An Unexpected Christmas

by Lori Jennings

  Ella parked her car in front of the house and when I looked out of my window I gasped. The other car already parked in the driveway had been my dream car since its review on that car show with the annoying host; it was the brand new Jaguar F-type in a shining sliver and did not look out of place in front of the house.

  'Holy mother of...' It came out in one breath.

  'What?' Ella asked a little panic in her voice; when she saw that I was staring at the car she started laughing. 'It's pretty nice isn't it? My brother does have good taste I will give him that.'

  'It's so... sexy.' I wanted to touch it, I had memorised the spec from the website and now seeing it in real life I recited it to myself; the Rhodium silver metallic exterior I wanted to run my fingers over, I wanted to follow the smooth lines and flow of the body and feel the cool metal beneath my hand. From where I sat I could see the 20" Tornado rims and how they stood out, shining against the deep black of the tyres and I bit my lip wanting to climb out of my seat and circle the machine that was so close. I knew it would look as impressive from the back as it would from the front with its shining twin exhausts and I hoped, no, prayed he had gone for the plush black leather sports seats with red trim. I may be fully in love with this car, it was the most amazing creature I had laid my eyes on and I would give my right arm to own one but with my salary it wasn't likely and I would just have to make do with drooling from a distance.

  Ella giggled and turned off the engine, 'Well I'm sure if you asked nicely Nate will take you for a spin in it. Although it is his pride and joy so you might have to be super nice to him.'

  Ella climbed out of the car and left me to drool a little longer. I let out a laugh at my own ridiculousness, undoing my seatbelt and climbing out of my side of the car I followed Ella around to the back of the vehicle and hauled my case from the boot. I plonked it down on the gravel then reaching in for my other bag and heaved it over my shoulder. Ella had managed to lift her own case out of the back and now stood waiting for me and when I had all my things she closed the boot and pushed the button on her key to lock the car. She walked towards the front door and I followed dragging my case behind me.

  Chapter Two

  We stepped in to the hallway that was decorated in bright yellows with hints of orange, and we were instantly greeted by two very excited golden retrievers. I dropped my bag and leaned my case by the wall then crouched down to say hello.

  'Well aren't you beautiful!' I exclaimed as I rubbed them both under their chins. They stretched their heads up to give me better access and panted happily.

  'Oh they like you,' Ella smiled, 'and if you keep that up you will have friends for life.'

  'What are their names?' I asked Ella, not lifting my gaze from the adorable dogs.

  'The one with the blue collar is Toby and the other is Milly,' she told me, and I gave them one last stroke then stood and watched as they danced around me then wandered through a door off the hallway to the left.

  'Hello?' Ella called out towards the back of the house.

  'In here.' called a deep voice from the room the dogs had disappeared into. Ella grinned and hurried down the red tiled hallway towards the voice as I followed behind.

  I watched as Ella strode around a large, plush, leather sofa and embraced a tall dark haired man. I didn't get a chance to see his face as he hugged her close so I just waited and took in the room; it was a spacious living room with a huge fireplace which was blazing away and keeping the room at a toasty level of warmth and was decorated with a beautiful garland of holly and fairy lights. The furniture looked old but well looked after and, as well as the large dark brown leather sofa, there was a plush armchair in the space between the fire and two large windows; one of which faced the front of the house and the other facing the garden. Beside the fireplace there stood a huge Christmas tree decorated in gold and rich reds.

  As Ella pulled back and turned towards me I saw who she had embraced and it knocked all the air from my body; Nate Hamilton was standing right in front of me. I was in the same room as Nate Hamilton, breathing the same air as him. My brain fired in to overtime; ‘What do I do? What should I say? What should I do?’ I was starting to panic and breathing was becoming difficult; I took in a deep breath to calm me a little. Nate stood smiling at me, a smile I had seen so many times in magazines and on TV, and more recently on the big screen.

  He stood next to Ella and I noticed that he really was quite tall, much taller than I had imagined him to be but his hair was that dark chocolate he was known for and even from a distance I could see his shining blue eyes. Nate Hamilton was breathtaking and could probably have any woman he wanted but if the gossip mags were to be believed had been single for the past year. He was dressed casually in a dark blue wool sweater and soft jeans that were worn in all the right places.

  'April, this is my pain of a big brother Nate. Nate, this is April,' Ella gestured towards me and I watched as Nate made his way around the sofa and held out his hand to me. I wordlessly slipped my hand in to his and was mesmerised for a moment at how long and strong his fingers were. I looked back up into his eyes and swallowed and saw his smile turn up slightly at one side.

  ‘Hello, it’s nice to meet you,’ he said, but I was still noticing his hand and how warm and soft it was but his handshake was confident and friendly. I finally managed to snap myself out of the trance that just the sight of Nate had put me in and our handshake broke naturally whilst I finally found my voice.

  'It is nice to meet you too.' It came out a little formal and I cleared my throat hoping to give myself a moment to think of something else to say to him, 'You have my car.' He looked adorably confused and I couldn’t help but smile at him, 'Not my car obviously, but my dream car. I have drooled over pictures of the Jaguar F-type for months and have only seen one in real life once until we pulled up outside and there it was, just sitting in the drive.'

  I was babbling, I knew I was babbling, but I had been thrown for a loop; I really needed to find a quiet space and maybe bang my head against a wall a couple of times to just make sure I wasn't dreaming. I glanced around the room quickly scoping out a flat surface for such a thing but my attention was brought back to Nate. He had a small smile on his face and he glanced out of the window and back to me.

  'She is a beauty. I haven't had her for long but she is a dream to drive.' He broadened his smile, 'Ella didn't mention she was bringing a friend home.'

  I dragged my eyes away from him and over to where Ella was sitting crossed legged next to the Christmas tree, shaking a gift next to her ear while the dogs nudged her for more affection. I smiled at the sight then turned my attention back to Nate.

  'No. Well my usual plans for Christmas fell through and Ella was kind enough to invite me otherwise it would have been just me, a massive tin of chocolates, and the Doctor Who special.' Why did I say that? I sounded like a weird sci-fi loving spinster, which to be fair I pretty much was, but I didn't really want Nate Hamilton to think of me as such.

  ‘I love the Doctor Who special, I never miss it,’ he laughed. He leaned in closer and whispered, ‘We might have to slip away to watch it though, everyone else likes to talk all the way through it and it drives me crazy.’

  He sent me another heart melting smile and I couldn't stop myself from grinning back. Nate Hamilton was a Doctor Who fan and he wanted to watch it, alone, with me! This couldn't really be happening could it? Just the thought of spending time alone with my celebrity crush was unimaginable and I felt my heart kick up a beat.

  'You're here!' I turned at the exclamation that came from the opposite end of the room to an open door that looked as though it led to the kitchen. I saw a short silver haired woman pull Ella into a hug then hold her at arms length. 'You look too thin.'

  'It's nice to see you too Mum.' I could almost hear Ella roll her eyes. She turned toward where Nate and I were standing, and she gestured towards me, 'Mum, this is April.'

  I moved towards them and held my hand out to greet the older wom
an but it was ignored as she pulled me into a hug. After a moment she held me at arms length just as she had with Ella. 'April. It is so good that you could join us. When Ella said you were going to be alone all Christmas I urged her to invite you immediately and was so happy to hear that she already had.' She smiled up at me which was surprising as I was only five foot five and both her children were hitting six foot. 'Oh, I haven't introduced myself properly, I'm Maggie.'

  'I am so pleased to meet you.' I smiled at her, 'Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your Christmas.'

  'Oh the more the merrier is what I always say.' She turned to Nate, 'Nate dear, help your sister and April with their bags, there's a good boy.'

  Nate grinned at her then looked at me. 'I'm thirty three and she still speaks to me like I'm twelve.'

  Maggie moved to his side and placed a hand on his cheek. 'To me you will always be twelve.' Maggie then turned back to me and smiled, 'Once you have settled in we can have some lunch, how does that sound?'

  'Great. Thank you.' I really meant it; they had made me feel so relaxed and at ease in such a short space of time, but I was still reeling a little from the shock of seeing Nate Hamilton live and in person – I needed a moment to gather my thoughts.

  Maggie ran her hand down my arm and gave my fingers a little squeeze then headed back into the kitchen. Nate leant down and took hold of the handle of my suitcase and lifted it with ease; his body may look lean and slim but even through his sweater I could see the strong muscles in his shoulders. He was about to lift my holdall but I reached forward to help and our hands touched; it was only for a second but I felt a surge of electricity travel from my fingers and through my body. I pulled my hand back and sent him a shy smile. He just smiled back then stepped to one side so I could pick up the bag; Ella was already heading up the stairs and Nate followed leaving me to take up the rear which gave me quite a nice view. I gave myself a mental shake; I was not here to ogle at Nate Hamilton's arse, even if it was a perfect example of male perfection. I focused on taking one step at a time until I reached the landing at the top.

  'Nate, you don't mind showing April the guest room do you? I'm going to dump my things then go and help mum' She grinned at him and disappeared into a room at the end of the hallway.

  Nate turned to me, 'She is such a pain... not that showing you to your room is a major deal.' He took a breath then smiled at me. 'You are just through here.'

  I followed him through a door on the left of the landing. The room was beautiful; soft blue walls complemented the crisp white bed linen over the king-size bed, a pale ash wardrobe and matching vanity stood along the left hand wall, and a huge picture window looked out across the bay. I could imagine the view in the summer as the bright sunshine shone off the water. The whole room had a calming beach theme and even though it was winter I felt warm and cosy.

  Nate had placed my case near the end of the bed then walked over to a door I hadn't noticed in the right hand corner, 'En-suite is just through here.' When he turned back and looked at me and saw my reaction he let out a low chuckle. ‘It’s pretty nice huh? Mum loves having guests so she kind of went a little overboard with the decorating.'

  'It's stunning. I've never stayed in a room as nice as this, ever.' I smiled at him thinking that the whole situation was a little surreal but incredibly welcome; my life had been a little dull of late so this unexpected situation felt like the excitement I had been yearning for.

  'If you mention that to her, she might never let you leave.' He sent me that breathtaking smile again and I automatically grinned back. 'Anyway, I will leave you to settle in.'

  Nate walked back to the door and disappeared through it leaving me standing watching after him, the faint smell of his aftershave lingering in his wake. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I wanted to jump up and down and spin about the room in excitement but settled with a ridiculous grin on my face instead. I had just met Nate Hamilton and he was just as handsome and charming in real life as he came across on the telly. I closed my eyes and let the image of him fill my head. How was it possible for someone to be so incredibly attractive? Letting out a sigh I opened my eyes again and let out a little laugh, the whole thing was crazy. I was going to have a word with Ella for not telling me who her brother was. I hoped I hadn't come across as being too surprised and I decided that I would make a huge effort to treat him just as Ella's older brother and not the huge superstar that he was. I'm sure he had hundreds, if not thousands, of girls throwing themselves at him and vying for his attention, and I would hate to be lumped in with them. No, I was going to make an effort to just be myself and enjoy as much of Christmas as I could.

  I lifted my case and plonked it unceremoniously on the bed to unzip it. I began to unpack my things, and took the time to get a better look around. The bathroom was decorated in pale blues and crisp whites. A large shower cubicle stood in one corner and a sink and toilet stood against the outside wall. If this were a hotel then I would have paid very good money to stay in such a wonderful location. There was another window in here, not as large as the other but I knew that I would be able to see across the water as I showered. I placed my toiletry bag on the windowsill and headed back into the bedroom.

  The only things left in my case now were the gifts I had bought for Ella, Maggie and Nate - before I knew who he was. Now I was thinking a trip to the nearest department store might be a good Idea. After today there were only three days until Christmas so I had a little time if I was happy to enter the war zone that was a huge store at Christmas. I zipped my case shut and placed it out of the way next to the wardrobe.

  Looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror I let out a groan; my hair was a mess and my makeup had worn almost all off. I set about fixing what three and a half hours in a car had done to me and not thinking about my friend's brother who happened to be someone I thought about quite a lot.

  Chapter Three

  Nate

  I pulled the door shut behind me then let out a heavy groan when I heard my phone ring in my pocket. I walked down the hallway and into my bedroom, pulling the phone from my pocket and saw Ian's face looking out at me. Ian Carter was my manager, he had been for the past four years and I trusted his judgement; he was a good man, but he was under a lot of pressure from the people above him and so had to place that pressure on me. I hit the answer button as I closed the door behind me.

  I took a deep breath and plastered a smile on my face as I knew Ian would hear it in my voice. 'Hey man, what can I do for you?'

  'Nate, did you get my last email? I need to know what you thought of the last two scripts I sent you. Oh and I am sending you a couple more that I will need feedback for.'

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed my fingers into my hair. 'You know it's the holidays right?'

  'I know and I'm sorry but I have the studios on my back and I just need your feedback and then I swear I will leave you alone.'

  I closed my eyes and shook my head; it had been like this for the past week. I had been back from L.A for only eight days which meant I had only had one day until my manager had been on the phone and started sending me script after script. It seemed if you stared in a huge Hollywood franchise then more and more people demanded your time, who would have thought? 'Send the scripts over and I will have some feedback for the others tomorrow, that's the best I can do.'

  'That is great,' I could hear Ian's relief in his voice. 'You are a superstar, and I mean that literally. Thank you.'

  'No problem man, bye.' Ian said goodbye and I hit the call end button then lay back on the bed. I hadn't known that doing something I had dreamed about for so many years and worked so hard for could be this exhausting.

  I closed my eyes and let the darkness sooth my slightly aching head and then an image filled my mind. It was unexpected, and surprising that I could remember that level of detail, but the face that smiled back at me was filled with a little shock and confusion and the bright, shining, green eyes and cute button n
ose had me grinning again.

  Ella hadn't mentioned she was bringing a friend back for Christmas and I wouldn't have expected to feel an instant attraction to her. I pictured her in my head; all that rich brown hair and the cute dimple that appeared on her left cheek when she smiled…and then there was her body; the skin tight jeans and snug fitting jumper she had worn showed off her perfect hourglass shape and my fingers had itched to reach out and trace her curves.

  I let out another breath to calm myself. How long had it been since I had been this attracted to someone? A year? Two? Too long to remember and that was a tragedy in itself. There was something about her and thoughts of kissing her soft pink lips had entered my head almost the minute I saw her. Unfortunately my schedule was crazy and I had practically had to fight Ian for the few days off I was taking and even they were under the agreement that I would still look over scripts and answer my phone when he rang. I couldn't really start anything with her even if I desperately wanted to and I was going to have to spend the next few days either avoiding trying to think about what it would be like to kiss her or avoid her altogether and I knew I wouldn't be able to do that. Still, the distraction of an attractive woman might be just what I need and her compliments on my car and her mention of my favourite science fiction program had me wondering about her.

  I opened my eyes and sat back up. Maybe I should ask Ella about her? It would only be polite to know a little bit about our house guest to make her Christmas as enjoyable as possible. I stood and slipped my phone back in my pocket as I headed out the door and towards Ella's room. I knocked, even though the door was slightly open but didn't bother waiting for her to answer before pushing the door fully open and stepping over the threshold.