Page 94 of Christmas at the Movies
James laughed. ‘Believe it or not, the movie. It made me realise that I need to stop being scared of the fact that Nick is different. He is who he is – and alwayshas been.’
Sarah put her arms around him. ‘Whatever the outcome of the assessment, we’ll make sure Nick knows it’s OK to be different. That he can be himself.’
James nodded. ‘You’re right. He’ll be fine. Because we love him no matter what.’
They stood with their arms around each other, watching the sun begin to set as the children laughed and played together on the lawn.
Thanks, Buddy, thought James. For bringing a little Christmas magic to their summer holiday.
Chapter 10
Present Day
Holly was brushing her teeth when someone pounded on the bathroom door. ‘I’ll be out in a minute,’ she garbled through a mouthful of toothpaste.
Ignoring her, Nick burst into the bathroom in his school uniform. ‘I need to talk to you.’
Holly glared at her brother. It was impossible to get any privacy in this house.
‘It’s important,’ said Nick. ‘It’s about Mum.’
Holly was not in the mood for her brother’s drama. He was bound to be making a big deal out of nothing. She spat out her toothpaste. ‘I can’t deal with this right now, Nick. This is a big day for me.’
Today was her first day on a movie set. She was just an extra, but lots of famous stars had got their starts working as background artists – Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kristen Stewart, Renée Zellweger. Who knew what it might lead to. Best of all, Aaron would be there, too. Ever since theEncantodisaster, they’d been chatting at work and messaging outside of it. Holly liked him even more now that she was actually getting to know him instead of just stalking his socials. But they were just friends – Aaron hadn’t asked her out or even tried to kiss her.
‘But, Holly, she might be sick—’
‘Nick!’ bellowed Mum from downstairs. ‘You’re going to miss the bus if you don’t leave now.’
‘She sounds fine to me,’ said Holly.
Sighing in defeat, Nick left the bathroom. A moment later, Holly heard the front door slam.
‘Morning!’ said Mum when Holly went downstairs. She pressed two tablets out of a foil packet and swallowed them down with a gulp of her coffee.
Holly suddenly felt a wrench of concern. Was Nick right – was there something wrong with Mum? ‘Are you sick?’
‘What?’ Mum looked down at the pill packet in her hand. ‘Oh, this? It’s HRT. It helps with my menopause symptoms – mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats—’
‘Eww,’ said Holly, holding up her hand. ‘Too. Much. Information.’
‘It’s important to talk about this stuff,’ said Mum. ‘You’ll go through it one day too.’
‘Great,’ said Holly sarcastically. ‘I can hardly wait.’
When the toast popped up, Mum spread peanut butter on both pieces and handed one to her.
Holly shook her head. ‘I’m too nervous to eat.’
‘Just a few bites,’ urged Mum. ‘It’s going to be a long day.’
Jonesy rubbed his sleek ginger body against her legs, purring, as Holly nibbled her toast.
‘Hey, Fluffyface.’ Holly scooped the cat up and gave him one of her crusts.
‘Don’t feed the cat,’ grumped Dad, coming into the kitchen. ‘He’s already had his breakfast.’
He got a mug down from the shelf, banging it noisily on the counter as he made himself a cup of tea. His hair was a mess, as if he’d been tossing and turning all night.
