The Kiss Before Christmas: A Christmas Romance Novella. Sophie Pembroke

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      ‘Thank you, darling,’ Dory said, as sweetly as she could. Lucas smirked as she clipped on her seatbelt, waiting until she was settled before he started the engine.

      Music blared out of the stereo, but Lucas made no move to turn down the volume. Dory ducked her head to hide her smile as Freddie Mercury belted out ‘Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy.’

      But Lucas obviously saw it anyway. ‘You’re a Queen fan?’

      ‘My father is. He sings this song to my mother when he’s doing the ironing on a Sunday.’

      ‘Your father irons?’ Tyler asked, sticking his head between the front seats.

      ‘Your parents are still in Britain?’ Lucas asked at the same time.

      Dory decided to answer the more sensible question. ‘Liverpool, yeah. I’m going back to see them over New Year.’ She couldn’t help the small glance back at Tyler as she spoke. He’d promised her the ticket as a present on Christmas morning at Midfield House. Until she had it in her hand, it still seemed impossible.

      ‘Liverpool,’ Lucas repeated. ‘The Beatles, yeah?’

      ‘Amongst other things.’

      ‘Like?’

      Dory looked up at him. ‘Sorry?’

      ‘Like what other things?’ Lucas’s gaze flicked away from the road as he smiled at her, then back again as he pulled out into the busy traffic.

      ‘Um, the docks. Liverpool FC. The Liver building.’

      ‘The accent.’ Tyler’s inflection made it clear that wasn’t a compliment.

      Dory glared at him between the seats. ‘You always said my accent was the first thing you fell for about me, darling.’

      The pointed endearment obviously reminded him of their arrangement and he recovered quickly. ‘Yours isn’t true Liverpudlian anymore, honey. It’s mellowed. And on you, any accent would be beautiful.’

      ‘Hmm. Better.’ Dory settled back into her seat.

      The stereo switched to ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and Tyler groaned.

      ‘Do we really have to listen to this?’ he asked. Dory and Lucas ignored him.

      ‘In about five miles he’s going to ask if we’re nearly there yet,’ Lucas told her. ‘And another five after that he’ll probably need a bathroom break.’

      ‘Trust me, I know,’ Dory said. ‘He’s dreadful in airports, too. Every time they call our flight he’s disappeared off to do something.’ Business trips with Tyler were a nightmare.

      ‘He’s even worse in cars,’ Lucas replied. ‘No in-flight entertainment.’

      ‘I’m sitting right here, you know,’ Tyler put in from the backseat. ‘Ears burning.’

      ‘I can’t imagine you taking a lot of family road trips as kids,’ Dory admitted. ‘I’d have imagined more private planes and first-class travel.’

      ‘Mostly, yeah,’ Lucas said. ‘But when we went away to school or came home for the holidays, our parents would send a car to get us. Tyler was always bored within the first twenty minutes.’

      ‘Not everyone can be entertained by staring out of a window at nothing,’ Tyler said. ‘And seriously. Can we put some talk radio on or something?’

      ‘Oh!’ Dory rummaged around in her handbag and pulled out her iPod. ‘I brought music!’

      Lucas nodded at the car stereo. ‘Then put it on.’

      Plugging the iPod into the adapter, Dory scrolled through to the right playlist then sat back and waited, trying not to smile too much. No point giving away the surprise too early.

      As Cliff Richard sang about seasonal plants and alcohol, Tyler buried his face in his hands.

      ‘What, exactly, did I do to deserve this?’ he asked.

      Lucas winced at the music. ‘Tyler, this is all your fault. Every last bit of it.’

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