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Not that I have much to return to in L.A., but the less time I spend in Candy Cane Key, Florida, the better.
2
MADDOX
The sun’s shining,the birds are chirping, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. It’s another day in the paradise I’m lucky enough to call home: Candy Cane Key.
But today’s even more magnificent than usual. In fact, today’s so special I threw on my lucky shirt this morning, the one with Santa wearing a captain’s hat that reads:aHOy, aHOy, aHOy.I’ve had this shirt so long it’s practically threadbare, but I prefer the term ‘broken-in.’
Today’s worthy of my Santa shirt because I’m part of the welcoming committee for the Christmas Network stars and crew. Or the circus, as my twin brother Levi’s been calling them. He’s not overly fond of a movie being filmed right here in Candy Cane Key.
I, however, can’t wait. When my buddy Scott, a location scout for the Christmas Network, called and pitched the idea to me a few months ago, I immediately knew it’d be great. Job opportunities for the local community, revenue from the filming and all the cast and crew living here for several weeks, not to mention the national spotlight on our tiny slice of heaven.
Tourism dollars will flow, I’m certain of it. And that’s good for the town.
“My man!” Scott waves and jogs over to my golf cart, high-fiving me. “Great to see you. Thanks for coming out to help transport the gear.” He points his thumb over his shoulder at the swarm of people pouring out of the glass airport doors hauling an array of oversized luggage, boxes, and video equipment.
“That’s the team. And that’s all our shit. You sure this island’s big enough for us?” He glances around, taking in the swaying palm trees and the postage stamp-sized parking lot.
“Absolutely.”
“Tell me you brought back-up. Because there’s no way we can fit everything into a golf cart. And you all have Uber down here, right?” He lifts a brow, noting the absence of any sort of public transport options in sight.
“Yeah, sure. A few. Did y’all rent any cars? We do have car rentals. And then once we’re in town, you can pretty much bike or walk anywhere you need to go.”
“Smart man. Jodi! Rent some cars. A bunch of them,” Scott yells across the pavement at a blonde, presumably Jodi. She salutes him, then jogs back into the airport in search of cars.
I hop out of the golf cart and start stacking luggage in the back, tying it down with bungee cords. Scott helps and ten minutes later, we’re ready to roll. Jodi hands car keys out like Pez and in no time, the crew’s set up in rentals, tearing out of the lot.
“I think we’re good to go.” Scott swings into the passenger side of the golf cart, throwing one hand up onto the white plastic roof. “Oh no….”
Following his gaze, I spot a brunette wearing a black crop top, black leggings, and a deep scowl.
“Son of a…FML.” Scott shakes his head, muttering under his breath.
“What? Who’s that?”
“Ivy Winters. I guess she landed the role last minute. Blaise Evans must’ve pulled out.”
“And that’s bad, I take it.”
Scott shrugs. “It’s not the best news ever. Ivy’s kind of a prima donna pain in the ass, if you ask me. But I’m just the location scout, not the casting director. So no one asked me.”
Ivy stares down at her cell, then glances around the now-empty lot. She spots Scott and shoots her hand up in the air, waving him down.
“Hey! You’re with the network, right? Do you know if any Ubers showed up? I tried to order one, but my cell service here sucks.”
“See what I mean? I’ve worked at the network for almost five years and she still doesn’t even know my name,” Scott grumbles.
Then, raising his voice, he shouts at her. “No Ubers. Jodi got rental cars, but I guess they’re all gone. We can give you a lift.”
“Oh. Okay.” She squints at the golf cart, but then grasps the handle of her large white suitcase and wheels toward us.
“Here, let me take that.” I hop out of the driver’s seat and grab her luggage, sizing up the situation before untying a cord and stacking the white case on top of the pile.
“I’m Maddox, by the way. Maddox Banks.”
“Ivy Winters.” She tips her head at me in greeting, then cuts her eyes to the luggage set-up, her full pink lips pursed. “You sure that’s stable?”
