Emma’s father was a stern man and her mother had always seemed cold and unaffectionate.
‘Dad’s arthritis is playing up badly, my mum told me; it would have been a bit much for them to fly all the way out here.’
It was a lame excuse and they both knew it. Holly remembered Emma complaining once that her parents had a different excuse every time Emma mentioned them returning to the UK to visit her. Arthritis was one of the usual excuses, but Emma often pointed out that her dad was always posting photos of himself playing golf with his friends on Facebook, so it couldn’t have been that bad.
‘That’s a shame, but like I said, anything you need help with, just ask. You’re right; I think I do recognize a few people here,’ Holly nodded, happy to see some more familiar faces.
‘Danni and Fran should be here soon,’ Emma explained as two men walked over and kissed her hello. Holly didn’t see them properly at first. ‘Do you remember Callum and Max from college too? Max is also a personal trainer and we’ve become great friends. Charlie works with him and Callum is their boss; he owns the gym they work at.’
Holly had to look twice at them before it actually dawned on her who these two were. They had been in the year above them at college and Holly hadn’t seen either of them since they left all those years ago. Max immediately caught her eye with his fierce smile, light brown eyes, dark hair and olive skin. He looked like he had impressive biceps underneath his tight fitted black shirt and she could only imagine his athletic body underneath. He was absolutely gorgeous and she instantly felt self-conscious in a way she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Callum was extremely attractive too, but with bright green eyes with fair hair, he wasn’t her usual type. Holly had always gone for tall, dark and handsome. They certainly hadn’t been as striking when they’d been at college as they were now. They’d both grown up. They were men now instead of lanky teenagers.
‘Hi,’ Max smiled, revealing immaculate teeth, ‘I think I remember you. Holly, right?’ he asked her confidently. ‘I vaguely recall you trying to set me up with your friend Kim once,’ he gave a light laugh, ‘but it never happened.’
‘Ah yes, I think I remember,’ Holly said amicably. It was coming back to her now. It must have been one of the few times she’d ever spoken to Max. Kim had been going out with some idiot, Lee, who had been cheating on her. Holly had been in their local club and when she’d bumped into Max and they started chatting, she told him she was going to set him up with Kim. Kim hadn’t been there and it had just been an idea to attempt to separate her from Lee. It hadn’t happened though, because the next time Holly had spoken to Kim, she had told her she wasn’t interested in anyone else. She wanted to give Lee another chance. Their rocky relationship lasted about another six months after that and Max had been forgotten about.
‘Long time ago,’ Max noted. ‘Can I get you another drink?’ he offered, touching her shoulder lightly.
Holly felt a fluttery feeling in her stomach. She had forgotten what it felt like. It both scared and enthralled her. This was a man she was interested in getting to know a bit more. This was a man she was attracted to. This rarely ever happened. Apart from when she’d first met Rob, Holly couldn’t think of the last time she’d actually fancied someone. ‘Yes please. A white wine please,’ she requested timidly, ‘if that’s okay.’
‘My pleasure,’ Max grinned, before turning to Callum to take his order. It was at this point that Holly glanced at Max’s ring finger. It was bare, much to her delight. No news of a wife to disappoint her. That didn’t rule him out of being in a relationship of course. She decided to get some information about Max from Callum. He was clearly the quieter, more laid-back of the two, but he had a friendly, warm face.
‘So, are you both here with your girlfriends?’ Holly enquired in a nonchalant tone.
‘No, we’re both single,’ Callum replied. ‘We’ve both recently split with partners,’ he told her. He looked up at her inquisitively. ‘What about yourself?’
‘Also single,’ Holly told him, flicking her hair behind her shoulders. ‘I split with my boyfriend about eight months ago. We have two children though.’
‘Boys or girls?’ Callum asked, looking genuinely interested.
‘One of each,’ Holly replied, glancing over to Max who was just being served their drinks. She wondered if the fact she had children would put Max off. After all, it wasn’t just her now. Then again, perhaps he was a father too?
‘I have a five-year-old girl called Eva,’ Callum told her, smiling with pride.
‘Oh really? I’m hoping the tantrums stop by five?’ Holly laughed.
‘I hate to disappoint you,’ Callum said, a light laugh escaping his lips, ‘but no, not yet. In fact, I think they get worse. But maybe that’s just Eva.’
‘Does Max have children too?’ Holly asked, her brow furrowing.
Callum looked at Holly as though the thought amused him. ‘No, not Max. Max doesn’t have any children yet.’
Holly didn’t know whether this was a good or bad thing. She was glad Max was single, but perhaps he wouldn’t consider someone with children if he didn’t have any of his own? Holly came as a package. It was always going to be her plus two. Would it be hard to find someone willing to take on the three of them? Lottie was a handful at times and Jacob was still only a baby. Why was Holly even thinking about this when it had never bothered her before that men may be put off by extra baggage? She was perfectly fine on her own and had actually sworn to herself she didn’t ever want to rely on a man again, but she was starting to question whether she really did want to be single forever. Would she be lonely in years to come? Just seeing how happy Rob and Nikki were was making her question things. Her mother was always telling her that one day her children would grow up. One day they wouldn’t need her to clean their faces and brush their hair. They would know exactly what they wanted to wear. They wouldn’t want their mother to drive them places. What was she going to do then? Perhaps Holly had believed she was okay all alone because she’d never met anyone else she actually liked and had feelings for?
‘One white wine.’ Max shot Holly a devastating smile as he handed her the drink. ‘The barman was so slow, I actually ordered us all two drinks each,’ he explained, heading back over to get the other three.
‘Thanks.’ Holly’s lips turned upwards as he walked back.
‘So, where we off to next?’ Max asked, gazing round the bar.
‘There’s a club here in the hotel, I think; Charlie mentioned we were going there earlier. I’m certainly up for it; I’ve heard Vegas clubs are amazing.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Max replied enthusiastically, licking his drink from his lips. His brown eyes met Holly’s and her insides turned to jelly. He was just so sexy. She couldn’t believe she hardly knew him and he was having such an effect on her. Holly made her way to the ladies’ after twenty minutes of chatting to Max and Callum and bumped into Emma again.
‘Having fun?’ Emma asked curiously, looking as though she knew Holly’s secret. She was smirking as she asked the question.
‘He’s gorgeous.’ Holly couldn’t help herself.
‘Which one? They both are!’ Emma giggled. ‘Slightly improved since college, haven’t they?’
‘Yes, they really have. They’re both good looking but I was talking about Max though. What’s the deal with him?’ Holly asked as she washed her hands.
‘He’s just split up with his ex-girlfriend, Carmen,’ Emma revealed, applying some lipstick in the mirror. ‘He was with her about five months; I never knew him to have a girlfriend before that, and I’ve known him ever since I started going to the gym about two years ago. He gets tons of attention from women, not surprisingly. I think he’s a bit of a charmer, to be honest.’
‘Yes, I can imagine,’ Holly replied, brushing her hair. ‘He’s