The Christmas Holiday

by Maxine Morrey

  ‘You look like you’re a million miles away.’ The deep tones broke into my thoughts as Hunter took a seat on the rock next to mine, adjusting a canvas, western-style hat that looked like it had taken a beating or two as he did so, the brim casting a slanting shadow across his face and the two-day beard he was now sporting. It was the first time he’d actually spoken to me all day, bar asking me to pass the bread at the vineyard where we’d had lunch and Sandeep had ordered some fancy bottles of wine with eye-watering price tags as gifts for some wedding participants. To be fair, there hadn’t been a lot left to say by the time Hunter had been done in the car. Either way, we were civil and acted professionally like the work colleagues we were. There was no atmosphere between us that would cast itself over the others. I knew that was the first concern for both of us. There just didn’t seem to be anything more to say. It was done and it couldn’t be undone.

  ‘No. I’m just enjoying the scenery.’ I smiled briefly before looking back out over the gorge, waving at Liv as she got ready.

  ‘You’re not really sorry to miss this, are you?’

  ‘I’d rather have missed it in a less attention-grabbing way, but no. It wouldn’t be my first choice for how to pass an afternoon.’ There was no point disagreeing with Hunter. He knew me better than I wished he did and I was still tired from the day before, even though this morning had been a later start. Right now, I didn’t have the energy to try and create an argument with him. And for the first time, I didn’t even want to.

  ‘I always knew you were bright.’

  I gave a little huff of air and smiled in acknowledgement. ‘Thanks. I think. Although I’m not sure preferring not to throw myself off a bridge attached to an elastic band qualifies me as bright. I think it’s just having a stronger sense of self-preservation.’

  He gave me a look I couldn’t make out. ‘You might be right.’ He took a deep breath and pushed himself up. ‘In the meantime…’ He gave a definitive point with his finger to where Liv was standing at the edge of the cradle. I saw him give a little headshake to himself as his hand went to the chain he wore around his neck, inherited from his beloved grandfather. He pulled it out and fiddled with it a moment before tucking it back under his T-shirt. Lifting the camera to his eye, he shifted position. Then, taking a knee, he focused again and captured Liv as she stepped into midair and didn’t stop screaming until the elastic went slack and she was dangling around, upside down, over the Californian countryside. Even then, her ponytail was bloody perfect. Honestly, I seriously needed some tips from this woman.

  ***

  The warm, damp heat of Malaysia engulfed us as we stepped from the air-conditioned cool of the airport, led by our uniformed hotel chauffeur, replete with hat, to the waiting area where our car was parked. The flight had been smooth, but long. Liv was looking forward to booking in for a massage as soon as we got to the luxury resort and I was looking forward to flopping face down on the bed for an hour. I’d caught some sleep on the plane, as had the others from what I’d seen on my strolls around the cabin to keep my blood moving and my bum awake, but it still didn’t match up to a huge double bed with thousand-thread-count sheets and a view out over acres of carefully planned tropical gardens.

  We were greeted at the doors by name, and the hotel manager himself conversed briefly with Sandeep about how pleased he was to see him again. Money definitely talked. Hunter caught me watching the exchange and quirked an eyebrow, agreeing silently with the sentiment.

  ‘Please, if you would come this way, we can get you all checked in.’ He led us to two desks and the clerks began going through the procedure.

  ‘And here are your keys,’ the clerk said a short while later, handing over one wallet with two keycards tucked inside.

  ‘Umm…’ Hunter’s eyes scanned the desk as Liv and Sandeep rose and came over, ready to go up to the rooms together. ‘There should be another one of those.’

  The clerk gave him a blank look. ‘I’m sorry, sir?’

  Hunter held up the keycard wallet. ‘There should be another of these as there are two rooms.’

  The blank look remained. ‘There is only one room, sir.’

  ‘No. There should be three rooms altogether,’ Liv stepped in. ‘One for Mr Singh and me and then one each for Miss Walker and Mr Scott. I had them confirmed.’

  The clerk’s previous look of calm now took on a slight sheen of panic as we all saw the manager who had made a fuss of Sandeep earlier circling us like a great white shark. Keys were pressed, names were checked but every time it came up the same. There were only two rooms under the reservation.

  ‘OK. Look, never mind,’ Hunter said, letting out a sigh as he put a hand on Liv’s arm in reassurance. ‘Don’t worry, Liv. They can just find me one now. It’s not a problem.’ He glanced back at the clerk who looked, if it were possible, even more nervous. ‘Right? Any room is fine.’

  The man gave a wan smile. ‘Unfortunately, we are fully booked. There is nothing available. I have checked it four times now.’

  ‘OK. So, ring the nearest hotel and get me one there then, please.’

  ‘I can certainly try. But you are aware it is quite some distance away. We pride ourselves on the remoteness of our resort.’ He gave a shrug. ‘It’s kind of our thing.’

  For a moment, we all just sat looking at each other. The clerk tapped some more keys, possibly in an urge to break the silence and convince his manager, who had been waylaid by another guest on his way over, that he had the situation fully under control.

  ‘I am so sorry. I can see thatthe initial reservation was for three rooms, but somewhere along the way it has been changed to two, and the third room has now been taken.’

  ‘Well, just untake it!’ Liv snapped, tiredness overwhelming her. I imagined this sort of thing didn’t happen to her very often. Conversely, things like this happened to me all the time.

  ‘I knew it was going too well!’ Liv said, slumping into a seat.

  ‘Are you sure there’s nothing?’ Hunter’s jaw was tight as he glanced at Liv.

  ‘Positive. I can call some other hotels if you wish?’

  ‘Great. Just leave your camera with Mia if you’re going to be bloody miles away!’ Liv huffed.

  OK. Time to end this.

  ‘You know what? It’s absolutely fine,’ I said, leaning over and swiping the keycards out of Hunter’s hand. ‘We’ll manage. I’m sure it’s probably two beds pushed together anyway. Not a problem.’

  The man at the desk opened his mouth and I gave him a look. He snapped it shut and nodded vigorously instead.

  ‘Thanks.’ I stood, grabbing my laptop bag.

  ‘Are you sure?’ Liv asked, looking between Hunter and me.

  Hunter looked anything but sure, but the alternatives were unworkable, not to mention stressing Liv out. The glance I shot him said it all.

  ‘Sure,’ he agreed. ‘Totally. Absolutely not a problem.’ I gave him a subtle kick and he stopped the flow.

  Liv’s face cleared and she reached up to give him a hug. ‘You two are the best. Thank you,’ she said, transferring the hug to me.

  ‘You’re welcome. Come on. Let’s go and check these rooms out.’

  The room was stunning. All dark-wood furniture, with brilliant white linens and floaty voile curtains at the large patio door leading out on to the covered balcony. The bathroom was white marble with black accents, a deep bath and a separate, large, walk-in shower. Designer toiletries were displayed ready for use and piles of soft, fluffy towels tempted me immediately. I emerged from checking out the bathroom to find Hunter down on his hands and knees at the end of the bed.

  ‘What on earth are you doing?’

  ‘Looking to see if this is two beds pushed together.’

  Something inside jabbed at me at his hurry to ensure he was as far away from me as possible when it came to sleeping arrangements.

  ‘Do you need a hand?’ I asked, struggling to keep the tightness out of my voice.

  ‘No.’
/>
  ‘Hunter, I’m stronger than I look. I’m quite capable—’

  ‘It’s not two beds. I didn’t think it would be in a place like this. It’s one.’ He rubbed his hand over his jaw. ‘Look. I can sleep on that… thing.’ He pointed to a chaise longue which, from a quick assessment, looked like it might support him up to about his knees, if he was lucky.

  ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake, Hunter.’ I tossed the keycards onto the dressing table and pushed past him, grabbing cushions off the chaise. ‘Don’t be so ridiculous. You’ll be on the floor the first time you turn over.’ Heading back to the bed, I snagged a couple more soft furnishings and made a quick pillow wall down the centre of it. ‘There! Is that better? Hopefully it will go some way to relieving your fears that I’m going to jump you in the middle of the night!’ With that, I grabbed my Kindle, kicked off my shoes and stalked out to the balcony, pulling the door closed behind me.

  An hour later I woke up, having read precisely two pages before nodding off. I stretched, feeling stiff and still a little grouchy. I knew rationally that it didn’t make sense to be so upset at Hunter’s reaction to the room mix-up and his continued annoyance at finding the bed wasn’t one that could be separated. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it either but I didn’t consider it the end of the world, as he apparently did. The damn thing was six feet wide anyway! Of course, it wasn’t ideal, but I had pyjamas and… oh God, I really hoped he had pyjamas! I shoved the thought out of my mind, opened the door and stepped back into the room.

  ‘Nice sleep?’ he asked, not looking up from where he was peering at the screen of his laptop.

  I tossed the Kindle on the bed. ‘How did you know I was asleep?’

  ‘Because you looked shattered when you went out there and reading always sent you to sleep quickly when you were tired.’

  ‘You could at least pretend not to know everything about me,’ I said, sitting on the end of the bed having fished out my flat, ribbon-tie sandals from the top of my case.

  ‘Says the woman who insisted on sharing a room.’ He looked up. ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘I did not “insist”, as you put it! It’s not my fault they cocked up the reservations and, believe me, I’d far rather have a room to myself, as you clearly would too. But Liv was getting worked up and upset, and there were no other rooms. What was I supposed to do? I was trying to help.’ I finished the second strap and stood, hands on hips. ‘I don’t suppose you would have been making such a fuss if you’d been able to bring the other journalist you wanted instead.’

  Hunter’s eyes met mine and he held the gaze a moment before answering. ‘No. Probably not.’

  His reply hurt more than I expected. And there was Liv talking about second chances. I gave a tight smile and snatched a keycard from the dresser.

  ‘You didn’t answer.’

  ‘Out.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘For a walk! All right? In the gardens.’

  ‘I wouldn’t.’

  I spun to face him as he leaned back casually in the chair, his face turned to the window.

  ‘Of course you wouldn’t. Everything I’ve done today is something you wouldn’t, apparently. So, do tell what’s wrong with this particular decision?’

  ‘What’s biting your arse?’

  ‘You!’

  A grin slipped onto his face and he rubbed his hand over his jaw to smother it.

  ‘Oh, don’t even! I’m going out.’

  ‘It’s going to rain.’

  I glanced out of the window. ‘No, it’s not. And so what? It’s only a bit of rain. Bloody hell, I’m British. If I can’t handle a bit of rain, I should relinquish my nationality right now!’

  ‘Mia—’

  ‘See you later, Hunter.’ I shoved my sunglasses onto my face and headed out of the door.

  The gardens were vast, spectacular and wonderfully exotic, with plenty of shade, and I felt the tension ebbing away as I strolled slowly through them, my fingers trailing across thick, succulent leaves, surrounded by the smell of flowers I couldn’t name. I’d been out around half an hour when I felt the air begin to change, quickly becoming thicker and heavier. Pushing my sunglasses to the top of my head I peered up at the sky and saw the blue being replaced with a deep slate-grey, continuing to darken even as I watched. A bolt of lightning zagged across the sky and, moments later, a crack of thunder split the air, heralding a rainstorm that had me wishing I had Noah on speed dial. Within three minutes my sundress was stuck to my body like an Hervé Léger bandage dress without the price tag, and my fabric sandals were looking distinctly unhappy.

  Two bolts of lightning chased one another across the gloom as their thunderous partners followed them, louder than I had ever experienced. Even at my increased speed, it still took me twenty minutes to get back to the hotel building. My sodden sandals made a slap slap slap noise on the polished stone floor as I entered, doing my best to look nonchalant as I headed to the lifts. From the corner of my eye, I saw glances being thrown my way, the odd comment being whispered behind a raised hand. I kept my eyes on the floor indicator and tried to ignore it all. Surely in a place like this, where the rains apparently liked to take you by surprise, they’d seen other guests get caught out by the weather. I found it impossible to believe I was the first!

  I beeped the card and entered the room. Hunter was sitting on the bed, pillow propped behind him, long legs stretched out in front. The TV’s remote control rested on his thigh and a bottle of beer and a bag of cashews from the mini bar each occupied one hand. My pillow wall of earlier had been dismantled.

  His eyebrows raised as he struggled against a smile.

  ‘Don’t. Say. Anything,’ I instructed, turning away as I saw the smile widen.

  He held up his hands, the beer bottle dangling from a couple of fingers as he threw in a few more cashews. I got the feeling it was to give his mouth something to do rather than anything else.

  ‘Honestly! You should have seen some of the looks I got from the people downstairs,’ I grouched, yanking one shoe off. ‘What is it? Don’t rich people ever get caught out? Does the rain refuse to ruin your shoes once your bank account gets past a certain point?’ I faced him again as I fought with the strap on my second one.

  He didn’t reply – for the first time ever actually adhering to a request I’d made. His eyes stayed on me, though, and I could see it was killing him to keep his amusement inside.

  ‘Argh! What’s up with this stupid shoe? Where’s your knife?’ I stood up to go and look for the utility knife Hunter carried.

  ‘I’m not letting you anywhere near my knife,’ he said, wrapping his hands around my waist and sliding me up the bed next to him. ‘What the hell have you done here?’ His dextrous fingers began tackling the knot now apparent in the tie straps of my sandal as the heels of his hands rested on my leg.

  ‘I just need to cut it,’ I said, pulling away. ‘They’re ruined anyway.’

  He hooked his elbow over my knee and clamped it there. ‘They’ll be ruined if you cut them. Stop wriggling.’

  ‘I’m cold.’

  He paused in his task, raising his head, his face close to mine, his expression softer than I’d seen it for a long time. ‘I know. I’m nearly done. I promise.’

  I nodded and peered over his shoulder to see his progress, resting my arm on his back for balance.

  ‘Mia?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘Your hair is dripping down my neck.’

  ‘Oh!’ I sat back. ‘Sorry.’

  He sat up straighter, swiping at his nape, and gave a shiver. ‘No worries. You’re free,’ he said, dangling my sandal from one finger.

  ‘Thank you!’ I smiled at him, snagging the shoe, and then shuffled off the bed, heading for a shower to go and warm up.

  I leaned into the shower cubicle and started the water running, checking the temperature before readying a bath towel and one of the two complimentary dressing gowns for after. Something in the mirror caught my eye. I snatche
d a hand towel off the pile and hastily wiped away the steam that was now building.

  I stared wide-eyed at my reflection, realising now what the stares and whispers had been about downstairs. The rain had turned my dress almost see-through and the thong I’d chosen earlier in an effort to avoid vpl through the thin fabric now seemed like so much less of a good idea. Basically, to all intents and purposes, I may as well have foregone the whole underwear deal altogether! We were booked in here for another several days yet and, realising that, in all likelihood, I was going to have to see some of the people I’d just unwittingly flashed, I let out a wail of despair. From the other side of the door, Hunter’s deep rumbling tones of laughter filled the room.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Emerging from the shower sometime later, having attempted to stay under the stream long enough to wash away some of the embarrassment, I found Hunter in the same position, flicking aimlessly through channels.

  ‘Better?’ he asked.

  I nodded and sat on the other side of the bed, tucking one leg underneath me as I did so.

  ‘Sandy rang. He and Liv are meeting up with business associates for dinner so we’re on our own. If you want to go out, we can get a car and head into the city, or there are the restaurants in the hotel obviously. Or we can just veg here if you prefer.’