The Christmas Project. Maxine Morrey
to say. Annoyingly, I knew I’d have a humdinger of a witty retort ready in about an hour’s time. He gave a chuckle and leaned in.
‘I meant it as a compliment.’
‘Then you need to work on your compliments.’
He nodded. ‘You’re probably right.’
I looked up at him. There was something in the tone of his voice when he said it, and his eyes had taken on a faraway look.
‘Are you all right?’ I asked, unsure why I was bothered as to whether he was all right or not. But I was.
He pulled his gaze from the middle distance and focused the full force of it on me. I really wanted to look away but right now that was proving harder than it should be.
‘Of course. I’m sat next to a pretty girl who’s nicer to me the more alcohol she has inside her. So how about I buy you another drink?’
I sat up straighter. ‘Really? You really think that’s going to happen?’
He shrugged and took another swig from his bottle, clearly not bothered as to whether it happened or not.
‘Well, it’s not.’
He turned his gaze back on me. ‘I didn’t think for one minute that it would.’
My mouth dropped open.
‘So why even say it?’
‘Because you’re incredibly sexy when you’re all worked up.’
‘And you’re…’
He quirked an eyebrow, waiting to hear exactly what I thought he was. The problem was I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d been going to say.
‘I’m what?’ he prompted me.
‘I don’t know,’ I said, admitting defeat. ‘But it definitely wasn’t anything good!’
He grinned and I took a vicious swig of my drink, just as Janey returned to the table. She looked from one of us to the other.
‘Oh, for the love of God Mikey! What did you do now?’
I waited at the door, huddled against the biting wind that was barrelling along the avenue and insinuating itself into every fibre of my body, despite all the layers I’d equipped myself with. A few moments later, Michael opened the door, dressed as usual in his beaten-up jeans and a T-shirt that looked like it had never been introduced to an iron in its entire lifetime.
‘Jesus, you look frozen to the bone. Get in here.’ He reached an arm out and took the bag I was carrying, hurrying me through the door at the same time.
‘It’s so cold out there today!’ I said conversationally as I shed my coat and almost immediately started shivering. I put my coat back on. ‘Actually I think I might keep this on for a bit longer.’
‘I’ll get us some hot drinks. Don’t worry the bedroom is nice and warm.’
I looked up in surprise. And for once, Michael O’Farrell wasn’t wearing that self-assured, confident look. His face showed almost as much surprise as mine.
‘That sounded a lot different from how it was supposed to.’
‘Right.’
‘I just meant that the bedroom – the guest room – you wanted to make a start on today is warm. For us to work in. Work on. Oh, for Christ’s sake. Put me out of my misery, will you?’ His face was equal parts pain and amusement.
I laughed and saw his face relax entirely. It was something that had been happening from a little more the last couple of visits and I was glad of it. I’d hated the tense atmosphere of the first session. It wasn’t only uncomfortable, but it stirred up memories I wanted to keep buried. This slight relaxation in the mood worked much better for me. And I couldn’t help but think it better for Michael too. Don’t get me wrong, we were hardly friends, but for the most part he wasn’t glaring at me and I wasn’t calling him names, so we had definitely moved on a little.
I pulled a couple of items out from under the spare bed. In one hand I held a copy of The Hungry Caterpillar, in the other the tiniest thong I had ever seen.
‘Interesting combination.’ I held them up to Michael.
‘Oh! That’s where it went. My nephew was looking for that.’
‘Not to be judgemental, but I really hope you’re talking about the book.’
He smiled at me. ‘I am.’
I looked at the pants dangling in my other hand, barely held by the minimum portion of fingertip and thumb required.
‘I think the hungry caterpillar may have been at these. They can’t possibly have been that tiny to start with.’ I shifted my eyes to him. ‘I take it these aren’t yours?’
‘No. Not really my colour.’
‘Any idea whose they are? Is she likely to want them back?’
He wrinkled his brow, then tilted his head at them, thinking. I gave an eye roll and shook my head.
‘What?’
‘The fact that you have to think that hard about it!’
‘Oh, don’t be such a prude.’
‘I am not a prude! But neither have I ever left anywhere “sans knickers”. Although frankly they’re so small as to be practically pointless anyway.’
‘I think they were more for effect.’
‘Clearly they had the desired one.’
He tilted his head at me and grinned. ‘Are you jealous?’
‘What? Of course I’m not jealous. Don’t be ridiculous.’
He gave me a look. ‘If you say so.’
‘I most certainly do say so. Now, what do you want to do with these? Will you be seeing her again and able to return them?’
He scrunched his face. ‘Doubt it.’
‘Oh. So you do at least remember who they belong to now? That’s something I suppose.’
‘I thought you said you weren’t going to be judgemental.’
‘I said that about your nephew. Not you.’
‘OK. Then for your records – as you seem to make them for everything – her name was Eva. She’s a Russian model, incredibly beautiful. I had an early morning appointment and she was very snappy that she had to leave early, from what I remember. Apparently not a morning person.’
‘Whereas I’m sure you’re absolutely delightful.’ My tone implied I believed he was probably anything but.
‘I am the epitome of cheer.’
I threw a disbelieving glance.
‘Just bin them. She won’t be calling.’
‘Sure?’
‘Positive. I got the impression she didn’t get turfed out of a man’s bed at 6 a.m. very often.’
‘I imagine not.’
‘In my defence, I had told her about the appointment and that I needed to leave early the following morning.’
‘I guess she didn’t think that applied to her too.’
‘I was hardly going to leave her alone in my house all day. I’d only met her that evening.’
‘And yet deemed that long enough to take her to bed.’
‘It wasn’t like I dragged