A Very Special Holiday Gift. Barbara Hannay

      Zac said he didn’t mind in the least.

      ‘Chloe, there’s sherry in the pantry and we can break open that box of shortbread you bought last week,’ her mother suggested, sounding almost excited.

      Zac had poured on the charm, of course, and, when it came to being charming, her boss was a genius. Even so, when he offered to put her parents up in the Riverslea Hotel, all expenses paid, with all their meals, most especially Christmas lunch, included, Chloe was sure they would refuse. It would be all too flash! They didn’t like flashiness.

      But, before her parents could object, Zac had thrown in a car with a driver to take them to church on Christmas Day, or to the doctor, or anywhere else they needed to go, and he’d offered to hire a nurse to check daily that they were keeping well and taking their correct medication.

      Chloe’s mother had looked a bit doubtful about this, until she’d received an elbow in the ribs from her dad.

      ‘It would be like a holiday, love,’ he’d said.

      Still, Chloe had expected her parents to have second thoughts and say no. But then Zac also told them with commendable sincerity how extremely important, no, invaluable, their daughter was to him and how much he needed her for this very important mission in the UK.

      Somehow he’d struck just the right note, which was clever. If he’d praised Chloe to the skies, her parents would have been suspicious and he would have blown it.

      Instead, by the time he’d finished, they were practically squirming with delight, like puppies getting their tummies rubbed just the way they liked it.

      And now...this morning, her parents, with their out of date, simple clothes and humble, shabby luggage, including her dad’s walking frame, had looked a trifle out of place in the luxurious hotel suite with thick white carpet, floor-length cream linen curtains, golden taps in the bathroom, not to mention panoramic views up and down the Brisbane River...but the grins on their faces had said it all.

      ‘Chloe, you go and look after your nice Mr Corrigan,’ they’d said, practically pushing her out of the door. ‘Don’t you worry about us.’

      Chloe had closed her gaping mouth.

      Remembering her parents’ delight, she could almost imagine them exploring their hotel room like excited children, checking the little bottles of shampoo and bubble bath, flushing the loo and bouncing on the king-sized mattress. Zac Corrigan had achieved a minor miracle.

      And Chloe was going to London!

      Right. Deep breath. She only hoped she wasn’t making a very serious mistake. After all, she knew why her boss had been so keen to avoid asking any of his female ‘friends’ to accompany him on this very personal journey. He liked to keep his relationships casual and this sojourn to London would be anything but casual.

      Chloe also knew why her boss regarded her as a suitable choice. She was capable, conscientious and uncomplicated, and he trusted her to remain that way. Which suited her just fine. It did. Really.

      Yes, there was a danger that those annoying longings she sometimes felt for Zac would surface, but she’d had plenty of practice at keeping them in check and she was sure she could survive his close proximity for a few short days.

      So perhaps it was OK now to admit to herself that she was a tiny bit excited, or at least she would be if she wasn’t concerned for Zac and the sad ordeal that still awaited him when they landed.

      * * *

      Eventually, they boarded and took off, making the long flight across Australia, and now they were, according to the map on the screen, flying high above the Indian Ocean...

      The cabin lights were dimmed, Zac and Chloe had eaten an exquisite meal and had drunk some truly delicious wine, and their business class seats had been turned into beds.

      Beside Chloe, her boss appeared to be asleep already, stretched out in jeans and a black T-shirt, with his shoes off and his belt removed and his feet encased in black and purple diamond-patterned socks. He had also plugged in earphones and was listening to music and he had slipped on the navy silk eyeshade the airline provided.

      He was used to flying and she supposed he would sleep now, possibly for hours. He’d probably had very little rest during the previous night and she was sure he needed to sleep. Actually, Chloe’s night had been sleepless as well, so she knew it would be sensible to try to follow his example. Otherwise, she’d end up in London, useless with jet lag, with a boss who was ready and raring to go.

      Unfortunately, however, Chloe was too wired to sleep. The past twenty-four hours had been such a whirlwind and the thought of London was simply too exciting. She’d acquired her passport in happier times, when she’d thought she knew exactly where her life was heading...

      But she’d never used it. So she’d never been on an international flight before, had never flown business class, and had certainly never been to England. It was hard to believe she would soon be seeing the famous Tower Bridge and Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.

      Needing to calm down, she fished in her bag for the magazines she’d bought from the airport newsagent while Zac was busy with a phone call. The mags were all about mothers and babies and parenting and Chloe hoped to find an article or two about caring for newborns. Just in case...

      Luckily, there were plenty of stories and columns covering all kinds of newborn issues. Chloe soon discovered what to do if a baby had colic, jaundice, an umbilical hernia...and masses of information about bath time, skin care, crying, feeding, burping...

      She read the information conscientiously, trying to take it all in, wondering if she would actually be called on to apply any of this in practice and hoping she’d remember the important details. Her real-life experience of babies was limited to admiring her friends’ offspring, and she’d found them cute to cuddle or play with and then she’d been happy enough to hand them back to their mothers.

      After her life turned upside down several years ago, she’d given up her own dreams of motherhood, so she’d never given much thought to the finer details of green nappies or colic or projectile vomiting.

      Even now, she blocked those images. Not every baby had those problems, surely?

      Instead, Chloe allowed herself to picture a tiny, warm, sweet-smelling bundle in her arms, a dear little baby girl, with soft pink skin and perhaps dark hair like Zac’s. A darling rosebud mouth.

      ‘Aren’t you sleepy?’ murmured a deep voice beside her.

      Startled, she turned to see that Zac had lifted his eyeshade and removed an earplug, and was watching her with marked curiosity.

      Chloe’s insides began to buzz—an annoying reaction to having him so close. ‘I...er...thought it might help if I read for a bit first,’ she said.

      Zac leaned closer, frowning. ‘What on earth are you reading?’

      The magazine in her lap was unfortunately open at a full-page picture of a tiny baby attached to an enormous breast.

      Chloe felt her cheeks heat. ‘I...um...just thought...in case...you know, the baby...it would be handy to have a few clues.’

      ‘It would indeed.’ Zac spoke smoothly enough, but his eyes once again held the bleak shadows that had arrived with the terrible news about his sister. ‘Good thinking, Ms Meadows.’

      Chloe swallowed. It was more than a little unnerving to find herself lying so close to her boss’s disconcerting, sad grey eyes. She could see his individual thick, dark eyelashes and the grainy texture of the skin on his jaw. She hadn’t been this close to a man since—

      ‘I’m sure I’ll be sleepy soon,’ she said quickly, before her thoughts could be hijacked by haunting memories.

      ‘Tell me something you’ve learned,’ Zac said, keeping his voice low so he didn’t disturb the other passengers, many of whom were sleeping. ‘I’m intrigued.’

      ‘Something