Page 36 of A Very Crumbleton Christmas
‘I cleared the snow off your car,’ he said, just for something to say. ‘It didn’t take long – it’s just that soft, powdery stuff. It came off in a giant heap!’
‘Oh – thank you,’ she said, this time not taking her eyes off her breakfast.
‘No worries. It looks like the road’s been cleared too,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure how far they’ve got. Obviously, the drive is still covered. It shouldn’t take me too long to clear it when you want to head off, though.’
Caroline shifted in her seat and Jack got the distinct impression that she wasn’t quite sure how to react to this news. It made him weirdly happy that she wasn’t already legging it through the door, desperate to return to reality.
He was… dreading it. He didn’t actually want her to go. He wanted to spend the day laughing together. He could imagineChristmas shopping, making lunch… chatting about something and nothing…
‘I’ll get out of your hair as soon as possible, don’t worry!’ she said, cutting across his happy little fantasy.
Jack shook his head, his heart sinking. ‘There’s no rush – really!’ he said. ‘I’m enjoying your company.’
‘Awww,’ said Caroline, giving him a wide, sunny smile. ‘Jack Jones, you old smoothy.’
‘I’m serious,’ said Jack. ‘Just… don’t make me regret it!’
Caroline snorted and Jack laughed as she managed to lose a bit of strawberry she’d been nibbling in the process.
‘So,’ she said, nodding at the script he’d left open on the kitchen island. ‘What ya reading? Have you found the perfect project to dive into next?’
‘What – to perfectly showcase my wooden abilities?’ smirked Jack.
‘Ah maaaan,’ sighed Caroline. ‘I’m sorry. Really. I never should have—’
‘Only kidding,’ laughed Jack. ‘Actually, funny you should ask. I got a call from my agent in the middle of the night – just after I’d covered you up with that duvet, in fact.’
‘Yeah – I meant to thank you for that,’ said Caroline.
Jack grinned at her. ‘My pleasure.’
‘So… what did your agent want?’ said Caroline, clearly intrigued. In fact, Jack had a feeling it was costing her a great deal of effort not to slip into reporter-mode and start bombarding him with questions.
‘Well,’ he said slowly, ‘I’ve been offered a new role.’
‘Congratulations!’ said Caroline.
‘Thanks,’ said Jack. ‘Aimee – that’s my agent – she’s really excited about it. That’s why she called at such an ungodly hour. She said it’s one of those "career-defining roles" – and she wants an answer asap.’
‘Wow,’ said Caroline. ‘That’s cool!’
‘It is,’ said Jack slowly. ‘It’s the lead role… the start of a huge franchise. I mean…’ he trailed off and ran his fingers through his hair.
It really was mind-blowing that he’d been offered the role. A big compliment – and an even bigger opportunity. Sowhydid it feel like saying yes would be some kind of cosmic mistake?
No – making a huge, life-changing decision based on a woman he’d met less than twenty-four hours ago would be a cosmic mistake!
‘You don’t look very happy about it,’ said Caroline, raising her eyebrows curiously.
‘I guess I’m still processing it all,’ said Jack.
‘Why don’t you tell me about it?’ said Caroline. ‘It might help it feel more real!’
‘Okay – good idea,’ said Jack, nodding slowly. ‘So, it’s got a pretty huge budget. It’s the start of a franchise, so it could mean years of work for me. I’ve not actually read the whole script yet, but—’
‘Wait, if you’ve not read it yet, how come they’ve offered…’ Caroline trailed off.
‘The writers had me in mind from the start, apparently,’ said Jack, rubbing his neck and feeling decidedly awkward. He didn’t like to brag, but this reallywasa big deal.
