She rubbed her hands together in an effort to create warmth. There would be no relief from the cold for her. As Santa’s head elf, that would be elf number 1 in the credits, thank you very much, she was supposed to be in the background of these shots. Which meant wandering around and pretending to check on Christmas trees like it was her sacred duty or something.
Like Christmas trees needed to be checked on.
Like Christmas elves cared about trees in a tree lot.
But she was an Easter egg that hinted there was more to this tree lot than meets the eye. They wouldn’t reveal the truth until the last scene when Santa himself made an appearance–saving Christmas and bringing together a young family.
Magic!
One of the locals they’d hired as an extra approached. She had short bleached blonde hair that looked lovely underneath a maroon stocking cap with an enormous ball on top. Her dark jeans and heavy winter coat looked much warmer than Natasha’s elf costume.
“Isn’t this just so exciting?” she whispered, her giant smile never moving. “I’m Chloe, by the way.”
“Natasha. It’s nice to meet you.” Nat inwardly cringed at the strain that frozen smile would cause. “We’re allowed to talk quietly. The microphones can’t pick up what we’re saying.”
Her smile didn’t go away. “But they can see everything.”
Oh great. She was one ofthoseextras. Every once in a while, they picked up someone who thought this was their big break into acting. As if some movie producer was scanning the background of every made-for-TV Christmas special to find his next female lead. That just wasn’t how it worked. But that didn’t stop these ambitious newbies from doing all they could to grab the spotlight.
Jack appeared at the edge of the tape, carrying a plastic snowman under one arm.
He was everywhere today. On the tractor, handing out plates from the taco truck, carrying PVC trees onto the lot. She couldn’t cross Tinsel Town without bumping into him. Also, the cast and crew picked up on his nickname for their temporary home. They even had a hashtag:#tinseltownliving.
Marissa Jones, the lead, had posted pics all day long. There wasn’t much for her to do but study her lines, and she’d taken it upon herself to share everything about their adventures in North Dakota.
Free publicity for the film–a year before they released it. Jennifer loved it. There were some constraints because an air of mystery was expected for upcoming films, but Marissa had a handle on things. She was an intelligent lady and a good person.
Jack lifted his hand as if he were going to touch the brim of his hat, only to realize he wasn’t wearing it tonight. Chuckling at himself, he tapped his black beanie instead and continued.
Natasha blushed. His hat was in her trailer. She’d sniffed it several times, loving the pine and sunrise scent. She needed to get that back to him. Just as she was about to lift a hand in greeting, Chloe grabbed her arm and hissed.
“Can you believe him?” she demanded, releasing her just as fast as she’d grabbed on.
Natasha pretended to adjust the branches of a tree. “Did he do something wrong?” The extras were supposed to interact with each other, pause, and chat in passing like old friends. Perhaps Jack had said something that offended Chloe.
“We broke up not two weeks ago, and he’s flirting with me again.” She threw the end of her scarf over her shoulder.
“Two weeks ago?” Natasha’s head whipped around to look for Jack, but he had disappeared into the maze of trees. Her throat went dry as the Nevada desert, and she croaked, “You dated?” She glanced up and down at Chloe, adorable in her fitted snow pants and matching coat with cream-colored gloves, hat, and scarf. Why wouldn’t Jack–or any man, for that matter–want to date her?
Chloe nodded solemnly, even though that crazy smile was still in place. “We just weren’t a good fit. And you know how it is in these small towns; you date pretty much everyone. Jack, though, he’s especially on the prowl lately. Ever since Caleb got married, but you can see how much he misses me.” She rolled her large eyes. “He’s being so obvious.”
Natasha wasn’t sure that’s what she’d seen, but then again, she didn’t know Jack all that well. One day spent wearing a man’s hat did not make her an expert in his life. Why did Chloe’s pronouncement make her feel all jittery inside?
“Cut!” yelled Will, the assistant director. “That was wonderful, people. Let’s set for the next scene.”
Chloe squealed and grabbed Natasha’s arm again. “Oh my gosh! I’m so excited to be in this movie.”
She hurried off with the other extras to find their new marks for the next scene.
Nat hung back, her mind full of new information. So Jack dated–a lot. Well, she wasn’t surprised. He was charming and more than handsome. Who was she kidding? He was a twelve on a ten-point scale of hotness.
Was he on the prowl? What did that mean, exactly? Was he trying to show Caleb what he was missing out on as a single man, or was it something else?
She wasn’t sure she could take a risk on him. The ex-boyfriend had dumped her–not for another woman, but because he wanted to be free to date all the women. “You’re holding me back,” he’d said. “I want to explore all my options before settling down,” he’d explained while he crushed her soul.
Jack was suddenly standing next to her, as if her thoughts had drawn him in. He smiled as he leaned closer, bringing his mouth near her ear. “Ready to take me up on that offer to keep you warm?” he asked.
She rubbed her arms. “You wish,” she fired back in an effort to keep him away from her heart. He got close all too easily, and she wasn’t sure she could trust him. More importantly, she wasn’t sure she should trust herself because he was all the things she’d grown up wanting in a man, rugged, robust, so stinking handsome, and a rancher.
