Page 99 of Christmas at the Movies
‘Don’t worry, I’ve booked into a spa hotel in Stowford. I haven’t taken any holiday for months, so I might stay in the Cotswolds through Christmas. I desperately need to recharge my batteries.’
‘That’s amazing,’ said Sarah. ‘You can spend Christmas with us.’ Her best friend was so busy, they rarely got a chance to hang out. She’d been gutted to miss their meet-up on Holly’s birthday.
‘Now, where are the trailers?’ asked Pari. ‘I need to find Mateo.’
Sarah led the way to the car park.
‘Wow – the film crew have completely taken over,’ said Pari, looking round at all the trailers and tents. ‘I feel like I’m on a Hollywood lot.’ Approaching the door of Mateo’s trailer, Pari knocked on it. ‘Yoo-hoo! It’s the toughest negotiator in Tinseltown.’ She grinned at Sarah over her shoulder. ‘That’s an actual quote fromVariety.’
‘Come in,’ called a voice with an American accent.
Mateo Ajose was even more handsome in person than he was on screen. He had green eyes and dark curls flecked with gold. He’d won the genetic lottery, thanks to his Italian-American mother and Nigerian father.
‘Well, well, well,’ said Pari. ‘If it isn’t my favourite client.’
‘That’s what you say to all your clients,’ quipped Mateo, giving his agent a kiss on each cheek. ‘Hi Sarah,’ he said, welcoming her inside.
Sarah was impressed that he remembered her name as they’d only met a few times. That had been before he’d doneHighgate, the massively popular period drama that had sent his career stratospheric.
The actor wasn’t alone in the trailer. His wife, Sam, was in there too, sitting on the sofa. And next to her, to Sarah’s surprise, was Iris. Baby Henry was sitting on a blanket on the floor shaking a rattle. Trying to grab it off him was an adorable baby girl with her dad’s dark curls. The two mums laughed when the little girl finally succeeded.
‘Have this instead, Henry,’ said Iris, handing her baby his toy giraffe.
‘Fancy meeting you here,’ said Sarah.
‘Iris and I met at a Baby and Me screening,’ explained Sam. ‘I told her to pop by the set so Henry and Priya could have a play date.’
Henry bopped Priya on the head with his giraffe and the little girl started to cry.
‘There, there,’ said Mateo, picking up his baby girl and giving her a cuddle. ‘Daddy’s got you.’ He pulled a funny face and the baby tried to grab his nose.
Sarah was glad to see that Iris had made a fellow mum friend, someone to share the trials and tribulations of motherhood with. Looking after a baby was a lonely business, even more so if you were struggling with anxiety. That’s why she’d set up the Baby and Me screenings after having Holly – to build a supportive community of fellow parents. Even though their kids were now teenagers, Sarah was still good friends with some of the other mums she’d met at those very first Baby and Me screenings. She was proud that all those years later, the cinema was still connecting local parents.
‘I hear you’ve set up a manga club at the high school,’ she said to Iris. ‘Nick was telling me all about it.’
‘It’s lovely to be doing something creative again,’ said Iris. ‘I was getting a bit bored at home.’
‘Tell me about it,’ agreed Sam. ‘I used to always travel with Mateo when he was shooting on location, but I can’t anymore because our eldest daughter is in primary school now. That’s why I was so thrilled thatEx-Mas Evewas filming close to home.’
Sarah had seen pictures of their gorgeous converted farmhouse outside Stowford in magazines.
‘How’s the shoot going?’ asked Pari. ‘Is it a happy set?’
Priya started to fuss, so Mateo rocked her soothingly. ‘I can see why Noa has got his reputation for being demanding. I haven’t really bonded with Mia – she spends most of her time holed up in her trailer.’
Pari frowned. ‘That’s not good.’ She turned to Sarah. ‘What are your impressions?’
‘Noa’s definitely a perfectionist,’ said Sarah. He’d had her reworking lines for tomorrow’s scenes most of the day, so she hadn’t seen much of the filming.
‘We’re way behind schedule,’ said Mateo. ‘Apparently we’re not going to wrap until Christmas Eve.’
‘That’s a bummer,’ said Sam. ‘We’ll miss the annual party at the Stowford bookshop.’
Oh dear,thought Sarah. James wasn’t going to be happy when he found out that filming had been extended.
There was a knock on the door – an assistant summoning Mateo to the set.
‘I should go too,’ said Iris. ‘Henry needs a nap.’
