The Loving Gift. Кэрол Мортимер

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      ‘Oh, I have more than enough time to listen to what you would like to be waiting for you at the foot of your bed on Christmas morning,’ he drawled mockingly.

      Jade didn't know how to cope with this situation any longer, turning desperately to Penny, dismayed to see that the other woman was still completely speechless. If it wasn't for the fact that approximately one hundred and fifty children were watching the exchange, the incident would have been relatively easy to deal with—but one just didn't go around punching Father Christmas on the chin in front of so many starry eyes! Instead she had to settle for what she hoped would be a verbal dressing-down.

      ‘The space at the foot of my bed is already firmly occupied,’ she bit out quietly, green eyes flashing with unaccustomed irritation. She absolutely hated having this attention drawn to her! ‘So I think I'll give any gifts you might have in mind for me a miss this year, thank you.'

      The Father Christmas was shaking his head even as she spoke. ‘Father Christmas has to bring you something—doesn't he, children?’ he boomingly encouraged their involvement in the conversation.

      The excited cries of ‘Yes!’ filled the room once more.

      His persistence was unnerving, and Jade once again turned to Penny, only to find that the other woman had now gone a ghostly white. Which wasn't surprising!

      Penny's young sister Cathy had been a friend of Jade's since college, and when she had told Jade about the temporary post at this private preparatory school it had been convenient for all of them that Jade was able to fill in until the usual teacher of the reception class returned from maternity leave at Easter.

      The last three months had been rewarding both professionally and personally for Jade, and until this moment she hadn't had reason to regret her move from her London home to a rented cottage in Devon. Now she was beginning to wonder if it might not have been better for all of them if Cathy had never mentioned the vacancy to her—it was a sure fact that there would be repercussions from this incident, if only personally.

      Jade gave a tight smile. ‘I'll make you up a list when I have more time,’ she dismissed curtly. ‘Right now we have to prepare the children for going home,’ she added briskly. ‘We—–'

      ‘Oh, surely you can spare just a few minutes to whisper a little something in my ear?’ ‘Father Christmas’ moved agilely across the room to her side—much more agilely than the true bulk could possibly have allowed!—his arm moving strongly about her waist as he pulled her firmly up against him, the twinkle in the blue eyes definitely lecherous now. ‘Come on now, sweetheart.’ He bent down to her much shorter height. ‘Tell me what you would like me to bring you.'

      No Father Christmas—and especially a married one!—had any right to be talking to her in this flirtatious way!

      Jade gave a furious sigh as she moved closer to the wig-covered ear nearest to her. ‘I'd like to take away the key to your drinks cabinet and throw it in the village pond,’ she muttered, all the time smiling brightly for their audience, although she could see her colleagues—the braver ones, at least!—were having trouble controlling their mirth now. Ordinarily Jade would have been one of the first to laugh at herself, but not when she was being made a spectacle of.

      Blue eyes gleamed wickedly as he moved back slightly to look down at her. ‘Really?’ he drawled mockingly. ‘That wouldn't do you too much good at the moment—the village pond is frozen over!'

      She glared. ‘Perhaps a little icy air might do you some good just now!'

      ‘Oh, I doubt it,’ he taunted. ‘Father Christmas isn't too bothered about the cold.'

      ‘Only by too much alcohol, obviously,’ she returned tartly in a fierce whisper.

      He feigned hurt surprise. ‘I haven't touched a drop since—–'

      ‘At the most half an hour ago,’ Jade scorned, feeling deeply for Penny during this embarrassing display. How uncomfortable the other woman must feel at the exchange. And, even allowing for ‘Christmas spirit', it was going to be difficult for them all to work together after this it had gone far beyond the realms of a practical joke.

      ‘Father Christmas’ shrugged. ‘I may have had a little nip of brandy to keep out the cold—–'

      ‘I thought you said Father Christmas wasn't affected by the cold,’ she reminded tartly.

      ‘I'm not,’ he grinned. ‘Not once I've had my nip of brandy!'

      She frowned. ‘Simon—–'

      ‘My, that's quite a list you have there once you got going,’ he said loudly enough for their audience to hear, smiling jovially at them all. ‘Anything else?’ he encouraged brightly.

      Considering that she was normally a non-violent person, Jade had an unaccountable urge to hit him! ‘I want you to stop this right now,’ she grated between clenched teeth.

      ‘Why?’ he taunted unconcernedly. ‘I'm thoroughly enjoying myself.'

      ‘I'm glad one of us is!’ She tried to move away from his arm about her waist and suddenly discovered he was much stronger than he looked in the loose-fitting tweed jacket and plain trousers that were his everyday garb. ‘You're going to regret this in the morning,’ she warned with impatient rebuke.

      ‘What's that saying?’ he grinned. ‘“Tomorrow never comes"?'

      She chanced a glance at Penny's ashen face. ‘Oh, I think it might do for you,’ she muttered.

      He turned to give the other woman a considering look. ‘Hm, Penny does look a little green around the edges,’ he mused. ‘Maybe I should ask her what she would like on her bed Christmas morning?'

      ‘A sober husband, I should think,’ Jade bit out angrily, having found it was impossible to escape that confining arm about her waist—and goodness knew, without being too obvious, she had tried!

      Blue eyes gleamed wickedly once again. ‘Maybe you would be interested in listening to what I'd like in my bed on Christmas—–'

      ‘I don't think so,’ she interrupted quickly, unnerved by this streak of flirtation with danger that she had never guessed existed inside a man who, while full of good humour, never failed to be thoughtfully kind.

      ‘Perhaps not,’ he lightly accepted her rebuke. ‘We wouldn't want to be overheard.'

      ‘We have already made enough of a spectacle of ourselves,’ she cut in abruptly, grateful to see that Penny at least seemed to be coming out of her daze, some of the colour back in her cheeks as she began to organise the children's home-going, at the same time providing an adequate diversion from what had been proving to be very entertaining for their avid audience; some of their colleagues even looked slightly disappointed that they were obviously going to miss Simon's imminent dressing-down, Penny obviously intending to wait until they were alone before tackling him.

      ‘Talking of spectacles, are yours really necessary?’ he took advantage of the noisy organisation around them to whisper seductively in her ear. ‘Or are they just a deterrent against interested males?'

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