Page 95 of Christmas at the Movies
‘Did you do the work school set for you?’ he asked her.
‘I’m going to do it over the weekend.’ Holly licked peanut butter off her finger. She was going to have to brush her teeth again, she didn’t want Aaron to think she had peanut-butter breath.
‘Well, make sure you do,’ said Dad. ‘That was what weagreed. Not that agreements seem to count for anything around here …’
Taking his mug of tea, he stomped up the stairs.
Holly and her mum exchanged looks.
‘Someone’s in a bad mood,’ said Mum.
‘Maybe he’s going through menopause too,’ joked Holly.
They both laughed. She and Mum had been getting along better since her birthday.
‘And get a move on,’ Dad shouted down the stairs. ‘We need to leave early. Traffic’s been a complete nightmare.’
When they arrived at the cinema, Holly’s heart raced with excitement as she saw crew wheeling equipment around and speaking into walkie-talkies. Everyone looked like they were doing something important.This is really happening, she thought, her heart thudding with excitement.I’m actually in a movie.
‘Look at that.’ Dad tutted, pointing to the cables snaking across the lobby floor. ‘We’ve got a Golden Oldies screening today. Our elderly customers are going to trip over those. I asked the crew to move them after the Baby and Me screening, but they’ve ignored me.’
‘I’ll mention it to Noa,’ said Mum.
Roger was behind the ticket counter. He’d agreed to come out of retirement to help Dad run the cinema while Mum and Aaron were working on the movie. Dad went to join him while Holly and Mum went out into the car park. Extras were standing around sipping hot drinks and squeezing instant hand warmers to ward off the winterchill. Holly looked around for Aaron, but couldn’t see him anywhere.
Following the smell of sizzling bacon, Holly and Mum went over to craft services. The trestle tables heaved with a tempting array of food, from fruit and nuts to cookies and crisps. You could even get a hot breakfast!
Holly recognised several of the other extras from around the village – Hermione de la Mere from the candle shop and her parents’ friend Ian Griffiths were sipping cups of coffee.
Mum went over to them. ‘I didn’t know you had the acting bug too, Hermione.’
‘I’ve never done anything like this before,’ admitted Hermione. ‘Ian talked me into it.’
‘We’re a couple,’ said Ian, taking a big bite of a blueberry muffin.
‘Congratulations,’ said Mum. ‘I’m so happy for you.’
‘No, in the movie,’ clarified Ian. ‘We’re playing a couple having breakfast at the B&B.’
Hermione giggled. ‘Well, we’d better practise so we’re convincing.’ She brushed muffin crumbs off his chest. ‘There, that’s better, dear.’
Holly exchanged knowing glances with her mother. Hermione and Ian would actually make a pretty cute couple in real life. Ian was a nice guy and Hermione was properly hot for someone old like Mum. To be fair, her mum was quite nice-looking. For once, she’d actually made a bit of an effort with her appearance today and was wearing a skirt, although in Holly’s opinion it could do with being several inches shorter. She remembered the picture she’d seen at Pari’s – Mum’s fashion sense hadn’t always been so tragic.
‘Wardrobe?’ said Mum.
For a second, Holly thought Mum had read her mind and knew she’d been silently criticising her outfit. Thenshe pointed to a tent that someone had just wheeled a rail of clothes inside.
They went inside the wardrobe tent together. A woman with a pincushion around her wrist checked a list when Holly gave her name, then headed over to a clothes rail and returned with an apron.
‘I think there’s been a misunderstanding,’ said Holly. ’I’m not on the catering crew, I’m an extra.’
‘That’s your costume,’ replied the wardrobe lady. ‘You’re playing a waitress. The girl who was supposed to do it slipped on some ice and broke her leg yesterday.’
‘I guess you could say this is my lucky break then,’ joked Holly. The wardrobe lady didn’t laugh.
Holly put the apron on over the black skirt and white shirt she’d been told to wear. It was embroidered with a Christmas tree and the wordsPine Tree Inn.
‘That’s the name of the inn in the movie,’ explained Mum.
