Page 43 of Under the Mistletoe with You

The bastard.

Enough.Nash Nadeau is taking up far too much real estate in his mind right now.Time to get to work.

Myffy makes a shopping list while Christopher folds her laundry neatly – just like his mother taught him – and hangs the clean clothes in her wardrobe, led by Myffy’s very specific directions.After all, what good is a wardrobe if things aren’t organised by season, then mood and subsectioned by colour?

By the time they’re done with the tasks inside the house, Nash returns to explain that he has piled the snow up in neat banks close to the drains on the road, so that when the snow starts to melt, the meltwater won’t flood her house.

‘By God, that’s a bit clever,’ Myffy says.

‘Careful, his head will get too big for him to use the door,’ Christopher murmurs, earning a look from Nash.

With a flirtatious smile for Myffy only, Nash says, ‘Piling up snow is kind of my thing, ma’am.’

Christopher swears he hears Myffy say under her breath, ‘Well then call me Frosty.’

She tries to hand Christopher an envelope of cash, which he refuses.‘Let’s work it out later when we’ve got yourshopping,’ he says instead.‘I couldn’t bear if we took your money and got stranded somewhere.’

‘You’re a kind boy, Christopher.Isn’t he a lovely one?’she says to Nash, who nods stiffly.

They wave Myffy goodbye and hop once again into the icy-cold van.As the heating splutters to life, Christopher checks if the big supermarket in the next town over is open, and luckily, somehow it is.They just have to hope the van will get them there, and the supermarket has any food left to sell.

He shoots Shaz an update.

Christopher:Medicine all dropped off.

Shaz:Oh I know.She texted me the minute you left thanking me for her Christmas present of two hot helper elves.You both have a fan.

Christopher:We’re off to the big Sainsbury’s to shop for Myffy.Do you need anything?

Shaz:A babysitter, a holiday, and a good shag.

Christopher:I can’t help with any of those.

Shaz:Pity.I bet Saino’s is out of stock of them too.I’ll send you a list in a minute once I’ve gotten out the cupboard.

Christopher:Why are you in the cupboard?

Shaz:Hiding from my kids, obviously.

Chapter Eleven

Nash

They drive back down the mountain, away from Myffy and towards the sea, just as the weather starts to turn again.After the last decade and a half in LA, Nash is admittedly unused to the stormy, grey fury before him.The Californian beaches are pristine and beautiful and filled with astonishingly fit people playing frisbee or surfing, like Kurt.Not that he gets out there very often.Travelling anywhere in LA is way too much effort, especially the beach.

Nash snaps a photo of the furious white-capped waves to send to Kurt.He almost sends it before remembering that he’s not supposed to be in Wales.The problem with being friends with someone you do business with is when you’re hiding from the business part, you have to forget the friendship part too.

And the thing is, he still hasn’t worked out a way to saysorry but actually I don’t want to be an actor any more, I want to write or maybe produce or do anything behind the camera that isn’t being the face.

It’s not the fact that he’s only in romantic comedies – hell, helovesthem, and that’s what he wants to write.He’s just ...done with being an actor.And the thing is, if he says that, finally says it and pushes back on this multi-movie contract, it has ramifications for basically everyone else he works with, not least his co-star, Barbie.He knows the wholeChristmas Vetfandom has been desperate for their movie together.

As if on cue, a text from Barbie herself comes through.

Barbie:hey doll, my agent said Kurt pushed your contract negoshh for personal reasons.hope youre safe and okii

He can practically hear the purr of her voice.He should text her back, so she doesn’t worry he’s really sick, but then if he does, he’ll start thinking about this whole contract situation again.He pockets his phone and resolves to reply later.

Just put it away and forget about it, like everything else.Like, how he’s barely dated for years because of how badly his last relationship ended, or how he’s not even sure what he’s doing with his life.Or how he feels as if some of the spark has gone.