An Unexpected Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

stairs two at a time landing with a thunk on the tile
floor; it was nice being home and this house at Christmas always brought good
memories. I strode down the hallway and into the kitchen where my mother stood
at the stove.
    'How long will lunch be?' I
picked up a piece of chopped celery that sat on a board on top of the central
work surface and dropped it into my mouth. I loved this kitchen; it was nothing
like my own clean crisp kitchen in my London townhouse, this kitchen was all
warm colours and worn corners. A large wooden table and chairs sat at one end
of the large room and the cooker at the opposite.
    I leaned against the counter and
picked up another chunk of celery. 'It will be ready soon.' My mother turned
and picked up the board with the celery and moved it out of my reach and next
to the cooker, ready to add it to the large pan that stood on top. She then
turned back to me and looked up into my face. She smiled, 'It is nice to have
you home.'
    'Well it's good to be home.' I
smiled back at her.
    Her smile wavered and a look of
concern covered her face. 'You look tired. I hope you aren't working too hard,'
I opened my mouth to reassure her but was stopped by her holding up a hand,
'And don't try and tell me that you are okay. I am your Mother I can tell when
you are lying.'
    I moved to her side and dropped a
kiss to her cheek.
    'I am okay, a little tired
perhaps but nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.' I picked up the wooden
spoon from the counter and gave the soup in the large pan a stir. Mmm chicken
and vegetable soup, it had been so long since I had tasted my mother's cooking and
my mouth watered at the smells coming from the pan.
    'You have to take care of
yourself. Don't let them bully you into anything that will put your health at
risk.' If only she knew about some of the stunts I had insisted on doing in the
last Danger movie, she would smack me about the head as if I was a
child.
    I placed the spoon back on its
rest next to the pan, 'You worry too much.'
    'It is a Mother's duty to worry
about her children. Just you wait until you have children of your own then you
will know my suffering.' She had a slightly scolding look on her face but her
eyes gave her away.
    She would be ecstatic if I got
married and produced a couple of babies for her to fawn over, and if I was
being honest with myself I did like the idea of kids - it was the wife part
that I struggled with, none of my previous girlfriends had made it for me to
even contemplating getting married to and I was beginning to wonder if I would
ever meet the right girl. I shook the thoughts from my head; 'That isn't going
to happen soon but I will keep it in mind for when it does.' I took a breath
then dropped another kiss to her cheek; it really was nice to be back. 'I will
be in the living room whenever lunch is ready.'
    She nodded and let me go. I
wandered into the living room and over to the window looking out onto the
driveway. I wanted to go for a drive, to see how my baby handled the winding
country lanes that followed the coast but Ella and April would be back down
soon and I knew lunch was almost ready so a drive would have to wait. I turned
away from the window and picked up the book I had left on the coffee table and
settled myself on the leather sofa. I opened it to where I had left off;
Scrooge had just been visited by Marley's ghost and was about to meet the first
spirit. I lost myself in the story and put work, and women, to the back of my
mind.

Chapter
Four
    April
    I pulled the door closed, then
wandered down the hallway looking for Ella. I heard movement in one of the
rooms and when I got close enough I saw Ella pottering about and so stepped
into the room. 'Is it not weird being back in your old bedroom?'
    Ella turned at my voice and
smiled at me. 'Not really. Well apart from the bad poster choices,' she
gestured to a poster of some pop star I vaguely remember from when I was about
thirteen. 'I really should take that down.' She laughed