Page 22 of Grinch Girl

When it was my turn, I lifted my chin and walked steadily to Brian, who was wearing a hunter-green sweater and jeans under a brown hunting coat. “You look nice,” we said to each other inunison before also laughing in unison. I relaxed. Maybe this date wouldn’t be such a drag after all.

“Want to grab some food?” he asked. “Or…” He gestured to the tables of wire and glass and other assorted ornament-making baubles, where Bella, Michael, Diane, and Jim were sitting at spaced intervals. Nicole, Nate, Mabel, and Tripp had vanished. “Did you want to do whatever this is instead?”

“Let’s eat,” I said. We left the clearing, no cameramen following us. Sean saw us walking away, and I mimed eating a burger. He gave me a thumbs-up.

Brian looked concerned. “Is it bad that we’re not being recorded?”

I was a little surprised. I had no idea why he was doing this web series in the first place, but I’d never expected him to be actually interested in the reality TV part. “They’ll find us in a bit,” I said.

We waited in a short line for food and drinks, then settled at a table. I politely asked about his holiday plans, and he asked me how work was going. Then, three full minutes of silence as we polished off our french fries.

Maybe it was the beer I’d bolted down or maybe it was the fact that soon the camera would find us, therefore likely limiting our honest interaction. “Brian, why the hell are you doing this?” I asked bluntly.

He hesitated, and I felt for him. I wouldn’t want to answer that question truthfully either. “If I know why, I can help you,” I said. “I’m basically directing the crew and editing the footage. Also, if you particularly want to date one of the women, we can do stuff to sway the vote.”

He took a long swig of beer. “I’m…not interested in any of the women. Sorry,” he added as an afterthought to me.

I waved it away. “No worries. So this isn’t about dating for you. Are you just trying to help out the town then?” Carol hadseemed surprised by his participation, but maybe I’d read her wrong. “Did your mom ask you to do this?”

He flinched. “God no. She’s completely flummoxed.”

If Carol was flummoxed, I was growing more interested by the second. “Tell me!” I insisted.

His face grew a little pink under his beard. “Two reasons. First, I plan on self-publishing a novel in the spring, and I don’t have the budget for any real marketing. I thought if I mentioned it on a few dates, it would be a little free PR.”

I could appreciate that thinking. I was always a sucker for practicality. “Nice,” I said. “And the other reason?”

He buried his nose in his beer. “I just got dumped,” he said quietly, flush growing redder. “I was dating someone long-distance for a few months. Someone I met online. No one in Falworth even knew, not even my mom. But I thought the relationship was going somewhere. I’d gone to visit her a few times, we’d met in different cities for weekends. Then she dumped me three weeks ago.”

Oh my. This was amazing. “So you’re doing this to make her jealous?”

He squinched his face up. “I guess? I know she still looks at my socials because she likes and comments sometimes. I thought if I linked to the series and…I don’t know, looked cool in the dates, she might…” His shoulders slumped. “It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“No!” I exclaimed. “I’m so glad you told me. Brian! I will edit you to look cool. And a few of the women in the series are really pretty. If we get a few shots of Bella or Nicole smiling up at you—your ex is going to go crazy!”

He perked up. “Really?”

“Absolutely!” I saw one of the camera crew bearing down on us. “OK, showtime. When they start filming us, I’ll ask about your book.”

He nodded seriously but then paused, a fun glint in his eye. “If you wouldn’t mind smiling up at me, Jane, please do so. You’re the kind of pretty that would make an ex super jealous too.”

I grinned just as the red light of the camera popped on. “You got it.”

After dinner, Brian and I wandered to the pavilion to listen to the band for a few minutes. I wanted to highlight the live music part of the Christmas Village—that might intrigue potential tourists. Then we played a dart-throwing carnival game, in which I almost impaled a teenager. We’d definitely cut that little bit from the footage.

Just as we decided to cap off our date with a hot cocoa, our bored cameraman wandered off for a cigarette break and Nate appeared at my elbow, looking frantic. “J-Bird, thank God. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Brian looked at Nate’s wild eyes and eased away. “I’ll grab the drinks.”

Bemused, I watched Nate look over my shoulder and then behind his back. His hair and collar were a little rumpled, like he’d been moving at high speed. I placed my hands on my hips. “What’s got you all rattled?”

His eyes widened. “You know that one contestant, Jim? The one who owns the pub? He totally loathes me for some reason. He flat-out ignored me in the pub when we were all supposed to be having a pre-show drink. Served everyone but me. Tonight, every time I see him, he’s scowling at me with rage-eyes like a homicidal maniac.” He threw up his hands. “I know it sounds insane—”

“It doesn’t sound insane.” I cut him off, sighing. Oh, Jim. “I mean, you’re on a date with his estranged wife, after all.”

Nate’s mouth dropped open so widely, I could practically see his tonsils. “I’m what now?”

“Jim and Nicole.” I shrugged. “They’ve been married like ten years? Separated for three months or so.”

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