A Surprise Christmas Wedding - Phillipa Ashley Page 0,66

and open-neck white shirt and black jeans. A flush of heat rose to Lottie’s cheeks.

‘Told you.’ Steph whispered in her ear. ‘It’s Kit Harington. The Emmy awards version.’

‘Oh God, was I staring?’

‘Eyes out on stalks like a gigantic snail,’ Steph said.

‘Argh.’

‘It’s normal, Lottie. It’s what people do: fancy the pants off each other. You look gorgeous and I bet Jay thinks so too.’

‘Shh. Stop it!’ Lottie was embarrassed. ‘I didn’t invite you here so I could go off and drool over some bloke.’

‘Hon. Stop worrying about me. We’ll be sitting together throughout the dinner and after that? I will be very annoyed if you ignore Jay because you feel you have to nursemaid me. You’ve done more than enough of that to last a lifetime and I’m perfectly capable of chatting to other people.’ Steph waggled a glass at her. ‘Do I make myself clear?’

Lottie nodded and tried to look angelic. ‘Perfectly, bossy big sister.’

‘Now, Jay’s coming over. I’ll stay long enough to be polite and then I’m off to powder my nose, or whatever.’

Trying not to gawp, Lottie waited for Jay to join them, her heart beating a little faster. How could she feel nervous in his presence when she’d spent the past month working with him? She’d seen him almost every day yet this moment felt significant.

‘Hello,’ he said with a smile.

‘Hi, Jay.’ Lottie wished she could calm down. How had he acquired the power to zap every nerve ending?

Steph smirked. ‘Hi there, Jay. Good to see you again.’

‘You too. How’s the tree doing?’ he asked.

Steph rolled her eyes. ‘Still standing. The girls have been squabbling over whose turn it is to water it.’

‘That’s better than neglecting it.’

‘Though they might kill it with kindness,’ Lottie added.

‘They’re sturdy trees. They like plenty of TLC.’ He sipped his wine again and caught Lottie’s eye. Was she imagining that he seemed to be staring at her? Or was she reading too much into the situation. She longed to stroke the velvet of his jacket – and the skin under it.

How would she get through the evening, if she was in a state before they’d even had dinner? Dare she hope that he’d realised there’d been nothing ‘going on’ between her and Connor and they could move on?

Some of Lottie’s other workmates joined them and soon Jay was part of a small group that included Thorsten and Kerr. He seemed at home and she relaxed too, although every sneaky glance at him sent shivers of desire through her.

The dinner gong sounded and everyone peeled off to find their tables. Lottie had done the place settings herself and had placed Jay with Kerr, some of the crew from the forestry team and a couple of guys from the maintenance team.

‘I’m surprised you haven’t arranged for Jay to sit right next to you,’ Steph observed quietly, unfolding her table napkin.

‘Maybe that would have been a bit … obvious?’

A waiter appeared with a bottle. ‘White or red, madam?’

‘White, please,’ said Steph. ‘This is such a treat, Lottie. Thanks for inviting me. Last year I thought I might never go to another Christmas do.’

Steph took a gulp of her wine. Lottie wondered whether she should be having too much alcohol after going so long without it? However, as Steph had pointed out, she didn’t need a nursemaid and besides, Lottie was the last person to spoil her fun after all she’d been through.

Chapter Twenty

After dinner, the band started up. Fuelled by the subsidised bar, people were immediately on their feet, and to Lottie’s amusement, the most enthusiastic dancers weren’t necessarily the ones she’d expected. She was feeling mellower after a couple of glasses but being careful because she still had to organise the raffle which was in aid of the local cottage hospital.

Lottie’s last sighting of Steph had been in a group with Shayla, quaffing champagne. She’d been laughing at something Kerr had been saying and they looked like they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The band switched to a ballad and people paired up to take to the floor. There were long-standing couples like Lukasz and his partner, but also some intriguing combinations. Two of the female gardeners, who Lottie hadn’t even realised were romantically involved, were entwined and Shayla was in the arms of the wine merchant who supplied the estate.

Jay wasn’t on the dance floor, to Lottie’s relief. She decided to seek him out but hadn’t made it far when he zeroed in on her.

‘Hello. I’ve been trying to find you for a while,’ he