Page 37 of Christmas All the Way

‘I know but she seemed to have her heart set on it, and I’d already disappointed her once,’ Keeley sighed. ‘And she’s a great volunteer – I want to keep her happy if I can. Her talk actually sounds very well researched, even if it does involve a few fairly substantial leaps of faith and some pretty spicy affairs. I think there might be an audience for it.’

‘Just not at Christmas,’ he finished. ‘But maybe around St Valentine’s Day – I could definitely see that working.’

‘Yes!’ she said, beaming up at him and instantly wished she hadn’t, because she was suddenly reminded how close he was. ‘That would be perfect.’

Seeming to pick up on her discomfort, Xander rose from the desk and dragged over the chair from the corner. He was still beside her, but at least there was a little more distance between them. ‘I’m glad things are coming together this end because I think we’re just about ready to go live with the booking system,’ he said. ‘Can I run the campaign past you, make sure you’re happy with it?’

When she nodded, he reached into his rucksack and pulled out his laptop. She was instantly transported back to the morning they had first met, when the thought of being forced to sit through a presentation had made her jaw feel as though it might never unclench. But now she knew him better, the sight of him opening his laptop didn’t bother her at all. When had she come to respect his opinion rather than rail against it? she wondered. Could it have been the morning he’d introduced her to Delores Semple’s house? Or was it a more gradual change, brought on by her growing appreciation of his skills? It was impossible to know for sure. All she could say was that he impressed her more every day.

‘These are the images we’ll load onto the website, and across social media,’ he said, moving through a series of pictures that showed Juniper Cottage in its full Christmas glory. ‘I’ve incorporated some into graphics that I’ll share once everything is live, but there are also a few videos. This one is for the website.’

Keeley watched as the front door of the cottage swung open and the Christmas tree in the hall was revealed, resplendent with its flickering faux candles. ‘It looks amazing,’ she breathed, as the hallway melted into a view of the table and tea cups in front of the fire. ‘I feel all Christmassy.’

‘That’s the idea,’ he said, grinning. ‘And I had a thought about the finale of the tour. I know we need to be careful to make sure the groups don’t run into each other, but would it be possible to finish up with a return visit to the drawing room?’

Keeley ran through the route in her mind. If they timed things right, it should be possible for the following group to be upstairs as the prior guide concluded their tour. ‘I think so. Why?’

‘I thought it might be nice to have another tree there, but this one surrounded by presents – as though Christmas Day has arrived while the guests have been moving around the house.’ He eyed her hopefully. ‘What do you think?’

She sat still, running the scene in her head, imagining pushing back the door to reveal the delights inside. ‘I think it’s a wonderful idea,’ she said, turning her head to smile at him. ‘We’ll definitely make that happen.’

Perhaps it was the irrepressible joy that the thought of Christmas raised in her, or perhaps it was the appreciation of Xander’s simple but brilliant suggestion, on top of the obvious hard work and skill he had put into making Juniper Cottage look utterly irresistible, but Keeley was suddenly glad he was so close to her. Before her brain could tell her it was a terrible idea, she leaned very slightly forward to kiss him.

His lips were warm and soft and tasted of sugar and butter. Her eyes fluttered shut as his arms curled around her, easing her closer to deepen the kiss. Almost of their own volition, her fingers crept up to the nape of his neck, sinking into the golden strands in a way she’d tried her hardest not to imagine since that night in the library. And then she stopped thinking and let herself float on the ebb and flow of sensation washing through her. A lazy heat began to smoulder deep inside. As the flame caught, she sensed the same response in him. One hand rose to cup the back of her neck. His mouth became more insistent, pressing into her with a hunger she felt too. She wanted the moment to last forever, but at the same time was all too aware of where they were. With an ache of regret, she took her fingers from his hair and slid her hands to his chest to push him gently back.

‘Sorry,’ he said, although he looked far too pleased with himself to convey anything resembling actual repentance. ‘That wasn’t very professional of me.’

Keeley sighed. ‘Actually, it wasn’t very professional of me. I’d pretty much convinced myself we shouldn’t do that again but then I immediately undo all my hard work by kissing you the first chance I get.’

Xander raised his eyebrows. ‘You could have kissed me when I first arrived. That was your first chance. And I thought we agreed the other night that we’d pick up where we left off at some point. I’d say that was a pretty satisfactory continuation of things.’

She couldn’t help smiling. ‘It was. But I can’t help wondering whether we’re making life difficult for ourselves.’

He nodded. ‘By choosing completely inappropriate locations to kiss each other, you mean?’

Again, she smiled. ‘By kissing each other at all. There’s a reason anyone with half a brain knows not to mix business with pleasure. What if something goes wrong and we end up having to work together while hating the sight of each other?’

‘It’s a risk,’ he conceded with a shrug. ‘But what if everything goes right and we end up kissing each other like that over and over again?’

The mere thought threatened to overwhelm Keeley’s carefully reclaimed composure. For a moment, she swayed towards him, then pulled herself back. ‘Stop that,’ she scolded, although she couldn’t manage much ire.

‘Stop what?’ Xander said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. ‘All I meant was that if I enjoy kissing you, and you enjoy kissing me, what’s the problem?’

She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the tingle of her skin where his fingers had touched. ‘The problem is that it’s bound to get messy.’

His mouth twitched. ‘That’s what showers are for.’

A deep blush warmed her face as she caught his meaning. ‘Professionally,’ she clarified, as her treacherous imagination set off down another route entirely. ‘Malcolm told me we’re equal in terms of seniority, so at least I’m not your boss and you’re not mine, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for this to blow up in our faces.’

‘I’m just a contractor,’ Xander said, shrugging. ‘I’m paid by the trustees for the work I do, but I’m not actually an employee and therefore not technically a colleague. Does that help?’

‘Not really,’ Keeley sighed.

There was a brief silence as he considered her. ‘The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. If you’d rather keep things strictly professional, then we can do that.’

She bit her lip, still tender from kissing him. On one hand, she was grateful he understood and respected her position, but on the other, she rather desperately wanted to kiss him again, and she suspected that indecision was written all over her face. She took a deep breath. ‘How about if we take it one day at a time?’

‘You mean, we keep things strictly professional for the rest of today?’ he said.