The Christmas Swap

by Sandy Barker

  “So, what shall we drink to?” she said, relegating the task of the toast to Will.

  He seemed to think on it longer than she would have expected, then lifted his glass and looked her in the eye. “To snowstorms and traffic jams.” He clinked his glass against hers and winked before taking a sip.

  Lucy was momentarily rattled. It was almost as though Will knew all about her “snowed-in” fantasy. There was no way he could have, but this was all a bit uncanny …

  She lifted her glass to her lips, breathing in the spicy sweetness of the aroma of the whisky, then took a sip. It tingled on her lips slightly. “Oh my, that’s dangerous, that is.”

  Will frowned. “Too strong?”

  “Oh no, dangerous because it’s delicious—possibly too drinkable.” He chuckled. “But Will, this place … was this why you weren’t about this morning? You were here?”

  He cocked his head. “Guilty.”

  “But how … how do you do all of this in one day?”

  “Oh, no, the cabin’s always like this. I mean, it’s kept up. It’s a hunting cabin that we share with some of the other families in the area. I just made sure we’d have it to ourselves, then came early and dropped off the food, cleaned it up a bit, lit the fire.”

  “Oh, right.” Had she really thought that he’d lugged everything there, as though there was some sort of dogsled division of U-Haul specifically for outfitting isolated cabins in the woods? She giggled at herself for being so silly, foregoing her usual self-flagellation.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. It’s lovely. Very thoughtful.”

  He bit his lip and stared down at the tumbler that he was turning in his large hands. He’s nervous. The thought did incredible things to Lucy’s insides because in her mind, that could only mean one thing. He’d brought her there to seduce her! Oh, happy day!

  Lucy took another sip of her whisky, feeling it warm her through. “Will,” she said in her best sultry voice. He looked up at her and she met his eyes with an unwavering stare. “Here.” She took his glass and placed it on the table, adding hers next to it. Will watched her, his lusty expression telling her that she had guessed correctly. He released his bottom lip and his tongue flicked to wet it. Lucy turned to face him, her hand reaching for his chest. He captured it in his and pressed it to him.

  Just when she thought she couldn’t bear being apart from him any longer, he pulled her onto him in one swift movement, burying a hand in her hair. Her face close to his, she took in the flushed colour of his cheeks, the fullness of his lips, and the dreamy expression in his eyes, then felt the firm touch of his other hand on her hip.

  This was it—this was the fantasy!

  Her phone pinged from her coat pocket, yanking Lucy’s focus away from Will. It was an email notification. Worse, it was a work email notification. Angela! Angela had replied to her email. It had to be that. No one else would be emailing her during the holidays. There was no need, as they were all on holiday too. But what appalling timing!

  “Do you want to check that?” She glanced at Will and it was clear that their sexy spell was well and truly broken. Bollocks. She sighed, then tried to push herself up, one hand landing on Will’s groin. She realised almost right away, but not before she’d put half her body weight on that hand. Will groaned and, likely on impulse, jerked his knees in to protect himself, catching Lucy in the back of the head.

  She tumbled off the sofa onto the floor with a thud, her hand flying to the back of her head to nurse the emerging lump. Both had, “I’m sorry,” on replay as they each tried to soothe the other, and soon they were doubled over in fits of laughter, Lucy gasping for air as she fanned her face with her free hand.

  “Well,” said Will when he had enough breath to speak, “it is certainly never dull being with you.”

  “Nor you,” she countered. “How is it that we seem unable to be in the same place at the same time without smacking each other about?”

  “To be fair, this is only the second time that’s happened.”

  She winced as she dragged herself back onto the sofa. Will was stretched out along its length and she perched on the edge next to him, lifting her hand to smooth his hair. “Are you really all right?”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I will be. I just … I just need a minute.”

  “Mmm, quite. Whisky?” she asked brightly. His body started to shake with laughter, which set her off again. Still giggling, she handed him his glass and he scooched up to a seated position. She took her own glass in hand and raised it. “I’d like to propose another toast,” she said in mock-seriousness. “To my sore head and your sore bollocks.” She purposefully tapped the edge of her glass against Will’s then downed the rest of her whisky in one go.

  “Ahh,” she said, wiping the corners of her mouth with a fingertip. She glanced at Will who looked gobsmacked. “Bottoms up,” she said, like some maniacal Mary Poppins.

  A slow smile spread over Will’s face as he regarded her. “You’re pretty fantastic, you know.”

  “Oh, I do know, yes.” Lucy quite liked this version of herself—confident, daring, hilarious. She watched as Will tipped his head back and finished his whisky. “Another?”

  “I’m good for now.”

  “Still need a moment?” she eyed his crotch.

  “Yes,” he said, shooing her away with a grin. “I need a minute.”

  “Right, then I shall check my email!” She leapt up, crossing the room to where her coat hung by the door, and retrieved her phone. As Lucy had guessed, the email was a reply from Angela, and it didn’t take long to read. She’d barely written two lines.

  Lucy,

  Let’s meet first thing on your return. I’d like to discuss your future at the firm.

  Regards,

  Angela

  “Oh, double bollocks.”

  “What? Let me see it.”

  Far less ebullient, Lucy walked back to the sofa and sat next to Will. She handed him the phone and watched him frown slightly as he it read through twice.

  “It’s not necessarily bad. It could be, ‘hey, you’re a rising star and it was great to hear from you. I’m promoting you!’ Or something like that.”

  Lucy, dubious, looked at Will. “Or it was, ‘Your email was completely out of line. Clear out your desk and off you go to Jobcentre Plus’.” Lucy held out her hand for the phone and Will laid it in her palm. She read the email again and frowned. Her mouth pursed in concentration and before she could talk herself out of it, she tapped out a reply.

  Dear Angela,

  Thank you for your prompt reply. I look forward to discussing my future at the firm, as I am keen to continue developing professionally and agree that I am ready for the next challenge under your stewardship. I’ve CC’d Trevor on this email, as I am sure he will be pleased to hear of this next chapter in our division.

  Happy New Year!

  Best,

  Lucy

  She sent the email and blew out a satisfied sigh. Will leant over and read it. “Who’s Trevor?”

  “Her manager, the VP of Finance,” she replied simply as she stared off into the fireplace. “The fire!” she declared, jumping up from the sofa. Lucy used the fire iron beside the fireplace to move the coals around, then added two more logs. She stood watching the logs catch, mesmerised by the flames.

  “That was awesome,” said Will behind her.

  “What, stoking a fire? I should hope so. Three years of Brownies, four years of Guides, and a father who insisted I learn how to look after a fire properly.”

  Will chuckled and she turned. “Well, yes, you did lay those logs with a precision I haven’t seen before, but I meant the email.”

  “Oh, right. You don’t think I’m going to get a right bollocking for it? She could have me sacked for insolence, you know.”

  “Firstly, there is no way she can fire you after that email. Copying her boss in like that was genius. It comes across as genuine, so if she was legit talking about a
promotion, you seemed sincerely into that, and if she was going to fire you, well, checkmate. She’s got nowhere to go. She’d come off as spiteful, maybe even delusional.” He got up from the sofa and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You, Lucy Browning, are incredible,” he said softly.

  “Really?” All her bravado, the Dutch courage from the whisky—or should that be Scotch courage? she wondered—dissipated and she felt like herself again, trembling under the weight of what she’d just done. What if she lost her job?

  “Hey …” Will must have read the consternation on her face. “You have nothing to worry about. If you want, we could call my mom. She’ll tell you the same thing, believe me. You played that perfectly and your job is safe. Okay?”

  Lucy nodded absentmindedly as she sifted through everything she was feeling. So much had happened in just a few short days. She’d thought she was coming to a winter wonderland to experience a proper white Christmas, but she’d been hauled into family mini-dramas, there’d been the dilemma with Angela, and she was currently not on speaking terms with one of her best friends.

  And then there was Will—gorgeous, lovely Will, who had come here early to set all this up, who was looking at her as though he believed she could do anything.

  And he was right, she realised.

  She could do anything. She’d just stood up to her bully of a manager. She’d survived the Christmas madness of a large family—happily, she realised, as she thought of Jackie’s brood. She’d even skied down a giant mountain! Granted, it was on the easy slopes, but she had done it. Her! Lucy Browning, from Penham, Oxfordshire had accomplished more in a few days than she could ever have imagined.

  And, surely, things would right themselves with Jules. Perhaps not that day, but eventually—at least she hoped so. That left just one more thing for Lucy to be brave about. She thought back to how terribly wrong her last seduction attempt had gone, but try, try again, right?

  “Will?”

  “Yes.” He smiled, encouragingly.

  “Is there a bed in this cabin?”

  His eyes widened. “Uh, yes, the couch … it’s a pull-out. I, uh, I changed the sheets this morning, so it’s, uh …” It seemed that it was Will’s turn to be embarrassed.

  “I do think I know, yes. That was very, well, prepared of you.”

  He shook his head and grinned, “Yeah, yeah.”

  “No really, it was thoughtful.” She stood on her tiptoes and cupped his face with her hands, regarding it closely. Goodness, he was handsome, like the icing on a particularly scrummy cake. “You know something? I quite adore you, Will Reinhardt.”

  His eyebrows lifted, and his lips curled into a slight smile. “And I adore you, Lucy Browning. Adore, want …” His lips were brushing her neck as he whispered that last word, and the tiny puff of breath she felt as he hit the “t” sent a jolt of lust right through her.

  Her “snowed-in” fantasy would pale in comparison to reality.

  Chapter 31

  Jules

  Jules perched on the edge of a wooden bench on Matt’s veranda while he was inside prepping dinner. They were barbecuing again—salmon this time—and he’d insisted on doing everything himself so she could make her call, even though he was still bandaged up.

  She was nervous, and no wonder. She’d managed to hurt two of the people she loved the most. With Will, even when her was telling her off, Jules knew it would be okay between them. It always was. But what if she’d screwed things up with Lucy for good? Well, if she had, she wouldn’t know for sure unless she tapped the “call” button on her phone.

  Six rings and she was about to hang up when Lucy’s sleepy face appeared on the screen, grainy from the lack of light on her end. “Hello?” Lucy yawned and shook her head quickly, as though to wake herself.

  “Hey, Luce.” God, she’d missed Lucy. Why had she let their rift go on so long?

  Lucy blinked at her several times. “Jules, hello,” she said in a quiet voice. “What time is it?” Jules wracked her brain trying to calculate the time difference and came up short. It didn’t matter anyway, as she’d obviously woken Lucy up.

  “It must be late there, I’m so sorry. I can call another time.”

  “No, wait!” Lucy whispered. Lucy looked off screen, a small frown on her face. “Um, Jules …” She looked back at the screen. “I may as well come clean. I’m not alone, if you get my drift.”

  Blergh! It really was a bad time to call. Jules had a firm and very quick talk to herself—It’s weird, but it’s fine and you love them both—and ploughed ahead. “Oh, right. So, do you want to move into another room?” Practical solutions, that’s what Jules was good at.

  “Oh, it’s just that we’re at the cabin. The hunting cabin, I mean. There is no other room.” Jules did her best to hide her surprise; her best friend and her brother were literally shacked up. “Unless you think I should go outside,” added Lucy. Jules scrutinised her friend’s face and saw the smile tugging at the corner of Lucy’s mouth. She was kidding.

  Jules loved Lucy even more for the lifeline—joking with her instead of telling her off, which she was completely entitled to do.

  “Look, if Will hasn’t woken up yet, he probably won’t. That guy could sleep through anything. It’s one of the things I hate about him.” Lucy sniggered and the two friends shared a smile. “Look, Lucy—”

  “I know what you’re going to say, and you don’t have to say it.”

  “I do. I do have to, Lucy. I was a total asshole to you, and you didn’t deserve that. I’m so sorry.”

  Lucy pressed her lips together and nodded. Jules saw in that small gesture that she had hurt Lucy with her harsh words on Christmas Day. How was an apology over FaceTime ever going to be enough? “Luce, please forgive me.”

  “I forgive you.”

  “Really? I mean, you can tell me off if you want to. Will did.” Lucy’s eyes widened, then narrowed as her brows furrowed and Jules could see her chewing on her thoughts.

  “All right, then. You were hurtful.”

  “Yes.”

  “You acted like I wasn’t good enough for Will.” Jules nodded, the tightening in her throat preventing her from speaking. “You made me feel small, Jules,” Lucy whispered.

  Anguish tore through Jules’s heart. “Oh, Lucy, I’m so, so¸ sorry. You are good enough for Will, of course you are. And you are not small. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known. I wish I could take back everything I said, but please know that it wasn’t about you. It was my own fucked-up way of seeing the world and not because of you, okay?”

  Lucy was crying now, tears streaming down her face, and Jules’s heart lurched. “I wish more than anything that I was there to apologise in person—well, I mean, not right now, in the cabin with you and Will, but …”

  “Hah!” exclaimed Lucy. Was that laughter or crying? Wondered Jules. Lucy ran her fingertips under each eye and, as her whole body started to shake, Jules watched anxiously. “Oh, my god,” said Lucy, her face erupting into a broad smile. “Can you imagine?” She laughed again, shaking her head and Jules blew out a long sigh of relief.

  Lucy had forgiven her.

  “Are we good, Luce?” asked Jules, just to be sure.

  Lucy’s laughter subsided. “We’re good, Jules.” Lucy blew out her own sigh. “So, tell me all about Australia. Where are you right now?”

  “At Matt’s … Chloe’s friend. He’s …” Jules wasn’t quite ready to articulate what Matt was to her. “It’s beautiful here, Luce. Look.” She swivelled the camera on her phone and panned slowly across Matt’s property, then turned the camera back on her.

  “Oh, that is lovely. It’s definitely going on the list. Given all our holidays together, it’s hard to believe that we’ve never gone to Australia.”

  “Right? Maybe because Chloe always wants to go somewhere new.”

  “Speaking of which, I talked to my mum this morning and apparently Chloe went off to London for a few days with Alan—I mean, Archer.”
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  “Really? So, they’re a thing?”

  “Possibly. Do you think we should call her? I’d love to hear all about it.” Lucy giggled excitedly, raising her eyebrows. Her laugh was infectious and Jules found herself grinning, relieved that they were back to being besties again.

  “Well, what time is it there?”

  Lucy’s eyes flicked to the bottom of her screen. “It’s 8:00am.”

  “Let’s do it.” Jules tapped on her phone to bring up Chloe’s profile and connect her to the call. Two rings and Chloe’s face appeared, her eyes wide and her mouth grinning.

  “What’s up, bee-arrrches?”

  Lucy tutted in mock outrage and Jules grinned back at her. Chloe appeared to be bopping to unheard music, her shoulders working a groove. “Hey, Chlo, you look like you’re in a particularly good mood,” said Jules. “What’s goin’ on?”

  “Well, ladies, I suppose the big news is that I’m in lurve.”

  If either Lucy or Jules had been drinking something, it would have been a spit-take moment. “Sorry, what?” Lucy smiled. “You are in love?”

  “Yep.”

  “With Archer Tate?” asked Jules to clarify.

  “Uh-huh.” Chloe was still chair dancing, her head bobbling along to a rhythm the others couldn’t hear.

  “And, uh, is he also in love?” tendered Lucy. Jules silently gave Lucy props for asking. It was one thing to have a celebrity crush and call it love, but was Chloe talking about actually being in love?

  “Yeah, of course.” Chloe stopped her chair dancing. “Ohhh, did you girls think I was just crushing on some poor unsuspecting famous actor?” she asked.

  “Well, no, not exactly,” said Lucy.

  Jules figured she might as well come clean and raised her hand. “Yeah, I did.”

  “Hah! Well, no, it’s way weirder than that.” She filled them in on their jaunt to London, including her two run-ins with Madison and the exchange of “I love yous”.

  Lucy and Jules hung on every word, and when Chloe wrapped up her update with, “So, yeah, it’s pretty frigging cool, right?” They both burst out laughing.