Page 43 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

‘Doesn’t make it any easier, though, does it?’ Noah’s gaze, all quiet sympathy, made Marc’s breath hitch in his throat. He thanked his lucky stars he and his brother had reconnected. That he wasn’t facing Christmas alone.

‘No,’ he replied, with difficulty. ‘But it’s better with you and Bella here. And even Joel,’ he added, as an afterthought.

‘Don’t let him hear you admitting to that.’ Noah laughed quietly. ‘That being said, we’re here for you, mate. Always.’ Noah reached out and patted Marc on the shoulder. ‘It might be the booze talking, but I don’t want this just to be a once-a-year-because-it’s-Christmas thing. Let’s make sure it isn’t.’

‘Agreed.’ Marc was touched that Noah was being so frank. Noah was king of stress and didn’t often get the chance to unwind; and he certainly never got sentimental.

Bella, waking up, rubbed her eyes and smiled sleepily. ‘This house is so lovely, Marc. You and the boys have really brought it to life. And today felt like something out of a Christmas film – especially in this room.’ She glanced around her, and Marc saw her taking in the high ceilings, the lake, only visible as an undulating, dark expanse in the night, and the way the dimmable chandelier, probably installed sometime in the late 1970s, cast a soft glow over the room.

‘It needs a lot of work,’ Marc replied. ‘But that’s for next year.’

‘I like the vibe,’ Bella insisted. ‘It’s got the same feel as the houses they used in that show, Sex Education, all picture windows and teak tones.’

‘I remember what else that show was about,’ Noah interjected, looking hazily in Bella’s direction. He’d had a couple of glasses of brandy that Joel had also brought with him and was obviously feeling mellow.

‘Oi, you two… not under my roof!’ Marc joked.

Marc was surprised when Noah blew Bella a kiss. It was so unlike his brother. He didn’t say anything, but Joel, returning to the living room, couldn’t help himself.

‘God, give it a rest, you too. I’ve been trying to tolerate being stuck in the middle of a Hallmark movie for most of the day. You could at least give us singletons a break now the kids have gone to bed.’

‘Fuck off,’ Noah replied good-naturedly. ‘You’re just jealous. Weren’t any of your masses of girlfriends available to spend Christmas with you this year? Is that why you decided to lower your standards and come back to the UK?’

‘Oi!’ Marc protested. ‘It’s fine for me to slag off my own house, but my guests should at least attempt to be polite.’

‘You know what I mean. Joel wouldn’t be here with us if he’d had a better offer.’

Marc grinned. It seemed that Noah had got over his earlier sentimentality and, now that Joel had returned to the room, normal service had resumed. ‘It is a fair point, actually. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Joel, it’s great you’re here, but I can’t help thinking there’s more to it than just hanging out with us. So what gives?’

Joel looked taken aback, and for a few seconds like he was scrambling for an answer. ‘Ah,’ he said eventually, slumping down on the other end of the sofa. ‘You’ve got me. The Dubai royal family cancelled on me at the last minute, so I thought I’d hop on a plane and fly three-thousand-odd miles, drive two and a bit hours and put up with that crappy mattress in the spare room just so I could lord it over you all.’ He shook his head. ‘You’re welcome.’

Noah had the good grace to look guilty, but only after Bella threw him a chastising glare. ‘Oh, all right,’ he conceded. ‘Maybe that was a bit harsh. It’s just that – how can I put this politely – in all the years we’ve been adults, you’ve never once wanted to spend time with either me or Marc at Christmas. What makes this year so different?’

Joel stared down into his glass, which he’d also topped up when he’d been in the kitchen. Marc couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen his brother so subdued. ‘It’s all right,’ he said quietly. ‘You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.’

When Joel looked up again, he was wearing an expression of uncertainty and apprehension that shocked Marc to the core. It was so unlike Joel’s usual air of arrogance and self-assurance that Marc was taken aback.

‘It’s all right,’ Joel said quietly. ‘I suppose you were going to have to find out sometime. I’ve lost my job.’

36

‘What?’ Noah’s tone was incredulous. ‘You’re not serious?’

‘Unfortunately, yes.’ Joel took a slug of his drink. Marc thought he must be fortifying himself for a tricky conversation. ‘It wasn’t something that was in my grand plan, but my contract wasn’t renewed at the end of the year. The company’s downsizing, and I, unfortunately, was a casualty of that decision.’

‘So, what are you going to do?’ Marc asked.

Joel shook his head. ‘Not sure yet. I’ve got plenty saved, so I don’t have to get out of my apartment yet. Got a fair few contacts, too, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find something new.’ He paused, before glancing at Marc. ‘It does mean that there’s no urgency to get back to Dubai in the new year, though, if you don’t mind a house guest for a few more days?’

Typical Joel, Marc thought, to just drop that bombshell while he was in company. He couldn’t exactly say no, not in front of Bella and Noah. He settled for a smile. ‘Of course not. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.’ He had to resist the urge to raise a discreet middle finger to Noah, who was smirking at the revelation.

‘I’d offer you my spare room, mate,’ Noah said, a trace of glee in his voice, ‘but we don’t have one.’

‘Oh, I’m sure Joel could sleep on our sofa for a day or two.’ Bella shot Noah a firm look. Marc was amused; Bella had worked out the somewhat strange dynamic between the three Hathaway brothers within moments of seeing them all in the same room together. He wouldn’t put it past her to try to ‘fix’ them, in the time she had.

‘Thanks, Bella, but I wouldn’t want to cramp your style. Besides, this house is big enough for an extra guest.’ Joel leaned back on the sofa, making himself comfortable.

Marc regarded his brother with a combination of admiration and exasperation. Joel had always had the knack of getting what he wanted through charm and sheer bloody-mindedness. He was surprised that Joel was taking the loss of his job so well. And although he felt mildly irritated that Joel was just assuming he could stay for longer than the couple of days he’d flown in for initially, he couldn’t work up the energy to be truly pissed off. It would give him and his brother the chance to spend some time together. And the twins seemed to like having him around.