Playboy On Her Christmas List. Carol Marinelli

climbed into his car and Anna got in the front, it felt wrong—as if Holly should be the one in his front passenger seat.

      Holly felt the same.

      It was odd and it was with absolutely no reason, yet Holly found that she resented the way Anna had jumped in the front. Holly sat behind Anna and when Daniel turned his head to reverse out, for a moment their eyes met. Holly was tempted to wind down the window because it had suddenly become very warm in the car and the heater had barely gone on.

      Daniel moved the car out of the parking spot and then drove to the barrier and swiped his ID card. There he glanced in the rear-view mirror, not to check for traffic, more to see if her eyes were waiting.

      They were.

      All too often she averted her gaze, failing to complete what they started.

      Not tonight.

      Holly hoped it was dark enough that he couldn’t see she was blushing and then a car tooted behind them.

      ‘Daniel,’ Anna prompted, because although the barrier was up the car hadn’t moved.

      ‘Sorry,’ Daniel said. ‘I was miles away.’

      In bed with Holly!

      ‘Everyone’s asking about Paul,’ Laura said, going through the messages on her phone. ‘What do we say?’

      ‘As little as possible,’ Daniel suggested.

      They were on the main road now and he glanced back into the mirror but Holly was now looking out of the window, watching the world go by and lost in thoughts of her own,

      She liked Daniel far, far too much, Holly knew.

      There was nothing wrong with liking someone except she wasn’t wired like Anna. For Holly it would be foolish at best to get involved with a man who was days away from leaving the country.

      Except she already was.

      In her head Holly was already involved and yet she had not a single memory to draw from.

      Was it time to change that?

      ‘We’re here.’ Laura nudged her and Holly wiped the steamed-up window and looked out at the pub—a regular venue for Emergency dos. They often hired a room at the back and a lot of good times had been had there.

      ‘Come in for one,’ Anna said to Daniel, and Holly felt her skin prickle because Anna could flirt for England and she was seriously flirting now.

      ‘I’m driving.’

      Holly’s eyes went to the mirror and again met his. Both of them knew that she would usually have looked away or been halfway out of the car by now.

      ‘Come on,’ Anna pushed, oblivious to the current coming from behind. ‘You might enjoy yourself.’

      ‘You know, I think I might,’ Daniel said.

      And so, instead of them climbing out, Daniel drove to the car park at the rear. It was packed but he found a space and soon they were all walking to the pub.

      All except Holly, who was still by the car and going through her bag.

      ‘What are you doing?’ Daniel asked her because since they’d left Emergency he had seen her go through her bag many times.

      ‘Compulsively checking that I’ve still got the envelope that Kay gave me.’ Holly said. ‘I have to pay the landlord...’

      They went in the main entrance and there was the lovely pub scent but mixed with the woody smell of a fire in the entrance, and Holly felt her cheeks go pink for no other reason than it was lovely and warm.

      The women all handed over their coats and their hands were all stamped so that they could get in and out of the function room. As Laura and Anna went through Holly asked where she should put the bar money.

      ‘You’ll need to see Desmond,’ she was told, and was pointed in the right direction. ‘He’s in the lounge bar.’

      ‘Thanks.’

      ‘I’ll come with you,’ Daniel offered, and Holly nodded.

      It had been well worth coming in, Daniel decided, for under Holly’s coat she was wearing a black velvet dress, or rather it was raven. As he walked behind her Daniel noted the deep blue hue shimmering on the curves of her hips. Holly’s legs were dressed in very sheer stockings and her heels were high, and as he moved forward to hold open the door, Daniel resisted placing his hand on the small of her back to guide her in.

      Holly already felt as if he had, for her spine felt warm and her bottom too big, just from the burn of his gaze.

      Desmond wasn’t there, but they waited at the bar while one of the staff tracked him down.

      It was a lovely old pub and there was a pine Christmas tree that was beautifully decorated and its scent filled the room.

      ‘Christmassy enough for you?’ Daniel asked.

      ‘It’s lovely.’ Holly smiled but it was a bit of a forced one.

      ‘Are you not in the mood for a party?’ Daniel said, toying with the idea of suggesting they skip it when Holly nodded.

      ‘I feel awful.’

      ‘He might be okay.’

      ‘No, I feel awful because...’ She shook her head.

      And then, for Daniel, something rather untoward happened—instead of wondering how quickly they could dispense with the small talk and get in the car and back to his, he actually wanted to hear what Holly had to say and then get back to the essentials.

      ‘Tell me.’

      ‘No,’ Holly said, but then her guilty conscience demanded full disclosure. ‘You know Kay was saying how, when they were waiting outside the catheter lab, Nora’s daughter asked her what was for dinner...’

      Daniel laughed a black laugh, it was nothing he hadn’t seen with relatives.

      ‘I’m as bad,’ Holly said.

      ‘Why, did you demand that Nora feed you?’

      ‘No.’ Holly smiled but then it changed. ‘I almost asked Kay what would happen to the off duty for Christmas.’ It had worried at her all evening. ‘I mean, Paul’s lying there half-dead, and I’m stressing over the off duty.’

      ‘I’m quite sure Kay is.’

      ‘I doubt it,’ Holly sighed. ‘Nora and she are best friends.’

      ‘Off the record?’ Daniel said, and Holly nodded.

      ‘Kay’s words to me just before she headed off to the catheter lab, and I quote, “How the feck am I going to sort out the roster now?”’

      ‘Really?’ Holly laughed.

      ‘Really.’ Daniel nodded. ‘And I bet Nora, if Paul is now stable, is worrying about the million and one things that you women seem to worry about at this time of year.’

      ‘That’s very sexist.’

      ‘Just an observation.’

      ‘A wrong one.’

      ‘I can only go by what I’ve seen. My father never did a thing for Christmas, I aim to be far away from it...’ He thought for a moment. ‘My uncle leaves it all to my aunt...’

      Desmond came along then and he took the money and wrote out a receipt, which Holly put in her purse for Kay. ‘What can I get you?’ he offered. ‘On the house, before you go in to that mad lot.’

      Oh.

      ‘I’ll just have a soda water, thanks.’ Daniel said.

      ‘Well, he’s a cheap date.’ Desmond smiled at Holly. ‘What can I get you?’

      ‘I’d love a Scotch, please.’