Page 88 of Christmas at the Movies
James had met Mateo Ajose a few times through their mutual friends, Simon and Nora, but he wasn’t going to bother telling that to the security guard. ‘Let me in!’
The man spoke into his walkie-talkie, never taking his eyes off James. ‘We have a problem, sir. A fellow is causing a disturbance. Says he owns the cinema.’ The guard laughed dismissively.
A moment later, Noa appeared at the back entrance. He looked as cool as ever in jeans and a black T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms. It was as if he was so tough the cold didn’t affect him. James felt like a wimp in his thick winter parka.
‘So sorry about that, Jim.’ Noa apologised smoothly. ‘Our security team is overzealous.’
‘He wasn’t on the list,’ said the security guard, still eyeing James suspiciously.
‘Please, do come in.’ Noa magnanimously stepped aside to let James in, as ifheowned the bloody place.
Fuming, James made his way into the cinema. The lobby teemed with film crew and film equipment littered the ground. He stepped over some thick black cables that snaked across the lobby on the way to the concession stand.
‘Oh, good, you’re here.’ Sarah came out from behind the counter and gave James a peck on the cheek. ‘You can take over now. Is it OK if Noa and I use the office? We need a quiet place to read through the final scene.’
‘Why don’t you ask him?’ muttered James sourly. ‘He’s acting like he owns the place.’
But Sarah didn’t hear – she was already halfway to the office.
Just then, the Baby and Me screening finished. Parents came out of the auditorium with their infants. The sound of children crying only added to the din.
Sarah’s new friend, Iris, was struggling to get her buggy over the cables. She was with an attractive lady with long dark hair wearing a baby girl in a baby carrier.
‘Here, let me help you.’ James lifted the front wheels up to manoeuvre the buggy over the obstruction. ‘I’m sorry about the disruption – it’s complete chaos in here today.’
‘That’s pretty normal for a movie set,’ said the woman with the baby carrier, smiling.
Suddenly, James recognised her – she was Mateo Ajose’s wife.
‘Nice to see you, Sam,’ he said. ‘Have you met Iris?’
She nodded. ‘We met earlier. Iris helped me out when Priya here had an exploding nappy situation. She loaned me a spare Babygro in the ladies’ room.’
‘Speaking of that,’ said Iris. ‘There’s no toilet paper left in there.’
Bloody hell,thought James. The film crew were supposed to be using the portaloos outside, but he’d noticed them going in and out of the much-nicer cinema toilets. At this rate, they’d be spending all the money they were getting on toilet roll.
As the two mums headed off, James went to restock the bathroom. Then he got out his laptop and updated the film times on the cinema’s website. They were showingElf– the eighth film of Christmas – as a special sensory-friendly matinee. He’d had to change the start time to accommodate the film crew.
So much for keeping disruption to a minimum …
As he was finishing, Kath Langdon, their local MP, appeared.
‘Hi, Kath,’ James said. ‘How’s your dad?’’ Kath’s father, David, had been their MP for years. Kath had stood for the seat when he’d retired.
‘Dad’s fine. And I’ve got good news – I was able to fast-track the permits,’ she said. ‘I just need a few signatures.’
All the café tables were occupied by film crew, so Kath took a thick stack of papers out of her briefcase and spread them out on the ticket counter.
‘Thanks so much for your help,’ said James, signing the paperwork. ‘I know how busy you are.’
‘No worries,’ said the MP. ‘The film will be excellent for the local economy. If the movie is a success, it should drive visitors to the area – fans will want to visit locations.’ She grinned. ‘I’m a big Mia Winslow fan myself.’
‘Hopefully tourists will come and see a movie here while they’re at it,’ said James. That was the point of all this disruption – to save the cinema.
He went to file copies of the paperwork in the office, before remembering that Sarah was in there. The door to the office was open a crack, and he could see her and Noa sitting on the sofa, their heads practically touching.
‘We shouldn’t do this,’ murmured Sarah. ‘Not here. Not now.’
