“Well, you both look very … festive.”
“Thank you.” I took it as a compliment, even though it definitely wasn’t. “You look … warm?”
He flicked his scarf. “The word you’re looking for is stylish. I don’t do cheap fabrics. My skin’s too sensitive. And this” – he waved his hand up and down my outfit – “is a walking fire hazard. Although it would look great on camera. In a music video.” Not this again? I’d already messaged him twenty times saying “no”. He turned to Grace. “Grace, I’m relying on you to talk your friend round. You can have a starring role. I’m sure there’s room for a dancer.” Eurgh! He was a blackmail genius! I wasn’t telling him anything ever again. “It would be such a good last-minute video drop for the film, just before Christmas… Just before they pick who is getting the job on the press team…” He looked into the distance, a tiny smile starting. “Christmas number one is so close.” But then it was like he just realized he was still talking. And I was still shaking my head.
“Fine!” He cleared his throat. “Whaddya think then…” He pointed towards the maze. “Going to look good on the gram? Is that what you young people say?” He was only about four years older than us. “Obviously, the snow is all down to me, and I had to ship these in …” He pointed to the three huge Christmas trees that were dripping in lights. “… from Norway. No biggie.” He blew on his nails.
“Well, I did.” Tim, the suit man from Liverpool, interrupted. “Someone had to do something, seeing as I’ve just scanned the papers and there’s a big fat ZERO pieces in there about the film.” Elijah’s shoulders dropped. “Time’s running out, Eli. This was meant to do the trick, so let’s hope today we get some pick up. We need whatever it takes. Exclusives. Arguments. Who’s kissing who. Photos, photos, photos. Unless of course you don’t want that job…” Elijah went to reply, but Tim talked right over him. “Although that music video idea had legs…”
He walked off without even a “goodbye”. As much as Elijah annoyed me, I could kind of see why he was so pushy. His boss wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Sorry about him.” It was the first time Elijah had sounded human. “He’s got a lot of pressure from up top, I guess. If we don’t hit that top spot for Christmas, we’re ALL in serious trouble.” He sighed. “And I’m definitely waving goodbye to that job.” A crackle came over his headset, flicking him back into normal mode. “So please do a decent job today … first thing you need to do is pick up a production iPhone from the cabin. It should be set up and logged in…” He rattled off everything we needed to do – mainly feature Little Elf Girl “as much as possible” (I didn’t say what was possible was “not at all”) and give a look at the event through the eyes of someone “pumped about the film”. I tried not to snort, but luckily Grace leapt in, going into detail about the bit in the film where they have a high-speed sleigh chase in Lapland, and Joseph’s hair is all snowy, and … well, a lot of Joseph-based content … until Elijah had gone glassy-eyed and said something about needing to go and check the snow wasn’t melting.
We collected the phone and spent the next half an hour wandering around. But with only an hour till we met Ru, and me getting stressed we’d run into him any moment, the time had come.
“Graaace.” I slowed as we came to a light-up penguin on a sledge (which made no sense. It’s like all logic was off with Christmas decorations. Reindeer being ridden by a Christmas hedgehog? Sure, why not?).
“That voice means you either have something to confess to. Or … nope, just that first one.” But she was smiling. Chewing shortbread, but smiling.
“So, at seven. Once we’re done. If you’re OK with it. We might need to meet somebody.”
“Somebody?” Grace’s eyebrows shot up so fast her hat bobble wobbled. “Some. Body?”
OK. I had to get this right. Make sure she knew the Jingle Ladies were all good.
“Just someone I met at the premiere. When I wasn’t being fake-sick. Or attacking you-know-who.”
“Someone you’ve waited” – she counted back – “two weeks to mention to me?” I had nothing to say to that. “Mols, you rang me when you saw that guy you liked in Tesco and you swore he’d ‘given you a look in the bread aisle’.” She had a point.
“Erm. But this isn’t like that. I’m a fully signed-up Jingle Lady. He’s just a guy. Not a guy guy.”
Grace folded her arms and leant against a fake lamp post. It wobbled, but she knew it looked dramatic and film-y so didn’t move.
“Right, Mollington. I’ve known you long enough to know that that ‘erm’ and ‘that’ mean that it’s not ‘somebody’. It’s a ‘hot boy-ody’, isn’t it?” She exhaled, her breath turning to steam. My stomach knotted. Was she cross at me? For not telling her? Or was she angry because a Jingle Lady shouldn’t be in this situation? “Oh my god, this is bread aisle boy but MORE. Isn’t it?!”
“No. Not at all…” Well, maybe a bit. Well, maybe a lot. Maybe actually, dude from Bridgerton season one level good-looking. But it wasn’t like that.
But how could I describe what was going on? Ru was a guy who I could chat to about anything – but I hardly knew anything about him. He was someone who kept checking in on me, and my best mate, and the fundraiser – but who seemed to ignore other people in his life. A boy who was just a friend, yet made me smile when I thought about him, like now.
Eurgh.
The shortbread must be making my brain do weird things.
“And his name is?” Grace was still studying me. Was she mad? My smile vanished. Please don’t let her be mad.
“Rudolph?” I said, shrugging, my brain scrambled. “Well, Kyle, actually. And he’s American.”
“American?” Grace whispered, impressed, like I’d said “unicorn”. “What else?”
“He used to look for a pickle on his grandparents’ Christmas tree?”
Grace leant forward, squinting . “That’s really all you know?”
“No, I also know he has NO idea about “Love Your Elf!”. Thinks I live on a reindeer farm. Have sisters called Jess and Tilly and…” I trailed off. “So, if we meet up, don’t talk about any of that. Or the film. Or that stupid song.” Grace was giving me the same blinking, confused look she did when we practised French verbs. “But he’s just a friend. So if it’s OK with you, we could meet up at seven. He’s been really helpful with Grampy G’s Grotto. And is dying to meet you. Oh, and he hates Simon.” Phew. Think that covered everything. But Grace didn’t say a word. She was just smiling at me. “And I am totally and utterly not interested in him.” But Grace was still smiling. “So pleeease stop giving me that look.”
“Only if you stop smiling like that.”
“I’m not.” But her saying that made me smile even more. Which was annoying.
“WHEN YOU SAID IT WAS A MAZE, I DIDN’T THINK YOU MEANT IT.” We both jumped as a screaming giant furry snowball burst out of the maze. Oh no, it was just Stormy in a fluffy white coat and matching hat. “AT ONE POINT I THOUGHT I’D NEVER SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN!”
She clutched her dog, which camouflaged so well with her fluff it looked like her coat was barking. She flounced past, a trail of people scurrying after her (one hissing, “she was only in there for five minutes”.)
But I was happy for the interruption and with no more chat about Ru, Grace and I set off around the lights trail. Grace wanted to make the content for the Sleigh Another Day social takeover, which was good with me. Seeing her so hyped about it, taking photos of all the Christmas details, waving at dogs in festive fancy dress, felt like the old Grace was really coming back. The one who loved Christmas, and believed in love, and happy-ever-afters, and that life could be just like the movies. And as a couple went past in a tiny sleigh for two, and Grace made a swooning sound, I started to wonder. Something I’d never thought before. Maybe, maybe next Christmas, if all this elf stuff blew over, and the Jingle Ladies disbanded, maybe it would actually be nice to know what it’s like. To hold hands in the snow, and buy stupid gifts, and swap scarves and laugh like it was the funniest thing ever.
But Grace was on a mission to spot famous people, so I left her to hunt down some celebs and took a break on a bench. Dream scenario was that Joseph was milling about, not with Maeve after all, and fell immediately in love with my best mate. Triple whammy – a story for Elijah, a happy Grace and a perfect way to annoy Simon. I pulled off my gloves with my teeth and opened a WhatsApp from a number I didn’t recognize. I had two missed calls too.
Zaiynab: Hey, Molly. Sorry for the delay. Hectic week. But … if you’re up for it… How d’ya fancy being part of The POWR crew? Your lyrics were 
“Grrrraaaaaaccceeee!” I yelled. Thank goodness I was sitting down! Had this really happened? “GRAAACCCE!!!!”
Had I really done it?!
I read it again. I’d really done it!
I’d got into The POWR.
That’s why Zaiynab must have rung! To do a Simon Cowell-esque reveal.
