‘I NEED TO go to the loo.’
He had guessed she might because she’d kept crossing and uncrossing her legs.
‘You went at the service station.’
‘And then I drank both of the coffees.’
People were actually pulling over to sort out the essentials but there was no way Holly would be joining them.
Tonight, when she looked back on it, would be embarrassing enough as it was, without her pale moon rising.
‘I think it’s time we gave in,’ Daniel conceded.
Another exit was coming up and it was now or never.
As they inched towards the exit Holly started ringing around local motels and bed and breakfasts from the list that came up on her phone.
‘No room at the inn.’ She sighed, because it would seem half of their fellow commuters had beaten them to it.
‘No rooms,’ Daniel pointed out, because Holly was trying to find two. ‘The first one said that they had a double room.’ He saw her jaw tense at the prospect of the two of them and one double bed. ‘I’ve been driving for six hours, having worked all day,’ Daniel said. ‘I’m tired and I’m hungry. I can assure you that you could get up and pole dance and I wouldn’t notice. Still, if you want, you can have the sofa.’
‘What if there isn’t one?’
‘Then you can have the floor.’
‘You’re such a gentleman.’
‘No, Holly, I’m not.’
With little choice Holly rang back and secured the room and a short while later the car pulled into a bed and breakfast. By now she was past caring if the presents got pinched and so thankfully didn’t suggest they haul everything inside.
And he was very pleased that the snowman bag remained safely locked in the car.
Daniel did the checking in and Holly dashed to the loo and then returned to his side, pleased to find that the formalities were over. Daniel was talking to a woman whom he introduced as Mrs Barrett.
No, the formalities were not over!
She proceeded to repeat to Holly all the rules she had just told Daniel.
‘No noise after midnight.’
‘We really just want to crash...’ Holly agreed.
‘No parties in the room.’
‘Honestly,’ Holly said.
‘Just let her finish,’ Daniel broke in, and it became clear he had tried to hurry Mrs Barrett along a few moments before but to no avail.
There were to be no showers after midnight, clothes were to be worn between the bathroom and bedroom, and shoes were to be taken off and carried up the stairs and not left in the hall and...
‘You need to sign the register every time you enter and leave,’ Mrs Barrett informed Holly as she handed her a pen.
They took off their shoes and were led up some very creaky stairs.
‘Breakfast is between seven and nine, no latecomers.’
‘We’ll be gone by seven,’ Daniel said. ‘Is there anywhere we can call to get pizza or...?’
‘No.’ Mrs Barrett shook her head and no helpful suggestions ensued.
‘I’m starving,’ Daniel mouthed to Holly, and she laughed.
‘Here...’ Mrs Barrett inserted a key and pushed open a door, and it was like entering a time slip because nothing in this room could have changed in thirty or so years. It was all crinoline and purple and there were little doilies on every available surface.
And there was no sofa!
‘How much do I owe you?’ Holly asked once they were alone.
‘It’s my treat,’ Daniel said, and smiled a black smile because, really, this was far from the Ritz. ‘Holly, I have to eat something.’
‘I’ve got some cheeses in the car in a cool bag,’ Holly said. ‘And some chocolate...’
‘We can have a picnic.’
‘Oh, and I got my father some Scotch for Christmas, I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll go,’ Holly said, ‘I know where everything is.’
‘No, I’ll go,’ Daniel said, and picked up his keys. There was no way he wanted her going through the bags.
Daniel went back down and spoke with Mrs Barrett and he even managed a wry smile as she asked him to sign out.
He went to the car and found the cool bag and a present that was clearly a bottle of Scotch and then went back up to the room, threw himself on the bed and stretched out.
‘Finally.’
Clearly he would not be giving up the bed!
‘I had to sign in and out just to go to the car.’
There were two glasses on a little table with a jug of water and Holly poured them both a measure of Scotch and started to plate up the cheese.
Daniel headed off and had a shower and came back wearing only his underwear.
‘You’re supposed to be dressed when you come out of the bathroom,’ Holly reminded him.
‘Well, I would have had I had a change of clothes.’
Soon she was sitting on the floor as Daniel hung off the bed and they ate and drank and chatted and laughed.
It was nice.
More than that, it was the nicest Christmas Eve she had ever spent because, cheese and Scotch aside, Daniel was one of her favourite things, especially when he was half-naked.
He asked a bit about her family.
‘Do you get on with your brother?’ Daniel asked, and Holly nodded. ‘Stupid question—you get on with everyone.’
‘Not everyone.’ And because he’d asked about her family, now she asked about his. ‘Do you remember your mum?’
‘A bit.’ He nodded. ‘She was the one who always made the effort at Christmas and things...’
‘What was it like after she died?’
‘I went to boarding school,’ Daniel said. ‘And, to be honest, I preferred being there than at home. It was miserable.’
‘Maybe he was grieving?’
‘Maybe,’ Daniel said. He’d never really thought of it like that. ‘I went to Rupert’s one Christmas.’
‘The one you were best man for?’ Holly asked, and Daniel nodded.
‘He’s a good friend. When I was all set to boycott my father’s wedding he talked me round. I guess that I went helps keep things, at least outwardly, civilised.’
‘What was Christmas like at Rupert’s?’
He shrugged. ‘They were all really into Christmas, a bit like your family, I guess.’
‘Did you enjoy it?’
‘Not really,’ Daniel admitted. ‘I guess it just showed more clearly all that was missing in mine. I think things are very different for Maddie, though. Not perfect, of course, but a lot better.’
And he knew too that things were better still for Maddie when he was around.
‘If you want a shower then you’d better go now,’ Daniel glanced at the time. ‘It’s close to midnight.’
Holly headed out to the shower and had a very quick one and then realised she’d forgotten her pyjamas. She got exactly what Daniel meant about putting on old clothes so she wrapped herself in a towel and legged it back to the bedroom, but as she stepped in she saw that it was in darkness except for a candle.
‘Happy birthday, Holly.’
‘You remembered!’
‘I did.’
‘I’d actually forgotten that it was my birthday.’
‘No, you hadn’t.’
‘I honestly had,’ Holly said. ‘Aren’t you going to sing?’
‘Nope.’
She knelt down and blew out her candle and found out that it was held in a little piece of carrot cake with orange and cream cheese frosting.
‘I got it from Mrs Barrett when I went down for the cheese,’ Daniel explained. ‘She warned me again that there were to be no parties after midnight.’
‘We’ll be quiet, then.’
‘You can eat the frosting.’
Holly did and Daniel knelt down too and he had the cake, but one wasn’t the same without the other and for that reason only they shared a little kiss.
They both tasted perfect.
It was just a simple kiss but both fought the urge to rip off each other’s towel.
‘Thank you,’ Holly said, trying to pretend she wasn’t turned on, ‘for making it such a lovely birthday.’
‘I haven’t finished yet.’ He got up and turned on the bedside light. ‘You’ve got to open your present.’
‘Present?’
‘Yes.’
Her present was on the bed and wrapped in lilac tissues from a box that, incidentally, had a purple knitted cover over it.
The bedroom really was a treasure trove of nylon and knits.
‘Oh, my!’ Holly said when she opened it. Her present was a lovely leather wallet. A little used perhaps, but, actually, it was something of his, and while Holly was a little confused, she still said the right thing for appearances’ sake.
‘I can’t take your wallet.’
‘It’s more what’s inside that is yours,’ he told her. ‘Open it up.’
There was some cash.
‘Count it.’
There wasn’t very much, a couple of notes and some coins, and he made a little pile on the bedside table.
‘Can you get your hair done for that?’ Daniel asked.
‘Er, no.’
‘Your nails?’
‘No.’ Holly laughed at the very notion. He really didn’t have a clue.
‘I’m trying to be thoughtful,’ Daniel chided her mirth. ‘Could you maybe get a nail polish?’
‘Indeed I could.’ Holly beamed. ‘I could get two, in fact.’
‘Well, then, you can do your nails on me.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Keep looking.’
‘There’s nothing else...’ Holly said, and then her voice trailed off when her fingers found something shiny and silver and she went to hand his wallet back to him. ‘You didn’t empty it out properly.’
‘I did.’
‘No.’ Holly shook her head. ‘You didn’t.’ She took out a condom. ‘You’re such a slut, Daniel. You forgot to take this out.’
‘No, Holly, I didn’t.’
Her cheeks were on fire as he continued to speak.
‘One night, just for you...’
‘That’s such a generous present,’ Holly said. ‘So selfless.’
‘I know. I can be nice like that at times.’
‘I mean, you’d have sex with me just because it’s my birthday...’
‘Not just sex,’ Daniel said. ‘This would be just-for-Holly sex.’
‘So you won’t enjoy it?’
‘That’s not you for you to concern yourself with. Your wish, or rather your birthday wish, would be my command.’
‘Just some fun?’ Holly checked.
‘Exactly!’
‘I don’t think so.’ She shook her head. ‘I thought you said that even if I was naked and dancing...’
‘I meant it when I said it.’ Daniel broke in. ‘But that got me thinking about just that...’
‘No.’
‘Well, the offer is there, just tear the edge off that little wrapper and I’ll appear!’
He got into bed.
And she put on tartan pyjama bottoms and a little top that were fine for home but not exactly Daniel Chandler worthy and climbed into bed beside him.
She lay on her back more than a little miffed by his gift offer but also intrigued at the concept of her wish being his command. ‘You could be skiing down a mountain one minute and then diving head-first between my legs the next...’
‘I’m not a genie, Holly.’ He pulled her into his lovely, warm body. ‘The gift offer expires at seven a.m. Then it’s Christmas.’
‘Why would you rot things up now?’ she asked. ‘It’s taken three weeks to be talking and it would take us straight back to awkward again.’
‘But it wouldn’t,’ Daniel said. ‘I’d just be showing you how to loosen up. You say tomato...’
Holly frowned. ‘I don’t get it.’
‘You call it making love, whereas I...’
‘I don’t call it making love.’
‘You think of it as such.’
‘Not really,’ Holly said. ‘Maybe a bit.’
He was right.
Oh, she wished Daniel wasn’t. That she could just take out her heart and leave it on charge overnight, just as she had done with her phone. Yes, she wished she could say, Go for it Daniel, have wicked sex with me all night and I shan’t hurt when you leave me in the morning.
But she didn’t work like that.
‘The offer’s there.’
‘Noted.’
Because he clearly had no conscience, Daniel was soon asleep, whereas Holly lay there, listening to the sound of rain against the window and his heavy breathing.
His leg came over hers, but he wasn’t making a move, it was just that he was tall and the bed was small.
And once she felt him harden and Holly lay there all nervous and tense and awaiting his pounce.
He didn’t.
It was already the best birthday she had ever had!