Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,28

every inch of him. And there was a lot to scan. From his dripping wet hair to his broad shoulders; his firm chest and his six-pack; his manly hips, strong thighs and long legs. And everything in between. Every part of him was perfect. Every. Single. Inch.’

‘What the hell? Yes. I’m naked. And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t stare at me as if you’ve never seen a naked man before.’

He turned and grabbed a towel and Molly admired his perfect bottom.

She’d seen a naked man before – quite a few, in fact – but never one who looked as good as Chance.

‘Molly!’ he snapped, wrapping the towel around his waist. ‘You’re spilling coffee all over the floor.’

‘What? Oh God. Sorry.’ She righted the mug but there was hardly any coffee left in it. ‘But don’t yell at me. You told me to come in.’

‘No I didn’t. I said, ‘Coming’. As in, ‘Wait outside. I’m coming to the door.’

‘Oh. It didn’t sound like that. Next time tell me to wait and then tell me you’re coming.’

He raised his brows and a cheeky, sexy grin swept over his mouth. ‘Are we still talking about the same thing?’

‘What? Eew!’

She banged the virtually empty mug on the top of a chest of drawers and turned and walked away.

‘Thanks for the coffee,’ he called after her.

She could hear that he was laughing. But she’d also seen him blush when she’d first walked in.

If only she’d had her phone. She would’ve loved to have a photo of Chance in the buff. Although, in truth, she’d been far too shocked and embarrassed to have even considered taking a photo.

Fifteen

Sarah couldn’t believe it when Molly gave her a blow-by-blow account at the Christmas Market later that morning.

‘I think you heard exactly what he said but you pretended you misheard him so that you could see him naked.’

‘And how would I have known he was naked? I swear to you, I was sure he told me to come in. Anyway, we haven’t mentioned it since. I took the dogs out. Which nearly killed me, I might add. I should’ve bought a sled and they could’ve pulled me along on that in the snow. When I returned, Chance was already making breakfast and Vicky had just come down. He gave me a few odd looks across the table while we ate, but other than saying he’d take the dogs with him so that his mum could rest some more today, we hardly spoke at all.’

‘So are you more besotted with him now you’ve seen all his bits, or less impressed than before?’

‘Oh more. Much more. He’s got some very impressive bits.’

They giggled like school girls while they set up the stall and were still giggling about it at the end of the day. Molly could hardly think of anything other than Chance standing naked before her.

Even the large number of customers she served throughout the day didn’t distract her thoughts for long. And neither did listening to the carol singers who walked around the market dressed in Victorian finery, belting out several of Molly’s favourite carols.

The arrival of Father Christmas on his sleigh which was pulled by a team of reindeer did take her mind off Chance for about five minutes, but when Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas, Chance popped straight back into her head.

She’d looked around the other stalls and made a few purchases, both for herself and for the cottage, and that made her think, not just of Chance but also of his girlfriend.

‘Have you ever seen a photo of Jolene?’ Molly asked as she and Sarah packed up the few items they hadn’t sold.

‘No. Never. I’m not sure if Terry has but he hasn’t mentioned it to me.’

‘Don’t you think that’s odd? He doesn’t even have a photo of her. At least he doesn’t carry one around with him. Not even on his phone. You’d think he would, wouldn’t you? Especially as they’re thousands of miles apart.’

‘Perhaps they videocall one another a lot.’

‘Maybe. But still. You’ve got a photo of Terry on your phone, haven’t you? And I know you’ve got one in your purse because you’ve shown it to me, several times in fact, usually when you’re drunk. And I also know he’s got several of you, and he does carry a wallet and there’s one of you in that.’

‘What’s the big deal? Surely it’s a good sign as far as you’re concerned?’

‘Why?’

‘Because perhaps he’s not as madly in love with Jolene