“Plus, you’d really disappoint them if you start running again.”
“Huh?”
On cue, Lucas and Oscar dog-pile on top of me. I grunt and groan in protest. Of course, I could roll away from them quite easily, but I admit defeat and surrender, much to their utter delight. The rest of our group make their way over to us, all smiles and mirth at our antics. I lock eyes with Nel, and my body sags in relief to see her smiling although Lisa is examining the back of her coat with concern.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lisa asks. “You came down pretty hard.”
Nel looks away from me with that signature blush. “Oh, I’m fine.”
“I really am sorry, Nel,” I say as I stand, depositing the boys on the ground.
She gives me a bright and unhindered smile. “That’s okay, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.” Walking away without a second look, I’m left wondering if Nel Forrest was flirting with me.
Fuck, I hope so.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Who’s shit stirring now, woman?”
NEL
Okay, I think I’ve bruised my back. But it’s fine. I actually found the look of abject horror on Jake’s face when he’d rushed to my side was ever so slightly satisfying. Jake was worried about me. And this morning, he woke up with a—might I say, massive?—hard-on while wrapped around me, then he caged me against his car like Dermot Mulroney did to Debra Messing in The Wedding Date.God, I love that movie.Now, I’ll get a lady-boner every time I watch that scene.
He apologises at least a dozen more times as we drive back to the house on Pear Street, and at least a dozen times I tell him it’s okay. Approaching the house, I note the temporary yellow signs along the road and that some of the roads have been cordoned off. We step into the house just after everyone else, grateful for the relief from my heels as I remove my boots—not that I would be admitting that to Jake—and take off my favourite camel coat. There is a huge wet patch on the back and some mud that I’m really hoping will come off.
“I’ll pay for the dry-cleaning,” Jake mutters as though he read my mind.
I snort at him; I’ve never seen him so humble. We’re crowded in the porch, both of us in the doorway, and I look at him with a soft smile. “Get over it, Jake. I’m fine.”
He takes a half step forward so we’re too close for social norms. “I don’t ever want to hurt you, Nel.” The weight of his words suggests that he is talking about more than just a light bruising. The smell of spice and orange wraps around me in a warmth that seeps into my bones and seems to soothe any tension that was there.
Any response I have to his statement is washed away by the sound of an amused ‘oooohhhh’ from the hallway. Snapping my head to follow the sound, I see Lisa stood in the hall with a very amused smirk on her face. “Are you two going to kiss?”
“What?! No!” I nearly shriek, horrified that Jake might be disgusted at the thought.
“Then whatcha doing lurking under the mistletoe?” She grins like the Cheshire Cat.
As if in slow motion, both Jake and I look up to see a perfectly formed sprig of fresh mistletoe, tied with red ribbon. We stare for a minute.
Jake turns to Lisa with suspicious eyes and points to the offending foliage. “Was this here yesterday?”
She shrugs. “No, I was up early and thought I’d dot a few around the house, keep everyone on their toes.” Leaning against the wall and resting her hands on her giant belly, she raises her eyebrows expectantly. “Well go on, you wouldn’t want to have seven years of bad luck for ignoring tradition.”
I scrunch my face up. “I’m pretty sure that’s just for breaking a mirror.”
“Still, probably wouldn’t chance it,” she says with a seriousness I can only assume is faked.
Jake narrows his eyes at her further but he’s struggling to keep the smile from his face. “Who’s shit stirring now, woman?”
She pushes off the wall with a laugh and walks away but throws a wink over her shoulder. When Jake faces me again, I panic. I’m not the type of girl Jake Partridge kisses in porchways.
“We should join the others,” I mumble, slipping away and heading down the hall without a second glance.
Everyone is gathered in the large living room, and for the first time, I can really appreciate the opulence of Lisa’s beautiful decorations. Green garlands adorned with plush, red, velvet ribbons. Everything is meticulously placed and each decoration unique and artisanal. No cheap multi-packs of baubles here.
The kids are all sat on the floor, the boys are playing with the twins, crawling about and making a lot of noise. Charles and Cami are cosied up on one sofa, his arm lovingly draped over her shoulders and Gordan and Hen are on the other. Each couple has a seat free next to them and Lisa and Harry are perched on dining chairs that have been brought in from the kitchen. Rhiannon and Luke had disappeared upstairs for a quick nap, making the most of the free babysitting. I would have assumed that was some sort of cover for going up to bone, but after seeing the dark circles under their eyes, I know that it was no ruse.
“Have a seat, duck,” Charles says, pointing to the seat cushion next to his wife.
