Page 36 of Not Another Christmas Movie

“This show has singing in it?” Annie asked, already not a fan of whatever strange musical component awaited them.

“Of course!” Bailey said. “And we’re so lucky, Chris is showcasing more of his talents and doubling as our musical director!” Bailey exclaimed, and Annie’s brain pulled up that unfortunate image of Chris talentlessly plucking at guitar strings. “And now that Perry is here, he’ll be taking over the choreography, what a visionary …”

“So Chris doesn’t need me out there? He still hasn’t come back here yet,” Annie interrupted.

“He’s handling so much with the play … and the family Christmas tree lot,” Bailey said, oozing with admiration. “But I’m sure you’ll see him soon enough,” Bailey smiled and fluttered out the door.

Apparently a trained and skillful pianist, Chris was kindly and patiently leading the kids through a vocal exercise. And somehow time passed easily and unremarkably. It wasn’t just the delicious, sweet smells Annie encountered nearly everywhere she went or the happy people who greeted her with genuine smiles and holiday cheer, something inside her was thawing. Her mildly cool heart? Perhaps. But the intoxicating sense of joy that radiated from every corner was nice. It was warm and peaceful, a tender landing place to rest awhile and recharge that something inside of her that she couldn’t quite define.

“Still going strong, huh?” Nick asked with a knock, stepping into the room a little while later.

“How long have we been here?” Annie asked.

“I don’t know, time is weird here. But rehearsal is over,” Nick said, casually making his way around the costumes and admiring pieces that caught his eye.

“Already?” Annie asked. She was genuinely surprised that she had managed to busy herself with the faint sounds of children singing for the rehearsal’s entire duration.

“Everyone is heading out. Apparently, it’s nighttime,” Nick said.

“Wait, what? I haven’t eaten anything since the pancakes and I’m not even hungry … and I still haven’t even seen Chris, let alone almost kiss him!” Annie moaned.

“Don’t worry, it’s the first night of the Christmas festival, we can make up time there,” Nick assured her.

“So no almost kisses for you either?” Annie asked.

“No, I was consumed with putting set pieces together and painting a backdrop … and then Bailey asked if I’d help grab a few things for the bakery’s booth and I realized rehearsal had ended.”

“Maybe you can attempt your food fight idea,” Annie suggested.

“Nick? Can we head over now?” Bailey asked, appearing at the door. “I can treat you to a warm cup of hot chocolate,” she added with a wink. Bailey looped her arm through Nick’s, and Nick turned to Annie with a raised eyebrow, suggesting his almost-kiss opportunity window might be opening.

“Okay, we’ll meet you at the festival,” Nick said reassuringly as Bailey led them off, and Annie nodded, ignoring the unwelcome knot in her stomach at the sight of Nick and Bailey leaving together.

Giving herself a moment to not immediately shadow Nick and Bailey, Annie double-checked everything had been neatly placed back on racks and turned off the lights in the costume shop. The school was eerily quiet and still as Annie navigated herself outside, where it was indeed dark, all signs pointing to an ambiguous evening hour. Within a few short steps, she was enveloped into a crowd all traversing the incredibly short distance to the Christmas festival in the town center square.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Happy first night of the Annual Simsbury Tri-Night Yuletide Festival of Light and Holiday Merriment, Featuring Joy, Wonder, and Magic!” Noelle thundered.

Annie wasn’t sure if it was the event’s title or Noelle’s very sudden appearance, popping out from behind a decorative inflatable reindeer alongside a deafening squeak from the plastic, but she jumped back before freezing abruptly in surprise.

“Noelle, hi, I didn’t see you there,” Annie muttered, giving her heartbeat a chance to return to normal speed.

“Sounds like someone needs to let loose and enjoy the real fun of the night.” Noelle smiled broadly, reminding Annie of a jack-in-the-box still taunting the person it had just frightened. However, she was intrigued about what a woman who drove out of her way for oatmeal cookies considered “letting loose.”

“There’s nothing quite like the Annual Simsbury Tri-Night Yuletide Festival of Light and Holiday Merriment, Featuring Joy, Wonder, and Magic. I’m so happy it’s here!” Noelle beamed. To Annie, three nights of celebration were three too many, and that title might be the most egregious one yet. However, if time passed as quickly as it had that day, perhaps it wouldn’t be as traumatic as she imagined.

“And then, don’t forget, it’s the Christmas Ball,” Noelle smiled again, her twinkling eyes landing on Felix, who was a few feet ahead. “This is the most magical week of the year,” Noelle breathed, stopping in her tracks and closing her eyes to take it all in. When she didn’t immediately open them again or attempt to move, Annie broke the moment.

“It really is,” Annie said loudly, hoping Noelle would come out of her trance. She did not.

So Annie entered the festival alone. She was grateful to have the moment to herself as it forced her to slow down and better appreciate the sights, sounds, and scents flooding her senses. She stepped through a broad, lighted archway. The tiny white lights gave the illusion of walking among the stars and being blanketed in the power of their wishes, and even Annie had to admit the scene was beautiful, and she could feel a surge of endorphins dancing inside her brain. Once officially through, she was greeted by multiple small booths arranged in a row. Sellers were showcasing displays of cashmere scarves, leather bookmarks, and journals. A vendor immediately handed her a small, covered white cup of what she assumed was hot chocolate.

Annie took a sip from the cup and was surprised to find it completely empty. Huh, perhaps the prop person purposely hadn’t filled it to keep the hot chocolate budget within its daily range? Or perhaps to-go hot chocolates were always served without actual contents in the made-for-television movie world. Either way, she was impressed that her lipstick hadn’t left a trace of its rosy pink color on the lid. Around her, the jovial hum of voices circled.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Annie asked no one in particular, and when no one answered her, she shrugged and continued to hold it as if it were a full cup of cocoa and it was warming her hands. When Annie turned back to the closest hot chocolate stall, she watched Grant and Perry collide. Though the “crash” was more of a choreographed dance of two committed actors hitting their respective marks.

“For someone who doesn’t celebrate the season, I didn’t think I’d see you here,” Grant said cooly.