Page 36 of Under the Mistletoe with You

‘A really annoying gorgeous film star.’

‘What did he do to annoy you?’

He nods his head back to the kitchen.‘He’s Miss Havisham.’

‘Oh yeah, I could see that would grind your gears.You agree he’s gorgeous though?’

Christopher groans and walks back into the bakery kitchen to start cleaning up so he can make some gingerbread.He gives her a death glare, spray cleaner in hand.‘Do you want me to make these reindeer or not?’

‘Pretty please.’

He gives in, because of course he does.It’s Shaz.He’d do anything for her.

* * *

In the end, it doesn’t take too long to get the central table clean and sanitised.It’s nice, the companionable silence.Shaz must need it too, as she sips at her coffee quietly.

When he finally starts laying out the ingredients for the gingerbread, she asks, ‘So, did you downplay how much of a fan of his you are?’

‘Oh.Um.’

‘Um?’She raises her eyebrows.

‘Well, you can’t just tell someone that kind of thing.That’s weird.I think they call it beingparasocialor something, right?’He’s still not one hundred per cent sure that’s quite right given he’s trying to pretend he doesn’t know who Nash is, but Laurel and Ambrose complain a lot about the way people mistake them as being people they know personally, even though they only see them on their phones.It makes both of them feel uncomfortable, and he just doesn’t want to make anyone feel that way, even Nash.

‘So ...?’

‘So, I just ...pretended not to know who he was.Just played ignorant when he mentioned his job.Plus, he keeps being so annoying that I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.I’m sure his ego doesn’t need another boost.’

Shaz bursts out laughing, a raucous, echoing sound in the empty building.‘Ohbrilliant.Oh my God, Christopher.This is going to end in disaster, I can see it already.’

‘It’ll be fine.’

‘It will besomething, all right!And now it’s been too long to admit that you’re a fan and you two are stuck up there together.What are you going to do?Just never turn on the TV so he can’t see your Netflix watch history?’

‘Something like that.’

Shaz literally slaps her thigh, which Christopher didn’t think people did outside movies.‘Oh, this is good.This is really good.’

‘Please revel slightly less in my pain.’

‘I will not.’

‘And you can’t let on that you know who he is either.’

‘Why’s that now?’

‘Well ...I don’t know!It’ll just be easier that way, won’t it?’

‘So, what, he just thinks I’m some weird rude staring person?’

Christopher shrugs.‘I’m sure you can flesh out the back story there.’

She thinks this over as he mixes up the gingerbread dough.‘All right, I’ll go along with your little scheme, even if only for my own amusement.’

A simple melodica tune plays out, and Shaz pulls her phone out of her pocket.‘I’m being summoned.I’ll be back later for the reindeer and a minor revel.’

It takes her quite a while to shuck back on her coat and many scarves.