Page 76 of The Christmas Letter

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you asking for my expert opinion?’

Holly wrinkled her nose. If Emma hated it, she’d just tell her that Jack picked it out – Emma was hardly going to fault Jack right now, was she? She also picked out something for herself – a white playsuit with three-quarter-length sleeves and a tie at the middle – and after paying they left the shop, thanking the owner.

Holly sighed as they walked back along the canal. ‘I keep thinking I should be doing something more useful.’

‘I know,’ Jack said quietly. There was nothing; they both knew that. But it didn’t stop Holly from feeling useless.

‘How long, do you think . . .?’ She didn’t want to say the rest of the sentence out loud. Because saying it out loud would make it real.

‘I don’t know,’ Jack said quietly. ‘I suppose I need to book in some visits to the doctor, when we get back.’ Holly didn’t miss the implication there – he was planning to stick around.

‘Well, I think that’s me done,’ Holly admitted. The back of her neck was pricking with sweat, and her feet were starting to feel swollen. She needed to get back to the hotel, shower, and lie down. ‘We could get a quick drink before heading back to the water bus?’ It wasn’t actually called the water bus – she couldn’t remember the official name – but that’s what it was: the boat that everyone used to get around the islands which made up Venice. It had been packed on the way out: so many people off to explore. Then she frowned. ‘I didn’t look at what time the return journeys are, though.’

‘I did,’ Jack said as they stopped at the nearest café, right at the edge of the water.

‘Of course you did.’ She saw an empty table and made a beeline for it.

One eyebrow quirked up. ‘Are you mocking me?’

She gave a solemn headshake. ‘Never.’

He chuckled quietly. ‘I’ll get some drinks – what do you want?’

‘A coke, thanks.’ What was it about hot weather and being abroad that always made you want a coke?

‘So,’ Jack said when he came back with two bottles, ‘I came up with a better idea.’

Holly took the drink, and a greedy gulp. ‘Better idea than—’

‘Than the Vaporetto.’

Right, that was what it was called. ‘And that would be . . .?’

He only held up a finger, indicating she should have patience.

‘What?’ she demanded. ‘What’s the idea?’

But she didn’t have to wait long to find out. Soon enough, a sleek-looking wooden speedboat pulled up next to the café, in the designated area of the water that seemed to have been designed specifically for that purpose. Jack immediately stood, offering his hand to Holly. She laughed but shook her head. ‘Jack, those things are really expensive.’ She knew, because she and Emma had asked – they’d been overtaken by one on the way from the airport and had stared enviously at the private boat and its two passengers, who seemed so comfortable and smug, but when they’d found out the cost, they’d immediately deemed the water taxis way out of their budget.

‘It’s on me,’ Jack said.

‘You can’t—’

‘Too late,’ he interrupted. ‘I’ll probably have to pay either way now.’

She hesitated, glancing at the water taxi and the man who was waiting behind the wheel.

‘Come on – when in Venice?’

And really, she was hardly going to argue, was she? Especially not when she really did want to take one and see if it was as good as that couple had made it look.

The driver held his hand out when she approached and helped Holly onto the boat – which was a good thing, since she stumbled as she stepped on, causing Jack to laugh quietly behind her. The two of them headed for the back of the boat as it reversed out of the parking bay. There was an undercover bit with seating, but Holly opted to stand up, leaning against the railings – and holding on for good measure – and Jack stayed with her.

They sped up and Holly couldn’t help the whoop of laughter as she felt the wind tug through her hair. And fine, the smug couple had been right to look smug, because this was so much better than the water bus. She just about resisted the temptation to throw her arms out and catch the wind.

Jack’s head was bowed towards her, looking at her rather than across the water. He looked so damn sexy in sunglasses, his dark curled hair windswept in a ruffled, bed-head kind of way. She couldn’t quite see his eyes behind the dark frames, but she could tell that he was watching her.

‘What?’ she asked.