A Very Special Holiday Gift. Barbara Hannay

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       CHAPTER TWO

      CHLOE COULDN’T QUITE believe it was actually happening. Here she was in the executive lounge of Brisbane International Airport, enjoying coffee and croissants with her boss, with a boarding pass for a flight to London in her handbag, a grey winter jacket and rosy pink scarf folded on the seat beside her, and a neatly packed carry-on bag at her feet.

      She still wasn’t quite sure how Zac had convinced her to do this, but from the moment he’d learned she had an up-to-date passport the pressure had begun. He’d argued that the company was winding down for the Christmas break anyway and, thanks to her superb organisational skills, the office Christmas party could run brilliantly without her.

      He’d brushed aside her concerns that she knew very little about babies. After all, the child’s father might yet be found.

      To Chloe’s amazement, even her very valid concerns about her parents had been duly considered by her boss and then swiftly and satisfactorily smoothed away.

      She’d been stunned when he’d asked last night if he could visit her parents. She’d tried to protest. ‘Sorry, no. Mum and Dad will be in bed already.’

      ‘Why don’t you ring them to check?’ he’d said confidently.

      To Chloe’s surprise, her mother and father were still up, watching Carols in the Cathedral on TV, and, even more surprisingly, they said they’d be happy for her boss to call in, if he didn’t mind finding them in their dressing gowns and slippers.

      Zac said he didn’t mind in the least.

      ‘Chloe, there’s sherry in the pantry and we can break open that box of shortbread you bought last week,’ her mother suggested, sounding almost excited.

      Zac had poured on the charm, of course, and, when it came to being charming, her boss was a genius. Even so, when he offered to put her parents up in the Riverslea Hotel, all expenses paid, with all their meals, most especially Christmas lunch, included, Chloe was sure they would refuse. It would be all too flash! They didn’t like flashiness.

      But, before her parents could object, Zac had thrown in a car with a driver to take them to church on Christmas Day, or to the doctor, or anywhere else they needed to go, and he’d offered to hire a nurse to check daily that they were keeping well and taking their correct medication.

      Chloe’s mother had looked a bit doubtful about this, until she’d received an elbow in the ribs from her dad.

      ‘It would be like a holiday, love,’ he’d said.

      Still, Chloe had expected her parents to have second thoughts and say no. But then Zac also told them with commendable sincerity how extremely important, no, invaluable, their daughter was to him and how much he needed her for this very important mission in the UK.

      Somehow he’d struck just the right note, which was clever. If he’d praised Chloe to the skies, her parents would have been suspicious and he would have blown it.

      Instead, by the time he’d finished, they were practically squirming with delight, like puppies getting their tummies rubbed just the way they liked it.

      And now...this morning, her parents, with their out of date, simple clothes and humble, shabby luggage, including her dad’s walking frame, had looked a trifle out of place in the luxurious hotel suite with thick white carpet, floor-length cream linen curtains, golden taps in the bathroom, not to mention panoramic views up and down the Brisbane River...but the grins on their faces had said it all.

      ‘Chloe, you go and look after your nice Mr Corrigan,’ they’d said, practically pushing her out of the door. ‘Don’t you worry about us.’

      Chloe had closed her gaping mouth.

      Remembering her parents’ delight, she could almost imagine them exploring their hotel room like excited children, checking the little bottles of shampoo and bubble bath, flushing the loo and bouncing on the king-sized mattress. Zac Corrigan had achieved a minor miracle.

      And Chloe was going to London!

      Right. Deep breath. She only hoped she wasn’t making a very serious mistake. After all, she knew why her boss had been so keen to avoid asking any of his female ‘friends’ to accompany him on this very personal journey. He liked to keep his relationships casual and this sojourn to London would be anything but casual.

      Chloe also knew why her boss regarded her as a suitable choice. She was capable, conscientious and uncomplicated, and he trusted her to remain that way. Which suited her just fine. It did. Really.

      Yes, there was a danger that those annoying longings she sometimes felt for Zac would surface, but she’d had plenty of practice at keeping them in check and she was sure she could survive his close proximity for a few short days.

      So perhaps it was OK now to admit to herself that she was a tiny bit excited, or at least she would be if she wasn’t concerned for Zac and the sad ordeal that still awaited him when they landed.

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