One Hot Christmas (Mercy Island Series Book 2)

by Jacquie Underdown

  She blew out a long breath of air, her shoulders relaxing. Knowing she was getting some help with this was already easing her tension.

  “Um, Hayden,” she called out before he got too far away from her.

  His footsteps sounded and he appeared around the corner. She dropped her gaze to those battered boots because, for some reason, she hadn’t seen anything sexier than those boots. Or maybe it was the man wearing them. She looked up, met his deep, dark eyes. “Can I ask another teeny-tiny favour?”

  “I’ll tell you the answer once I know what it is.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Are you afraid of cockroaches by any chance?”

  He shook his head.

  “How would you feel about removing one for me?”

  He actually smiled, and it took her breath away. Truly did. This guy—what the hell?

  “Let me put this down,” he said, nodding to his full hands “then I’ll meet you…”

  “In room four.”

  “Got it.”

  He strode off and she grabbed the room key, then headed directly there. She had the door open and was waiting a good two metres from the cockroach when Hayden arrived.

  She pointed to the disgusting creature. He marched over, picked it up with his fingers. Before she could contain herself, she squealed and ran for the door.

  She heard him chuckle, then the toilet flush, followed by the tap running as he washed his hands. “All done,” he said. Then his lips twisted into a cheeky grin. “So, that’s all you need me for? No mice hiding in the walls? Or spiders lurking in dark corners?”

  She shuddered and her lips twisted with horror. “Oh, god, I really hope not.”

  He chuckled again. And as he strode away, he said, “In this heat, it’s only a matter of time.”

  He couldn’t be serious. “You’re joking, right?” she called out after him.

  He didn’t turn, just shrugged and kept on walking.

  She rushed back to reception and searched online immediately for a local pest control contractor.

  Chapter 6

  The surf club sat on the beach, offering a view to the ocean. It was dated but functional and offered the best local seafood. Hayden led Tennessee outside to a table on the veranda. The evening was warm, even with the strong ocean breeze blowing in.

  Tonight, Tennessee was dressed in a colourful playsuit. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she wore a face of makeup. The rose in the room. The rose in this town.

  Hayden glanced down at his jeans and plain t-shirt and momentarily regretted what he chose to wear. But then a wave of vibrating anger stirred deep inside his veins. There he was again, trying to be who he wasn’t.

  His ex had come from money—a lot of money. She would practically dress him to make sure she wasn’t embarrassed in front of her family. Actions like that had left him never feeling like he was enough. So, he would try and try to be what she wanted. Convinced himself that he was comfortable in fancy clothes, eating at fancy restaurants, and attending charity events. How far from the truth that was.

  He was a jeans-and-t-shirt guy—shorts if he could get away with it. He was the kind of guy who loved to go camping, cook up a barbeque and have a quiet night of drinks with mates.

  Hayden and Tennessee bought drinks from the bar, put in their order for dinner and got directly into why they were here together – Twelve Dates of Christmas. Hayden had to admit the whole idea was a little corny. But it had drawn some attention. Who was he to watch on and see it fail because Tennessee was a tad disorganised?

  Besides, when she had described the event to him, she could see that her intentions were honest and kind. But, not only that, he couldn’t miss the flash of pain that had filled her eyes, nor the softening of her voice as she had described how difficult Christmas could be for some. It had touched upon his own reluctance about the upcoming holiday season.

  This year would be his first Christmas without Mandy in five years. He would be waking up Christmas morning to a quiet house. He didn’t even have his parents around as they had booked a cruise with his older brother and his kids in advance, well before Hayden had decided to end his relationship with Mandy.

  Sure, he would spend part of the day with Bear and other mates, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Too loud of a reminder that everything had gone to shit.

  “You okay?”

  Tennessee’s question snapped Hayden from his reverie. He strained a smile. “Fine. So, show me what you’re planning for this event.”

  She opened her notepad while Hayden sipped his beer.

  “It will run over four days and four nights. Three dates per day. Every guy will go on two dates with each woman—making twelve dates in total. I’ve got local businesses putting their hand up for some of the dates. Like Bear will offer surfing lessons. A picnic at the lookout with platters provided by the local deli. The Arts Centre will be offering a nude drawing session and so on. I still have to think of some more ideas, though.” She shrugged, frowned. “It’s been a long time since I was single, so I’m a bit rusty where all that is concerned.”

  “You and me both,” he said.

  “Oh, really?”

  He nodded. “I was with Mandy for about five years. We broke up four months ago.”

  “Hmmm, I’m sorry. That’s still a fresh wound.”

  “You could say that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, I just signed divorce papers after my seven-year marriage ended.”

  He shook his head, brow furrowed. “Wow. You just don’t seem old enough to have that history.”

  “Yes, well, let’s put it all down to naïve youth. But we live and learn.”

  “That is true.”

  “You can see why I really want this to work. We can’t be the only ones suffering this Christmas,” she said.

  “It’s a noble idea.”

  “I am going to hold dinner parties at Seaspray House each evening. A different theme each night. Italian one night. A big outdoor beach barbeque the next. Chinese perhaps. I’ve booked a caterer already and am leaving it in their capable hands.”

  “You sound like you’re more on top of this than you’re giving yourself credit for.”

  She sighed. “Maybe. A second set of eyes will help find holes in my plan.”

  “Well, I don’t do anything without a spreadsheet and a to-do list.”

  Tennessee lifted her laptop from her big tote bag and plonked it on the table. “Let’s nut it out then,” she said with a giggle.

  With a break only for dinner, they worked solidly for the length of time it took to slowly drink four beers. Wine for Tennessee. She was right to have assumed she had missed important items in her planning.

  By the time they were finished, every last order, item, phone call, deadline and plan A, B and C were organised in a systematic list under the umbrella of a budget and timeline.

  Tennessee looked at the spreadsheet, then clicked to the numbered to-do list. Beside each item was a date and a box to check when done, turning the items grey once completed.

  “You weren’t exaggerating when you said you were a details guy.”

  He grinned. “I’ve learnt the hard way what happens when I’m not. Especially when millions of dollars are on the line.”

  “So, you worked on big projects in Brisbane?”

  “My ex’s family owned a property development company. They put me to use.”

  “Gee, that must make your current work on my place seem boring in comparison.”

  “You’d think so, but not the case.” He wasn’t even saying that to humour her. Sure, he had been good at his job, and in part, he enjoyed it, but it wasn’t him. He found it hard to put it into words, except to say that all the time he was in that role, leading teams of men, he was acting. In the same way Tennessee had smiled and brightened in front of the camera.

  He pushed his chair back, stood and pointed to her empty wine glass. “Another?”

  She smiled. “I’d love one. Thanks.�
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  When he arrived back at their table, he placed her drink in front of her and leant back in his chair as he had a long swallow of beer.

  “What made you leave Brisbane?” she asked. “Other than your break-up.”

  “What makes you think there’s another reason?”

  She shrugged, hid her knowing smile behind her glass as she sipped her wine. “Let’s put it down to experience. Everyone thinks I ran away from Melbourne because of my divorce. And to some degree that’s true. But, if I were to be truly honest with myself, it’s because I was done with it all. The industry was killing me. I wanted to be around real, salt-of-the-earth people. And yet, I was surrounded by people always trying to feather their own nest. I didn’t know if friends liked me for me or if they wanted something from me. And there was always this undercurrent of hostility. I mean, how they killed me off in House of Secrets is evidence of that.”

  He sat up taller. “Killed you off?”

  “Yeah, you know, when I told them I wasn’t renewing my contract, the scriptwriters killed my character off. You didn’t see it?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t really watch those types of shows.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. “Good. It’s probably best you don’t see it.”

  He leant closer, elbows on the table, curiosity prickling under his skin. “So how did they kill your character off?”

  She squirmed in her seat, her focus on the glass of wine in her hand. When she met his gaze again, her cheeks were flushed. “My character travelled to Indonesia and caught a tropical parasite. Basically, I shit myself to death.”

  Hayden rolled his head back and laughed. “You’re kidding?”

  “I wish I was. But nope. So that’s how I will be remembered after ten years of loyalty. The character who died of diarrhoea.”

  He laughed again—couldn’t help himself and was pleased when she cracked a smile and giggled too. “That is not ideal.”

  “So, what about you. I admitted my humiliating story. What’s yours?”

  All his humour rushed from his body. That tensing sensation he had lived with for the past months filled him. He swallowed a big mouthful of beer. “An employee on a job I was running died from a workplace accident.”

  Her hands flung to her mouth as she gasped. “Oh, that’s so horrible.”

  “I wasn’t on-site at the time. I’d taken leave. But the fact that it had happened, sent shockwaves through me. Shocked the whole workplace. In the end, it was just a freakish accident. No one was responsible. But the way my ex’s family dealt with it really opened my eyes to how little compassion or responsibility they were willing to take. I understand it’s a business, but I had to talk to this man’s wife and see the full-scale grief in her eyes. They had three children…” He stopped, drew a deep breath in as he shook his head.

  “I’m not made of the same substance as my ex and her family. I would never be able to be who they wanted me to be. It was never more apparent than when my employee died. And it changed everything. I could see the lie I was living, and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. So, I did what I should have done years earlier and ended my relationship, quit my position and came back home to where my roots are. Just glimpsing the ocean as I drove into town was a relief—I knew I’d made the right decision.”

  “I’m so sorry that happened, Hayden. It must have been really hard to deal with.”

  “It’s getting easier with time. And this town is helping.” His mind was muzzy from the alcohol—that could be the only reason to explain why he had opened up so much to this woman who was practically a stranger. Or maybe it was because she had confided in him and he felt she offered a safe space to finally talk about what had happened.

  She placed her hand on top of his. “Well, I for one am glad you came home.”

  That small touch sent a fire raging through him. He hadn’t been touched for so many months and it felt too good. He slowly shifted his hand out from under hers and got to his feet. “Another drink?”

  She smiled, understanding in her gaze. “Sure.”

  On his way to the bar, he hadn’t realised most patrons had left for the evening. All that remained was him, Tennessee and a group of younger guys sitting at a tall table near the bar. A piece of him didn’t want to leave yet. He was actually enjoying Tennessee’s company, which went against all his original pre-conceived notions. Despite her ability to transform into someone else under the gaze of the camera, she was, in all other moments, a genuine person.

  When he arrived back at the table, he silently repeated to himself to ease up on the deep and meaningful conversation. Seated again, he rested back in his chair, hands behind his head, elbows out wide. The ocean was dark, but the froth on the tips of the waves was illuminated from the moon, almost as though the water was glowing. The crash against the shore was rhythmical, peaceful. The stars were bright and twinkling overhead.

  “Stunning,” she said, following his line of sight. “That right there was why I chose Mercy Island as my new home.”

  He turned to her and grinned. “I understand completely. I still kick myself for ever leaving this place.”

  “We’ve got to learn our lessons.”

  “So, you don’t ever miss acting?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Not at all. By the end, I was gritting my teeth and barely getting through each day. So far there has not been one moment I’ve missed it. Do you know how many times I had to wear a bikini on a beach in the middle of a Victorian winter?”

  He laughed.

  “Not to mention having to swim when the water was ice cold. I know they wanted sexy, but goosebumped skin, a runny nose and chattering teeth are far from sexy.”

  “I can see why you prefer Mercy Island,” he said with a chuckle. Here she was warm and tanned with beachy hair and looked as sexy as sin in her bikini. But he’d keep those observations to himself. He relaxed his hands back down to his sides.

  Tennessee drank from her wine glass before asking, “Have you known Bear long?”

  “All my life. We went to school together.”

  “See, that’s what I love about this place. Lifelong bonds. I was so damn happy for Hannah when she met Bear. They are perfect for each other.” She stopped, frowned, a distant sadness reaching her expression. “I stupidly thought I’d found that for myself. Sometimes I just get things so wrong.”

  “Youthful naivety, didn’t you say?”

  She smiled. “Exactly. I’m older and wiser now. And much more discerning.”

  “Do you mind me asking why your relationship ended?” It certainly went against his deep and meaningful rule, and he would never ask such a question in a date scenario, but this wasn’t a date.

  She blew out a long breath. “I was married to the director of House of Secrets.”

  “Oh?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I know. In hindsight, it was completely stupid to think it would ever last. But I was young with all those lust chemicals screwing up my common sense. He was this sexy older guy with such a great career behind him, and I was flattered by the attention. But, in the end, so were half the actresses on the set. Turns out he’d had countless affairs over the seven years we were married. Some women were much younger than me.” She shuddered.

  He squeezed his fists as they rested on the table. “I hate men like that. Nothing more than creepy predators…” he stopped himself, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line. After all, she had married the guy—there had to be some good qualities about him.

  “I couldn’t agree more. Now that there is some time and distance between us, that’s never been more apparent.”

  She got to her feet and excused herself to use the bathroom. While she was gone, his mobile pinged. He shouldn’t have looked at it, but he was waiting on a reply. He had asked his ex if he could have their dog come stay with him for a week or two over Christmas.

  Mandy: I really don’t think that’s a good idea.

  He closed out of the message and slammed the phone bac
k on the table, swearing under his breath.

  A hand on his shoulder. The scent of honey. “Something wrong?” Tennessee asked as she took her seat again.

  He sighed. “It’s nothing.”

  “Doesn’t look like nothing.”

  He blew out an agitated breath. His jaw was firmly set. “I know it sounds pathetic, but I miss my dog. Mandy has her. I asked to have her over Christmas for a couple of weeks, but I just got a text saying no.”

  “What right does Mandy have to say no?”

  He sighed. “Technically Jilly is her dog. She spotted her in a pet shop window when she was a puppy. But once the novelty was over, I was the one who took care of her. Walked her. She came with me to worksites every day.” He lowered his eyes as grief filled his chest. Yes, Jilly was a dog, but to him, she was more than that. She was a big part of his life for years.

  “What a sucky situation. Maybe you could go steal her back.”

  He chuckled. “I’ve thought about it. Jilly must be missing me too. She probably doesn’t understand what’s going on.” He rubbed his jaw, gave a wry smile. “Maybe I’m just being a huge sook.”

  “Not at all. Pets are family too.”

  Again, she reached across the table and placed her hand on his. A flood of warmth. Tingles up his arm, heating his chest.

  Her eyes met his. “It’s a really shitty situation, Hayden. I hope Mandy changes her mind and you can come to some arrangement that suits you both.”

  “Thanks. I hope so too.”

  After a moment, she lifted her hand and went back to her drink.

  A bar attendant stopped by the table. “Hi, sorry, but we’re getting ready to close up now.”

  Hayden looked behind him. The table of young guys was gone. He hadn’t even noticed.

  “No worries. We’ll just finish these drinks, then head off.”

  * * *

  Hayden walked Tennessee the short distance back to her home. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow,” he said.

  “Sure thing. And thank you so much for your help tonight, Hayden. You have no idea how much it means to me.”