One Christmas Kiss in Notting Hill by Mandy Baggot

Author:Mandy Baggot
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Forty-Three

Isla didn’t know what to say. What could you say? She wanted to ask a hundred questions but also nothing at all. Maybe that was what he needed, for her to say nothing, just to listen.

‘God, would you listen to me?’ Chase asked. ‘What was in that hot wine?’

‘Mulled,’ Isla responded. ‘Warmed, not boiled.’

‘It’s given me some sort of contagion,’ Chase insisted. ‘I’m going to start coming out in lesions like Maddie.’

‘Because you’re being honest?’ Isla queried.

He stopped walking and looked at her. ‘Yeah.’

‘Honesty shouldn’t be something you’re afraid of,’ Isla said. ‘You told me you like honesty and … life isn’t a perfect, cosy tinsel ball, even at Christmas.’

‘I … don’t know how I feel about you telling me that,’ Chase admitted. ‘You’re the girl who loves Christmas. The girl with all the stars and glowing references and—’

‘A photo with Lord Sugar on my mantelpiece.’

‘I have no idea who that is,’ he said.

‘I think,’ Isla began. ‘I’m just trying to say that if you’re not honest … if you try to hide things, even from yourself, it doesn’t ever make it go away. The truth is always still there. The good truth … and the bad truth.’

‘I know.’

‘Life isn’t perfect but it’s ours. And I believe we have to make the most of it,’ Isla said. ‘And it is beautiful and sparkly even if sometimes it’s hard.’

Right at that moment Chase thought Isla Winters was the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on … and talked to. He suddenly felt that if the world ended right then and there his two regrets would be not hugging his daughters enough and not pressing his lips to Isla’s. Was he ready to move on? To feel something for someone else? Or was this just emotion railroading him …

‘Mr Bryan, I would very much like to show you something.’

‘Is it the one hundred and first use of an umbrella?’ Chase asked, recovering his composure a little. ‘Because that might come in useful right about now.’

‘And I thought you said you could suck up a little snow,’ she replied with a grin, walking away from him.

They had walked another half mile or so and were now outside an ugly building covered in unreadable graffiti. Even with its roof capped with snow it didn’t look like somewhere anyone with any sense would want to hang out.

‘Remind you of Chicago?’ Isla questioned, taking a deep breath.

‘What is this? And what the hell happened here? Did whoever owned it die?’ Chase inquired.

‘No,’ she sighed. ‘This is Life Start Community Centre. Where Hannah comes to meet like-wheeled people.’

‘No kidding,’ Chase stated.

‘Yes, this is a little corner of Notting Hill that most people seem to have forgotten about, unless you count the property developer who wanted to knock it down and turn it into luxury apartments.’ She turned to him then. ‘I know what you’re thinking.’

‘What?’ he asked.

‘That perhaps Breekers could have pitched in and built them. Made this into something a lot better than it is.

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