BooksBarbecue
Back Just for December Save as PDF
Chapters (54)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. Acknowledgements
  50. Publishing Credits
  51. Keep Reading …
  52. About the Author
  53. Fiction by the same author
  54. About the Publisher

It’s maddening, then, that no sooner has she fallen asleep than she dreams about him.

15

Duke

‘Can I put my arm around you? Would that be okay?’ Duke asks Evie, shyly. They’re out and about after filming again, at the Christmas market, happy to be photographed. Hoping to be photographed! Marnie, head of production, has already reported back that the positive headlines about Duke and Evie are reassuring the investors, so everyone is pleased all around. They just have to keep doing what they’re doing. And actually, Duke can’t put his finger on why that feels better than it did, but yeah. He’s not hating the situation like he did. Evie seems to be more relaxed, now. Last night they even came close to a moment, before she bolted. Evie Bird is a mystery to him, and the more time he spends with her, the more he wants to unravel that mystery.

‘I think that’s realistic, don’t you?’ he adds. It’s an incongruous feeling, asking permission this way. But they do have their ground rules, after all, and this could almost break the ‘no unnecessary touching’ one.

Evie twitches her nose at the suggestion as if she’s displeased, and Duke expects her to decline. It shocks him, then, when she affirms that yes, he may. It’s not the way he’d like to be embracing a woman – none of this is exactly ‘fun’ when it’s forced – but if this has to be happening with anyone, there could be worse people than Evie Bird. She’s prickly, but he’s starting to sense the sweet centre to her.

‘I’m actually a bit chilly,’ Evie says, and so he loops his arm over her shoulder and she reaches up her far hand to hold his. They walk more slowly than they did before – both because the place is busier than ever, and because arm in arm and walking in step they physically can’t move as fast. If it were a real date, Duke would be pleased with the market as its backdrop. Everyone around them is in good spirits, and it’s a pretty sweet deal to be here shooting a Christmas movie surrounded by actual Christmas. He’s heard stories of summer blockbusters being filmed in late winter sun, and friends of his having to act freezing during heatwaves. He doesn’t have to do much work to feel festive when his actual job is to be festive, and vice versa: the full immersion festivities make him all the more cheery. He’s come a long way from the Duke who landed in Germany only a little under a week ago. Daphne who? His mood is much better than it has been.

‘What shall we do now?’ Evie asks.

This close to her, he can smell her shampoo. It’s coconutty.