Page 12

Matt’s head is tilted sideways, his mouth slightly ajar, eyes widened in the telltale way of an adult male who’s been caught checking out an ass.

He snaps to and averts his gaze, but it’s too late. I noticed him noticing me, and I have the butterflies in my stomach to prove it.

Emboldened by this knowledge, I stand and take a step toward him, lifting my chin and turning onsultry eyes. “What do you think, Matt?”

“What do I... What?”

“Christmas?”

“Oh, yeah, I love it. Favourite time of year. Yep.” His Adam’s apple bobs.

“I wonder what else we have in common.” I tuck my hands behind my back and smile demurely.

Matt rewards me with a new smile, his own version of sultry. It spreads slowly across his face, eyes twinkling. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your Christmas decorating. If there’s anything else you need, just send me a text. I’m ten minutes away.” He backs toward the door, then trips on a box and catches himself against the wall.

“You oka—”

“Yep,” he says quickly, his cheeks turning pinkish as he collects himself and opens the door.

“Bye, Matt.”

He rewards me with one last smile before shutting the door. I immediately clench my fists and squee as quietly as I can while twisting in a circle, a very subdued happy dance. Meeting a guy like Matt in a circumstance like this has to be fate. Howis it I just so happened to rent a cabin that’s looked after by a guy like him? Despite being alone in a strange cabin with a strange man, at no point did I feel any sense of unease. There’s something about him, something gentle and quiet within that tall, sturdy exterior that speaks to me on a level I barely understand. It felt like our pheromones had intermingled and agreed with one another.

I may not be the star of the movie, getting an on-screen happily-ever-after where I’m whisked away from the big city to the magical small town, but maybe, just maybe, I can have the real-life version.

Maybe I’ll get to star in my own romance and be the main character in my own life.

For once.

Interstitial

Int. Brewed Awakening Café (Cont’d)

Annie approaches James sitting in the back of the café.

James does not look up from his computer.

Annie waits a moment, then clears her throat.

James looks at her from over his screen, face neutral bordering on annoyed.

ANNIE

Hello there, and Merry Christmas!

James sighs, closes his laptop.

JAMES

Can I help you?

ANNIE

Yes, actually. I came all the way from

Seattle to Hemlock Grove to help my sister

with Christmas, but how can I bring her