“Yep.”
“Is that, like, everyone?”
“You mean in the whole country?”
“Yeah.”
Ash shrugged. “Not everyone, but yeah, it’s kind of a thing. For us anyway.”
“Okay, so what are you wearing?”
Ash hung the dishcloth on its hook and grinned. “I’ll show you.”
*
The guests were due at 12:30pm but Ash, dressed in an elegant silk sheath dress, didn’t seem surprised when they heard the buzzer just after twelve. “That will be the girls. They’re always early.” She picked up the handset and peered into the tiny grey screen. “Happy Christmas!”
A muffled chorus of “Happy Christmas” bleated through the speaker. Ash hung up and surveyed the room as though daring a throw pillow to be out of place. When it occurred to Jules that Matt would be with Callie and Thea, her breath caught.
Something had shifted between them that day at the beach.
She looked down at her strappy silver heels and satin dress in ice blue. She’d brought the outfit in case they went out somewhere, like to a club, and although Ash had reassured her a dozen times, she felt way overdressed for daytime.
The front door to the apartment opened and in spilled Callie and Thea followed by Matt, who was laden with gift bags and wrapped presents. Thea held a giant cheese board, wrapped in plastic wrap and she seemed relieved when she put it on the counter.
They all exchanged hugs and kisses and Christmas wishes while Jules hung back. Then Callie shone her attention on Jules. “Oh, Jules! You look stunning! Stunn-ing! I love that dress! Happy Christmas!” Callie, who was at least a foot shorter than her in heels, somehow managed to wrap her up in a huge hug and all her shyness at being an interloper in their Christmas dissolved.
Callie stepped back. “We’re so glad you’re here. Don’t you just fucking love Christmas?”
Jules grinned back at her, riding the wave of Callie’s enthusiasm. “I do! I love it. Merry Christmas, by the way.”
Thea gave her a kiss on the cheek, less effusive, but just as warm as Callie, and they exchanged more Christmas greetings. Then there was no avoiding the obvious—she and Matt were next.
Her stomach fluttered as she met his eyes then quickly scanned him from head to toe.
When she’d first seen him a few days ago, she’d thought he was hot, but a little scruffier than the guys she usually went for. But this Matt … he was gorgeous. He was wearing a dark blue slim-cut suit, with a pale blue dress shirt—no tie—and his belt and shoes were the same deep brown. He was clean shaven, and his dimples punctuated a very sexy smile.
Jules could have sworn that the others were watching. When she glanced at Ash, she, Callie and Thea suddenly became very busy in the kitchen. “Merry Christmas,” he said.
“Merry Christmas.” Neither moved.
She saw him take in her outfit appreciatively and she silently thanked Ash. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you. You too.”
“People will think we coordinated, though.” She cocked her head to the side, not knowing what he meant. He tugged lightly at his collar, and she realised that his shirt and her dress were the same colour.
“Ah, yes. I hate when you go to a party and someone is wearing the same outfit as you,” she said, smiling.
“Embarrassing.”
“Mmm.” She raised her eyebrows. “Even more embarrassing is that we both match the Christmas tree.”
She nodded in its direction and Matt threw his head back and laughed. “I didn’t even think of that.”
Jules held her hands out and shrugged. “What are you gonna do? This is the only formal dress I brought with me. For some reason, I had it in my head that an Aussie Christmas would be, like, super casual.”
“Nah, we like to put on a good show, you know?” Another expression to tuck up her sleeve. “It’s an incredible dress, by the way.”
“Thank you … again.” Flutter, flutter, flutter.
Then he stepped closer, leant down and kissed her cheek, his lips lingering just a little longer than a friendly peck. “We’ll have to get some pics together later,” he said, his face still close to hers. “For Chlo.”
She could only nod in reply and the flutter turned into full-on butterflies. God, he was sexy.
She heard the pop of sparkling wine, then Callie called out, “Hooray,” and the moment ended. Matt put himself on bartending duty, as he called it, and Jules went back to feeling a little removed from everything as she watched the friends move with ease around the kitchen.
Within minutes, they were all seated in the living room, each with a glass of bubbles and the impressive cheese platter dominating the coffee table between them. She caught Ash watching the clock. Davo was late—only by seven minutes, but Jules could see the nerves beneath Ash’s hostess-with-the-mostest façade.
“So,” said Callie as she cut into a rich, oozing brie, “What have you been up to since we saw you the other day?”
“Not much. Just getting ready for Christmas.”
“Please don’t say that Ash’s kept you here captive?” Thea threw Ash a look.
Ash blinked a couple of times, as though snapping out of a daydream. “What? No! She wanted to help.”
“I did. It’s been great.”
“And how else do you think all this happens?” Ash waved her arms about to encompass the apartment.
Callie stepped in, “It looks amazing, guys, honestly. That table! You’ve definitely outdone our Christmas from last year.”
Within minutes of meeting her, Jules had crowned Callie as the most enthusiastic person she’d ever met—and that said a lot considering her Aunt Jackie and her side of the family. Callie was also the most genuine, her effusiveness anything but a pretension.
She’d made quite the impression on Jules with her obvious love of life and how she found joy in the minutiae. And, as Ash had said, she and Thea were such a good fit. Thea had a gentleness to her, a willingness to let Callie shine, to take the lead, but Jules sensed that
