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Except, then there’s Hudson. I’ll have to get his blessing. There’s no way around it. Holly means the world to him. He’s built his whole personality on protecting her honor, and I can’t blame him for it. But Hudson won’t be an easy sell.
He’s been around all my life, for the ups and downs, too. He’s had an up-close first-hand account of all the relationships I’ve messed up over the years. There has been more than I’d like to admit. I never had a good role model for what a good relationship should look like, at least not in my own home. It took me a few broken hearts to figure it out. I don’t feel good about that, but it’s the truth.
With my head unrelenting, I tried to rest, but my dreams were troubled with thoughts of betrayal. The more I longed for her, the more my heart came up against the tides of loyalty. In the end, I settled on the uncomfortable truth that Hudson will never understand and I’m not sure how to move forward. When night finally gave way to morning, I was up before the sun. It was easy considering I’d never truly fallen asleep in the first place.
This morning, I arrived at work early with the hope of distracting myself. I settle behind my computer without so much as a cup of coffee. The tedious, post-production details of editing the Be Merry introduction sequence will be enough to pull my brain away from thoughts of my love life and I need to think about something else.
But as I play the first clip, I see a flaw in my plan. I didn’t consider the fact that my job has changed since Holly came into my world. Now, heading to work means watching a film of Holly smiling and giggling into the camera.
In clip after clip, she comes alive. I feel her warmth in my chest and I know that this woman was meant to be in my life. She’s beautiful, anyone can see that. But there’s so much more to her. Her kind and genuine heart leap off the screen. Viewers are going to fall head over heels for Holly, and I can’t blame them.
I hear the door click open and Gavin comes barreling into the studio. He’s still got his dark sunglasses over his eyes even after he’s traveled down our long, dark hallway to arrive in the back offices. It doesn’t seem like a good sign.
“Good morning,” I call from over the top of my screen.
Gavin makes a guttural grunting sound that I think is supposed to be a greeting. After he gets a few cups of coffee in him, he saunters over to my desk and we discuss the details of the film schedule. It’s going to be another long day, and I can’t wait because that means more time with Holly.
I can’t stop looking at the front door, but it’s another full hour before Holly arrives. But when she finally does, it’s worth it. She steps inside wearing a full skirt with a gingerbread pattern stamped onto it, a white sweater, and her signature red lipstick. She’s as stunning as ever and ready to light up the camera with her smile.
She makes her way straight to the center of our set. I stare at her through the lens of my camera. Holly leans into the countertop, arranging the colorful bags of frosting like a rainbow. The tiered trays of cookies in front of her have nothing over her sweet demeanor. She’s completely unbothered by the commotion in the room.
“Good morning.” Holly’s eyes light up when she sees me and I love being the man who brings that out of her.
“Hi, you look beautiful this morning.” I try to keep my tone casual, but I don’t think I hit the mark. It’s hard when my mind is whirling with the possibilities of what could be between us and the challenges of bringing Hudson on board.
“Good morning. You both look fabulous. But maybe we can get started. Not all of us are looking forward to playing house here today.” Gavin’s tone is dripping with bitter sarcasm.
“Thank you for that. You’re always a team player. That’s what I like about you.” I cut my eyes at him and bite my tongue. If Holly wasn’t here, I’d add a few choice words to my sentiment. But out of respect for her, I let it slide. “Alright, places, we’re going to start in five. Do we have lights? Sound, are we good? Holly?” I look around and see nods in every direction. “Holly?”
She gives me a thumbs up and I can’t help but wink back at her. That’s my girl up there, lighting up the whole world. I count her down and we get straight to work.
“Hi, I’m Holly, your host. Are you ready to Be Merry with me? I hope so! Today we’ll be talking all things sugar cookie.” Holly looks into the camera and wrinkles her nose in an adorable scrunch.
While I listen to her speak, I resist the urge to sit captivated and try to do my job. My body is convinced to go through the motions. I call for cameras to zoom in on her face from every angle. Gavin moves around me, capturing shots for social media platforms as well as extra footage. But all the while, my mind is wrapped up in the memory of her warm embrace and the thought of making her mine.
Six
Nathan
Three days later, we’re back at it. I’ve always enjoyed my job, but now work has taken on another meaning entirely. With Holly here, my life has become a magical combination of filming, editing, and stealing secret kisses from her behind the Christmas tree on set.
Tonight, Denise dropped off takeout from The Hungry Elf up on Mistletoe Mountain for the whole crew. She had to run, but the rest of us were shooting late into the evening trying to meet our deadline. Even after a long day of filming under hot white lights, Holly still looks amazing.
The low lighting accentuates her facial features, highlighting the sharp lines of her cheekbones and giving her eyes a glinting golden hue. She is vibrant with energy. Though, if I’m planning to steal any more kisses without the rest of the team noticing, the red lipstick may be a problem.
I look at the playback in my camera and roll the taut muscles on the back of my neck. “Good news. We’re in the home stretch. One more scene and we can call it a day. Nice work everyone, way to hang in there. We’ll go for the final time in five.” I make my announcement to the room. Before we countdown, I make my way over to Holly. “Here, I found your water bottle. Are you doing okay?” I ask her.
“Thank you, I’ve been looking for that, but the lights mean I’m pretty much blind at this point, so at least I have an excuse for losing it this time.” She lets out a sweet giggle. “I think it’s going well. There’s so much we can use in each take. I mean… isn’t there? I guess I am a little unsure. You’ve done this more often than I have. There have been so many hosts in the hot seat before me, you tell me if it’s going okay. Am I turning and giving bad angles, or raising my eyebrows too much, or something else I’m not even thinking of?” Holly’s eyes dart toward the floor and she chews her bottom lip.
It occurs to me for the first time how intimidating this could be for her. She never set out to be an influencer. Holly is a twenty-three-year-old baker and a writer who is now carrying the weight of a show she never planned on having.
I run a hand down her arm and give it a gentle squeeze. “Are you kidding me, sweetheart? You don’t have a bad angle. You’re the most talented person we’ve ever had in this studio. There isn’t a single thing for you to worry about. You’re nailing it up there. Don’t forget that I’ll be here right here, checking in on my end and making sure you’re taken care of. No weird eyebrow movements on screen,” I laugh.
Holly’s cheeks turn a deep shade of pink and she slowly raises her eyes to meet mine. “Thank you, Nathan, that’s sweet. I needed to hear that today.” She takes a sip of her water.
She trails her fingernails along the inside of my forearm, and my heart skips a beat. The air between us electrifies and I can’t think of anything else but kissing her. I glance around the room, but there aren’t any eyes on us.
But kissing her at work in front of anyone would be a stupid, reckless move. That would cause problems, and not just at Station 1225. Christmas Town isn’t a large place. That would be a surefire way to get word back to Hudson before I have a chance to talk to him. But the way she’s looking at me makes all of that seem trivial. I smooth a strand of hair away from her face and lean in toward her. Holly closes her eyes.
