Page 30 of The Summer of Christmas

“What’s past is past. Oh, and you can have it at no charge,” he said, still distracted. Ivy was too happy to notice what had caught his attention. “Thank my mom. She always liked you better than she liked me.”

“She did.” Ivy smiled.

“Quiet on set! Scene sixty. Take three!” Bruce called out. They were going to try to film the scene again. The reunion. They watched as Griffin went to kiss Amari, who were playing Rick and Ilsa, who were really Nick and Ivy. The snow machine that was secured to scaffolding high above the set did not work. “Cut!”

“Wasn’t this at the bus stop?” Nick asked Ivy.

“We changed it. Trains look better.”

Someone shushed them. “Take four!” was heard. This time Ivy and Nick watched Amari and Griffin kiss. Ivy remembered how important that kiss was. They both had been so nervous being apart for close to a year. They had agreed not to see other people. That had been easy. They had both been busy with their studies. And, as in the script, Ivy and Nick had been a little nervous about their reunion. The kiss was going to be their test. Ivy had told Nick, “When we kiss, if all our memories and magic swirl around us—past, present, and future—and we feel like we’re the only people in the world, without a care, then we’ll know that we are meant to be together.”

That real kiss had been extraordinary. The one Ivy watched on the video assist looked pretty good too. She wondered if she kissed Nick now, would all those feelings flood back into her?No, no, no. Get out of your own way,she yelled at herself, internally of course. That was then. This was now, and there was no going back…was there?

“What did you think?” Ivy asked.

“Pretty good. I liked it better at the bus station. That felt more real.” Nick hopped off the chair. “Gotta get to work. Have your boyfriend call me about the winery.” He walked away.

Vera yelled, “Cut!”

Bruce yelled out, “Moving on!”

Ivy wondered: Was she moving on? Or was she still stuck emotionally in Geneva, New York?