Page 66 of Christmas at the Movies
‘Seriously, Noa has been so encouraging about my writing. He says he wants to readThe Ghost Writer. If I ever get around to finishing it.’
‘Well, I’m thrilled you’re working on the script,’ said Pari. ‘One of my clients – Mateo Ajose – is playing the lead. We need it to be a hit.’
‘Noa needs it to be a hit, too,’ shared Mum. ‘His last movie didn’t do very well at the box office.’
‘I still don’t understand why he parted ways with his usual studio,’ remarked Pari. ‘There were some rumours that he’s difficult to work with.’
‘I find that hard to believe. He’s been absolutely lovely to me. Noa says he’s working with a streamer so he can finance a passion project,’ said Mum.
Noa says, Noa says …thought Nick. He didn’t like how this movie had taken over his mother’s life. It was like Noa Drakos had put her under a magic spell.
‘Sounds like you might be his next “passion project”.’ Pari chuckled.
Anxiety gnawed at Nick’s stomach. Was Mum having an affair with a famous film director? What if she left them, the way Julia’s mother had …
‘Oh, please, Pari.’ Mum scoffed. ‘The man has dated pop stars. As if he’s going to be interested in me. And in any case, my libido has been non-existent.’
What does that mean?
‘Ah, the joys of being a middle-aged woman,’ said Pari, sighing. ‘I’m not even interested in my rabbit any more.’
When did Pari get a pet?wondered Nick.
‘I went to see the doctor this week,’ said Mum. ‘They did some blood tests to check my hormone levels and wroteme a prescription for HRT. Hopefully it will improve the anxiety and brain fog.’
Nick felt a jolt of fear. Was Mum ill? Did she have a brain tumour? Was that why she had been acting so sad these past few months? A terrifying thought occurred to Nick – was Mum DYING?
‘I hope it helps,’ said Pari.
‘I’d better go,’ said Mum. ‘Noa wants to see a new draft of the second act by tomorrow morning.’
Nick darted out of the corridor and sprinted up to his bedroom as Mum ended her call. He had so many questions, but he couldn’t ask Mum – he was too scared of what she might say.
Nick sat down on his bed and wrapped his weighted blanket over his shoulders to try to calm himself down. Jonesy came crawling out from under the bed and jumped onto his lap. As Nick stroked the cat’s back, Jonesy purred and kneaded his lap.
‘Grown-ups are so confusing,’ he confided in the cat. He wasn’t sure if Mum was madly in love with a famous film director or seriously ill.
Either way, there was something worrying going on. And Nick didn’t know what to do.
Frowning, Sarah deleted the line she’d just written and wrote it again. ‘You have the bed, I’ll sleep on the floor,’ she said as she typed.
Yes, that was much better. She was working on the scene where the two main characters discovered that they had to share a bedroom in the inn because it was fully booked for Christmas.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Sarah was so engrossed in her work, she nearly jumped out of her skin when someonetapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Holly, wearing the dress she’d bought in London and her Tiffany necklace.
‘You nearly gave me a heart attack,’ she said with a gasp.
Holly gave an impatient huff. ‘I’ve been standing here saying your name for like a minute.’
‘Sorry, I was completely caught up in the script.’ Sarah smiled at her daughter. Things between them had mercifully improved since Holly’s birthday. She was just giving Sarah a normal level of teenaged attitude, rather than full-blown hatred. ‘You look nice. Are you going out?’
Holly gave her a withering look. ‘Duh? It’s the first film of the festival? What time are we leaving for the cinema?’
‘Oh, crap!’ Sarah had completely lost track of time. If she didn’t get a move on, they’d be late.
Saving her work, she dashed into the bathroom to shower. After drying herself off, she rubbed oestrogen gel on her belly. The hormone replacement therapy had already improved her sleep. She hadn’t had a hot flash in days, either.
Her period was still as regular as clockwork, so it hadn’t occurred to her that she was in perimenopause. But the GP had explained that her mood swings and anxiety were both classic symptoms of the change. It was a relief to finally find out what was wrong with her. As her brain fog lifted and her mood improved, she was beginning to feel like her old self again.
