An Unexpected Christmas (4 page)

Nate

As I waited for April in the
kitchen I pulled on my jacket and buttoned it to the top. One of the many
things I loved about being at Mum’s was being able to spend so much more time
outside; I could take over looking after the dogs, walking and feeding them,
and also the beach was great for getting a hard run in - the soft sand making
it more of a challenge than the running track in the park back in London. I
lifted my head just as April stepped through the door.

'You ready?' I asked pushing
myself away from the counter I had been leaning against. She just nodded and
followed me out of the back door whilst Toby and Milly bolted down the path and
towards the beach. We followed them along the sand covered path and over the
sand dune; April seemed to be struggling so I held my hand out for her and when
she took it, it felt chilled in my own. She smiled up at me and a warm feeling
began to fill me.

'Thanks,' she smiled, and I
couldn't help but return it. We made it down the other side and I was a little
reluctant to let go of her hand but having only known her for a couple of hours
it would seem a little odd. I slipped my hands into my coat pockets and we
started down the beach.

This had to be my all time
favourite beach and in my line of work, with all the travel, I had seen quite a
few incredible beaches. The soft sand stretched for about a mile until it
disappeared around the headland. To one side the deep blue of the sea stretched
on forever and to the other sand dunes then hills and valleys and as your eyes travelled
across the fields you would spot a house or a farm dotted here and there.

I glanced at April and watched as
she pulled her hair to the back of her head and secured it with a band. It was
incredibly messy but looked adorable on her; she smiled at me and it seemed she
didn't really care what her hair looked like, it seemed to be something else to
add to the growing list of things that I liked about her along with; ‘amazing
body’ and ‘loves to read’.

We continued along the sand and
even though the silence was comfortable I wanted to use this time to find out
more about her. She had piqued my interest and I wanted to get to know her a
bit better.

'It's pretty cold; we won't stay
out too long.'

'I'm from up North; I'm used to
the cold.' She grinned over at me and made me chuckle.

'So you're a Northerner, what
else should I know about you?'

She watched the dogs run through
the water for a moment and I could see her thinking about what she should tell
me. 'I really hate tomato sauce.' I laughed and she continued, 'I mean really
hate it, the thought of it on anything just makes me gag, it's disgusting.' Her
smile softened, 'And I may have a teeny tiny addiction to coffee.' She gestured
with her fingers and made a space of about a centimetre between her thumb and
index finger. I stayed silent hoping she would continue. 'I also love my family
very much.'

'I wanted to ask about that but
didn't know if it would be rude.'

She shrugged, 'You can ask me
anything.'

'So, how come you are here and
not spending Christmas with them?'

She stopped and I turned to face
her. 'Well my Mum and Dad had the chance to visit some friends of theirs in New
York and my sister is spending it with her in-laws. I would have just spent it
at home but Ella found out it would have just been me and my TV so invited me,
and you know your sister you can't deny her anything.'

I nodded, it was true, even as a
child she could get you to do anything for her like climbing a tree to get her
kite then falling and breaking your arm. We continued to walk along the beach
and I kept one eye on the dogs which gave me the opportunity to every so often
look at her.

'What about you? I would have
thought you might be off at some fancy party in London?' I watched her say it
then the look of shame that she had presumed something of me. I sent her a
reassuring smile.

'Not really my thing. I would
much rather be here with Mum and Ella than hanging out with a bunch of
strangers.' I felt I needed to add, 'and you. It's nice that you are here and
not on your own.' I watched her smile widen and that warm feeling came back. I
had accepted the fact that I was attracted to her and the thought of kissing
her had crossed my mind a number of times today. 'So, as well as eating
chocolate and watching Doctor Who, how else would you be spending your
Christmas?'

She became animated again,
'Probably a lie-in, then presents. Then some sort of pastry and champagne for
breakfast. Watch a couple of films while snacking on chocolate and nibbles and
drinking more champagne and then maybe just a turkey sandwich and more
champagne while I watched whatever special was on the telly and then bed.'

'That is a pathetic attempt at a
Christmas day; although it does make me glad I brought a couple of bottles of
champagne.' She laughed and I realised I really liked that sound. I looked down
at her, 'I'm glad you are here and not spending it alone though.'

She looked down at the sand then
back up at me. 'I'm glad I decided to come. It is much more beautiful here than
in my flat in London.'

'Do you live alone or...?'

'It's just me. My place is tiny;
I don't have the room for more than just me but its home.' She shook her head
and turned to look down the beach, 'It still seems weird to think that. Home
was my parents' house for so long and for the first couple of months in London
it didn't really feel like anything. I love it there now. I decorated and I
have all my books and things organised and I have really settled in, so it is
home now.'

'I suppose I have been lucky
really. We used to live in London before my parents got divorced and then I
stayed with Dad for a while in the city to finish off my school year then when
I did move in with Mum I used to visit my Dad every couple of weeks.'

'It must have been difficult for
you and Ella. I can't even imagine my parents not being together or even
fighting.' I looked over at her and saw a little concern on her face.

I sent her a small reassuring
smile. 'It wasn't like what some of the other kids went through. Our parents
didn't fight or argue and it was only when they sat us down one day and said
they were separating that we knew there was something wrong. The divorce was
amicable and they still get on quite well when they are in each other's
company, they just fell out of love I think.'

She gave a little shake of her
head. 'It just seems so sad. To have been in love with someone, gotten married,
had kids and then realise you don't love them the way you used to.'

'But, to say you did it, you
tried. Surely all the good things you got out of the relationship, the happier
times, the kids, maybe those counteract the sadder times.' She stopped and I
turned to look at her, to her smile slowly creep across her face and brighten
her eyes.

'Is it bad that I didn't even
think of that?' She let out a little laugh. 'I just focused on the bad and
didn't even consider the good parts of the relationship.' She shook her head
and looked away mumbling something.

I moved my head to catch her eye.
'What was that?'

She looked right at me and
repeated, 'I said, ‘maybe that's why.’'

''Why’ what?' I was intrigued.
She
intrigued me and I wanted to know what she was thinking.

'Why I have never really been in
love,' she said, and shrugged like it was no big deal.

Her expression was serious and
she held my gaze for a moment before continuing to walk along the sand. I had
to take a second to register what she had just said. How was it possible that
someone who was twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? Could never have fallen in love? I
jogged to catch up to her and then at her side I fell into step. I wanted to
ask, to probe the subject further, but she had pushed her hands deep into her
pockets and if I had learnt one thing from my many years of acting it was to
read body language. She didn't want to talk about it just yet but I knew I
could get the information out of her; I just had to approach it in the right
way.

'We should probably head back,' I
said gently, and when she looked up I could see the relief in her eyes. She
nodded and watched me as I pulled my hands out of my pocket and with my fingers
to my mouth let out a high pitched whistle. Toby and Milly came charging down
the beach at the sound and I gestured for April to head back.

We didn't speak for a minute and
I just enjoyed the sounds around me. The crashing of the waves and the seagulls,
the occasional bark from one of the dogs and the sound of April’s coat moving
beside me. God, she intrigued me. She seemed shy one moment and then the next
she tells me something so personal. I wanted to know everything and the feeling
of attraction towards her seemed to be growing with every second; there was a
part of me that wanted to pull her towards me and pull away the band that was
keeping her hair up so I could sink my fingers in to her light brown hair and
kiss her deeply. Oh man, I had read way too many romantic scripts recently.

‘So,’ I pushed my hands back into
my pockets and glanced back over to her, 'What is your opinion on films? Do you
stick with your reading preference or is your taste a little broader?'

There was a smile back on her
face that I was glad to see. 'I like a whole load of different films. Umm,
action, adventure, chick flicks, I really like the John Hughes 80's films. I'm
not a huge fan of horror but I can sit through anything that had a decent
enough plot.' I wanted to know if she had seen the 'Danger' movies I had been
in but I thought I may come across as pretentious. I just wanted her to like
them; I wanted to know her opinion on my work. It was such a huge part of my
life and I wanted her to be comfortable and even a little enthusiastic about
it. I noticed a little colour fill her cheeks and she looked up at me. 'I also
liked a couple of movies you were in. Umm, 'Danger: The Beginning' was
brilliant, I saw it three times in the cinema and 'Unpredictable' just broke my
heart when Judith died.' I grinned down at her; it was like she had read my
mind and I felt a little relief that she hadn't hated some of my work. I
wouldn't blame her if she did; she was allowed to have an opinion.      

'The next one, 'Saving Time' is
pretty action packed; I think you will like it, at least I hope you do.' I
always got a bit nervous when I had a film coming out. The premiers and parties
were fun but it didn't stop the feeling of dread entering my body until the
reviews were in.

'I'm sure I will,’ she said; her
smile lit her face as it reached her green eyes. ‘I'm quite looking forward to
it actually, I saw the trailer the other day and it looks really good.'

'It is, well I think it is.'

We were almost back at the house
and I was a little sad that our time alone was coming to an end so soon. The
dogs had already disappeared over the dune and were probably waiting at the
back door, tongues lolling out the side of their mouths as they panted to catch
their breath. I held my hand out as soon as we reached the bottom of the dune
and noticed this time that April didn't hesitate to slip her own, even colder,
hand into mine. I tugged her along behind me then helped her down the other
side then releasing her hand we walked back along the path to the house. I
wanted to spend some more time with her and talk to her more, she fascinated me
in a way no woman has before and I was very much looking forward to the next
few days.

April

Oh God, why had I told him I had
never been in love? Why? I just felt so comfortable around him which thinking
about it seems ridiculous; he is
Nate Hamilton
and I don't
know
him.
I had thought about him, I had dreamed about him, but just because I had seen
every movie he had ever been in, and watched a ton of videos on YouTube, does
not mean I know him. But I really want to.

I rolled over onto my back. As
soon as we had gotten back from our walk Nate had excused himself and
disappeared into what I guessed was the office. The rest of the house was empty
so I had made my way upstairs and flung myself unceremoniously face down onto
the bed. I lay now looking up at the light fixture and wondering what to do
with all my free time. I let out a snort of laughter and sat up; I had brought
about six books with me in the hopes that I would get some time to read them
and the large armchair by the fire in the living room was calling to me.

I kicked off my boots and pulled
out some extra thick socks from one of the drawers in the vanity and pulled
them on, picking up the first book off the pile I had placed on the night stand
I headed down the stairs.

There was still no sign of Ella
or Maggie, and the office door was firmly shut as I walked past it. I stopped
off in the kitchen first and poured myself a mug of coffee then walked into the
living room.

The fire had died down a little
but the room as still toasty warm, and making a mental note to remember to
place another log onto it in about half an hour, I settled myself in the arm
chair closest to the window, tucking my feet underneath me and placing my mug
on the small table strategically placed next to me. I snuggled into the chair
and began to read. I was completely engrossed in my book by the time Ella and
Maggie came home and started to prepare dinner, they had refused my offer of
help and I got caught up in the story again.

The
characters are sneaking around at midnight, searching for each other, finally
they are alone, and they are so consumed with lust that they strip each other
in a frenzy. I bite down on my bottom lip as I read how the characters made
love to each other, out of control at first then slowly and passionately.

‘Must
be a good bit.’ I almost jump out of my skin and I look up into Nate's bemused
face.

'Shit! Sorry.' I placed a hand
over my heart and could feel it beating quickly in my chest. 'You scared me.'

Nate chuckled and sat down on the
sofa opposite me. 'So, is it? A good bit, I mean,' he gestured to the book now
resting in my lap.

I looked down almost forgetting
that the book was there and then looked back up at him. I returned his smile,
'It was actually.' 

'Is it...' He lowered his voice,
a wicked glint in his eyes, and I could see why he had been chosen to play a
bad guy, ‘a bit naughty?'

I leaned forward and looked him
right in the eye, lowering my voice to match his own, 'That depends on what you
think is naughty.'

I sent him a smirk of my own then
giggled. God, I had wondered what it would be like to flirt with this man and
now I had the opportunity; it was thrilling, and even though my heart rate had slowed
down it was still drumming faster than usual. I watched as my words sunk in and
his smile widened.

'You're a little mischievous
aren't you?' He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms but didn't take
his blue eyes off mine, and his smile never wavered.

I had no idea how to respond to
that. I had never been naughty and I had never done anything bad, but I did
have a tendency to think, and occasionally say, inappropriate things. I just
smiled back and was grateful, and a little disappointed, that Ella's voice came
from the doorway.

'Dinner is almost ready,' she
said, looking from Nate to me, then at the book in my lap and she rolled her
eyes. 'Are you two going to talk about books all through dinner too, as I don't
think I could handle that much literature conversation I might fall asleep in
my chicken.' She stuck her tongue out at me then winked.

'No, we will discuss the weather
and the state of the country like regular people.' I poked my tongue out back
at her then giggled. She shook her head then disappeared back into the kitchen.
I looked back over at Nate.

'The weather and the state of the
country?' He stretched his arms up and let out a fake yawn but I was distracted
for a moment at the sight of the strip of slightly tanned skin that was revealed
by his movement. I quickly moved my eyes back up to his face. 'Dinner is going
to be awfully boring.' As he dropped his arms his top fell back into place.

'Well, what do you suggest we
talk about?' I tilted my head slightly to one side in anticipation of his
answer.  He stood and walked over to the door, giving me a perfect view of his
broad shoulders and amazing backside.

He looked back over his shoulder
and said, ‘Maybe we should continue our conversation about your book.' Then
grinning, walked through the doorway.

My mouth dropped open. I took a
deep breath to steady myself; I was
flirting
with Nate Hamilton, and if
I was not mistaken, unbelievably, he was flirting back. Or was he? I was
seriously confused and I really needed to stop thinking about him as Nathaniel
James Hamilton; movie star, and start thinking of him as Nate; my friend's
brother. He may play a bad boy on the big screen but he had such a good guy
reputation in real life. I had read an article where he had given a fan his
umbrella because she had been waiting in the rain for three hours just to get
his autograph, and he was always joking around in interviews then apologising
profusely for being rude. I was almost painfully attracted to him and wanted
him to think the best of me and the flirting was unexpected and amazing. A huge
smile crept across my face and I bit down on my bottom lip. Nothing was going
to happen between Nate and me but a girl could dream. I stood and dropped my
book to the table.

I walked to the kitchen doorway
and stopped to take in the sight before me; Maggie and Ella were moving pots
and pans around, dishing things out onto plates, and Nate had seated himself at
the kitchen table, turned slightly in his chair to chat to his mother and
sister.

‘So
there he was,’ Nate was saying as I walked in, ‘standing on the bar in front of
about one hundred people reciting whatever Shakespeare that came to mind, he
takes a step back and falls behind the bar. There is a huge gasp from the crowd
until he pops up, unhurt, and asks if anyone wants a cocktail.’ Ella and Maggie
laughed and I realised that it didn't seem to matter what he was saying, he put
so much passion and enthusiasm into his words that everything sounded right.

'How
was your afternoon?' Ella had spotted me in the doorway and smiled as I moved a
little further towards her.

'Good
thanks, managed to get some reading done. How about you? Where did you
disappear to?' I could have been mistaken but I could have sworn that her
cheeks flushed slightly.

'Oh,
I just had to pop out for some things.' She didn't look right at me so I knew
she was hiding something, but if there was anything I had learnt about Ella in
the past few months was that if she wanted you to know something she would
eventually tell you. I sent her a reassuring smile and changed the subject.

'Is
there anything I can help with?' I asked, I hadn't done anything to help all
day and it was making me feel idle.

‘Oh
no dear,’ Maggie said, dishing out some delicious smelling chicken. ‘You just
take a seat – it’s nearly ready.’

I
made my way around the counter island and over to the kitchen table where Nate
was smiling up at me, pulled out the chair next to him – a true gentleman – and
as I lowered myself into the offered chair and smiled in thanks, he asked, 'Would
you like some wine?'

'Thank
you.' He lifted the bottle of white wine then poured me a generous measure. I
lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip, it tasted slightly of elderflower
and melon and it seemed to fill all my senses.

Maggie
and Ella lifted a plate each then came over and placed one on each placemat.
The smell was making my mouth water and I thought it must have been the sea air
making me hungrier than I usually found myself at this time; I tucked into my
dinner and settled in around this family. They were all so easy to talk to and
I didn't feel out of place answering Maggie's questions about myself and my
family, and I laughed along with them as they told me stories about Ella and
Nate as children. By the end of the meal I was satisfied that I had made the
right decision on coming and not spending Christmas alone.

As
Maggie and Ella had worked so hard in preparing such a delicious meal I
insisted on cleaning up but Maggie wasn't too keen, 'Oh no dear, you are a
guest.'

'You
cooked! The least I can do is clear things away.'

After
a moment she smiled, then nodded, 'I could do with popping over to the vicarage
to check on the arrangements for the carol service.' She patted me on the cheek
as she passed then disappeared into the hallway.

'Yeah
and as Nate didn't help with cooking he can give you a hand.' Ella reached over
and playfully punched him in the arm. 'I, however, will go and plonk myself in
front of the telly with the rest of this.' She stood and lifted her glass and
the bottle of wine then sauntered from the room leaving me alone with Nate.

He
stood when I did. 'You can leave this to me too if you like.' I reached to take
Maggie's and my wine glasses.

'Nonsense,
I am not going to leave you to clear all this up yourself.' He started to pile
the plates up, 'How about you wash and I will dry?'

'Alright.'
I took the glasses and placed them by the sink then began to run the water and
while I waited for it to heat up I reached over to the windowsill and picked up
the bottle of washing up liquid and squirted it into the bowl. Placing the
bottle back I wondered why Maggie didn't have a dishwasher but then I suppose
when you lived alone most of the time, you wouldn't really need one.

I
turned to grab some of the dishes off the counter island and bumped into a
solid chest. I could feel Nate's chuckle as it vibrated through him and I
looked up into his eyes; in this light and from this angle they looked a little
more green than blue and I could see his five o'clock shadow, my fingers itched
to stroke his jaw and feel it rough against my skin.

'Sorry.'
I stepped back and found myself backed against the sink. I smiled then turned
quickly and shut off the water. Nate leaned around me and placed the glasses
into the sink and I set about washing and trying not to think about the man who
was standing next to me.

As I washed, and purposefully
didn't think about Nate, the thought of my usual Christmas entered my head. On
Christmas Eve we used to have take away after a few drinks down the pub, then
when my sister had the kids we would go to her house and play board games; they
usually ended in accusations of cheating and the only way to calm everyone down
would be to insist we each open one present. I was starting to really miss them
and I realised that I hadn't seen my parents in a couple of months, and my
sister for a little longer.

'Are you alright? You let out a
pretty heavy sigh.'

I looked up at Nate and saw the
concern in his face. How could he be worried about me, he didn't know me, but I
guess that it was just his nature to want everyone to be happy. 'I'm okay.'

'Are you sure? I mean you can
tell me to bugger off and mind my own business but it won't stop me from
worrying about you.' He gave me a little smile and I couldn't stop myself from
returning it.

'I think I just realised that I'm
a little homesick.' I turned and continued to wash the plate in my hand, 'This
will be the first Christmas I have spent away from my family.' I lifted the
plate out of the water and placed it on the draining board.

'I completely understand. It must
be hard, especially at this time of year.' He dropped the tea towel to the
counter then placed a hand on my shoulder and I turned to look at him. 'It is
completely normal to miss them, but if you need someone to distract you from it
or just someone to talk to, I'm a good listener.' 

'Thank you.' It was all I could
muster as a response. Images of the ways he could distract me flashed through
my mind, him grabbing me and kissing me was at the forefront.  It was the first
time I thought that I might read too many romance novels but that didn't stop
me from wanting it to happen. I turned back to the sink and we continued in
comfortable silence.