Page 1 of Holly Jolly July

Ellie

There is nothing better than getting an extra Christmas.

Even with the intense July sunshine bearing down upon my pale, freckled skin, the scene before me screams winter. Cheerful

two-story brick buildings are strung with lights and garland, windows are frosted and white blankets are strategically placed

to give the illusion of piles of snow.

I’ve never been to Chilliwack even though it’s only a quick ninety-minute drive from Vancouver, but I’m impressed. The architecture

of the new downtown core has been modelled after an old-timey village, but with all the perks of new buildings. Narrow cobblestone

alleys with gas lanterns provide access to shops with quaint script signage, and the apartments above the businesses seem

like the type to have exposed brick walls, apron sinks, and rooftop patios.

Yep. I could live here.

That’s the dream, isn’t it? To be whisked away from the big city and end up in a cute town like this. Not that Chilliwack

is a town; it’s a city for sure, but this adorable little city centre makes it seem otherwise.

The only thing marring its charm are the bright blue temporary fences, crowding film equipment, and the bustle of film crew

finalizing the preparations to turn everything into a winter wonderland in the midst of a July heat wave.

Dopamine tingles run down my back and arms as I stare at it all from across the street while waiting for the lights to change.

It’s not my first time working on set, not even my first Christmas movie, but I still feel that excited flutter in my belly

as if it is. This will never get old.

Finally, the lights change. I clomp forward in my winter boots and readjust my bag on my shoulder, feeling sticky with the sweat prickling at my nape and starting a rivulet down my back.

My oversized Rudolph sweater was fine in the comfort of my Subaru’s air conditioning, but now not so much in the blaring sunshine; I have switties.

Swoobs? Either way, I’ll need to sop up the girls before trying on my costume so I don’t ruin it.

But I’m not going to let thirty-degree heat get in the way of my Christmas spirit, or my method acting.

Did Tom Hanks back down after getting a staph infection on the set of Cast Away ?

Nope. So I can handle a little heat. If it were comfortable then it wouldn’t be worth it.

Waving at the techs crowding the coffee shop where all of my scenes will be filmed, I turn down one of the adorable cobblestone

alleys and make my way to a burgundy door next to a craft beer brewery. I show my ID to the security guard, walk through the

door and up the flight of stairs to the door on my left with a sign that reads Hair they tend to hire a lot of locals for movies like this to keep costs down. Regardless,

I say hello to everyone I pass, introducing myself as I do, since we’ll be a tight-knit crew over the next two weeks.

Finally, I catch up to Marlene and Yueyi.

“Hello, Ellie.” Marlene greets me with her customary forearm squeeze, long nails digging into my skin.

“Hey, team. Merry Christmas!” I gesture at my sweater and give a little shimmy, which earns a half-hearted chuckle.

“Darling, it’s a heat wave,” Yueyi states, giving me a pursed-lip tut.

“Don’t mind me, just getting in the zone.” I wink. “At least this place has air conditioning.” I clap my hands and bite my

bottom lip. “That script—the ending! The writers really did an amazing job with it. I mean, top-notch. Way better than last

year’s, and even that was really good. I didn’t see the twist coming at all. It really is a—”

Marlene and Yueyi look past me, both pairs of eyes lighting up.

I twist to look behind me and nearly trip on my own two feet when I see him.

The Oscar Fizak. Knowing he would be here did nothing to prepare me for seeing him for the first time in real life.

How they got him to star in a Christmas movie, I’ll never know.

Maybe they have some dirt on him. Regardless, his presence is taking this whole production to new heights.

With his bronze skin, high cheekbones, deep brown eyes, salt-and-pepper hair, and the type of body you only get from a no-carb diet and getting paid to work out, Oscar has all the classic good looks of old Hollywood, but with the sizzle of a good modern romance hero.

He’s exactly the type of guy you’d hope to meet during your stay in a small town, who’d inevitably convince you to leave the big city behind in favour of white picket fences and cups of tea on your front porch.

Now, he could show me the true meaning of Christmas.

Oscar greets Marlene and Yueyi, his voice smooth, low, and a little husky, like he’s smoked a cigarette and followed it up

with a shot of bourbon. Then he looks at me all nonchalant, his smile practised and easy. “Hey, Allie.”

Oh my god. He almost knows my name! Allie, Ellie, close enough.

“Are you excited to film your first Christmas movie?” I manage to ask.

He gestures at my sweater. “Looks like you’re excited enough for the both of us.”

I can’t help my blush. “Have to keep the Christmas spirit alive.”

He nods.

“I’m so excited to work with you!” I clench my fists and grin so hard my face hurts. “We’re going to have so much fun. I mean,

we don’t have a lot of scenes together, and even when we do you won’t be talking to me, but just knowing that ending and how the story unravels, it’s like we’re not together together, but we’re together, you know?”

His smile wanes and he looks away, searching for an excuse to leave.

I try a different tactic. “I haven’t seen you in anything for a while. You must be excited to get back at it, and with a lead

role no less.”

His smile falls to nearly a frown. That was the wrong thing to say.

Before I can think of a redeeming question, all eyes turn to the front of the room. It’s as if July has been captured in a

bottle, shaken, and released in concentrated form.

Julia Miles. She’s all long tanned legs, effortless blond waves, and teeth so white they’d glow under a UV light.

Not only that, she seems to have some control over gravity, as the entire room is sucked toward her.

She graces everyone with her presence in a royal way, her chin lifted and her plush lips opening to a perfectly balanced smile.

Ah. The lead.

While I wasn’t sure how or why they managed to score Oscar Fizak, I know exactly why they cast Julia Miles—and it’s not because

of her acting experience. I’m pretty sure she’s only ever been in a toothpaste commercial before this, hence the white teeth.

But damn, she’s got “effortless beauty” down.

“Hello everyone,” she sings, the melodic lilt of her voice carrying easily through the room. If she’s not careful we might

be inundated with small forest creatures.

I can’t help but sigh, just as enraptured by her presence as the rest of us peasants.

“Anyway, Oscar—” I start after picking my jaw up off the floor and turning back to him.

But it’s too late. I’ve lost him. His eyes have gone glassy as he gazes upon his co-star, and I’m sure there’s at least 10

percent less blood in his brain than there was five minutes ago. I guess this conversation is over.

Yueyi and Marlene’s attention has also been taken over by Julia’s presence, the director now moving through the crowd to help

her find her station. Not that she needs the help—Julia’s name is clearly visible in bold lettering.

“Marlene, sorry, but where do I...?” I venture, unsure if I’ve simply missed my sign.

“Oh, darling, you’re over there.” She points with a talon.

“Great. Thank you!”

There is no sign; my station is bare. Where is my makeup artist?

I set down my purse and settle into my chair, with nothing to do but look past my reflection to the hubbub behind me.

Julia is being fawned over, her hair and makeup already underway, while Marlene grips her forearm with those talons of hers and Yueyi flips through the script.

Oscar is seated next to Julia, stealing glances even though his makeup artist keeps poking at him to close his eyes.

Another actress I don’t have scenes with, Aimee Ladams, has joined them now, too.

All three of them are lined up at their stations, smiling and laughing together while they’re prepped.

There’s a tinge of pain in the centre of my chest. It’s small, but it’s there. An unsettled feeling that—once again—I’m on

the wrong side of the room. I should be over there, flirting with my co-star, going over our lines, blushing about our kissing

scene, living out a pretend whirlwind romance and getting that coveted happily-ever-after. Instead, I’m here, watching from

the sidelines.

Always the supporting character, never the star.

A duffel bag thunks down next to me, startling me out of my pity party. I give myself a shake and smile brightly at the person

who’s just approached. Their skin is white with a pinkish hue, and while their height and envious curves catch my first impression,

I’m also drawn to their hair. It’s shaved on one side, poofed up through the centre with wild curls, and is coloured a mix

between white-blond and teal. And their makeup, my god—it’s flawlessly applied with swooping eyeliner, a deep burgundy lipstick,

and contouring that would garner RuPaul’s approval. Aside from the hair and lipstick, their wardrobe is otherwise entirely

black, from the pants ripped at the knees to the camisole hugging their enviable breasts.

“Hi, I’m Ellie! My pronouns are she/her. What’s your name?”

They meet my gaze with a bored expression. “Mariah. She/her.”

“Ooh, named after the Queen of Christmas herself!”

Mariah’s brow pinches together, but otherwise she ignores the clever connection. “I’m your makeup artist and hair stylist.”

“Nice, a two-for-one deal.” I giggle at myself, but my joke doesn’t earn even a twitch of a smile from my new friend.

She unzips her duffel bag and bends, rifling through it.

I fidget in my seat. “Have you ever worked on a movie set before?”

“Nope,” she replies, not even looking up.

“Ooh, congratulations! First film gig, that’s so exciting.”

She straightens, eyeing me through the mirror while comparing my skin tone to a couple different bottles. She drops back down

and continues her rummaging without replying, or even making eye contact.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you with anything you need. This is my third Christmas movie, and my sixth time on set with this team,

so I’m practically a veteran at all this. Have you seen our other films?”

Mariah spreads a bit of foundation on my cheek, comparing two tones, then chooses one bottle, setting it down on the desk

in front of us while letting the other drop unceremoniously back into her bag. “No,” she replies, a full thirty seconds after

I asked the question.

“Oh, well, you’re in for quite a treat. We’re a blast to work with, practically a party every day.” I raise my pointer fingers

in the air and do a little wiggly happy dance.

Mariah meets my gaze through the mirror for half a second, her expression stony, before bending back toward her bag.

Tough crowd. Maybe she didn’t sleep well last night. Maybe she’s nervous about her first time working on a movie. Maybe she had to get

up super early to do her fancy hair and makeup and she hasn’t had her coffee yet.

Or maybe I’m stuck with the grumpiest person on set.

A chorus of laughter draws my attention through the mirror to the other side of the room. Aimee’s hair and makeup people are

howling at something she said. Oscar is laughing so hard he’s wiping away a tear, his own makeup artist chasing his fingers

away with dabs of tissue. Julia’s radiant smile is already accented with rosy lipstick and her eyes pop with big fake eyelashes.

Despite my best efforts, I feel my shoulders sag a bit, my stomach souring. If only I...

Nope. Don’t go there.

I snap my focus back to my own reflection and give myself a stern look. Be grateful you’re here. You’re an actress, living your dream, working on the set of a Christmas movie, for crying out loud.

It doesn’t get much better than this! Five years ago, you were dreaming of being exactly where you are right now.

Well, not exactly .

But close. So close I can smell it—literally. Whatever hair spray they’re using over there is potent.

I take a deep breath and force a smile back on my face. “How lucky are we to be here together, hey?” Mariah doesn’t reply,

which doesn’t surprise me. “We have an excellent script, the dynamic duo of Yueyi and Marlene, we have Oscar-friggen-Fizak,

and we’re here in beautiful Chilliwack of all places! It’s all going to be great! Are you stoked or what?”

She gives me a flat look, eyes half-lidded. “Thrilled.”

My hundred-watt smile dims to maybe a ninety as I struggle to keep the excitement alive for the both of us. Usually by now

I’ve won over whoever it is I’m working with, we have an amiable conversation going, and we’re equally pumped for the work

ahead. But Mariah seems to be immune to my charms. If I’m not careful, she might suck the Christmas spirit right out of me.

This is going to be a long two weeks.