A Villain for Christmas (The Holyoake Christmas Series, Book 2)

Captain Obvious Reveal

"Billie, if you don't mind me offering," the Headmistress said, "and feel free to say 'no' - but would you like to join me and a couple of my friends tomorrow? We're going out for drinks and dancing to The Queen's Anteroom, a drag club in Abernathy."

Billie tensed, her hands immediately sweaty, fists curling around the hem of her jumper under the table. The Headmistress gave her a soft smile.

"I will totally understand if it's not your gig," she said. "We're quite a tame crowd. Most of us don't drink, actually. It's my friend's birthday. Bernie? Dr. Amorsolo, the dentist?"

Billie nodded confirming that she knew whom the Headmistress was referring to.

"Let me give you my card." The woman started digging in her oversize tote. "Send me a message or give me a call if you decide to join us." She lifted her eyes at Billie for a second. "No pressure, of course."

Going for drinks with people that she'd never met before - all of them, to add insult to injury, highly-functional adults with careers - wasn't just outside Billie's comfort zone. It would be a journey worthy of Freya Stark to get Billie to the point where she'd consider accepting such an invitation.

"I'll try," Billie muttered. "It all depends on Ms. Bondarenko. Sometimes we end up working pretty late."

"Oh, Federico mentioned how grateful he was that you'd convinced her to film in Fleckney," the Headmistress said with a nod. "She's infamously temperamental, I've heard. He's obviously feeling somewhat smug, since he was the one who'd suggested getting you involved, after all. And now he's usurping you for the farm too!"

What the lagerlöf?! Who 'suggested' her?! Who's 'usurping' her? And what, in the name of Morrison's Nobel Prize in Literature, is the 'farm' they all keep mentioning?! What. Is. Happening?!

Billie opened and closed her mouth like her favourite children's book character, Swimmy.

"It was a good idea, though," Fergusson said and took another sip of his tea. "And that got Rhys on board. Why not use a resource if you've got one?"

"Like you 'used' me?" the Headmistress asked.

A pause hung above the table. Billie froze in acute discomfort; Fergusson looked as if he hadn't heard his partner's previous line.

"I'm flirting with you," Ms. Burns said with a little snort and poked his upper arm with her finger.

The man blinked, studied her, and then nodded. Billie considered pretending to need to go to the lav.

"Say that I'm your most advantageous resource and compliment me," the Headmistress ordered in an amused tone.

"You're my most advantageous resource, and this project wouldn't have happened without your help with the grant and permit submission," Fergusson pronounced diligently, and then turned to Billie. The impassive expression of his lacklustre eyes was endlessly unnerving. "We aren't arguing. I'm autistic. This is banter."

"Oh my god, sorry," the Headmistress exclaimed. "I forget how it looks to new people. And yes, this is normal. We're just being silly."

"I'm not," Fegusson deadpanned. "You are crucial to the project. And I enjoy 'using' you."

It was the woman's turn to take a moment to process - and then she croaked and pressed her face into shoulder. Billie could see how red the Headmistress' ears were.

"You're flustering me," she muttered.

"That's the point."

Ms. Burns weakly smacked the man's back, and he ruffled her curls.