The Christmas Promise Read online

  She warded him off with raised hands. ‘It’s been sorted since August, when you got off your face at V Festival and I found you and a woman naked in our tent.’

  ‘But nothing happened!’ he protested. ‘C’mon, Ava, that’s the thing with being that drunk. Nothing, y’know … happens.’ He pumped his hips suggestively, putting in an inelegant stagger to maintain his balance.

  ‘Something did happen. I got tired of your drinking, and that was the end.’

  ‘But I love you—’ He lunged at her.

  Ava tried a calm smile and a side step, although her breathing quickened with the first stirrings of alarm. ‘Now you’re just being dramatic. I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I’m leaving now. Bye, Harvey.’ She made to step around him.

  He remained stubbornly in her way. ‘You don’t love me?’

  ‘No.’ She tried to squeeze through the other way.

  ‘You used to.’

  That halted her. ‘I did not!’

  ‘You did—’

  She jammed indignant hands on her hips. ‘I did not! We never even talked about it. We went out for a few months, that’s all. You’re getting things out of proportion. Get over it! We’re done.’

  His hand clamped once more onto her arm. ‘We didn’t need to talk about it. It was understood.’

  Ava jerked her arm free once more, flushing, hating his hands on her, hating that he thought it was OK to badger her and ride roughshod over her wishes. ‘Forget it.’ She made another dart for freedom.

  He simply swayed his drunken body into her path, his smile turning chilly. ‘Let me … persuade you.’

  ‘Don’t be a loser.’ The door out of the claustrophobic little corridor was but two steps away. The stale smell was beginning to make her feel sick. She began to edge an arm past Harvey.

  ‘Do you remember when I got my new phone?’ His words were slow, heavy with meaning.

  She paused. Her hand hovered over the door handle.

  He fumbled his phone from his pocket and began prodding and swiping at the screen. ‘We had fun. Izz had gone off to visit her parents and we had the flat to ourselves. You took me to your studio for a private fashion show.’

  Harvey turned his phone over to let her see the screen.

  Stomach plummeting, Ava found herself gazing at a picture of herself, champagne glass in hand, a scarlet cocktail hat on the side of her head. And wearing nothing else but a mischievous smile.

  With exaggerated showmanship Harvey swiped from one photo to another: Ava in hat after hat. Pose after pose. He squinted at the phone lasciviously. ‘Look! You’re doing one of my favourite things in this one.’

  ‘But I deleted those images from your phone,’ she whispered in horror.

  Jerkily, he nodded. ‘Yeah, you waited until I was in the bathroom and did it behind my back. But as I was hooked up to your wifi, the photos had already automatically backed up. Lucky, eh?’ His laugh was low and unpleasant. ‘I could send them to my contacts list, put them on Facebook—’

  Her eyes flew to his. ‘You wouldn’t.’ Ava could hardly breathe for the horrifying vision of his self-assured friends laughing at her humiliation, swapping the images like trading cards. Her friends could see the images, too, if he posted publicly.

  ‘Wouldn’t I?’

  Panicky scenarios flapped through her mind. The police? But she’d been a police officer’s daughter long enough to know that the police could only act once Harvey had posted the photos. Threats made where nobody else could hear them weren’t something they could investigate.

  Shit. Perhaps getting snappy with him had been a tactical error. Calmly, so he wouldn’t see how much he’d rattled her, she tried to de-escalate the situation. ‘What you’re threatening is deliberate humiliation.’

  Harvey’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Who, me? Threatening?’ His expression switched jerkily from malice to a dopey smile. ‘You’re beautiful, Ava. I want us to get back together. If we were back together …’ He waved his phone in an airy circle. ‘All this would just go away.’

  And blackmail is such a pretty reason to be in a relationship. Quashing the urge to spit that thought in his face, she tried a conciliatory smile. ‘I have to trust the guy I’m with. If I could trust you, you’d delete those images from the cloud.’

  ‘You can trust me. Sweetheart, darling, you can.’

  Ava felt rising hope. ‘Can you get on the internet here?’

  Harvey’s gaze lost focus as he processed her words. Finally, he gave a co-operative nod. Then, with a bit of fumbling, he hooked up to the pub’s wifi. The connection was grindingly slow, and Ava felt she might burst with the tension, but his cloud sign-in page did eventually appear. Holding the phone at an angle, so that she could watch his actions, he went over the intimate images, deleting each one from his online storage and the phone’s memory, while Ava silently gritted her teeth as he lingered lovingly over every explicit one, especially those in which Harvey featured. Ava cringed to think she’d ever …

  As the last image changed shape and swooshed into the little trash can icon in the corner of the screen, she breathed properly once again.

  ‘Thank you.’ She forced herself to speak pleasantly, though hot fury was licking through her at what Harvey had just put her through. Now all she was interested in was getting out of this horrible little corridor that smelled like a drunk in the morning, and away from Harvey. The noisy crowded bar the other side of the door was beginning to feel like an oasis of safety. ‘I really appreciate you doing the right thing.’

  ‘So we can begin again?’

  For goodness’ sake! You’ve just shown yourself to be lower than a worm’s man-parts! She took a step towards the door. ‘Sorry, Harvey. What happened at V Festival proved to be the last straw but I wouldn’t have stuck around much longer in any case. You’re mean when you’re drunk and you do things that can’t always be undone.’

  Silence. His expression darkened. But then he tipped back his head and laughed. Blinking, he focused on her once more. ‘I can undo stuff. I can undo plenty. I can undo deleting those pictures.’ A few taps and gestures over the screen of his phone and he turned it back to face her. The box next to Automatically back up images across all devices was ticked, making a chill run down Ava’s spine. ‘They’re still on my iPad. It’s not magic that I was able to get those photos to reappear on my phone, Ava. It’s technology.’

  ‘You bastard!’ The desire to escape overwhelmed her and Ava shoved blindly, uncaring that Harvey bounced drunkenly off the wall.

  Tears burning the back of her throat, she wrenched open the door and fled.

  Chapter Three

  Not currently dating

  Sam didn’t realise he’d been watching the door that had closed behind Ava and her ex-boyfriend until she catapulted back through it.

  His breath caught. Her blue eyes, big and doll-like anyway, looked enormous. Her chest was heaving.

  What had just happened? Was she furious? Frightened? He even toyed with the possibility that she’d just had sex. Something had to account for her wild look of disorientation.

  A quick backward glance, then Ava cast about the room until her gaze fell on Izz, presently talking to Tod and his girlfriend. As she started towards them, Sam detached himself from Patrick and Jake and plotted an intercepting course.

  ‘OK?’ he enquired casually, as their paths met.

  Ava nodded. The feathers on her hat trembled.

  ‘Another drink?’

  This time she accepted without protest. ‘Thanks.’

  He watched her resume her route towards Izz and Tod before he undertook the tiresome process of carving a way to the bar. He checked on her again while he waited to be served. Unspeaking, she was giving no indication of listening to the others. Her gaze was focused inwards and she looked as if she’d been thrown into the bar from a different planet.

  Interesting woman. Tod and Izz had talked about Ava and he supposed he’d expected someone … well, someone like them.
Not exactly cool kids. But Ava was coolness personified. A profusion of plaits showing beneath her stylish hat, dress like a second skin. Next to Izz’s long straight lines, Ava was all curvy neat ones.

  When Sam finally got back to the group after waiting what seemed like an hour to be served, Ava muttered her thanks but stared at the drink as if she’d forgotten what to do with it.

  He tried to engage her. ‘So you’ve been friends with Todd and Izz since …?’

  ‘Since school.’ She glanced at Tod and Izz as if reassuring herself that they were nearby, then glanced back over her shoulder.

  He read her uneasiness. ‘If you’re looking for your ex, he came out a few minutes ago and disappeared into the crowd.’

  ‘Right. Thanks.’ Fractionally, her shoulders relaxed.

  He waited, giving her an opportunity to take part in the conversation. She didn’t take it. He tried again. ‘Did you tell him we’re on a date?’

  She looked down into her wine. ‘No.’

  He watched her thoughtfully, suspicious about what had turned her into this Stepford version of herself. He lowered his voice. ‘He didn’t hurt you?’

  ‘No.’ But there was no conviction in the word.

  ‘Is he still “ex”?’

  ‘Yes!’

  Maybe she needed something to snap her out of whatever spell was on her. He’d been planning to attempt a connection – a plan he suspected Patrick of sharing, judging by his friend’s expression whenever he looked at Ava. Sam might as well see if he could steal a march. Patrick had no guy code and would do the same in a heartbeat. ‘Would you like to?’

  Her breathing had calmed now and she was beginning to look more aware of her surroundings. ‘Like to …?’

  ‘Go on a date.’

  A tiny frown nipped the skin between her brows. ‘With you?’

  ‘I’m not in the habit of pimping for anyone, so yes.’ He smiled. He was used to a certain amount of success with that smile. ‘I’d like to.’

  Intrigue stole across her face. For a second he thought she was going to say yes, she’d love to.

  Until Izz chose that moment to join in hesitantly with the conversation. ‘Sam, I was just thinking – if you want, that is – shall I tell you next time I’m going to a local gig? If it’s a band you like I could get us tickets.’

  Frustrated at the interruption, Sam kept his answer short. ‘I don’t think that anyone I like is playing in Camden any time soon.’ Then realising that Ava’s nascent smile had switched to a hard stare, tried, belatedly, to soften his response. ‘But thanks for the offer. It’s really kind of you.’

  Izz’s face fell. ‘Oh. OK.’ Blushing furiously, she turned quickly back to Tod.

  Ava moved closer. Even above the rest of the crowd, Sam caught a hint of her perfume. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ she hissed. ‘She just asked you out. Do you know how hard that was for her?’

  He winced. ‘Hell. She did, didn’t she? I suppose that as I was asking you out at the time I was focusing on that. Look, Izz is great but she’s not my type. Maybe I’m intimidated by her obvious intelligence.’

  ‘But I’m a thicko, so I’m OK?’

  Though taken aback at her prickliness, he wasn’t up for someone putting words into his mouth specifically so that she could feel slighted. ‘I didn’t say that. Forget I asked.’

  For a millisecond he thought she looked contrite, or hurt, or both. But then she assumed a politely bland expression. ‘I’m not currently dating, to be honest. I have to concentrate on other aspects of my life.’

  ‘Fine.’

  The swirling racket of the bar made it hard for Ava to order her thoughts as she took Izz’s arm and gave it a comforting squeeze. Louise was recounting some story but she might as well have been speaking Russian. Tod had asked Ava twice now whether she was OK. Even when Patrick came up wearing mistletoe on his belt buckle, grinning as if he was the first guy to ever think of it, Ava wasn’t able to summon a smile.

  Why had she ever let Harvey take those photos? It had seemed like a bit of naughty fun at the time. Yet everyone knew that once digital images existed they had the potential to become uncontrollable beasts, shared and replicated with one quick click. Or even no clicks at all if the right boxes were already ticked.

  Did she have any rights over images she’d consented to having committed to somebody else’s memory card? Ethically, perhaps. But had Harvey and ethics even shaken hands?

  She could appeal to his better nature once he was sober but if several months had elapsed and he hadn’t permanently deleted the images, then he wasn’t going to.

  Stomach churning, she acknowledged that the damage was done. Her only option was to wait on tenterhooks to find out whether Harvey would share the pictures on his social networks. Or with strangers. Or sell the images to some scuzzy website. Her bile rose at the idea of being turned into an unwitting porn star.

  And what if he’d done it already?

  Chapter Four

  A bit of a redo

  Ava was jolted from her unhappy reverie by a phone being waved drunkenly before her eyes.

  An image blazed from the screen – flesh, hat, breasts, legs. No! On a wave of panic Ava snatched at the handset but, at the same moment, was shoved hard. Drink shooting from her hand, head whipping back, she crashed into a nearby group.

  Through their tuts and squeals she heard Sam snap, ‘Hey! Cut that out!’

  Then Harvey’s familiar laughter ringing in her ears.

  By the time Ava had regained her balance she was too late to see more than Harvey’s rear view as he cannoned his way out of the bar. She didn’t have a hope of catching up with him. Bastard. People around her glared at her as they brushed wine ostentatiously from their clothes.

  ‘Sorry,’ she croaked.

  Sam’s brow was ridged in a black frown. ‘It wasn’t your fault, that idiot just gave you a hell of a shove. Are you OK? What was all that about?’

  Humiliated tears lodged in Ava’s throat as she realised that Sam could easily have caught a flash of what had been on Harvey’s phone screen.

  But there was no sign of it in his voice. ‘He’s gone. You’re safe.’

  Izz broke in. ‘Get the police, Ava. Get him locked up.’ She looked white and upset. Izz had a thin skin so far as hostility was concerned.

  Sam’s focus remained on Ava. ‘You’re safe,’ he repeated. ‘But there are plenty of witnesses here who saw you were assaulted. Izz’s right, you could call the police.’

  Tod patted Ava’s arm, worriedly. ‘Are you hurt? Your feather’s, um, a bit …’ He made a crooked shape with his finger.

  Ava unpinned her hat. The tallest glossy black feather was comically crushed. She rubbed her neck, which ached from the whiplash effect of being flung through the air, and swallowed down her tears. ‘I don’t want to call the police. I’ll go home.’

  Izz looked anxious. ‘Don’t you want to go for the Indian meal that’s arranged? The booking’s in twenty minutes.’

  ‘Maybe Ava’s not hungry?’ Sam suggested.

  Ava glanced at him gratefully. ‘I just want to go home.’ If she didn’t, she might bawl like a child.

  Tod slung a protective arm around her, his very awkwardness comforting. ‘I think we ought to go with you. We can cancel the Indian.’

  Ava gave him a grateful hug. ‘I’m all right, Tod. It’s been a long day and a bad day and I want to be on my own. You guys go and enjoy the meal.’ She fought to keep her voice steady. ‘See you, everybody. Nice to meet those I hadn’t met before.’ Turning away quickly, she cut out the opportunity for further protest.

  Outside, the cold air snatched her breath. Dismayed to discover that she was trembling, Ava hugged herself against the chill as she turned down Camden High Street, still clutching her hat. The sleet had thickened whilst she’d been in Blaggard’s. Hurrying as much as her heels would allow, she crossed the canal and turned right past blocks of flats and railway bridges, children’s play areas and graffiti. Peop
le thought Camden must be so cool but once you got away from the High Street, the markets and the venues, it wasn’t that different to anywhere else. Anywhere else with a canal and goths and punks, anyway.

  The streets grew quieter once Camden High Street was behind her and in ten minutes she reached the familiarity of School Road. Houses of twenty different colours lined up shoulder-to-shoulder like an anxious family waiting for her to come home. She paused. Then swung around.

  Thirty yards away, a man was standing, watching her. Her heart leaped to her throat.

  Then she realised that the tall figure was Sam Jermyn.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she called, not sure if she should be outraged that she apparently couldn’t be trusted to walk a few streets on her own, or appreciative that he’d been concerned enough to desert his co-workers and shadow her.

  Slowly, he stepped into a circle of light at the base of a street lamp. ‘Sorry if I’m crossing a line; I was concerned that your ex might have still been in the vicinity when you left. As he was drunk …’ When she didn’t respond he jammed his hands into his pockets. ‘I’m not usually weird enough to follow girls home.’

  It actually hadn’t occurred to her to be alarmed when she realised it was him hovering, a guardian angel in a three-piece suit. ‘I expect you were being kind.’ She tucked her numb hands under her armpits. ‘Are you going off to the restaurant?’

  ‘I should. I’m supposed to be putting the bill on my credit card.’ The lamp’s halo of light suddenly began to shimmer as the sleet turned to snow, floating down to glisten on the pavements. Hunching his shoulders as he glanced around at the falling flakes, he pulled up his collar.

  ‘You’re going to get frozen.’ Ava’s teeth began to chatter. It was as if the two of them were in a snow globe that someone had given a good shake.

  He nodded philosophically.

  She pushed at the door, unwilling to stay out in the inhospitable winter evening an instant longer. ‘You could come in. Call a cab and wait in the warm or have a hot drink and see if the snow passes.’