‘You’re having a good time?’
Nathan put his thumb up, still chewing.
‘I am,’ said Amelia. ‘Thank you for inviting us.’
‘My pleasure.’
She couldn’t see Kyle; he was probably chatting with Mitch, who had his back to them as he talked with another group. Laughter reverberated around the room, the sense of holiday spirit was right there.
When Nathan moved to talk with the other men in the room, Darcy said to Amelia, ‘I hope the box of decorations is enough, just holler if you need more, and send me a picture when it’s done, you have my number.’
‘You seem to be enjoying tonight as much as anyone else here.’
‘I love throwing parties in this place. It’s cosy, pretty, I love it.’
‘I hear the owner is considering selling up.’ She kept her voice low in case Darcy didn’t want it broadcasted and when Darcy lowered her voice too Amelia knew it must be a sensitive subject.
‘I don’t begrudge her.’ Darcy looked around as though committing the entire place to memory. ‘But I’ll miss it.’
‘Would you consider buying?’
‘The finances might not add up but Myles and I are doing what we can.’
Amelia left it at that. She didn’t want to pry, she didn’t know Darcy well enough. ‘Where is Myles?’
‘Still at work, putting in a lot of hours again. He’ll stop by if he can. Now, can I get you a top-up?’ She indicated Amelia’s empty champagne flute.
Amelia nodded and as she waited for Darcy to return with her drink she put a hand out to touch the delicate branches of the tree, prickly, and potent enough that if you pushed them they left a sweet scent on your skin. Outside the street was dark except for the soft glow of streetlamps and the odd passing car, a couple walked past laughing away and it was when Amelia turned back to the group that she saw another couple out of the corner of her eye out on the stoop of the Inglenook Inn.
‘Aren’t we enough for you?’ Nathan brought over her champagne and another beer for himself.
She took the glass. ‘Excuse me?’
‘You’re looking out the window as though you’re bored.’
She only had eyes for him now as she didn’t want him to see what she’d seen with her own eyes, but too late, he was inquisitive enough to turn and step towards the window and as soon as he did, face like thunder, he slammed his beer bottle down on the coffee table, swore and stomped off.
Amelia followed quickly, ignoring Darcy’s look of what-the-heck-is-going-on? And before she could get there in time to warn Kyle and Scarlett, who’d been locked in a passionate clinch, Nathan had Kyle by the scruff of his neck.
‘You,’ he jabbed a finger at Kyle when he let go of him, ‘stay the hell away from my daughter.’
‘Take it easy, mate.’ Mitch stepped in – nice that someone did. Amelia wasn’t even sure how to handle this level of anger. She didn’t have much experience of prising apart a grown man and a teenager.
‘Do you have a daughter?’ Nathan’s question to Mitch was met with silence. ‘Then I suggest you stay out of it. And you,’ he turned to Amelia, ‘keep your boy away from Scarlett.’ And even though they were both staying at the inn, Nathan grabbed his coat and Scarlett’s, thrust hers at her and led her down the steps without looking back.
‘What the hell was all that about?’ Darcy, stunned at the hasty departure, stood next to Amelia at the entrance to the Inglenook Inn as snow began to fall lightly, dusting the footpath in white, the steps all the way up, the pine trees at the top on either side of the door.
Amelia shivered. ‘It was an overreaction, that was what that was.’ And when she looked back at Kyle and put out a hand to touch his arm he shrugged it away. ‘If it helps, I don’t think that was necessarily about you, Kyle.’
‘Who was it about then?’
‘Well it was partly you, but I suspect it’s also a case of an overprotective father. He probably acts that way with any boy who shows interest.’ Kyle harrumphed. ‘But you were kissing his daughter right in front of him – talk about waving a red rag to a bull. Given the run-in we had with him in the park, I’d have thought baby steps were needed.’
‘It was just a kiss between two consenting parties.’
‘You’re a fast worker, I’ll give you that. You don’t even know her. What were you thinking?’ Suddenly she was annoyed her evening was ending this way. Couldn’t Kyle read a situation enough to do the right thing, ever?
‘I met her before at the markets.’
