Page 76 of Escape for Christmas
Brody put it on and Tegan hugged him, before looking around the room with a happy sigh and declaring, ‘Oh, Idolove Christmas!’
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
His mother would be proud of him, Brody thought, as stepping in to entertain a houseful of strangers during an emergency was surely her idea of heaven.
While it hadn’t exactly been hell, Brody had found it exhausting to keep up the bonhomie and the pretence of being the happy couple, in front of Sophie and the others. He’d tried to stay out of her way for a bit, keeping himself busy, loading and emptying the dishwasher, refilling glasses and trying to smooth over any tense moments with Sophie.
She had led her guests on a snowy walk into the village after lunch. Brody knew she’d done it to give him and Tegan some space and he was grateful. At first he’d felt guilty at landing so much work on Tegan, but she’d seemed to be in her element, acting as hostess.
It was now late afternoon and all the lamps had been lit in the farmhouse. Nico and Agatha had returned to the snug with glasses of mulled wine and mince pies. Nico was reclining in Brody’s father’s armchair, with his feet up on a tapestry footstool, and Agatha was relaxing on the sofa with one of Brody’s father’s Dick Francis novels.
The other escapees must still be outside, along with Sophie. Brody had detected a slight undercurrent of tension between Amber and Suzanne. Agatha, Una and Hugo seemed like decent people, but there was something about Nico that he didn’t like, although he couldn’t put his finger on what exactly. He’d no idea how Sophie handled the stream of guests flowing in and out of Sunnyside every week. He took his party hat off to her, for her skills and diplomacy. Then again, he had to deal with anxious animals and their owners. Sophie, however, couldn’t lock her charges in a pet carrier if they turned feisty.
The back door opened and Sophie walked into the snug, bright-eyed from the snowy outing.
‘Nice walk?’ Brody asked, noticing how naturally pretty she was, uncaring about her messy hair or pink cheeks from the cold.
‘Yes, and I popped home to check in on the cats and feed them. They’ve wormed their way under a duvet on the sofa.’
Brody smiled. ‘Sensible creatures.’
Nico glanced up from his phone. ‘Where are the others?’
‘Una and Hugo are in the hall, being entertained by Harold,’ Sophie said. ‘Amber and Suzanne are still outside.’
Nico raised an eyebrow. ‘Let’s hope they’re not having a snowball fight.’
‘No … I think they were taking photographs,’ Sophie said, holding up crossed fingers.
‘They?’ Agatha said with raised eyebrows.
‘Is there – er – some kind of problem between them?’ Brody took his chance to find out what was going on.
Nico snorted. ‘You could say that! It was likeEastEndersat the guest house last night.’
‘Thankfully it wasn’t quite that bad,’ Sophie jumped in, turning to Brody. ‘They – er – are half-sisters and only recently discovered they had the same father. It’s very,verycomplicated.’
‘Right. I see. How did they end up at the same guest house for Christmas?’
‘Let’s say they have more in common than they’d like to admit,’ Sophie said.
Nico sank back into Brody’s armchair and tucked his hands behind his head. ‘I’m thinking of writing a novel about it all, but I haven’t decided if it’s family drama, crime or horror. Ouch!’ he winced and jumped out of the chair. ‘Something just dug into my arse!’
Agatha tittered. ‘I should have warned you that chair’s on its last legs. I tried it but the springs are gone. It might be more comfortable to sit somewhere else.’
Nico glared at the chair and rubbed his backside. ‘Yeah. I will.’
Tegan walked into the snug and put her hands on her hips. ‘Well, you’re all very quiet! I think we should play charades!’
‘Good grief,’ Agatha muttered.
‘Um, I’m always rubbish at that,’ Una protested, walking into the snug with Hugo and Amber.
‘I’m quite good at it,’ Amber piped up.
‘Mum would never let me play,’ Suzanne said, following behind.
‘You could team up,’ Tegan suggested.
