Page 39 of Just for December

She reaches out then, searching for his hand. ‘Thank you,’ she tells him. ‘Just … thank you.’

As they head back to the trailers, Duke gently tugs Evie to a stop. ‘Hey,’ he says. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘You’re cute,’ she says, dismissively.

‘Don’t push me away,’ he says, calling her on it. ‘I mean it. Telling me what’s up when I ask you is one thing, but I’m rapidly learning that you don’t actively ask for help very easily.’

She pulls a face.

‘Evie,’ he says. ‘You don’t need saving – I know that. And I also know if I tried to rescue you, somehow, from your own humanness, that you’d hate me. But girrrl?’ He uses a silly voice now too, like he gets the only way she’ll be able to hear him is if he takes out the emotional weight. ‘You gotta use yourwordsto tellother peoplehow they can be there for you whilst you’re busy rescuing yourself from this humanness. Okay?’

She giggles, another distraction for him.

‘Well?’ Duke presses. ‘Isthere anything I can do?’

She pauses, clearly mulling it over. ‘I don’t think so,’ she says. ‘You’re right though – I should ask for help more. I was just thinking I wish Magda was here, so maybe I can text her to ask if we can FaceTime a bit more, so I can share all this as it happens.’

Duke smiles. ‘More FaceTime with Magda sounds very doable,’ he says.

‘Yes,’ she says. ‘It does. I’ll text her, ask if we can talk tonight.’

22

Evie

Evie shadows the content team of Willow and Dream all morning and features on camera herself a little too. She talks about the idea for the book, how it feels to see it get made, and then Duke, Daphne, and Brad are all interviewed with the cameras and equipment for that afternoon being set up in the background, talking about their roles and how exciting it is to all be working together. They finish with all three of them laughing about the mad dash to finish before Christmas so they can all get home to their families, but when Dream says she’s got everything she needs their three faces fall, the smiles slip away, and the director can’t leave quick enough.

‘Brad—’ says Daphne, but it’s already to his back.

‘No, thank you!’ Brad shouts over his shoulder, and it makes Evie furrow her brow in question. It’s none of her business, and yet …

‘Stress,’ Daphne says to them all: Evie and Dream and Willow. But the way she exchanges a look with Duke betrays her. It’s just a flash, half a second, but Evie sees it. They’re in cahoots somehow.

‘Understandable,’ offers Evie. ‘I suppose it’s his job to keep this train on the tracks.’ Duke looks to the ground and Daphne lets herself down with the worst fake smile in the history of all of smiles. Yup. There’s definitely something afoot.

‘Duke!’ calls one of the producers then, and when he’s gone it’s suggested that now would be a good time for Evie and Daphne to take a short walk up the lane.

‘And if you’re papped, you’re papped.’ Dream-or-Willow shrugs with a smile. ‘Does that work?’

Evie and Daphne look at one another.

‘I don’t have anywhere to be,’ says Evie, with a laugh. Half the time she still thinks it’s ridiculous that they paid to fly her out and put her up in all of these hotels, just so she can pinball between trailers and monitors, not doing much besides occasionally giving a thumbs up to the content team and saying, ‘Yes, it’s all such a dream.’ It’s so unnecessary. If Duke wanted to meet her, he should have just invited her for coffee. Although, if she’s honest with herself, she would have probably said no. Hmm.Well played, Duke,she reflects. It’s still inappropriate that he exercised his power that way, but she’s less mad about it now she’s enjoying herself properly.

‘Great,’ says Daphne. ‘Let’s boogie.’

There’s a wide, pretty straight path just around the corner from the set, lined with snow-topped trees. They walk in silence until they’re steadier on their feet, testing where is safest to walk and where there’s hidden ice.

‘Here,’ Daphne instructs, as she finds her rhythm on the left. ‘Look.’

Evie follows her footprints until they’re side by side, both in padded coats, hats, scarves, mittens and sunglasses to guard against the sun’s glare. Admittedly, Daphne looks eighty times more glamorous because her outfit is her Hermione costume, whereas, in a bid to keep warm, Evie looks more like a little boy who dressed in a hurry. Daphne takes Evie’s arm, like they’re just a couple of gal pals heading out for cocktails. She’s deceptively strong. Evie assumed that a woman so tiny would be frail, like a little sparrow, but she’s got a grip like a vice and steers them determinedly.

‘Good core workout,’ she says, as they fall in step. ‘Walking in snow is like running on sand – you don’t realise how sore it’s gonna make you.’

Evie deadpans, ‘Running on sand. Yes. I’ve heard of that.’

Daphne laughs. ‘Duke said you’re funny.’

‘Did he now?’ Evie quips. He talks about her?

---