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“Well, he definitely does now!” I lift my fist for her to bump. She eyes it for a moment, then returns it in the most limp-wristed, half-assed way possible. I’m still calling it a win.

Mariah begins prepping my face with the clear goop, the soft pads of her fingers massaging circles over my cheeks, myforehead, my nose. “I was at the bar avoiding my... I was at the bar having a drink and he was there. The bartender.”

“Oh my god, you got to live out the ultimate fantasy. Second-chance romanceandsexy small-town bartender!”

“Right?” She seems to pick up on my energy, talking with a bit more animation while keeping her voice low so no one overhears. “He’s tall, and chiselled, and has this confidence that radiates off him. He’s always had a lot of charisma. Like he walks into the room and you can feel his presence, you know?”

“Mmm-hmm, do I ever.”

Mariah switches to a brush, squirting some light tan liquid onto it before swooping it over my face in effortless, practised motions. “One thing led to another, and then we were back at his place, and he... yeah.” Her face flushes pink.

I bite my lip and try my hardest not to squeal, but it’s challenging. “Oh my god, no! You didn’t!”

She raises an eyebrow. “Oh, but we did. A few times.”

“Damn, girl! You’re like, my hero right now.”

“Thank you.” She lifts her chin.

“You know, you have the radiant skin of a person who’s had great sex.”

I say it a little too loudly and she shushes me, but the half smile still on her face tells me she’s not mad. I like Mariah on sex. She’s in a way better mood today than she was yesterday.

“Well, I hope whatever this guy is doing to you, he keeps doing it. Because damn.” I wave my hand in a flourish, directed at her reflection in the mirror, and she glows from the compliment.

“I hope he keeps doing it, too,” she replies.

We fall into a companionable, comfortable silence.Thankgod.The next two weeks will be so much better if we have some sort of working friendship. I knew I’d win her over eventually; some people just take more time.

“I may have met someone, too,” I say as she steps back to eye her handiwork.

“Oh?” Seeming satisfied with the tan liquid, she says, “Close,” pointing to my eyes.

I follow her orders, continuing to talk. “Yeah, his name is Matt and he takes care of the Airbnb I’m renting and last night I was decorating the cabin with my Christmas lights and I plugged too many things in and I shorted out a breaker and I couldn’t find the panel so I texted the number on the app and this guy showed up and ohmygod he was so handsome and he came in and fixed my breaker, but not in a porno way, like the real way, turns out the electrical box was hidden behind a picture, which is smart, they’re not exactly nice to look at, and after he kind of flirted with me, and he was like, clumsy, you know, he couldn’t take his eyes off me, and he tripped when backing out, and yeah.”

Mariah pauses what she’s doing. After a couple seconds I open my eyes to look at her, and she’s... laughing. It’s a weird silent laugh, just her shoulders shaking while she covers her mouth, followed a weird chesty inhale.

I got her to laugh!

Mariah takes a step back to compose herself, giving her head a shake. Well, if that isn’t the most rewarding thing to happen to me in a long time. I grin back at her, pleased beyond belief.

Finally, she touches the corner of her eye and exhales a slow breath. “You’re hilarious. I don’t even know where to start on that one, but I’m glad you... flirted with a guy and you think he’s cute.”

My eyes widen. “Maybe we’ll both have a small-town Christmas romance and get swept away by the perfect guy and live out the rest of our lives in peaceful bliss with a chicken coop and some fainting goats and bake our own sourdough bread!”

Mariah gives me a pointed look. “Or, you know, not that. The opposite maybe.”

I nod. “Yes. Or the opposite.”

Yueyi walks up while Mariah is pulling my hair into a bun. “What are you doing here?”

Mariah pauses. “Me?”

She shakes her head. “We don’t have you on set today, Ellie. We had to move you. Late notice. You don’t have any scenes until Thursday.”

“Oh.” My eyes dart from Mariah to Yueyi and back, my face warming. “Right. Of course.”

Yueyi says nothing. She walks past, onto the next item on her endless to-do list.