Page 20 of Mistletoe Mistake
Had he remembered that we planned to come here together? Did he still have it in his calendar too? Or had he forgotten all about it, and they had chosen that night to attend by complete coincidence?
Whatever the case, my answer seemed to relax him. As I'd expected, and as he always had, he would believe whatever I said so long as it made his life easier.
“That’s great. I hope you enjoy it.” That seemed to settle everything as far as he was concerned, and Edwin finally looked away from me, nodding to Holly before taking in the sight of Jackson and Cole beside us.
To my surprise, Cole took the initiative and introduced himself, sticking out his hand. “Cole Stamer.”
“Edwin Matheson.” Edwin shook Cole's hand as his eyes moved back and forth between me and Cole curiously. “You're a friend of Gemma's?”
Meanwhile, Annabel had also taken her first proper look at Cole, and her jaw dropped. “Cole Stamer?” she squeaked before Cole could answer Edwin's question, and I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. Of course she would recognize Cole’s name if not his face. I could practically see the dollar signs dancing in her eyes as she looked at him.
“That's right,” he confirmed. “And yes, I'm here with Gemma.” Giving me a wink, he stepped closer to me and slung his arm around my shoulder, right there in front of everyone, as I blinked up at him in surprise.
What was he doing? He hadn't touched me all night, hadn't even tried, and now, suddenly, he started acting like we were here on a date? He offered no explanation, simply giving me a supportive squeeze before turning back to look at Edwin and Annabel with his usual cool indifference.
Annabel's eyes narrowed as she watched us, and I could almost see the calculations taking place in her head, trying to figure out what this might mean for her. She never cared about anything else. “Well, isn't that exciting,” she exclaimed insincerely. “Gem, we'll have to catch up soon and you can tell me all about it. Let's go, babe.”
Looping her arm through Edwin’s, she attempted to steer him away from us but he resisted for just a minute, his eyes still cycling between me and Cole and his arm around me. “It was good to see you,” he mumbled, his expression full of uncertainty, before they finally turned away and left.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Holly let out a string of expletives, making Jackson and Cole both smile.
“Hols, it's fine,” I assured her. Now that they were gone, I couldn’t wait to move on myself. “Let's forget it, okay? We're here to have a good time.”
“Time for a beer?” Jackson suggested.
That sounded like something I would definitely want before long, but for right now, I shook my head.
“The Giant Wheel's just up ahead. Let's do that first before we have too much alcohol. We wouldn't want to vomit on anyone waiting below.” The joke might be weak, but I gave them all a smile that I hoped looked genuine, and they all indulged me by smiling back.
As we all started walking again, with Jackson and Holly arguing about where the highest ferris wheel in the world was found, Cole's arm slipped from my shoulder, but he stayed close to me as we walked, almost touching. "So, those were friends of yours?” he asked me quietly, keeping his voice low so Holly and Jackson wouldn't hear.
“Not really.” I honestly hadn't expected him to stick up for me as he had, and I couldn't imagine what he thought about the whole scene. “I'm sorry about all that. Personal drama, as I'm sure you guessed. Thanks for stepping in, but I should warn you, there might be some gossip that comes from it.”
He shrugged in that casual, unflappable way of his. “I didn't say anything incriminating. If Posh Barbie chooses to make an assumption about our relationship, that's on her.”
My laugh spilled from my lips before I could stop it. Cole's dismissive nickname for Annabel struck me as perfect; he’d obviously sized her up pretty accurately very quickly, identifying her as something polished and beautiful, but fake. “Well, thanks anyway. You didn't have to get involved.”
Though I didn’t know why he’d pretended to be interested in me in front of them, I appreciated it all the same. The look on Annabel's face when she heard Cole’s name and realized that I might be dating him had brought me way more satisfaction than it should have. I only hoped it wouldn't backfire on him.
More than that, though, I had to admit that I liked the feel of Cole's arm around me. Firm, possessive and supportive all at the same time, it sent tingles down my spine in a way that Edwin’s touch never had. Although this part of the evening counted as my 'payment', my mind kept jumping ahead to what might happen back at his hotel afterwards, and it had my whole body humming in anticipation.
~Cole~
Wham's ‘Last Christmas’ blared from the speakers as we got close to the front of the line for the Giant Wheel, the bright multi-coloured lights of the ride reflecting on Gemma's face as I looked down at her. I didn't know the exact nature of the situation between her and the couple we'd encountered, and I had no plans to push her to share anything. It was her business, not mine, and normally, I would have stayed out of it entirely. But clearly, it had been unpleasant for her, and something about seeing her so defensive made my protective instincts kick in, instincts that I hadn't used in a very long time. I couldn’t fully explain it, but I didn’t regret doing it either.
Holly and Jackson were directly in front of us in the line and they stepped forward when the next open cabin came around. Holly linked her arm through Jackson’s, turning around to give Gemma a wink. “We'll take this one and you guys can have the next one.”
Gemma and I both watched as Jackson put his arm around Holly as they sat down. “Should I be worried about that?” Gemma asked me, gesturing to our cozy-looking friends.
A smile tugged at one corner of my mouth. Jackson was a flirt, no question, but he also had a healthy respect for women. He wouldn't make a move unless she wanted him to, and I had never heard him bragging about any of his conquests, though he must have plenty. Gemma didn’t need to worry, but I offered my assessment of her friend instead: “Holly looks like she can take care of herself.”
Gemma chuckled warmly. “I agree, but I'm curious what makes you say that? You don't know anything about her.”
The teenager working the front of the line called us forward to get in the next cabin and I held Gemma steady as she stepped in before sitting down beside her. Almost instinctively, we sat close together, our legs touching, and she didn't make any effort to pull away as the wheel began to move, lifting us higher off the ground. Since I'd put my arm around her earlier, we'd hardly had an inch of space between us and I had to admit I didn’t mind. It made me look forward to the rest of this evening even more.
I returned to our interrupted conversation, answering Gemma’s question matter-of-factly. “I’m good at reading people and I’m usually right.
“Not always,” she reminded me, raising an eyebrow in challenge to make it clear that she was referring to the night we met. I had to concede that point, but thankfully, she left it at that. “You've got me curious now: what's your impression of Holly?”
