Page 21 of Grinch Girl

Pairings:

Bella and Michael

Diane and Jim

Nicole and Nate

Mabel and Tripp

Jane and Brian

Our ice rinkwas absolutely packed. Skaters with festive hats and bright parkas slid in a slow circle under beautifully strung lights and in time to the music playing from a band in the nearby pavilion.

There was no line yet for Santa, but he looked great in his little elf house, perched on a big white chair. As I watched, he pulled a mug from under his seat and took a long, slow drink.That better just be cocoa, Mr. Kringle.I made a mental note to send Carol over to check his breath. The last thing we needed was an inebriated Claus.

The smell of fried cheese curds and burgers from the food stalls competed with whiffs of peppermint and hot chocolate and funnel cakes. My stomach growled; it was a good thing I hadn’t eaten yet. If Brian and I grabbed dinner, at least that was something to film.

There was a small private tent set up in one corner of the square specifically as a gathering area forSingle Bellsparticipants. Inside, there were mirrors and lights set up for putting on makeup, an equipment dumping ground for the camera crew, and a small backdrop with a stool where we’d film another cornerstone of reality TV: private confessionals. Video commentary from the participants we’d intersperse with date footage in the editing process.

Throwing my bag on a chair in front of the mirrors, I headed to our ragtag group of cameramen. I still needed to primp, but this was more important. “Huddle up,” I called. Sean snapped to, and the rest of the guys looked at me warily. “Get as much footage of everyone as you can, obviously, but Bella and Michael are your stars tonight. Make sure you get the beginning of their date. The moment the long-lost sweethearts lay eyes on one another.”

I had to grit my teeth to get the words out, but we needed compelling stories, and theirs was the best we had right now. “After them, focus on Nicole and Nate—especially if they cross paths with Jim. If Nicole or Jim look at one another or their dates, I want it on camera. Got it?” Sean nodded seriously, and the others followed suit.

When I returned to the makeup mirror, Diane was advising Nicole against applying enormous fake eyelashes. Mabel was staring down her reflection, probably giving herself a pep talk. Giving up on the lashes, Nicole fidgeted nervously. Her hands were shaking as she applied lip gloss.

“You look great,” I said to her in passing. It was the truth. Her chin-length brown hair, normally back in a messy pod, was blown out and shiny. I’d rarely seen her in anything other than a flannel shirt, but tonight she wore a fitted red sweater that flattered her curvy figure. Nate would have nothing to complain about.

“Thanks.” She gave me a wry smile in the mirror. “It’s been a dozen years since I’ve been on a first date.”

Finished with her makeup, Bella sat in front of the mirror in an expensive-looking ivory blouse, looking down at her phone. I glanced at her reflection and heard my own voice say, “Bells, you’ve got your weird eye thing again.”

She automatically jumped to the mirror. “Oh God. Left or right?”

We both froze. Our eyes met in the mirror and then I broke the contact and moved as far away from her as I could, while she slowly cleaned up the eyeliner that always bled from the upper lid of her eye to the space just below her eyebrow.

I could have asked myself:Where the hell did that come from?But I already knew. It was just…rote. Bella and I had gotten ready next to one another in the mirror for our entire childhood and teen years. When you know someone’s face and habits as well as your own, particularly in your formative years, that kind of shit just sticks with you.

It didn’t mean anything.

Hurriedly, I pulled out my small makeup bag and threw on mascara and a little bronzer. I brushed my hair out of its ponytail until it hung straight to my elbows. I was sticking to my black-on-black look with the same black jeans and a black turtleneck sweater.

Carol entered the tent, her white hair curling crazily and her cheeks bright pink. “Everyone!” She clapped. “As planned, Jim treated all of the gentlemen to a beer at the pub for courage, and now they’re waiting for the ladies by the Christmas tree.”

Half the camera crew left at Carol’s announcement, and the rest stayed here to film our path through the Christmas Village to the tree.

“How is the tree decorating going?” Bella asked.

Carol beamed at her. “Perfect! Thank God the ladders were the right height. We’ve got the lights strung. There are severalpeople working at our tables to create ornaments to hang. It’s going beautifully. You all will spend time there, obviously.”

“Doubt it,” I muttered under my breath. It was a cute idea, but we needed varied activities to film. Viewers didn’t want to watch people sitting at tables, poring over arts and crafts. I was hoping Tripp would drag Mabel straight for the beer tent and then to the carnival games. We needed alternate action to shots of Bella and Michael hanging cherubs on the fir or whatever adorableness they’d get up to.

In my confessional, I said that I was “ready for my date and open to whatever the night held” and attempted to smolder sexily into the camera. Which clearly didn’t work, because Sean asked me if I needed a Tums when we were done.

Then we were slowly walking to the tree, with cameras filming us from the front and behind. Bystanders eyed us curiously, although most of them were locals and in on the gossip. I sure hoped the camera crew was remembering to pan around, to get shots of the Christmas Village from every angle. It looked really great in here. Better, even, than my memories of its height in popularity.

If only Greta could have seen this.

We paused at the edge of the clearing where the tall Christmas tree stood waiting, the men standing at spaced intervals around it. At the head of the line, Bella went to meet Michael, but I couldn’t see their greeting, as he was on the other side of the tree. As planned, the rest of us each waited a few minutes before walking to our dates to give the camera crew a chance to film each introduction. After that, the night would be more of a free-for-all.

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