Page 14 of A Very Crumbleton Christmas
‘You seriously think I have a maid hiding around here somewhere?’ he laughed.
‘And a whole room full of security guards,’ said Caroline. ‘I mean, why else would you let me in?!’
‘Good question,’ said Jack. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t admit to this… but just for the record – there’s no one else here.’
‘Really?’ said Caroline, raising a sceptical eyebrow.
‘Yep – just me on my lonesome,’ said Jack. ‘I come here when I need some peace and quiet… and when I need to get away from the press.’
‘Oops, my bad,’ said Caroline.
Jack shrugged. ‘You don’t count.’
‘Jeez, thanks!’ she said with a smirk and an extravagant eye roll.
‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ said Jack quickly. ‘You’ve got more writing talent in your little finger than most of the reporters I’ve had to deal with.’
‘I… oh!’ said Caroline, her cheeks turning pink again. ‘Well… thanks.’
‘I’m serious,’ said Jack, turning to the coffee machine and firing up the grinder before meeting her eye again. ‘What I meant was – you don’t appear to have a long-lens stashed up your jumper.’
‘Well, that’s true at least!’ said Caroline. ‘I guess now might be a good time to apologise for being so mean in my reviews. I shouldn’t have—’
‘Stop,’ chuckled Jack. ‘They were hilarious, even if my ego took a bit of a battering. And just for the record – I do get the concern about me owning a house here – leaving it empty when I’m working and bringing unwanted attention when Iamhere.’
Caroline looked both intrigued and mildly uncomfortable. ‘I reallyamsorry I wrote that. You can buy property wherever you fancy – it’s got nothing to do with me.’
‘You’re a reporter,’ said Jack with a shrug, turning back towards the coffee machine. ‘Everything’s to do with you. But the real story here is that this is my home – my one-and-only. I don’t own anywhere else. Filming drags me all over the place, but there’s nowhere I’d rather be than here.’
‘Well… I…’ Caroline paused. ‘I can see why,’ she said eventually.
‘Right?’ said Jack. ‘That view!’
Caroline followed his gaze through the window, and they both went quiet for a long moment.
‘I have to say, it’s nice to be sleeping in my own bed for a change,’ said Jack, ‘instead of some random hotel or a trailer on set.’
‘So glamorous!’ said Caroline with a little sigh.
‘It’s really not, you know,’ said Jack.
He knew he probably sounded like a spoiled git enjoying a pity party, but the reality of shooting on location wasn’t nearly as glamorous or exciting as everyone seemed to think.
‘It’s long days, uncomfortable nights, and hour after boring hour spent in makeup. Then – after months of living in a weird little bubble – you get dumped into a room full of press where you’re expected to sound halfway human.’
‘Hmm,’ said Caroline. ‘I guess I never thought about it like that. Sounds… chaotic?’
‘That’s a good word for it,’ said Jack. ‘I mean, I love the acting part of it all but… let’s just say I’ve been looking forward to coming home for some peace and quiet. Now here I am, and the press are all over me again!’
Jack winked at Caroline, but she looked more than a little bit guilty.
‘Sorry,’ she muttered.
‘Don’t be!’ said Jack. ‘I’m just pulling your leg. You might not be a fan of my work, but—’
‘Hey Jack?’ said Caroline, cutting straight across him.
It was probably a good thing, as he’d been about to make a total goofball of himself by telling her outright that he was a fan ofherwork. How cringey could he get?!
