An Unexpected Christmas

by Lori Jennings

  'Hey, nice to see you haven't learnt any manners.' I watched as she turned and smiled at me as she continued to move things from her bags and into drawers.

  It had been four months since I last saw her and she looked exactly the same. 'Just trying to stay grounded.' I moved and plonked myself down on her bed, 'How are things?'

  Ella stopped and looked at me, placing her hands on her hips and squinting at me slightly. 'What is it?'

  I just stared at her. 'What, I'm wondering how you are? Can a brother not show concern for his sister?'

  'Not when the only communication we have had recently is you sending me pictures of random stuff from set. That picture of a policeman with an ice-cream sitting next to an alien was pretty impressive but I had no idea what that blue thing was.'

  I chuckled and grinned at her. 'That might have been a picture of a certain leading actor's underwear but I cannot confirm or deny this.' I watched as Ella picked up her phone from her bedside table and tapped at her screen then held it out at a distance turning the phone at different angles. I chuckled again then thought this might be a good time to bring up April. I tried to adopt a nonchalant tone, 'So, you forgot to tell your friend about me.'

  Ella gave up on the picture and threw her phone down on the bed. 'What do you mean?'

  'She looked a little shocked when she saw me.'

  Ella continued unpacking her things; 'I'm pretty sure I told her that you were you.'

  I shook my head. 'I don't think you did.'

  She stopped what she was doing and looked at me. From her expression I could tell she was trying to remember if she had indeed forgotten to tell April who I was. 'Hmm, maybe you’re right. I could have sworn that I mentioned it though. I know no one else in the office knew but I was sure I told April.'

  'I'm just saying it might have been an idea to warn her.'

  Ella stopped and glared at me. 'Are you getting a big head? Because I'm sure I can find a solution to that.' She placed her hands on her hips and sent me a look that Mum used to give me when I asked for snacks just before dinner.

  'Not at all, I just want to have a nice Christmas and make sure everyone is happy.' And if that means spending some time with an attractive woman then so be it. 'So, what is she like?'

  'April? She's great.'

  I waited for her to elaborate but it seemed my sister was oblivious to my need for information and continued to move things about her room. 'And?'

  'And she works with me.' She looked up at me then, 'Why do you want to know?'

  Because I want to know if she is the crazy stalker type or someone I could get on with. 'Because we are about to spend a very family orientated holiday together and a little background information would be good.'

  This seemed to satisfy her and she sat down on the opposite side of the bed. 'I haven't known her that long to be honest, just less than a year, but she is great. She is really funny and we like the same sort of things - she is a coffee addict, and she loves to read.' Ella stopped and looked right at me. 'You know you could just talk to her and find this stuff out yourself.'

  I nodded and looked away from her. I then felt her hand on my shoulder and I looked up into her face.

  'I will mention that you like your privacy and not to post any pictures of you on any social network sites.' Her smile was kind and I knew that even though there was a hint of mocking, she understood that privacy was important to me; but the thought of April posting things about me on the internet hadn't even entered my head until now.

  'Thank you. You know sometimes you aren't such a brat.' She swatted out at me but I managed to move out of the way before she could reach me, standing I moved towards the door.

  'Bugger off, I have things to get on with,' she said with a smile and a laugh in her voice, and I grinned back at her.

  'It's good to be home.' I saw Ella's smile widen then I turned and left the room.

  I made my way back along the landing and took the stairs two at a time landing with a thunk on the tile floor; it was nice being home and this house at Christmas always brought good memories. I strode down the hallway and into the kitchen where my mother stood at the stove.

  'How long will lunch be?' I picked up a piece of chopped celery that sat on a board on top of the central work surface and dropped it into my mouth. I loved this kitchen; it was nothing like my own clean crisp kitchen in my London townhouse, this kitchen was all warm colours and worn corners. A large wooden table and chairs sat at one end of the large room and the cooker at the opposite.

  I leaned against the counter and picked up another chunk of celery. 'It will be ready soon.' My mother turned and picked up the board with the celery and moved it out of my reach and next to the cooker, ready to add it to the large pan that stood on top. She then turned back to me and looked up into my face. She smiled, 'It is nice to have you home.'

  'Well it's good to be home.' I smiled back at her.

  Her smile wavered and a look of concern covered her face. 'You look tired. I hope you aren't working too hard,' I opened my mouth to reassure her but was stopped by her holding up a hand, 'And don't try and tell me that you are okay. I am your Mother I can tell when you are lying.'

  I moved to her side and dropped a kiss to her cheek.

  'I am okay, a little tired perhaps but nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.' I picked up the wooden spoon from the counter and gave the soup in the large pan a stir. Mmm chicken and vegetable soup, it had been so long since I had tasted my mother's cooking and my mouth watered at the smells coming from the pan.

  'You have to take care of yourself. Don't let them bully you into anything that will put your health at risk.' If only she knew about some of the stunts I had insisted on doing in the last Danger movie, she would smack me about the head as if I was a child.

  I placed the spoon back on its rest next to the pan, 'You worry too much.'

  'It is a Mother's duty to worry about her children. Just you wait until you have children of your own then you will know my suffering.' She had a slightly scolding look on her face but her eyes gave her away.

  She would be ecstatic if I got married and produced a couple of babies for her to fawn over, and if I was being honest with myself I did like the idea of kids - it was the wife part that I struggled with, none of my previous girlfriends had made it for me to even contemplating getting married to and I was beginning to wonder if I would ever meet the right girl. I shook the thoughts from my head; 'That isn't going to happen soon but I will keep it in mind for when it does.' I took a breath then dropped another kiss to her cheek; it really was nice to be back. 'I will be in the living room whenever lunch is ready.'

  She nodded and let me go. I wandered into the living room and over to the window looking out onto the driveway. I wanted to go for a drive, to see how my baby handled the winding country lanes that followed the coast but Ella and April would be back down soon and I knew lunch was almost ready so a drive would have to wait. I turned away from the window and picked up the book I had left on the coffee table and settled myself on the leather sofa. I opened it to where I had left off; Scrooge had just been visited by Marley's ghost and was about to meet the first spirit. I lost myself in the story and put work, and women, to the back of my mind.

  Chapter Four

  April

  I pulled the door closed, then wandered down the hallway looking for Ella. I heard movement in one of the rooms and when I got close enough I saw Ella pottering about and so stepped into the room. 'Is it not weird being back in your old bedroom?'

  Ella turned at my voice and smiled at me. 'Not really. Well apart from the bad poster choices,' she gestured to a poster of some pop star I vaguely remember from when I was about thirteen. 'I really should take that down.' She laughed and turned away from it. 'Are you settled in alright?'

  'I am thanks. Your Mum's guest room is amazing.' I wandered over to her bed and sat down on the end of it; Ella moved to sit next to me and sent me a small smile.

  'I may have forgotte
n to mention who my brother actually was,' she confessed, sheepishly and I smiled at her.

  'It's okay. I was a little shocked; you don't expect to see a movie star when you walk into your friend's Mother's house.'

  'I’m sorry. You know, I forget the whole superstar thing when I see him. He is so far from that, superstar stereotype, it seems ridiculous.' She smiled.

  'I may have eventually figured it out but you don't have the same surname.'

  'Yes well when mum and dad divorced mum went back to her maiden name Lawson and as I moved here with her she wanted me to change my name too. Nate stayed with dad to finish school and it was just simpler for him to stay as Hamilton.' She shifted to face me better and even though her smile was genuine there was a sense of importance in what she was about to say; 'He's my big brother, he's the one who looks after me but when I can return the favour I have to do it.'

  She looked down as if what she wanted to say seemed difficult. I placed my hand on her arm; we hadn't known each other that long but we had gotten close, close enough to tell each other anything. I sent her a reassuring smile, 'Ella, whatever you need to say to me, just say it.'

  She returned my smile. 'Nate likes his privacy, especially when it comes to family. If you can just hold off from Facebooking or Tweeting anything I would be grateful.'

  'Of course.' If I was honest the thought of announcing who I would be spending Christmas with hadn't crossed my mind. I was still trying to process the idea myself. 'You invited me to spend time with your family and I won't do anything you don't want me to do.'

  Ella's smile widened. 'I knew you would understand.' She leaned over and hugged me. 'Are you hungry? I'm hungry.'

  'I am.' I thought for a moment. 'Didn't you say you were going to go and help your mum out with lunch?'

  Ella giggled. 'Oh yeah, whoops. Better head down then.'

  I laughed at her but nodded, and we both headed back downstairs. As we walked into the kitchen I was instantly hit with an amazing aroma; Maggie stood by the cooker and was stirring whatever was making that delicious smell.

  'Have you girls settled in?' Maggie turned from the cooker and smiled at us. Ella nodded and hauled herself up onto the counter that stood in the middle of the room.

  'Yes thank you,' I pushed my hands into the back pockets of my jeans. 'You have a beautiful home. I may never want to leave.'

  'Well you are welcome to stay as long as you wish.'

  I looked around the kitchen, 'Is there anything I can help with?'

  Maggie shook her head. 'Oh no dear, Ella can help me; you just make yourself at home. Nate is in the living room, probably with his nose in a book.' I glanced over at Ella who sent me a quick smile then hopped off the counter and set about pulling bowls from a cupboard.

  I took a deep breath then walked slowly over to the door that led to the living room. Nate was sitting on the sofa and, as Maggie had said, he had his head in a book; he was so engrossed he hadn't even noticed me stopping in the doorway so I took a moment to take him in.

  His long legs were stretched out in front of him; a dog resting it’s head on each of his feet and he was relaxed into the back of the sofa in a state I hadn't seen before. It was true that I had only seen him in character or answering questions about his latest movie but there was something about his relaxed position that had me smiling; I wanted to curl up next to him and listen as he read the words of his book out loud, to close my eyes and let his deep tones wash over me and sink into my head and my heart. It was silly but it didn't make it any less true. He must have sensed me in the doorway because he lifted his head and when our eyes met he smiled.

  I stepped into the room. 'Don't let me bother you,' I said, and walked over to the chair by the fireplace to sit down.

  'You're not bothering me.' He slipped in his bookmark and tossed his book onto the coffee table in front of him.

  I leaned back into the plush cushion of the chair trying to force myself to relax around him. We were silent for a moment and I could feel my nerves building up and I needed to do something to stop them; 'Can I ask what you're reading?'

  'A Christmas Carol.' He paused, and smiled, but didn't take his eyes off me, 'I try and read it every Christmas, get's me into the spirit of things.'

  He put a little emphasis on the word 'spirit' and chuckled at his own joke. My smile broadened at his awful humour and I shook my head a little, 'I haven't read it. I tend to just watch the Muppets version, you know, for the songs.'

  He nodded. 'So what sort of things do you read?'

  'My choice in literature isn't quite everyone's cup of tea and I have been mocked on a number of occasions for it.’ I confessed, but I loved that he had just assumed that I did read, like the thought of anyone who didn't was unheard of.

  He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs and managing not to disturb the sleeping dogs on his feet. His eyes were bright and he genuinely looked interested, 'Now I'm intrigued.'

  'Well, romance. I am a sucker for a romantic novel and I will read any type, contemporary, historical, cowboy.' I giggled then I bit my bottom lip and waited for his reaction and sent up a little prayer that he wouldn't tease me about it.

  'Can I ask what it is about them you like so much?'

  I thought for a moment. 'It's simple really - they all have happy endings. There are so many terrible and tragic things that happen in this world but I know that when I pick up a romance novel that no matter what the characters go through there is always a happy ending. The guy always gets the girl and that fills me with hope which I think may be a little lacking in a lot of people's lives.' It was the first time that anyone had asked why I only really read romance, and I hoped my answer didn’t sound too ridiculous. I licked my bottom lip to sooth where my teeth had sunk into it and noticed his eyes flit to my lips then back to my eyes.

  I watched him look away and into the fire still burning in the grate. I knew from the internet, and also from Ella, that his parents split when he was in his early teens but for him personally I didn't know much about his romantic life, it was something that he had hid well from the media with only a couple of pictures of him with his last girlfriend, an actress called Olivia Reed, making their way into magazines but I guessed that the more popular he became the more people would want to know.

  He looked back at me and smiled; 'Putting it into those words makes me wonder why anyone would read anything else.'

  He still had a serious air about him and I itched to bring the conversation back to a more carefree place. 'It also doesn't hurt that they are smutty and filled with sex,’ I grinned at him and it seemed to work; he let out a laugh causing the dogs to lift their heads and look up at him.

  He leaned back into the sofa. 'Do you have a favourite book?'

  I nodded. 'I do. I always find myself re-reading Persuasion by Jane Austen every couple of years.'

  'It's not really known for its smut,' he joked.

  I laughed. 'Not really, but it is probably one of the most romantic novels ever written and the letter from Captain Wentworth to Anne is...' I couldn't think of the words, 'have you ever read something that just makes you tingle all over? It's like that.'

  'What are you two talking about?' Ella asked as she walked into the room, and I tore my eyes from where he was grinning at me.

  'Books!' We responded at the same time and when I looked over at him he wore a matching smile on his face.

  Ella rolled her eyes but let out a little laugh, 'Well lunch is ready.'

  She waited as I stood and then followed her into the kitchen, Nate following so close behind I got another whiff of his aftershave and it sent a fluttering sensation straight to my stomach. We each took a seat around the kitchen table and tucked into the soup and what looked to be homemade bread rolls.

  'How's work?' Maggie looked over to Ella who swallowed what was in her mouth before replying.

  'It's going okay. We have been really busy getting everything that needed done before the Christmas break.' She looked
over at me. 'Luckily I had April to help me otherwise I would probably still be stuck under a pile of paperwork.'

  Technically Ella was my boss but she never acted like it, treating everyone in her team as an equal which earned her a high level of respect and also meant that when she needed anything done everyone was willing to put in the effort.

  'Well, we all wanted everything sorted and Ella is a great boss.' I smiled across the table at her and saw her blush at the compliment. She may be modest when it came to herself but she beamed with pride when she spoke of others, she really was a wonderful person and I loved working with her.

  Nate grabbed a bread roll and broke it in half with his fingers. 'So you work in logistics too?' He lifted his gaze to me.

  'I do. It wasn't something I had considered doing until a couple of years ago but I have always been incredibly organised and I really liked finding solutions to things so it seemed the logical choice of career.' He nodded and I wanted to ask him about his work as an actor but I didn't know how he would react. I was sure he had answered that question hundreds of times in interviews, which I had seen numerous of but thought it would be different getting to ask the question myself. Perhaps I will wait a couple of days and get to know him a little first. He might not want to talk about his work while he was here with his family

  'Can I ask what it was you did before?' He looked up when he asked and seemed genuinely interested.

  'I used to work in retail and I realised one day that I didn't get any satisfaction from it. It wasn't challenging and I wasn't really going anywhere so I started looking at courses in anything that might interest me.'

  'That's brave. I think a lot of people would just shrug it off and continue in a job they weren't satisfied with rather than take the risk of trying something else. It's good that you have found something that fits you better.'

  'And she is brilliant at it.' Ella added and it was my turn to blush. Luckily the topic of conversation turned away from me.

  'Are we still going to the carol service on Thursday?' Nate asked his mother through a mouthful of bread and I saw her send him a slightly scolding look at his manners.