Page 50 of Outback Secrets

Chapter Fourteen

Liam froze as he approached his apartment just after midnight on Saturday evening to find a large wreath hanging on the door.

What the hell!?

His fingers curled into fists and a light sweat erupted on his skin as he took in the concoction of red, gold and green ribbons, plastic berries and foliage that had been pillaged from native vegetation.

This had to be Henri’s doing. Who else but a girlfriend—or rather a fake one—would feel they had the right to do such a thing?

He glanced down to grumble at Sheila, only to remember that his dog was already inside. No doubt curled up with Henri on his bed.

Irritation swept through him as he ripped the wreath off its hook.

She’d overstepped the mark with this. It was one thing taking his bed most nights, another to be pretending to be together—touching and kissing in public—but hanging Christmas decorations was pushing the friendship too far. No one came up here apart from his staff and out-of-towners, so this ugly, over-sized decoration wasn’t aiding and abetting their farce.

The only place he wanted to see it was in his trash can, exactly where he was about to shove it.

With the offending item in one hand, he wrenched the door open with the other and stormed inside, his heart jolting at the sight of Henri on his couch, Sheila fast asleep beside her.

Why was she still awake?

And not only awake, but sitting here in tiny shorts and a skimpy tee watching stupid Christmas movies?

‘Hello,’ she said, as she gestured to what he was carrying. ‘I see you found my Christmas wreath. Too ugly to hang on your door? Don’t worry, I’m not offended.’

Dragging his gaze from the TV he turned properly to look at her, swallowing at the sight of her bare legs.

‘What?’ His brain catching up, he looked at the wreath, then held it up like it was a trophy. ‘No, not at all. I just thought it might be better downstairs where everyone can see it.’

It was like someone else had climbed into his body and started operating his voice box. That was not what he’d planned to say at all, but his irritation had all but dissipated at the uncertainty that crossed her face.

He was being irrational. Henri didn’t know what Christmas decorations did to him. She hadn’t hung the wreath to upset him. It was probably some kind of twisted thanks for going along with her scheme.

She frowned. ‘Are you sure? I know it’s not the prettiest thing, but I didn’t know what else to do with it. Mum’s is now hanging in pride of place on our front door, so she suggested I give mine to you.’

‘Thank you.’ He took a quick breath. ‘And yes, I’m sure. I’ll hang it tomorrow morning.’

If it was outside, he wouldn’t have to see it all the damn time, and it might also go towards appeasing the locals who’d latched on to Karen’s suggestion they call the pub ‘Bar Humbug’. In less than twenty-four hours, he’d lost count of the number of people who’d said it to him. All of them cackling as if it were the funniest thing they’d ever heard.

As if Henri could read his mind, she said, ‘I notice you don’t have any other Christmas decorations?’

He put the wreath carefully down on a side table and shrugged. ‘I don’t see the point. You go to all this effort to put them up, only to have to take them all down again. And then there’s the storage—waste of good space. Christmas is really for little kids anyway and, you may have noticed, little kids aren’t really my clientele.’

She raised one eyebrow. ‘Sounds like a cop-out to me, Liam. The least you could do is put up a tree and throw some tinsel around.’

‘You’re up late,’ he said, hoping to distract her from this line of conversation. ‘Thought you’d be in bed already?’

She took a moment to reply, and he thought maybe she’d try to push him on the decorations, but then she simply shrugged one shoulder. ‘Couldn’t sleep.’

‘So, you decided to watch Christmas movies instead?’ He hated them almost as much as he hated decorations.

‘Die Hard is not a Christmas movie,’ she exclaimed as Bruce Willis scaled an elevator shaft on the screen.

‘Ah, yes it is.’

‘Why? Just cos it’s set at Christmas?’ She scoffed. ‘Name one other so-called Christmas movie that has so much blood, gore and violence.’

Liam came up blank but wasn’t about to roll over and let her win the argument. He flopped down in the armchair beside her. ‘Just because there’s machine guns, doesn’t make it not a Christmas movie either. It’s about McClane realising how much he misses his wife and family …’ He swallowed. ‘Because he wants to spend the holiday with them.’