone told me he was anything but. ‘I need to talk to you about the next couple of days’ itinerary.’
‘Now? I thought we were going to do that over breakfast tomorrow. Isn’t that what Sandeep said earlier?’
‘They’ve changed their minds. Liv’s seen the list of spa treatments on offer and wants to chill out and do a bunch of those tomorrow. Sandy’s happy to go along with that so things have been shuffled a bit. Plus, you and I have the extra stuff we’re doing for Jeremy to discuss. You know, your possible big break…’ His tone dripped with sarcasm and I thought about what else I’d like to put a big break in right now.
‘Can’t it wait?’
‘No.’
‘Half an hour? I said I’m in the bath.’
‘No. I’m tired. I want to get to bed.’
‘Well, go to bed then! I’m not getting out. I just got in!’
‘Mia. Open the damn door.’
I seethed for a moment. Neither of us spoke.
‘Are you still there?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you going to go away?’
‘Nope.’
‘Oh, for…’ I stood, splashing water as I stepped out of the bath, and made a vicious grab for one of the thankfully enormous bath sheets, wrapping it around myself. Stomping to the door, I slammed back the catch and yanked it open. Hunter stood there looking annoyingly fresh.
‘I seriously can’t believe this couldn’t wait. Or are you just trying to be intentionally irritating so I’ll give up and you can give Miss Booty Call a shout to come out and join you instead. Because if you think that’s going to happen, it isn’t!’
‘The thought hadn’t crossed my mind.’ His eyes flicked to the towel and back up again. ‘I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal. It’s not like it’s anything I haven’t seen before.’
I gave him a look. ‘Not recently!’
‘I can’t imagine you’ve changed all that much.’
I pulled the towel tighter, risking the circulation flow from my chest down. ‘I’d rather you didn’t imagine anything, thank you very much.’
He gave a laugh and shook his head. ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’
I bit back the retort and aimed at being the grown-up, stepping aside to let him in. He entered, his posture supremely casual and relaxed, as opposed to mine, which had racked right back up into super-tense levels. When we’d been together, Hunter had always been the calming, relaxing influence in my life. When I was stressed he’d always known just what to say – and sometimes do – to melt all of the tension out of me. I didn’t miss the irony that he was now the one putting all the knots into me instead.
The door to the bathroom was open, a trail of damp footprints leading from the bath. Hunter’s gaze ranged lazily over the full bath.
‘You can get back in if you want. I can talk to you from here.’ He strolled over to the sofa next to the window, slung a folder on the table and sat down.
I glared at him.
‘And how am I to go over these oh so important documents that couldn’t possibly wait another half an hour from in there?’
He looked up at me. ‘All right. Then go get back in and call me when you’re ready and I’ll come in. I’ll hold them up to you.’
‘Like that’s going to happen.’
He shrugged. ‘Your choice.’
‘No. Actually not my choice at all! My choice was to stay in the bath for at least the next two hours and make some attempt to soak away all the stress you’ve succeeded in building up in me over the past few days.’
‘It’s not intentional.’
‘No. Apparently, it comes quite naturally.’
He dropped his head and let out a sigh. ‘I’m sorry you feel that way. I’ve tried to explain the way things need to work, and why.’
‘Yes, which I understand. What I don’t understand is why this…’ – I waved my hand to encompass the paperwork in front of him – ‘couldn’t wait half an hour. You seem determined to try and make me slip up, or look bad… or something, just so you can prove to everyone, including yourself, how you were right all along.’
He gave me a look I couldn’t make out then let out a sigh. ‘No. You’re right. This could have waited.’ He stood, gathering up his stuff as he did so.
‘Oh no! You insisted this was so important it couldn’t wait, so we’re bloody well going to do it now. What is all this anyway?’ I reached over and took some of the paperwork from him.
‘Don’t you think you ought to get dressed or something first?’
I gave him a look. ‘You were the one who said you weren’t fazed, and how there’s nothing new for you to see anyway. Not that you can see anything.’ I glanced down, just to check, but yep, the towel was still fully in
place and reached halfway down my shins.
‘It’s not that. Your arms have goose pimples all over them and you’re starting to shiver.’
‘I’m fine.’ With my haughtiness level on full, I’d been desperately trying to avoid the fact that the air conditioning had kicked on.
He gave me a look that told me what he thought of that statement.
‘Right. Wait here.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ I heard him mumble sarcastically as I marched off, back towards the bathroom. I cast a longing look at the bath, the bubbles popping and disappearing as I watched, before dropping the towel and replacing it with the oversized bathrobe. I yanked the belt around me, double-knotting it just in case, and stalked back out to the sofa, where Hunter had now retaken his position.
I sat down next to him. ‘OK. So tell me what I need to know.’
Chapter Six
The next morning, far earlier than was polite, I headed downstairs to where Hunter was waiting in the lobby. His large hands were wrapped around a camera body, brows drawn together as he concentrated on fitting a lens to it. He looked up as I arrived beside him.
‘Morning.’
‘Good morning. Ready to go?’
‘Yep.’
‘Did you manage to grab some breakfast? There’s time if you—’
‘Already eaten, thanks.’
In fact, I’d showered, eaten, dressed and made a few notes for our early-morning trip, all before I’d heard Hunter’s door close next to mine. By the time he’d left last night, after we’d gone over Sandeep and Olivia’s plans, together with the schedule Hunter had put together after liaising with Jeremy over the sort of thing he wanted, the bath was cold and I was too tired to get into it anyway. I’d flapped a flannel around myself so that I at least felt sort of human and then fallen into the soft, feather pillows and one of, if not the, most comfortable beds I’d ever been in.
The constant arguing with Hunter wasn’t ideal but something had shifted once I’d plopped down next to him and we’d begun going over the best way for us to get the most out of this trip for Sandy and Liv, as well as for us and the work it could lead to.
Jeremy had given me some vague ideas as to what he wanted but had said I’d need to get together with Scott, as someone familiar with many of the areas we were going to, and he’d show me the ropes and introduce me to people who could be useful. It had irked me to know I had to rely on Hunter for connections. I was used to doing things for myself and I liked it that way. But I also knew that digging my heels in and refusing to take any help from him could backfire on me in a massive way. I’d always been open to learning from other people’s experience, eager to absorb knowledge, and I knew the main problem I had in this situation was purely the source of that knowledge. I also realised that if I was to do the best job I could on this assignment, I had to get over that hang-up. And quickly.
Hunter fastened his bag, slung his camera over his shoulder and stood.
‘Ready?’
‘Absolutely.’
He led the way to the doors of the hotel, and we stepped out into the early-morning warmth, the soft light casting a glow over everything, including Hunter’s features. He’d not shaved this morning, and dark stubble covered his jaw, highlighting the hollow beneath his cheekbones in a way that rivalled anything the Kardashians could achieve with contouring. His hair was cropped, and a tan line at the back of his neck hinted that he’d been wearing it a little longer previously as a line of paler skin peeked out. A pair of sunglasses perched on top of his head. Glancing around, he suddenly smiled as a man hurried up to him, grinning widely.
‘Hey, Jayesh!’
‘Hello, hello! It is a pleasure to see you again.’ The man’s smile and easy manner were infectious. ‘I am so glad to see you back in Delhi. Is it for business again this time, or perhaps pleasure?’ He cast the slightest of glances at me.
Hunter laughed, without even looking in my direction.
‘Definitely business. As always. Jayesh, this is my colleague, Mia Walker. Mia, this is Jayesh. One of the best drivers in the city.’
‘It is a pleasure to meet you,’ Jayesh smiled.
‘And you,’ I returned, my mind processing the sound of Hunter’s voice introducing me as his colleague. It sounded odd to my ears. Probably because I’d had several years of being introduced as something far different, and even though that was a while ago, the sound of the initial words had taken me back to a different time. Momentarily.
‘Shall we go?’ Jayesh asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nodded and Hunter and I followed Jayesh down the hotel drive to where he’d parked his car.
The city was just waking as we drove along. Breakfasts were being cooked on the street and young children toddled about near steaming pots in a way that made me anxious. Shops and stalls were being prepared for opening and as we travelled away from the very centre, more cows could be seen wandering along, their sacred status ensuring they were given right of way. I took it all in: the colours, the smells, the dust, the smog I could see hanging on the horizon as we stopped in traffic and I looked across at the Lutyens’ skyline. My head was tumbling words and I snapped some pictures with my phone as we moved along, just to act as a reminder and prompts.
Hunter nodded at the phone as I scanned a few of the photos I’d taken. ‘Not trying to do me out of a job, are you?’
I looked up at him, expecting the serious look I’d quickly become used to, but instead there was the hint of a smile.
‘Hmm, I hadn’t actually thought of that. But now you mention it…’ I tapped my jawline with my finger as though pondering over a situation before sliding my glance to him. His smile widened a little.
‘Touché.’
I smiled back and momentarily he held it. It seemed it was time for a truce, and secretly I was pleased. This trip excited me more than anything had in a long time. It wasn’t ideal that Hunter and I had been forced into a proximity closer than either of us wanted or felt comfortable with for such an amount of time, but it was how it was. I didn’t want the experience ruined for anyone by us two bickering.
‘Here we are.’ Jayesh pulled up outside what looked to be a park. ‘I shall wait here. Don’t hurry.’
Hunter gave Jayesh a quick double pat on the shoulder and we exited the car. I followed Hunter as he headed towards the entrance to the park.
‘So, this is Purana Qila. It’s one of the oldest forts in Delhi. When I first came, there was nothing around to tell you what was what, or what it had been, but, like a lot of Delhi now, they’ve caught on to the tourism potential and nowadays there’s plenty of signage and details giving you the history of the place. It’s more of a park than anything else these days, certainly for the locals, and there’s a boating lake and stuff. But it’s got a great atmosphere. Quite a lot of families will come and just enjoy the park and it’s quite popular with couples. Romantic, apparently.’
I let the cynicism – something Hunter had never demonstrated in the time we’d been together – slide. It was hard to do anything else as I took in the surroundings. Ruined walls centuries old, a wide park offering plenty of shade from the Indian sun with families and couples, as he’d suggested, already taking advantage of their day off and walking through the calm, green space. The bright, jewel-rich colours of the women’s saris were highlighted against the green of the trees and the sandy red of the rock, making them shine out even brighter. Just from the short time I’d been in the country, the one word that kept coming back to me about India was “colour” – and perhaps noise! But here the sounds of the city, the traffic and constant beeping of horns, was kept out. It was truly peaceful and relaxing.
I turned and noticed Hunter watching me. His broad body was at ease, shoulders relaxed, classic Aviators covering the deep-blue eyes.
‘Sorry.’ I couldn’t help the smile that still covered my face. ‘Just taking it all in.’
He lifted a hand. ‘No worries. We’ve got the whole day. Take it in.
That’s what it’s all about. Obviously, we’ll go to some more out of the way places as well, but I like it here and I thought you would too. It’s kind of an antidote to the craziness of the city outside these walls.’
‘It certainly looks that way. Can we explore a bit more?’
‘Sure. If we head this way, we can get up onto the walls.’
We spent a couple of hours at the fort, just walking, talking sometimes and sometimes not, but for the first time the silences didn’t seem strained or tense. We were both absorbed in our jobs and the experience. The peace of the surroundings seemed to be ebbing into our own bodies – and I could honestly say I was glad of it.
As the day passed, Hunter and I visited places all over the city, from world-famous landmarks like India Gate, Humayan’s Tomb and the Red Fort to off-the-map little back streets full of the most amazing things for sale. I loved every moment, making notes, snapping pictures, and soaking up every ounce of atmosphere that I could. Hunter was generous in his sharing of a world he was already familiar with, and in introducing me to people, as well as giving tips on making my own contacts.
‘Hungry?’ he asked as we stood aside to let a motorbike carrying an entire family of five pass.
‘Starving, actually, now you mention it.’ I’d been so caught up in the experience, it wasn’t until I thought about it that I realised how long it had been since we’d eaten.
‘Me too. Come on. I know a great place.’
We wandered through the streets, curious stares and smiles following us as we did so. Hunter was kind of hard to miss with his height and size and, although I wore a hat to protect me from the now full-on heat of the day, my pale skin and blonde hair didn’t exactly help me blend in either.
‘Here we are.’ Hunter stopped in front of a food stall. ‘Best street food in the city.’ He raised a hand in greeting to the man behind the huge metal dish that simmered between us.
‘Ah! You are back for more! Come, come!’
Hunter grinned and pointed to me. ‘I’ve brought a friend and assured her you’re the best. You’re not going to let me down now, are you?’
The Christmas Holiday Page 6