Mix-Up under the Mistletoe (Glenbriar #11)

Chapter Eleven

Rafe

‘ O nce we get Alexander down for his nap, how about we have a game of charades?’ Cressida said.

Candles flickered on the tables alongside empty plates and cracker debris. Rafe sat back and something brushed against his shoulder. For a second, his heart stopped. Had Tilly stroked him? Turning his gaze, he realised it was nothing but the tissue crown from the Christmas cracker he’d propped haphazardly on his head. His movement must have been enough to knock it off. Taking it in his hand, he slipped it onto the table, glancing at Tilly, who was still wearing her crown. Seeing the joy on her face when she’d snapped a cracker with him had thrown technicolour across his monochrome vision of Christmas.

‘Not charades,’ Genevieve moaned.

‘You love it.’ Finlay nudged her with a smile.

Tilly caught Rafe’s eye, and he realised he was still looking at her. Her cheeks were a little rosy, perhaps from the prosecco his mum had given her, and her lips quirked up. A tiny sparkle appeared in her eyes; that was better than she’d been earlier.

Being no stranger to his mum’s matchmaking tactics, Rafe guessed exactly why she’d insisted Tilly sat next to him. And he didn’t mind. He’d meant what he said earlier about fancying her a bit. Who wouldn’t? That smile got him every time, and she seemed like a sweet, sensitive soul. But those sad eyes. How could he top up that smile, so it reached them? But that wasn’t his place. His mum might imagine a fanciful outcome for them, but he was too sensible to let it happen for real. He was happy enjoying her company and making her feel welcome for a short while, but as soon as the snow melted, he’d give her a lift back to the station and let her get on with her life.

‘Do you like charades?’ He leaned back a little so she could answer without everyone hearing. This whole event was possibly a charade for her.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever played it,’ she said.

‘Oh, you’ll love it,’ Cressida pitched in, and Rafe barely held back an eye roll. His family really were a bunch of nosey parkers. ‘We can do a Christmas theme. Remember the year, Rafe, you were trying to do Santa on his sleigh, and we all thought you were acting out sitting on the toilet?’

He put his head in his hand and screwed up his lips. ‘You seriously had to remind everyone of that.’

Tilly giggled, and he threw her a look, but when his eyes met hers, he burst out laughing.

Suddenly the sparkle blazed in her pupils, and she wasn’t a little mouse, but a radiant star. ‘I bet that was quite a sight.’

‘Oh, it was,’ Cressida said. ‘He looked constipated.’

More giggles erupted from Tilly.

‘Seriously?’ Rafe said. ‘I was about twelve.’

‘No, you weren’t,’ Genevieve said. ‘I was about fifteen when that happened, so you must have been at least twenty.’

‘Well, twelve, twenty… It’s in the same ballpark.’ He gave a nonchalant shrug at her look of protest.

‘It is to me,’ grandma said. ‘I’ll be eighty next year, but I still feel like I’m in my twenties. The body just doesn’t play ball these days.’

‘Doesn’t seem to stop you though.’ Rafe raised his eyebrows.

‘True.’ She necked the remainder of her wine and poured some more.

‘Let’s go into the living room and do some charades then.’ Hilary got to her feet and lifted some plates.

‘Let us clean up, Mum.’ Rafe got up and took the plates from her. ‘You’ve done enough already. Go and relax.’

‘Ah, thank you, son.’ She patted his arm. ‘You can come with me, Tilly.’

‘I should help.’ She pushed back her seat.

‘No.’ Rafe piled up some more plates as his sisters did the same. ‘Keep Mum and Grandma company. That’ll be helping enough. We’ll clean up.’

‘If you’re sure.’

‘He is.’ Hilary helped Grandma to her feet. ‘And you haven’t met Mitzi yet.’

‘Who’s that?’ Tilly asked.

‘She’s Genevieve and Finlay’s French bulldog. She and the boys get on very well.’

‘I see,’ Tilly said as they headed out of the room.

‘They have so much energy…’ Grandma said, and their voices trailed off.

‘Ooh,’ Genevieve said as soon as they were out of earshot. ‘You and Tilly are so cute.’

Rafe gave her a look. ‘Don’t let’s go there.’

‘Why not? You said yourself you liked her. This is a chance. Grab it.’

‘I wouldn’t advise that,’ Geoff said. ‘Don’t go grabbing a strange woman. You don’t know where she’s been or what she’s up to.’

‘That is a hideous way to put it,’ Cressida said.

‘Yes, Dad,’ Genevieve said. ‘She seems really nice. Just quiet.’

‘Which makes me even more suspicious. I don’t doubt she’s a nice person, but quiet people don’t normally act the way she did.’

‘Let’s just be nice to her.’ Rafe stacked one last plate on his pile. ‘She’s really upset about causing us any trouble. When really, it’s nothing for us to add another place to dinner or let her join us for a few hours. Let’s face it, if she really was my girlfriend, you’d do that anyway.’

‘Indeed, and I certainly don’t have a problem with that,’ Geoff said. ‘I just think we should be guarded about certain things.’

‘All the more reason not to talk shop then,’ Rafe said.

‘Pity really. I have a lot of things I’d like to discuss with you.’

‘I’m sure it can wait until after Christmas.’ Rafe left the dining room for the kitchen, carrying the pile of plates, with Genevieve following.

‘You dodged that nicely,’ she said.

‘Yeah.’ He laid the plates on the kitchen counter and opened the dishwasher. ‘I don’t want him to ask me to take over the business again. I can’t.’

‘He really wants you to.’

‘I have my own business to focus on and that’s all I’ve got time for at the moment. Don’t you fancy it?’

‘I don’t really have the expertise. And I enjoy what I do. Running a big business like that is not for me and Cressida doesn’t want it either.’

‘Same. I could do it, but what about Innova? I belong there. It’s my baby and I don’t want to give it up. Sure, it’s not as big as Dad’s business, but I’m getting there, and it doesn’t feel right to walk away from it.’

‘I think you should stick with it. Even though I don’t like the idea of an outsider taking over Dad’s business when he retires, I guess I’ll have to accept that when he does.’

It was one of the reasons, Rafe had deliberately not used his name for the business. He didn’t want to end up in this situation. Would Harrington Energy Solutions be the same without a Harrington at the helm? He didn’t like the idea of handing it over to someone out of the family either, but it didn’t change his personal feelings on taking it on either. It just left him with a bad taste in his mouth. Neither choice was good.

When the washer was loaded and the dining room tidy, Rafe and the others made their way to the living room. He barely held back a laugh when he spotted Tilly sitting on the floor by the Christmas tree, being licked and slobbered over by the three dogs. Joy spread across her face, lighting it from top to bottom. Dog therapy had clearly worked wonders. Hilary beamed at him, then sidled over.

‘She’s in love,’ she said.

‘What?’

‘Tilly.’

‘Is she?’

‘With the dogs. Look at them. Have you ever seen anyone so happy?’

‘Oh… Yeah. She looks very… um, happy.’

Hilary patted his arm. ‘Don’t be jealous. I think she quite likes you too.’

‘Mum, seriously?’ Though his gut did a weird little flip-flop. Did she like him? As in like like him?

Oh god. That would not be sensible.

This was Christmas fever taking hold and making him think stupid things. Possibly the fact he hadn’t dated for a while was an issue too. Tomorrow, he needed to go for a run or pump some iron, release some of the physical tension gripping his system, and dispel the pent-up energy. Nothing he might like to do with Tilly should feature in that plan. Sleeping with the enemy wasn’t a great idea at any time… though she didn’t really look like the enemy anymore. A tiny moment of doubt flickered through him. What if his dad was right, and Tilly was faking all this to lure him into doing something stupid? But he brushed it away. Crazy as it may seem, he trusted her. But it wouldn’t be the first time he’d been fooled by a lovely smile.

He took a seat on one side of the large L-shaped sofa, expecting his mum to sit beside him, but she continued over to Tilly and chatted with her. Tilly extricated herself from the dogs and Hilary helped her up, laughing as the dogs tried to lure her back down again with their pawing and shuffling. Once Tilly was on her feet, Hilary pointed to the empty seat next to Rafe. Brushing down her clothes, Tilly came over and sat by him.

Can Mum be any more obvious? But he was in control. He dealt with people all the time, and Tilly was just another person.

‘You’re getting on well with them,’ he said.

‘They’re so cute and cuddly. I’ve never really spent much time with dogs.’

‘That’s city life, isn’t it?’ he said. ‘I miss having a dog. These guys are always fun to be around.’

‘Shuffle up.’ His mum appeared and waggled her hand, indicating for him to move even closer to Tilly.

Silently grinding his teeth, he did as his mum wanted, not drawing attention to her blatant matchmaking or the fact there was plenty of room for her without him moving. It was simpler just to let her play this game, but it meant he was closer to Tilly than was sensible. His thigh brushed hers and his body reacted like a teenager. Christ, he had this bad. He crossed his legs and Tilly glanced at him. Her smile was back. She exhaled gently and her chest heaved under her cream sweater. Ok, so he really shouldn’t be looking there. Her warm thigh pressed against his again and her shoulder nudged him. She blinked and switched her focus back to the room, but she didn’t move or attempt to pull away.

Geoff topped up the drinks, and the family chatted for a while as Tina put Alexander to bed. Rafe breathed very deliberately, until his legs relaxed. Once that happened, he found the touch of Tilly’s thigh rather pleasant. It became almost natural. Like she was meant to be here at his side.

He tossed back some more prosecco, trying to numb the inappropriate feelings jumping around inside him. But unbidden, his eyes latched onto her again, and she gazed back. It would be so easy to slant his head to the side, lean in, and kiss that precious smile. Was she thinking something similar? She blinked like she was clearing her mind, then looked away, and fiddled with the ends of her dark hair.

He restrained from leaning his arm along the back of the sofa behind her. Such territorial acts should be reserved for women he was dating, not strangers who worked for rival companies, but the need to touch her burned strong. His fingers twitched, and he gripped the stem of his glass tight.

Tina returned carrying a baby monitor and gave Cressida the thumbs up.

‘All ok?’ Hilary got to her feet.

‘He’s sound,’ Tina said.

‘Wonderful. Well, I found the box of prompts you made.’ Hilary smiled at Rafe.

He leaned his head towards Tilly’s ear, the simmering fire in his chest urging him to get closer. ‘Mum keeps the strangest things. We must have made those prompts about twenty years ago.’

Tilly smiled at him and momentarily her teeth grazed her lower lip – such an adorable action that sent lust barrelling through him, making him want to dip in and kiss her right there and then.

Master this.

Why was she affecting him like this? Curse this dry spell, making him feel like a horny teen.

‘You’re lucky.’ She gave him a little shoulder bump. ‘She values you all so highly.’

‘That’s true. But it’s what Mums do, right?’

Tilly gave a little shrug, like she wanted to disagree, but Hilary opened a small box and said, ‘Who wants to go first?’ Tilly’s attention instantly turned to her.

Rafe sipped his drink. What was Tilly’s story? Maybe her home life hadn’t been as good as his growing up. Should he ask? Or was it better not to and keep it as none of his business? He could hardly keep things purely professional now, but he could maintain sensible boundaries. Though how long they’d last, he didn’t like to say.

Finlay volunteered to go first, and the game started with the usual guessing of how many words, then syllables. The wild acting got steadily worse as the evening went on and more drinks were consumed.

Tilly declined a turn the first time around, but Rafe took his chance, put his glass onto the coffee table and tugged out a card.

When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney.

Why did this feel like history repeating itself? Time to bring out the constipation face again… Tears of laughter streaked down Tilly’s cheeks, as he strained and pushed. She took off her glasses and wiped them, still chuckling as he returned to the seat.

‘That was so funny.’ She replaced her glasses.

‘I think you should take a turn too, then I can have a good giggle as well.’

‘Ok.’ She picked a folded card from the box, read it, and took her place in the middle of the floor. Rafe sat back, leaning his arm along the sofa as he’d wanted to do earlier, watching her. What was she doing? She made several false starts, turning away and laughing, before gathering herself and making wide gestures with her arms. Then she pointed to herself, crossed her arms over her chest, and flapped her hand at the Christmas tree. Her eyes landed on him and her finger hovered in his direction before she made the wide arm gestures again.

Genevieve and Cressida were shouting out suggestions nineteen to the dozen, but Rafe frowned. ‘All I want for Christmas is you,’ he said.

She nodded, and their eyes connected again. ‘Yes.’ The noise in the room momentarily stopped and Rafe’s ears buzzed. The connection was powerful, and those song words seemed to intensify it.

‘Oooh!’ Genevieve laughed, picking up the box. ‘You two.’

Tilly took her seat back beside him, and he moved his arm just in time.

‘Thank goodness you guessed it.’ Her cheeks were very pink, but the room was warm. ‘I’m not very good at that kind of thing.’

He kept his eyes on her and smiled. ‘You seemed good to me.’

‘You definitely got the message across.’ Hilary leaned forward for her glass, beaming at the two of them as she sat back.

‘Oh… I didn’t mean—’

‘It’s ok.’ Rafe brushed his shoulder with hers. ‘Just my crazy family.’

She nipped her bottom lip with her teeth again, like she was trying to hold back a giggle, and nodded.

Heat seared in Rafe’s chest like heartburn. Prosecco could be bad for that, but this was something else – something Tilly-related. He half wished she really had come here as his girlfriend, then he could go upstairs with her after and make love to her until his body and soul were fully and deeply satisfied. Many strange things had happened today, but that wouldn’t be one of them.

Eventually, the game lapsed into chat until people started yawning. Rafe stifled his as best he could but there was no fighting it.

‘We should get some sleep,’ Cressida said. ‘Alexander always wakes in the night and gets up early.’

‘I’m calling it a night too.’ Hilary got to her feet. ‘And Grandma’s already given up on us by the looks of things.’

She was leaning over to one side on a cushion, snoring gently.

‘I’ll wake her,’ Cressida said. ‘Grandma.’ She gave her a little poke.

‘What?’ She blinked her eyes open. ‘I wasn’t asleep, just resting my eyes.’

Rafe smirked and stood up. ‘Well, I’m going to bed to rest my eyes in there.’

‘I’ll go too.’ Tilly followed him immediately. ‘I can’t thank you all enough for having me.’

‘Think nothing of it.’ Hilary put her hands on Tilly’s cheeks and kissed her forehead. ‘It’s an absolute pleasure.’

Tilly blinked as if shocked, but smiled.

They headed up the stairs together, Hilary helping Grandma.

‘You’d think in a house this size you’d have downstairs bedrooms or a lift at the very least,’ Grandma grumbled.

‘I’ll carry you if you like,’ Rafe said.

‘No, I absolutely don’t. I’d be petrified.’

He laughed and winked at Tilly.

‘Goodnight to you both,’ Hilary said through another yawn as she reached the top of the stairs.

‘Night, Mum. Grandma.’ Rafe gave them both a kiss and a hug.

‘Night,’ Tilly said.

‘And be good,’ Grandma added.

‘Um… Ok.’ Rafe furrowed his brow. Had Grandma been reading his mind? God forbid. No one needed to know what was happening in there right now. He gave her and his mum a little wave as he and Tilly turned the other way towards their rooms. ‘Sorry about them,’ he said as he reached his door. ‘They don’t mean anything. It’s just their way.’

‘It’s fine,’ Tilly said with her most beautiful smile.

Rafe leaned his hand flat on his door. ‘Sleep well, Tilly. And rest easy. Everything turned out ok today, didn’t it?’

‘Your family are so kind.’

‘Well, I’m glad you tracked me down. You’ve definitely added to the Christmas chaos today.’

The beautiful smile grew, lighting up her whole face. Rafe internally fist pumped. There it was, right up to her eyes. Shining.

‘Thank you… For everything.’ She held his gaze for a moment, then blinked. ‘Especially your stuck Santa impression. I’d have missed out for sure if I hadn’t seen that.’

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. ‘Glad it made you happy. Yours wasn’t too bad either.’

Her cheeks coloured again. Intriguing. Did that mean she was feeling something too? He doubted he was all she wanted for Christmas, but maybe she wanted something from him, or to do something with him… A kiss? A cuddle? A bit more? What was on her mind? If only he could prise it open and find out. Not that he should act on it. This situation was messy enough.

With one last smile, he opened his door. ‘Goodnight, Tilly.’

‘Goodnight.’

He went inside, loosened the neck of his sweater, then hoisted it off over his head and tossed it into the washing basket. In the room next door, Tilly would be undressing for bed too, and he had a weird sense that she was just right there on the other side of the wall, less than three metres from him, tugging off her top and rolling down her jeans, like they were undressing together.

Stop it.

But he couldn’t stop imagining the scene. Even as he lay in bed, listening to the wind whipping the snow past the window, Tilly’s face swam in his mind. Was she awake too? What thoughts danced through her mind this cold winter’s night? Was she thinking about him and how warm it would be if they were cuddled up together? He let out a groan. Could he just shut this down?

It felt like he’d barely closed his eyes when he awoke to a crying sound. For a moment he thought it was still the wind, but slowly he recognised it as a baby. Alexander must have woken. Other distant voices drifted vaguely into his conscience and the crying stopped. In another life, he was a married man with kids. If his marriage had worked out, he could easily have had two or three children by now. Instead, he’d given up that idea and focused on his career, but more and more, it felt like something fundamental was missing. The thought was keener and sharper than it had been for a long time.

His thoughts drifted to the room next door and his eyes closed to thoughts of Tilly once more.