by Clare Revell
“I’m not hiding anything.”
Drew’s face showed his disbelief. “Uh huh, pull the other one, sis. It’s got Christmas bells on it. Spill.”
How much did she tell him? She wasn’t sure how she felt anymore. Besides, after last night, Kyle would probably never want to see her again. “The wedding went fine, other than the girl in the salon ruining my hair. The best man... hmm let’s see, he’s tall, he’s got spiky hair, has a personalised plate on his very swish sports car, two left feet—”
His laugh cut her off. “So how many times have you seen him?”
“Drew!” She tried to sound shocked. “I ended up in hospital with concussion thanks to him. Well, thanks to his dog, actually. Give me one good reason why I’d want to see him again?”
“Concussion? Hospital? Holly, what happened? Are you all right?” It was Drew’s turn to be shocked.
Silence fell on the other end of the connection, and she could see everyone peering into the web cam. “I’m fine, honestly. Have to rest until after Christmas. He has this huge black Irish wolfhound, it knocked me over, and I hit my head. He stayed in the ED with me, visited me, and came over when I got home to make sure I was OK. Turns out he owns the salon that messed my hair up, so he redid it. I fixed his car when it broke down on the way to church last night and...”
Wolf whistles drowned out her next words and she shook her head, glaring at them while Drew chanted, “Holly’s got a boyfriend,” in the background. She poked her tongue out at him, waggling her fingers for good measure. He winked at her. “That’s at least four times in a week. I want gossip and updates. What’s his name and what are his intentions?”
“Neither of us has any intentions, thank you very much. His name’s Kyle Stevens. He’s thirty-five, owns his own chain of hair salons and...”
Drew whistled. “For someone who isn’t interested, you know a lot about him, Hols. Is he a Christian?”
“Yes, turns out we go to the same church.”
“Are you seeing him again?”
“Drew...” She shook her head. Just talking about Kyle made her want to see him, but that wasn’t likely to happen, unless they bumped into each other at church.
“Holly...”
Her cheeks burned, and promising to call again the following day, she logged off. Closing the laptop, she put it to one side, and gazed across the room.
Is this what it means to fall in love? To have the thought of one man fill you so completely there is no room for anything else in your mind? To have him so fill your senses that it blinds you to the rest of the world? To want to do nothing more than be with him? To have butterflies in your stomach and your head whirl and feel dizzy in his presence? And not to feel whole without him?
Is this just my carnal nature or is there a gentle prompting from God in there? How do I know Kyle feels the same? Maybe I never will. Perhaps the last few days were just the magic of Christmas, the realization that not all men are evil and nothing more.
Whether she wanted it or not, Kyle had awakened something within her and she wanted more. She was no longer afraid and if nothing more came of this friendship, at least he’d given her that much.
****
After church, Holly drove home carefully. Kyle hadn’t been there and she half wondered if he was now avoiding her. She pulled her dinner out of the freezer and smiled wryly. If her mother could see her now, she’d have forty fits. A frozen ready meal on Christmas Day was tantamount to sacrilege. As she opened the microwave, the doorbell rang. Dumping the box on the counter, she went to open the door.
Kyle stood there, a nervous smile plastered on his face. “Merry Christmas, Holly.”
He was the last person she’d expected to see. Flustered, for a moment she wasn’t sure what to say or do. She’d just this minute been thinking about him and here he was in the flesh. Her cheeks burned and she mentally shook herself. “Kyle, Merry Christmas to you, too.”
Kyle hopped from one foot to the other. “I was wondering if I could talk to you.”
Holly smiled. “Sure. Come in.” Shutting the front door, she glanced at all the bags, but wasn’t about to ask. “I missed you in church this morning.”
Kyle took off his thick heavy overcoat, revealing an Argylle patterned sweater. He hung up his coat. “My parents rang just as I was about to leave. I did manage to stream the service over the internet though, so at least I heard it.”
She smiled. “Come on into the kitchen. We can talk in there.”
“Thank you.” He followed her and sat at the table. He picked at a nail, looking nervous. “I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved last night. I don’t want you to think my feelings for you are born out of a need to replace Jayne, because they’re not.”
“It’s fine.” She put the kettle on and moved to the table, sitting next to him. There was something different about him. Had he cut his hair or combed it differently?
He shook his head. “No, it’s not. Honestly I was afraid you’d not want to see me again.”
Holly slowly reached a hand out and covered his before he picked the nail off completely. “I was afraid you’d not want to see me. Figured I’d put you off for life.”
“It would take a lot more to scare me off, I promise.” His smile permeated to her core, lighting something within.
She took a deep breath, putting her finger on what was different about him. “You changed your cologne.”
“Yes, I didn’t want to wear the other anymore. I’d rather not smell like a serial killer.”
She smiled at him, the joy she felt spilling through her. “Good. I like the one you’re wearing now.”
“Thank you. Have you eaten?”
“I was about to stick a ready meal in the microwave.”
“Now that seems a crime at Christmas. As does eating alone, so I was wondering…” He held up the bags. “Would you let me cook for you?”
Holly sat there, not quite sure how to react for a moment. Not only did he like her, he wanted to cook for her as well. Was this really happening or was she asleep and dreaming? If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she finally got the words out. “You cook?”
Kyle grinned. “I’m quite good, even if I do say so myself. I promise I won’t poison you. And I’ll even wash up afterwards.”
“Thank you, dinner would be good. But we had a rule as kids. Whoever cooks doesn’t get the dishes.” She put her frozen dinner back into the freezer. Her heart was pounding and her whole body tingled at the thought of him standing and cooking in her kitchen. “Would you like some tea?”
He set the bags on the work top and started unpacking them. “Please.”
She flicked the kettle on to boil again. “Can I do anything to help?”
“I need a glass dish, grater and frying pan. A spatula and wooden spoon would be good, too.” Kyle turned and held out the bottle of sparking grape juice and the box of gold wrapped chocolates. “It’s not quite gold, frankincense and myrrh, but will it do to go with dinner and during the Queen’s Speech?”
Holly smiled. “Oh, yes. Thank you.” She put them into the fridge. She moved around the room pulling out what he wanted and gave him the tools he requested. The kettle boiled and she made the tea. Leaning against the counter, Holly sipped, her gaze following Kyle’s deft movements as he prepared dinner. “What are you making?”
“Well it’s not exactly a traditional Christmas dinner. Although, it is turkey.” He started dicing the turkey breast into small pieces. “Turkey crumble with potatoes and veg.” Her face must have been a picture because he laughed. “You put cheese in the crumble instead of sugar. Want to grate it for me, then add it to the box of crumble?”
“Ah. That makes sense. You had me worried there for a moment.” She picked up the cheese and unwrapped it. “All of it?”
Kyle nodded. “I weighed out everything in advance. Your typical ‘here’s one I made earlier’ type of thing.”
Holly laughed. “Do I get a Blue Peter badge for helping?”
“No. Might give you Brownie points though.”
She grated the cheese as he stir fried the meat. “Can I do anything else?”
He ran his gaze over her for a moment, smiling as she blushed. “Yeah, you can stand there and look beautiful.”
“Not much chance of that.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Try hard.”
Setting her lips, she perched on the edge of the stool, and folded her arms.
He grinned. “Try harder.”
Holly poked her tongue out at him.
He laughed. “Perfect, now where’s the camera when I need it?”
“I break cameras,” she deadpanned. “Best not find it.”
“OK.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and took a picture on that.
“Brat.” She pulled her camera from the drawer and took one of him. Then she set it on the side and followed his movements as he prepared and cooked the meat.
He glanced up. “You look serious. Penny for your thoughts.”
“Oh...it’s nothing important. I just never had a bloke cook for me before.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well there’s a first time for everything. And if you play your cards right, it may not be the last. Seriously, you’ve never been cooked for?”
Holly shook her head. “Kyle, did you mean what you said last night?”
He turned the heat down on the pan and moved over to her. “I said a lot last night.”
“Outside the garage, before I fixed your car.”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling, and his dimples showing. “Yes, Holly. You drive me insane. And I still have this urge to run my hands through your hair and kiss you.”
“And…and the caring bit?”
“I care very, very much for you.” His gaze held hers captive. “What would you do if I did kiss you?” His lips brushed against hers. They were warm and soft, as he gently pulled her closer. He broke off and glanced at her, holding her gaze, almost asking permission to continue.
Holly hesitated. What if she did this wrong?
Concern flashed in his eyes. “Have I gone too far?”
Shaking her head, she blushed. “No. I...I never kissed anyone before. I don’t know what to do.”
“Just close your eyes and let it happen.” His lips covered hers and she did what he asked. Her hands slid across his back, tangling in his hair as he sent her higher than she ever imagined a single kiss could do. When he finally broke off, he touched his head to hers and smiled. “You seriously never kissed anyone before?”
“No.” Holly looked down.
He slid a finger under her chin and raised her face. “Then I’m honoured to have received your first kiss.”
She smiled and leaned against him. Wow. Now I understand what Stacey meant. But Lord, I want to be sure about this. How do I know this is right and not just infatuation?
He wrapped his arms around her. “Holly, would you go out with me? It could be our second date.” His voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up.
“Second date?” She looked into his eyes. Had she missed something? Surely replacing the water pump on his car or him fixing her hair didn’t count as a date. “When was the first, or did I blink and miss it?”
He screwed his nose at her, his eyes sparkling. “Today, right now, is our first. I asked you to dinner and you accepted.”
“Technically you invited your—”
He laughed and kissed her nose. “So this is our first date, and I’d like to know if you’d go out with me again? A simple nod will suffice.”
That was just as well, because that’s all she was capable of at that precise moment. He smiled and, wrapping his arm around her waist, held her as he turned his attention back to the pan.
Holly leaned against him, aware of his soft breaths in her hair, and the weight of his arm against her stomach. “So, what next?”
“This goes in the dish, put the crumble on top and cook it and then...” He paused, and then with more than a hint of dramatic flair, waved his arms. “Duh-duh-duh! We eat it.”
“Sounds ominous.”
He chuckled and pointed to the window. “My cooking isn’t ominous. Out there on the other hand....”
Holly followed his gaze to the window. The sky was dark and leaden, thick heavy snow clouds building up over the horizon. She felt a stab of disappointment as he let go and poured the meat and sauce mix into the dish. He topped it with the crumble and put it in the oven.
“Give that twenty-five minutes while the veg cooks, and that’s it. Now I brought carrots, green beans, cauliflower, sprouts, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes and roast parsnips. I wasn’t sure what you liked.”
“All of the above apart from the beans.” Holly got the steamer out of the cupboard and put water in the base.
Kyle smiled. “Then we forget the beans.” He tossed the vegetables into the different layers and put it on to cook. The roast parsnips and potatoes went into the oven with the crumble. Holly set the timer for half an hour. He turned that beaming smile on her. “Now what?”
Holly thought for a moment. “How about a game of Scrabble?”
He smiled. “I love Scrabble, but no one will ever play with me.”
“Why?”
“I’m too good, apparently.”
“I’ll play with you.” She headed into the lounge and flicked on the lights. She pulled the box from the cupboard and set it up on the coffee table. “I’ll even let you start.”
“Thank you kindly.”
“No, my name’s Holly, not kindly.”
Kyle laughed. He took his tiles and set them on his rack. He played his first move and used all his tiles scoring seventy-five.
She shook her head and looked down at her tiles and thought for a minute before playing AY.
“That’s not a word. Aye is spelled A-Y-E.”
She looked at him. “Yes it is. You can spell it A-Y-E and A-Y.”
Kyle reached for the dictionary. “We’ll just have to see about that.” He opened the book at random and looked at the page. “Well, I never did.”
“You never did what?”
“Did you know that a dog collar is a collar worn by a dog?”
“You’re kidding,” Holly giggled. Who’d have thought the dictionary had stupid definitions in it?
Kyle shook his head. “Nope, it says so right here, See. Dog collar - a collar worn by a dog.”
Holly snorted. “Never would have guessed. Good job Pastor Jack doesn’t wear one or I’ll not manage to keep a straight face next time I see him.”
Kyle looked at her wickedly. “I’ll remind you of that in church on Sunday, right in the middle of the sermon.”
Warmth flooded her. She was sitting with him having fun. Reading the dictionary for fun had never occurred to her. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Dangerous thing to say. I tend to take dares.” He flicked a few pages back and laughed again. “Oh look. Bet you didn’t know this one. Car bomb. A terrorist bomb concealed in or under a parked car.”
Holly laughed hard. He took dares, did he? Hmmm, that was worth remembering. “No really?”
“Yes, really.” There was a pause. “Now this ones a shocker.”
Shaking her head, she looked at him. Far from being a lonely day, this was fast becoming a great one. Spending time with Kyle, having fun and getting to know him was more than she ever expected or hoped for. “What’s that?”
“Countdown. The act of counting down.”
“And they pay some one to write this rubbish. I could do that.” She paused. “Hey maybe I’ll chuck in being a mechanic and write a dictionary for a living instead. How about... Orion - a large dog who likes running people over.”
“Holly...A prickly woman who doesn’t turn up to wedding rehearsals.”
She poked her tongue out at him, trying to think of a retort. “Kyle... umm, umm... A tall man with no taste in woolly hats, who cuts hair and cooks.”
“Right now at this precise moment? Yes. Give me time. What about ay?”
“Oh yeah, forgot about that. Ay.” Kyle flipped back to the beginning of the dictionary and looked it up. “Yeah OK, you can spell ay without the e.”
Holly added up her score and looked at him. “Thirty-five.”
He sighed and turned back to the dictionary. “Hmmm tiddlywink, a small plastic disc. Tiddlywinks, the game in which players try to flip said small plastic discs into a cup.”
Holly snatched the dictionary and flipped through it. “Procrastination. The act of putting off an action.”
“Uh huh.”
“So stop procrastinating and take your go.”
The timer sounded. Kyle laughed. “Saved by the bell.”
They got up and went into the kitchen. Kyle opened and poured the grape juice into the wine glasses, while Holly set the table for two. At the precise moment he picked up the oven gloves to pull dinner from the oven, all the power went off.
Season for Miracles
9
The only light in the kitchen came from the blue light of the gas hob under the steamer. Holly felt her way to the cupboard under the sink and rummaged around for candles.
Kyle’s voice came out of the blackness. “Don’t you have a torch?”
“Somewhere… no idea where…” She felt for the candles, and screamed, jumping away from the cupboard as something ran over her hand. She was terrified of spiders.
“What is it?” Kyle’s voice was closer than before, and a hand fell on her shoulder, making her jump.
“Spider... No way am I putting my hand back in there.”
“A spider? That’s what that scream was for?”
She knew from the tone of his voice he was rolling his eyes and scowled. “Don’t laugh at me. I don’t like them, and it could be anywhere.”
“Don’t move. I’ve got a torch in the car; I’ll go and get it.”
“OK.” Holly didn’t move a muscle as Kyle made his way to the door.
He seemed to be gone an eternity, and when he got back, there was no sign of the spider. “A fuse must have blown. This is the only house with no power.”
