Hating Christmas (Holiday Series) (5 page)

He’d had no input into this, no opportunity to advise
his client, which infuriated him. Holly had made an end run around
him and now Mac stood to lose a great opportunity and a sizeable
paycheck. What with the natural trickle down nature of agenting
work, he was also getting the shaft. Just the thought made him
clench his jaw more tightly. He wanted to charge her with trying to
steal his commission, but he knew she couldn’t do that and that
documentary work wasn’t the source of big money, anyway.

Holly shrugged again. “I got lucky. Mac actually
cares about the Zambian poor—“

Levi threw his head back in disgust. “Yes,
you
got lucky, but Mac is jeopardizing being available for a more
commercial, very remunerative film.”

“He’s committed to someone else?” She seemed puzzled.
“He didn’t say anything about it.”

“Because I haven’t talked to him about it yet. You
got to him first. There’s a very big project coming open—“ he
started.

“There is always a big project developing somewhere.”
Waving her hand again, Holly dismissed this. “My film won’t take
all that long. I’m sure he’ll be available when the big project
starts shooting.”

“Are you?” Levi couldn’t help the sardonic smile that
twisted his mouth. “As it happens, this film will begin shooting
next May. Exactly the week Mac has told you he’ll do your little
project.”

“This May?” She stared at him. “A big budget project
that’s just signing up its stars and they’re starting in May?”

Levi admitted, “Mac will be a replacement. Another
actor had been signed up for this, but he’s backed out
suddenly.”

Holly just looked at him. “Jail or rehab?”

“Rehab.” Levi turned and paced the small living room.
“This is another whole level for Mac. It’s big and I wouldn’t be
doing my job if I let him turn it down because of a smaller
project—”

“Like mine,” she concluded belligerently.

“Yes.” He met her angry gaze straight on. “Like
yours.”

She threw a hand up. “You don’t even know if Mac has
this big role, do you?”

“No,” Levi responded, “but he’s on the top contender
list of only three. Letting him tie himself up with your project
will mean he comes off that list and definitely loses out on the
job.”

“Well, I’m sorry, Levi, but Mac was the one who made
this commitment. Not me. You’re upset because I didn’t go through
you, but he’s the one who signed on the dotted line.” She stood in
the small, cozy living room, her chin raised virtuously.

“He wouldn’t have had that option if you’d have used
the proper channels,” Levi reminded her. This wasn’t the first time
some sleazy filmmaker had snuck around him to approach a client
directly, but Holly didn’t seem sleazy.

She blew out a disgusted breath. “Maybe you don’t
know what it’s like to be a small filmmaker, but I’ve learned to
grab my chances where I can. Having Mac introduce it and be the
narrator will draw attention to a very worthy project.”

He shook his head, annoyed by her self-interest. It
shouldn’t have surprised him—working in the film industry—but she
hadn’t struck him that way, which made him even madder. “You just
don’t give a crap about anyone but yourself—I said women were like
that. You’re selfish, just like your mom. This is why I didn’t want
my dad marrying someone he hadn’t seen since they were kids and who
he hardly knows.”

Holly gasped.

“Your father would be lucky to have my mom—if she
weren’t going to get an annulment as soon as I can make her see
sense,” she snapped back. “He’d be very lucky.”

“So you say,” Levi sneered at her.

Hugging herself, she rubbed a hand up her sweatered
arm. “You’re against him ever marrying, aren’t you? You might want
to look at your motives. I don’t think this is about my mom at
all.”

Caught broadside with that one, Levi fell silent for
a moment.

“You know this marriage was an irrational, impulsive
act,” he said finally.

“On both parts!” Her eyes sparkled militantly.

“Okay, but you have to know they need to call it a
day.”

She answered more calmly. “Probably. Got any ideas as
to how to get them to see this?”

“No, but I’m working on it.” His smile felt thin.
“Even if we don’t agree on Mac, we can agree on this.”

“Amazing,” she said in a snotty voice and she pivoted
on her heel and marched back to the kitchen.

***

“This is so much fun!” Audrey sent her new husband a
sparkling smile.

Standing behind her, Holly felt like barfing. Her
only bright spot in having been dragged to see the neighbor’s
grandchildren’s Christmas play was that Levi looked even less
excited about all this than she did. Despite her annoyance over
their conversation about Mac Toledo earlier in the day, she felt
some kinship in their shared misery now.

Hovering at the gymnasium door while Michael stuffed
cash into the hand of the older kid selling tickets, she just
wished she had something besides Levi to shield her against the
cold air sliding down her back and sending icy fingers up her legs.
Geez, she needed warmer clothes before she came to see her mom
again. Or to convince the woman to move back to Florida. So what if
Audrey had grown up in Minnesota? She left once before and she
could do it again.

The line at the door wasn’t moving and Holly tried to
be fine with Levi smashed up against her backside. At least he
blocked the wind somewhat. They hadn’t spoken much since their
argument that morning and Holly couldn’t help being glad of this.
Levi didn’t seem like the kind of guy accustomed to having his
boundaries ignored. Some agents got really pissy about that kind of
thing.

“Can’t we just get inside?” Levi muttered into
Holly’s ear. “It’s damned cold out here.”

“Just be glad you’re not wearing a skirt.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shake with
startled laughter. “Oh, I am. Very glad I’m not wearing a
skirt.”

It was the lightest moment since their argument and
Holly realized she didn’t like fighting with him. Of course, she
didn’t like arguing in general, but she really hadn’t been able to
get out of this one.

“You know what I mean,” she hissed back. “I need to
buy myself some warmer boots and a parka or two.”

“And lose the skirts,” he recommended. “Unless you
plan to hook yourself a Minnesotan with those legs of yours.”

Holly tried to squash the little shimmer of
satisfaction that he liked her legs.

Bundled Minnesotans clustered just inside the door,
blocking the way and keeping them all stamping in the snow.

“Let me say this, you may go behind my back to make a
deal with my clients,” Levi said, “but at least you’re not the one
torturing me with a kids’ Christmas program.”

“Why complain to me?” she asked under her breath.
“You didn’t protest when your dad brought the evening’s
entertainment up.”

“I’m saving my arguing with him for the marriage
thing.”

“Smart.”

The ticket transaction completed by this time, she
hissed over her shoulder as they shuffled forward, “Anyone I hook
with my fabulous legs has to be willing to live in a warmer
area.”

“Good idea. The sooner the better.”

The line of friends and family moved forward slowly
as various people trying to get into the gym stopped to hug one
another.

“This is worse than the plane,” he groused in a low
voice, his hands on her back as they shuffled through the
crowd.

Acutely aware of his touch, Holly grinned over her
shoulder at him. “Who’s complaining now?”

“Me,” he answered without apology. “Whose idea was
this ordeal tonight?”

“I think our respective parents share that honor,
despite your father having been the one to mention it. Their nature
has a grandchild in the pageant. This apparently was reason enough
for them to drag us here.”

Slowly they made their way through the gym to the row
of rickety folding chairs that were theirs.

“Here we are,” her mother announced, still smiling
her enjoyment. “Go ahead, Holly. You and Levi go in first. I like
to sit on the end.”

She knew her mother would spend most of the evening
greeting people she knew from her younger days. It was ridiculous
how many of them and their children still lived in the area.

At her mom’s urging, Holly sidestepped into the
narrow aisle, Levi behind her.

“I feel trapped.” He leaned over to mutter into her
ear as they sat down in the cramped area and Holly giggled.

“We are. We just have to make up our minds to endure
seeing a bunch of kids dressed up like reindeer and gift
packages.”

“And one with a fake white beard with pillows under
his red suit.” Levi moaned comically.

The audience fell silent as the house lights went
down.

Holly whispered, “I’m sure this won’t be the caliber
of acting you’re used to. Then again, you might find the next child
star here. I promise not to sign him for my next documentary.”

“Thanks.” Levi responded without gratitude.

A woman behind them hushed her urgently and he didn’t
say more.

He nudged Holly with his elbow, handing her his
phone, mumbling, “Give me your number.” under cover of the applause
that broke out around them when the first kids came on stage.

Puzzled, Holly took the phone, warm from being in his
pocket. Putting her number under the Contacts list, she handed it
back.

Children danced on stage, singing off-key. The tinny
sound system didn’t quite reach the back of the gym and various
lines of dialogue got swallowed up as stage-shy children rattled
their parts off nervously in low-pitched monotones.

Not able to share the audience’s rapture with what
was happening on the raised stage, she nibbled at a cuticle and
wondered how long the play would last. Suddenly she became aware
low buzzing tone of her phone in her purse. As she reached down for
it, she saw that Levi was watching her meaningfully. Holly took her
phone out of her bag and saw that she had a new text message.

“Look at the big kid on the left” it said.

She glanced up and found a larger child at the back
of the larger group. A trio of fairies were skipping about in a
silly dance at center stage and the kid at the back, dressed as a
cow, appeared to be mimicking the same choreographed movements.

With a stifled chuckled, Holly texted back, “He wants
to be a fairy”.

“No comment. Now look at the woman on the right side
of the stage” he texted back.

Holly obeyed, glancing over to see a large, older
woman, who was also frolicking like the fairies…or it certainly
looked like it. It took Holly a moment to realize the children in
the stage were following the dancing teacher’s example.

Her phone buzzed again and she read the text that
came up. “Do you think even one of those kids gives a crap about
this?”

“No,” she typed back. “Not a bit. They want to go
home and play Xbox.”

Beside her, Levi looked at his phone and laughed
under his breath. He typed a response.

“What do you dislike most about the season?”

“It’s all so fake,” she tapped in.

“You don’t think the kids are enjoying the season of
giving?”

“Yes,” she moved her thumbs quickly over the screen,
“they care about what their parents are giving them. Not what
they’re giving anyone else.”

“Cynic.” The message shot back and Holly didn’t even
think about denying it. She’d been defending herself to Christmas
enthusiasts for as long as she could remember, but Levi shared her
blasé attitude about the season.

“It’s not just the kids, though. Everything. Santa in
the mall. All the jewelry store ads that promise big returns on big
gifts.”

“Uh, I must have missed that.”

“Couldn’t have. The men giving women rings and
watches and various baubles and the women then throw their arms
around the men and give them a kiss?”

“Oh that.”

“Yes, that.”

The guy sitting next to Holly sneezed into his hand
and she made a mental note to herself not to shake his hand if her
mother was inclined to introduce them.

“Yep. You don’t seem like you’re enjoying the program
too much yourself,” she tapped into the phone. “In general, not
into children’s performing?”

“Maybe I’m even more cynical about Christmas than
you,” he texted back. “All those jewelry store ads, you know.”

“You dislike Christmas?” She couldn’t believe someone
so deep into the Hollywood beauty world would admit to anything
challenging the shallow.

“Reason for people to get things from other people.
Meaning lost. Yes, I think it’s silly.” He shifted on his creaking
folding chair, drawing a censorious look from a woman in front of
him.

His fingers flew over the phone’s keyboard. “See that
woman glare at me? No such thing as love for your fellowmen during
this celebration.”

Sitting in the darkened gym on rickety folding
chairs, surrounded by beaming parents—including her own
mother—Holly shot a surprised glance at Levi. He looked up from his
phone, one dark eyebrow flying up in a comical question. Startled
by the reality that she felt a powerful connection to her enemy,
she just stared at him. They both hated Christmas. How likely was
that? And he wasn’t bad looking, either.

For a moment, she entertained a little fantasy about
some step-sibling
bonding
before she caught herself.

“What?” The word shot from his phone to hers. “What?
You look like you’re catching flies.”

She closed her mouth, tapping back a message.
“Nothing. It’s just that I think Christmas is crap, too.”

“Yeah, I know we have that in common,” he responded,
“and if you’d tell Mac to consult with his agent before agreeing to
star in your documentary, we’d be good.”

“Fat chance,” she typed back, their temporary truce
over their mutual dislike of the holidays now over. “He’s a grown
man and he’s entitled to make his own choices. I’m sure you’ll get
your percentage of his take.”