Page 9

Rona swallowed hard, her voice wobbling a little. “I think so too.”

A lump formed in my throat and I reached across to touch the back of her hand gently, receiving a small smile in return.

“So,” Rona said in her signature manner when she wished to change the subject. “Your hot neighbor across the road is the impetus for entering this competition. What time will he arrive home and witness your brightly flashing display of revenge?”

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “Kerr is not hot.”

Rona raised her eyebrows. “I’m afraid his face and general physique beg to differ.”

“Bah, humbug,” I muttered, drawing a laugh from Rona. Though my cheeks felt a little warm. “Anyway. I don’t know what his schedule is, because I don’t pay any attention to his comings and goings. But I imagine he must be home soon and no doubt will be seething at my display of Christmas spirit. Not revenge.” Though it was a bit about revenge too. This new stage of feud with Kerr was awakening something inside me. For the first time in ages, I felt a buzz of excitement. Something I had not experienced in my personal life since before Drew had left.

We finished up our drinks over some work-​related chat regarding staff gossip and a couple of new patients who had been admitted on my day off during Rona’s last shift, one of whom was a woman who sadly had early-​onset dementia and no family. I made a mental note to make a beeline for her the next time I was in, see what I could do to help her feel safe and comfortable.

I showed Rona to the door. “Thank you for being my partner in Christmas crime.”

“No problem,” Rona said, giving me a hug. “Anytime, Charge Nurse Ansari.”

“Thank you,” I said into her coconut-​scented silvery hair. A number of friends had started referring to me by my maiden name again, assuming (where I had not) that this was the end for Drew and me and divorce would be coming next. Drew hadn’t asked for one and I had taken that to be a hopeful sign. I waited for the inevitable sadness at Rona’s use of my maiden name over my married name. But when it came, the pain in my chest was more of a dull ache than a sharp stab, and the sensation behind my eyes more of a prickle than a burn.

Rona released me with a soft smile, then opened the front door to head out to her car. I gave her a wave, just as Kerr arrived and reversed onto his drive. Excitement fizzed through my body. It was well after dark this wintery afternoon and my new display was flashing brightly. Let the games begin.

Rona flashed me a sardonic look before getting into her car and pulling out of the driveway. I leaned against the doorframe to watch the moment that Kerr clocked my house in all its glory, not bothering to keep the smug smile off my face.

He opened the door and climbed out, stretching his shoulders as if he’d just been carrying something heavy. Then he glanced over and did a double take. My heart skipped an actual beat in anticipation.

Kerr paused, his mouth dropping open and his brows drawing together as he ran his gaze over the lights, the LED tree, and the Santa. I waited expectantly for him to shout an angry remark, my mind racing with possible retaliations for whatever he came up with.

But instead he just closed his mouth again and shrugged. Then he shifted his eyes away from the inflatable Santa and onto me. A tingle of awareness zipped up my spine. His hair was a little tousled, his cheeks ruddy from the cold. His dark eyes sent a question over the road as they met mine. I was suddenly very aware of my body, how my pulse thrummed through my veins and the way my skin heated a couple of degrees despite the cold winter air.

A little thrown, I lifted my hand in what was meant to be a cheeky wave. He lifted his in response and then after another couple of seconds dragged his eyes off me, going around the back of his car to open his boot.

Blinking, I gave myself a little shake, then quickly stepped back inside and closed the door, leaning against it for a moment. Well, that was odd. Kerr had not reacted how I had expected at all. And to be honest, I was a little disappointed. I’d thought for sure that my display would’ve riled him up, and while he had looked confused, there hadn’t been any more to it than that. And what was with that weird look he’d sent over?

Pushing off the door and crushing the tiny voice at the back of my mind that questioned why making eye contact with my archnemesis had caused my spine to tingle and body to heat in that unfamiliar way, I went into the house. I was a very busy woman and did not have time to think about Kerr Murdoch for one more second.

*

One dinner for a human and one dinner for a cat plus a couple of loads of washing and a batch of ironing later, I stood by my living room window tapping my foot, my tree lights casting a soft golden light behind me. The automatic blind had come down at dusk and all evening I had forced myself not to peek through it over to Kerr’s house, but now the urge was so strong that it practically crawled under my skin. What was wrong with me? I normally avoided the man like the plague, so why was I tempted to spy on him from behind a net curtain? Well, from behind an IKEA blind, anyway.

It must have been because of my disappointment in failing to get a rise out of him. In order to satisfy the itch, I could turn off the lights and open the blind—​then I could see him but he wouldn’t be able to see me. I might spot him in his living room, glaring in disgust as he looked at my lights through his window.

An excellent plan.

I quickly shut off the lights, then crouched by the windowsill, pressing the button on the blind app on my phone and watching it slowly buzz up to reveal the view outside the window.

A shock of bright lights caused me to blink, but it wasn’t merely my own display shining into my eyes.

My mouth dropped open as I took in the sight across the street, with Kerr’s house proudly draped in its own Christmas lights.

“What the actual . . .” I muttered.

Kerr had decorated his house too?! My jaw slackened as I took it all in. Holy crap—​the lights he’d gotten were the same as mine! Oh, and the sneak had picked up that set of reindeer that I’d been deliberating over but had then decided against.

So, the sabotaging git had spotted my lights and instead of getting mad, he’d opted to outdo me by going out and buying his own lights! I let out a gasp—​what if he was planning on entering the competition too? I’d posted a photo of my entry on the town social media page earlier, and if he’d spotted that, then he might have decided to do me out of the prize by entering.

I scrabbled at my phone, quickly opening up the app and finding the group and my photo entry. As I checked the likes under my photo, a name jumped out from those listed.

Kerr bloody Murdoch.