A Surprise Christmas Wedding

by Phillipa Ashley

  ‘Let’s see if we can find him. then. Come on, it’s party time!’

  The ballroom was spectacular, with the round tables laid out for Christmas dinner for the sixty-odd staff and guests, with the tree bedecked in jewel-like finery.

  There was still no sign of Jay but Shayla swept up, looking amazing in a full-length silver dress. ‘Wow. Fabulous, darlings!’ she said. ‘You look wonderful, Steph. I’m so glad you’re here.’

  Steph grinned. ‘Not as glad as I am.’

  ‘Oh yes, I see what you mean,’ Shayla said, and hugged her.

  Lottie smiled. ‘You look fantastic too, Shayla.’

  She swished her hem. ‘Yes, I think I do.’

  They all burst out laughing.

  ‘Must circulate! Have a wonderful time. You’ve both earned it.’

  ‘Oh, he’s here.’

  Over the rim of her glass, Lottie spotted Jay’s curly head above the throng. He was standing by the window, chatting to the head gardener, Thomasina aka Tommy. She’d moved aside to greet someone and Jay was suddenly revealed. With Tommy’s attention diverted elsewhere, Jay was temporarily cast adrift. He glanced around him and seemed nervous, sipping at a glass of fizz, one hand in his pocket.

  He was positively edible in a dark green velvet jacket and open-neck white shirt and black jeans. A flush of heat rose to Lottie’s cheeks.

  ‘Told you.’ Steph whispered in her ear. ‘It’s Kit Harington. The Emmy awards version.’

  ‘Oh God, was I staring?’

  ‘Eyes out on stalks like a gigantic snail,’ Steph said.

  ‘Argh.’

  ‘It’s normal, Lottie. It’s what people do: fancy the pants off each other. You look gorgeous and I bet Jay thinks so too.’

  ‘Shh. Stop it!’ Lottie was embarrassed. ‘I didn’t invite you here so I could go off and drool over some bloke.’

  ‘Hon. Stop worrying about me. We’ll be sitting together throughout the dinner and after that? I will be very annoyed if you ignore Jay because you feel you have to nursemaid me. You’ve done more than enough of that to last a lifetime and I’m perfectly capable of chatting to other people.’ Steph waggled a glass at her. ‘Do I make myself clear?’

  Lottie nodded and tried to look angelic. ‘Perfectly, bossy big sister.’

  ‘Now, Jay’s coming over. I’ll stay long enough to be polite and then I’m off to powder my nose, or whatever.’

  Trying not to gawp, Lottie waited for Jay to join them, her heart beating a little faster. How could she feel nervous in his presence when she’d spent the past month working with him? She’d seen him almost every day yet this moment felt significant.

  ‘Hello,’ he said with a smile.

  ‘Hi, Jay.’ Lottie wished she could calm down. How had he acquired the power to zap every nerve ending?

  Steph smirked. ‘Hi there, Jay. Good to see you again.’

  ‘You too. How’s the tree doing?’ he asked.

  Steph rolled her eyes. ‘Still standing. The girls have been squabbling over whose turn it is to water it.’

  ‘That’s better than neglecting it.’

  ‘Though they might kill it with kindness,’ Lottie added.

  ‘They’re sturdy trees. They like plenty of TLC.’ He sipped his wine again and caught Lottie’s eye. Was she imagining that he seemed to be staring at her? Or was she reading too much into the situation. She longed to stroke the velvet of his jacket – and the skin under it.

  How would she get through the evening, if she was in a state before they’d even had dinner? Dare she hope that he’d realised there’d been nothing ‘going on’ between her and Connor and they could move on?

  Some of Lottie’s other workmates joined them and soon Jay was part of a small group that included Thorsten and Kerr. He seemed at home and she relaxed too, although every sneaky glance at him sent shivers of desire through her.

  The dinner gong sounded and everyone peeled off to find their tables. Lottie had done the place settings herself and had placed Jay with Kerr, some of the crew from the forestry team and a couple of guys from the maintenance team.

  ‘I’m surprised you haven’t arranged for Jay to sit right next to you,’ Steph observed quietly, unfolding her table napkin.

  ‘Maybe that would have been a bit … obvious?’

  A waiter appeared with a bottle. ‘White or red, madam?’

  ‘White, please,’ said Steph. ‘This is such a treat, Lottie. Thanks for inviting me. Last year I thought I might never go to another Christmas do.’

  Steph took a gulp of her wine. Lottie wondered whether she should be having too much alcohol after going so long without it? However, as Steph had pointed out, she didn’t need a nursemaid and besides, Lottie was the last person to spoil her fun after all she’d been through.

  Chapter Twenty

  After dinner, the band started up. Fuelled by the subsidised bar, people were immediately on their feet, and to Lottie’s amusement, the most enthusiastic dancers weren’t necessarily the ones she’d expected. She was feeling mellower after a couple of glasses but being careful because she still had to organise the raffle which was in aid of the local cottage hospital.

  Lottie’s last sighting of Steph had been in a group with Shayla, quaffing champagne. She’d been laughing at something Kerr had been saying and they looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

  The band switched to a ballad and people paired up to take to the floor. There were long-standing couples like Lukasz and his partner, but also some intriguing combinations. Two of the female gardeners, who Lottie hadn’t even realised were romantically involved, were entwined and Shayla was in the arms of the wine merchant who supplied the estate.

  Jay wasn’t on the dance floor, to Lottie’s relief. She decided to seek him out but hadn’t made it far when he zeroed in on her.

  ‘Hello. I’ve been trying to find you for a while,’ he said.

  ‘Me too. Lucky we finally tracked one another down.’

  Jay seemed transfixed by her. ‘Is it shallow of me to say you look lovely?’

  Lottie flushed with pleasure. ‘I don’t mind …’ She wondered if she dare pay him a similar compliment, but ‘you look like Kit Harington and I’m going weak at the knees’ was absolutely not a good idea. ‘You decided not to wear the uniform then?’ she said as lightly as she could.

  ‘Yeah. I bought this jacket specially. Trevor didn’t seem too impressed.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘I’ll probably never wear it again.’

  ‘Welcome to my world,’ said Lottie. ‘And Trevor may love you but I don’t think he’s the best judge of fashion.’

  ‘Maybe not, though I did catch him lying on it the other day.’

  She laughed, thinking she wouldn’t mind being Trevor, cosying up to Jay in his cottage.

  ‘My Christmas tree is beautiful, by the way,’ she said. ‘Thanks for bringing it. You must come and have a look, though it’s not as grand as the one in here.’

  He smiled. ‘I’d like that a lot. We’ve both been so busy over the past few days.’

  ‘Yes. We have.’

  She was aware they were dancing around each other, but not actually doing the real thing. Should she ask him? Why did she need to wait for him to make the move?

  She went for it. ‘Do you want to—’

  ‘Dance?’

  They burst out laughing that they’d both asked the question simultaneously.

  ‘I think that settles it,’ he said.

  A moment later, they were on the dance floor and Jay’s hands were resting at her waist. His touch was so light …

  It felt natural and also extraordinary at the same time, though Lottie couldn’t have explained the feeling in words. The two of them barely moved, in fact it was more of a shuffle on the spot. She didn’t know if anyone was looking. All she knew was that he smelled gorgeous and when the velvet of his jacket brushed her wrists, her skin tingled.

  ‘This is retro,’ he murmured, and Lottie noticed he’d moving a
little closer to her and she had no objections. ‘It’s been a very long time since I went to a do where people danced together – as couples,’ he added with a soft emphasis that thrilled her.

  She didn’t need to reply, simply gave herself to the pleasure of being so close to the warmth of Jay’s body. They danced slowly, saying nothing but moving closer all the time, until her face was almost touching his shoulder. She pressed her hands against his back, the velvet smooth beneath her fingertips. She heard his sigh, felt it, even, and wondered if he could sense her heart beating.

  A cool current of air made her shiver.

  ‘Are you cold?’ he asked, searching her face.

  ‘No. The opposite.’

  They were near the French doors, which were open a little to let some air into the overheated ballroom. The curtains rippled softly in the wind.

  ‘Want to get some air? It might be chilly, but we could stand in the shelter of the doorway.’

  She smiled. ‘I don’t mind about the cold.’

  They slipped behind the curtains and the chill embraced her, though it felt exhilarating. An inch of snow coated the terrace but in the immediate shelter of the house, the flagstones were still bare. Light spilled out from the windows, and the full moon shone through a gap in the clouds, revealing the silvery lake and the hunched black fells above it.

  It was beautiful and she didn’t want to go back inside, but she shivered again and had to wrap her arms around herself.

  ‘Here.’ Jay took off his jacket.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘And I’m happy for an excuse to take it off.’

  She laughed. ‘OK, then, as a favour to you.’ Eyes sparkling with amusement, he slipped it around her shoulders, and cocooned her with the warmth of his body.

  ‘Thank you.’ They gazed in silence for a few moments before Lottie murmured, ‘I’ve lived in the Lakes all my life but I still have to pinch myself to believe I work at Firholme.’

  ‘Would you ever move away?’ he asked.

  ‘I thought of it once. I almost did but – life got in the way,’ she said. ‘What about you?’

  Jay gazed out at the lake. ‘I thought of it too, after last Christmas. I started searching for jobs in Canada, checking if I could make a go of it over there. I wanted to get as far away from all the crap here as possible.’

  ‘Why didn’t you?’

  He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Every time I began to fill in the forms, or press send on an application, something stopped me. I was in limbo, unable to take a step.’

  ‘Maybe it’s better you didn’t do anything sudden. I’m definitely glad you didn’t emigrate.’

  He returned his attention to Lottie. ‘Me too, and I’m glad you came to work at Firholme. I don’t think I’d be at the party tonight if you hadn’t encouraged me.’

  ‘Hassled you, more like?’

  ‘I needed a kick up the arse, to be honest.’

  She laughed. ‘I hadn’t intended to do anything quite that drastic.’

  ‘You’ve helped me to see that my family matter and that I actually used to enjoy Christmas. All the little things that families do together, I might have rolled my eyes and thought they were a bit cheesy but it’s still a time for us to get together and have a laugh, and spend time in each other’s company: put a brake on all the other madness in our lives.’

  ‘That’s true. What happened to Steph focused all our minds, too.’

  ‘I understand. I realise I do actually enjoy opening the silly presents, Mum’s baking, Dad’s turkey dinner, Ben telling rude jokes at the dinner table. That stuff means more than I realised and while things can’t be the same, it’s time for me to embrace the new normal.’

  This positive sign gave her an even warmer glow. ‘I’m happy you made a start.’

  He smiled but seemed hesitant too. ‘I’ve been wondering, could this – us – be part of the new normal too?’

  His words took her aback. She hadn’t been expecting anything so positive from him. ‘Yes, I think it could.’

  He rested his hand on her cheek and moments later, they were kissing. Lottie gave her answer. She kissed him back. He drew her closer and the kiss deepened. She revelled in the warmth of his mouth, the security of his arms around her and the delicious thrill of desire.

  ‘If this is the new normal,’ she said when their lips parted, ‘I hope it carries on.’

  ‘Me too, but I don’t want things to go too fast. For you, I mean. I haven’t been the easiest of people to make friends with. I’m finding it hard to trust people again, even people I should trust. People like you, Lottie.’

  Lottie did feel things were happening fast, but that didn’t matter. Jay had made a leap forward and she was happier than she’d been for many months. Steph was right about her and Jay: they were both ready to step into the brave new world and find love again.

  ‘Lottie!’

  They sprang apart, Lottie’s heart thumping. Shayla had whipped the curtains back and disco lights and music spilled out from the ballroom.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry. Ignore me.’

  ‘Too late for that,’ Jay muttered and Lottie stifled a giggle.

  ‘No, it’s fine. Jay and I were just getting some fresh air.’

  ‘Very fresh! It’s bloody freezing out here. Someone had seen you walk out and I came to see if you’d mind drawing the raffle.’

  ‘Oh, God. Is it that time already?’

  ‘Yes, I can find someone else, if you’re busy.’

  ‘No. No, I’m not.’

  Jay stayed silent beside her and she hoped he would understand what she meant. Well, what else could she say? ‘I’m busy having the best kiss ever and finally getting to know Jay intimately so just this once, jog on, boss.’

  ‘If you’re sure.’ Shayla let Jay go in ahead and as Lottie passed by, she whispered: ‘Nice jacket.’

  For the next ten minutes, Lottie had to set aside her magical moment with Jay and concentrate on MC-ing the raffle. She tried to find him in the crowd, but he didn’t even appear to be in the room, and he didn’t have any winning numbers. Steph also hadn’t won anything and Lottie knew her sister had bought several tickets. She wasn’t in the room either. Her skin prickled with unease. Come to think of it, Lottie hadn’t seen Steph since before she’d danced with Jay.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jay might have been walking on air when he left the ballroom to go to the washrooms. Shayla’s appearance had been frustrating to say the least, but it was only a blip. He was sure he could find Lottie later and they could take things from where they’d left off.

  Since he’d stumbled upon that guy from the wedding party in Lottie’s cottage, he hadn’t been able to shake off the sense that she was hiding something – or at least that he was missing a vital aspect of her story. For now, he brushed that feeling aside and enjoyed the memory of their amazing kiss.

  As he finished drying his hands he realised he’d left his jacket with Lottie. That was cool. It looked a lot better on her than it had on him, despite her compliments. Still buoyant, he walked back into the vestibule, intending to find Lottie as soon as possible.

  ‘Jayyyy …’

  The foyer was empty – so where did the groan come from?

  He soon found out. Steph was slumped on the padded bench at the back, under the stairs that led up to the bedrooms.

  ‘Jayyyy …’

  She looked pale and her eyes were half-open. Jay’s heart sank. He crouched on the tiles and picked up her hand. ‘Steph, I’m here. Are you OK?’ Clearly, she wasn’t but he was hoping it was the champagne, not something more serious, that had caused her to collapse here.

  She sparked into life. ‘I’m fine. I’m great. I’m wonderful!’ She tried to stand but stumbled, grabbing his arm to steady herself. ‘Have to go back to the ball. Cinderella needs me.’

  ‘Whoa, careful.’ He slipped his arm around her shoulders, now almost certain that she was only suffering from too much party spirit. ‘It might be b
etter to sit down again,’ he said, gently, helping her back onto the bench.

  She was clearly having trouble focusing on his face. ‘But Lottie will miss me.’

  ‘I can fetch her if you like?’

  ‘Yes. No.’ She put her finger on her lips. ‘Shhh.’ Her hand slipped and hung loosely by her side.

  ‘Will you be OK for just one minute while I find her?’ Jay slowly rose from the bench.

  ‘No! Don’t go.’ She grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

  ‘I really think I should find Lottie. I promise I won’t be more than a few moments.’

  ‘Mm. Okayyyy.’ Her word were slurred. ‘Ijustwannasay, has anyone ever told you you’re a lovely guy?’

  ‘Not often, no,’ Jay said and might have been amused under other circumstances. Knowing Steph’s medical history, he couldn’t help being concerned. Maybe she was on some medication?

  ‘Lottie thinks you’re luvverly. She thinks you are Kit Harry ton.’

  ‘Kit Harry …’ Jay was flummoxed. ‘I’m not sure I understand.’

  ‘Kitty Harington.’ Steph gave him a little push and tutted at his ignorance. ‘You know. It’s your hair, mainly and all your tools – choppers, stuff like that.’

  ‘Choppers?’ Jay was still completely confused.

  ‘The hot one from Throne of Games … Game of Stones … oh, sod it. Anyway …’ Steph poked her finger in his chest. ‘She really fancies you. You should snap her up … but she’s too scared to tell you how much.’

  ‘Too scared?’ Jay’s intrigue level was now off the scale, but he didn’t dare wait any longer to find Lottie.

  ‘Someone broke her heart. Bastard,’ Steph declared. ‘She deserves someone better. Someone lovely like you. You are a lovely man.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll be back in a sec. You stay here and don’t move.’ Gently, Jay disentangled Steph’s fingers from his, his heart leaping at the prospect of Lottie fancying him although any comparison to Kit Harington was obviously a product of Steph’s drunken imagination.

  ‘Wait!’ Her fingers closed around his wrist and she gave him a dreamy look. Jay was worried she might slip into unconsciousness.

  ‘Lottie never shuts up about you now … Jay this, Jay that.’ Steph smiled then shook her head like a child. ‘It used to be all Connor. Connor, Connor. On and on about him.’ She wagged her finer. ‘Not now. Jay, Jay, Jay.’