“Good morning,” Todd stated chipperly.
“Morning,” Maggie replied back with a weak smile.
“Do you mind if I come in?” Todd asked.
“Actually, if it's okay...” Maggie stammered.
“No worries, I get it,” Todd smiled. “I just wanted to stop by and let you know about today’s plans. I stopped by last night, but you weren’t here, so I figured I’d pop by this morning.”
“That sounds great. The producers had given me a vague schedule when I arrived, but I wasn’t sure when and where I needed to be,” Maggie stated a little relieved.
“Today the two of you’ll go skiing and then there’s a lunch planned outside at the top of the mountain,” Todd started to explain. Maggie started to grow nervous. She had never been skiing before and she wasn’t looking forward to making a complete fool of herself on T.V.
“I’ve never skied before,” she started to inform Todd sheepishly.
“No worries. Brad is a fantastic skier and I’m sure the audience will love seeing him teach you to ski. Very romantic...and if you could fall a few times, maybe into his arms and…” Todd did not continue, but Maggie got the hint. Her face blushed thinking of their kiss last night. She had not slept well; her dreams had been filled with images of Brad all night.
“I’m sure the falling part won’t be a problem,” Maggie retorted.
“Great! And tonight, we have a romantic moonlit ski lift ride,” he exclaimed, seeming more excited about it all than she was.
Maggie smiled, “I can’t wait. So, when do I need to be out on the slopes? And I’m sure Pierre will be coming here soon to get me ready?”
“Yes, he should be here in a few minutes; we need you there by 10 a.m. See you soon and oh…” Todd started to leave and then stopped. “Tonight, we really need the sparks to fly. So, I mean it is the last night and we need the audience to really believe he...eh, that you both have fallen in love.”
“But what happens after this weekend? I mean...people will see him out on other dates. So how does all this change his image?” Maggie asked, curious how one weekend could make the world see him differently.
“People will believe what they want to believe and what we tell them,” Todd commented and turned to walk away.
Maggie was not sure what he fully meant by that, but she didn’t have time to contemplate it as she saw Pierre gliding down the hallway towards her. She took a deep breath in, preparing herself for the next hour of glam. Pierre gave her enough time to call to have some breakfast delivered to the room before the glam squad began to work.
An hour later, they had plucked, powdered, and applied approximately two pounds of hairspray to her golden locks. She was happy to see that the outfits were more sensible, and the snowsuit was really cute and warm. The temperatures were rather cold, and she had heard talks of a possible storm that night. So, the idea of a romantic ride on the ski lift was sounding not so pleasant.
Once Pierre was done Maggie decided to head to the main lobby as she had some time before she was needed outside for her ski lesson with Brad. She wanted to see if she could talk to her father quickly as he seemed to be missing in action since they had arrived. She had texted him last night and this morning but there had been no reply. She was starting to get worried. Maggie walked across the hall and knocked on his door. At first, she thought no one was in there and then she heard some faint noise on the other side. Maggie leaned her ear up to the door.
Nothing. She knocked again and this time she was sure she heard a feminine voice on the other side. Maggie called out, “Dad, are you in there?” Just then the door opened, and her father was standing in front of her, trying to keep her from seeing inside the room. “Is someone in there with you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
The expression on his face was all she needed. Maggie didn’t know if she should be upset or happy for him. She figured her father had had lady friends before but to catch him in the act was totally different. She has wanted him to meet someone, but not someone several states away.
Carl didn’t know how to answer that question, so instead he tried to change the subject. “Are you going to meet Brad?” he asked.
Hearing his name made her think of their kiss again, which brought a blush to her face. This did not go unnoticed by her father. “Is there a chance that you may have feelings for this man?” Maggie’s dad asked, genuinely interested.
“No dad! I’m just warm, all bundled up in this outfit standing inside and it is making my face red,” Maggie tried to deflect the question. Not wanting to have to answer anything else Maggie quickly added. “Well, I need to get going. I just wanted to make sure you’re alive--seeing as you hadn’t answered a single one of my texts.”
“Sorry, honey. I was really tired last night and went to bed early. I put my phone on silent so as not to be disturbed. But you go and have a great time today and I can’t wait to hear all about it tonight,” Carl stated, closing the door while he was still talking.
Maggie stood in the hallway for a few minutes to see if she heard any other noises from within. When she heard nothing, she decided to walk down to the gift shop. She had seen a snow globe in the store window and wanted to check it out.
Maggie was wandering around looking at the different knick-knacks, when Brad walked into the shop. Maggie had a small globe in her hands that had a small cabin inside with trees surrounding it. The cabin was decorated for Christmas.
“See something you like?” Brad asked a coy smile on his face.
Maggie glanced up wistfully, “My mom collected snow globes. Everywhere she traveled she made sure to get one to remember all the places she had visited. Or at least that is what my father told me. I wouldn’t really know; I never knew her.”
Brad’s smile faded. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be. She passed away a long time ago,” Maggie replied with a hint of sadness.
Brad stared at the globe that she held in her hand not looking at her as he spoke. “I lost my parents recently. It sucks not having them around anymore. This time of the year just doesn’t feel the same without them.”
Maggie looked up at Brad. She could see for the first-time real pain in his eyes. For a second, she thought she may be getting a glimpse of the real Brad. Maggie said nothing, letting him speak. “My mom used to love Christmas. She was all about traditions. We always decorated the tree the Friday after Thanksgiving. She would put on cheesy holiday music and we always had to have a fire going...even if it was eighty degrees outside,” he continued.
“She grew up in Minnesota and moved to Vermont right out of college and was used to the cold winters. She always said she hated spending Christmas in L.A. with me. Christmas was about snow, snowmen, and hot chocolate,” Brad stated, looking at Maggie. His expression seemed almost dream-like like he was transported back to those days.
“It sounds really nice. I’m sorry they’re gone. I’m sure I would’ve loved to meet them.” The words slipped out so fast, Maggie wasn’t able to take them back. She was acting like they were truly a couple.
Brad looked into her eyes and placed his hand around her hand still holding the globe. “They would’ve loved to meet you, too,” Brad murmured, his voice thick with desire.
Maggie pulled her hand back. She was not ready for the flood of emotions she felt in that moment. Seeing Brad, so vulnerable, made her want to take him in her arms and hold him. To kiss him and take away whatever pain he was hiding behind that bad-boy image. She put the globe back on the shelf breaking whatever spell had come over them.
Brad smiled, his sexy demeanor returning, like he had not poured his soul out to her two seconds ago. “Ready to go? You’ve a lesson waiting, and I look forward to giving it to you,” Brad growled and winked.
Maggie rolled her eyes. The glimmer of hope that maybe he wasn’t such a douche disappeared. “I guess,” she answered, with more irritation in her voice than she had planned.
When they walked outsid
e the production crew was getting set up. The producer came over and talked to them about the plan for the day and the “feel” he wanted the viewer to get. Brad nodded, “Got it. She’ll be smitten in the next twenty minutes.” Brad winked at Maggie and she played along.
“I mean...how can I resist your charm and animal magnetism? My hero on the slopes,” she mocked back.
Brad laughed, unfazed by her candor. He liked that about her. She wasn’t like all the other women in his life and he found that refreshing. He liked the challenge and had a feeling the prize at the end would be better because of it.
For the next two hours, they were filmed skiing--or at least Brad was. Maggie felt like a fish out of water. She was so ungraceful. By the end of the first hour, she could feel a large bruise forming on her right hip. She had fallen more times than she thought was even humanly possible. Brad kept telling her to make a ‘pizza’ with her skis, then ‘French fries’. By the time they were done she was starving with all the talk of food.
Brad had never laughed so hard. He could see how frustrated she was getting, and it only made her look more adorable. He wanted to go over and kiss her, but he resisted the urge. This was not the time or place...just yet. They needed to reel the viewers in first. And he needed the first on-screen kiss to be perfect, one where every woman in the world would be exceedingly jealous.
When they finally made their way to the ski lift to go to the top of the mountain for lunch, Maggie was exhausted and couldn’t wait to take her skis off. Brad did the best he could helping her off the lift, which proved to be more difficult than expected. Maggie got her skis so tangled up, she fell over--taking Brad down with her. After struggling to stand up again, Maggie brushed the snow off her pants and looked up to see a beautifully decorated tent.
Brad helped her pop off her skis, and they walked over to view what was inside. The camera crew was already there waiting for them. There was a single table with two chairs and heat lamps all around to warm them. Maggie shrugged off her jacket, the warmth from the lamps sufficiently heating the tent. Brad pulled out her chair and Maggie took a seat.
Brad walked over to his side and then the waiter came over cups of Irish coffee. Over the next hour, they were served a wonderful meal of pasta, salad, and bread. They small-talked for a while about the day and how beautiful the resort was. Then Brad turned the subject to how beautiful she looked and how adorable she was as she tried to learn to ski.
Maggie could feel herself starting to blush as he turned his attention to her and her beauty. Maggie had her hand on the table and Brad laid his on top of it. Maggie glanced down, the butterflies returning to her stomach. As hard as she tried to get them to stop, she couldn’t. She knew this was all for show, that everything he was doing was for ratings and his image. But as hard as she tried, the feelings would not go away.
Then Brad leaned in and placed a soft, delicate kiss on her lips. This time Maggie could not pull away and he knew it. Brad planned to use this opportunity to show her what she had missed last night. He inched in closer having no intention of rushing. Maggie could feel her pulse quicken as he molded his lips to hers. He pulled and sucked at her bottom lip and then slipped his tongue in, opening her mouth for him. Maggie closed her eyes, enjoying the warm sensation that spread throughout her body. The feel of his lips on hers made her head swim.
Maggie found his tongue with hers and enjoyed the dance. She moaned slightly as she started to lose control of her thoughts and herself. Then without warning, Brad pulled back. Maggie's eyes opened; her face flushed with passion. Brad saw the look in her eyes and knew she had enjoyed it every bit as much as he had. He didn’t speak for a moment, the two of them just gazed at each other and then Maggie heard, “Cut! Great job you two! You almost had me believing you’re really falling in love,” the director called out.
Brad didn’t move, neither did Maggie as the crew started to clean up around them. It wasn’t until Todd came over that Brad looked away. “So, we’ll reconvene at 6 p.m. for the moonlit ski lift ride. Make sure to bring this chemistry tonight!” he stated, motioning a finger between them.
“I better get going,” Maggie stammered as she tried to collect herself. She had a hard time thinking straight.
Brad smiled sweetly, “I look forward to this evening. And to doing that again.”
Maggie blushed. She was afraid that she was getting lost and also feared that she was going to get hurt. She needed to remind herself that none of this was real, that he didn’t actually feel anything for her. That he was doing this all for the show and none of what she thought was happening between them was real. “Sure...me too. Anything for a good show, right?” She walked out of the tent quickly, not waiting for Brad to respond to that question.
Brad didn’t move for a few more minutes. He was enjoying the solitude and he needed to try and figure out what made him want to kiss her like that. He knew he needed to do something big for the show, but he had to admit to himself that he had wanted to kiss her again since their last encounter. He was falling for Maggie and that was not in the plan. Yet, he couldn’t stop how he was feeling, and he wasn’t ready to go down that road again.
********
Maggie spent the afternoon hiding away in her room. She needed some time alone to process her emotions. She knew she needed some advice and called Janet. It didn't even take more than one ring before Janet answered. “Mags!” she squealed.
“Hey, pretty lady. How are you doing?” Maggie attempted to start with small talk.
“Me? Who cares about me. I want to hear about you. I still can’t believe my best friend will be on T.V., and with such a hunk! So, what’s he really like in person?” Janet asked, ready to get all the juicy details.
She let out a deep breath, “Well, that’s why I called. I need some advice. I... I’ve really tried not like him. I mean, the image you see of him in the tabloids may be true, but there’s something else about him--a side no one sees that I’ve only caught glimpses of,” Maggie started. “I’m nervous Janet. I mean none of this is real, right? I mean, why would a famous actor fall for a nobody? A girl no one even knows, when he could have anyone he wants! Am I crazy? ’Cause when he kissed me--”
“What! He kissed you?! Already? I really can’t wait to see it when it airs tomorrow!” Janet exclaimed.
“Janet, you know I can’t go through what I went through with Isaac again. I’ll never recover if my heart gets broken again. I lost the love of my life once and I never imagined I could ever feel anything for anyone ever again,” Maggie confessed. “I haven’t had these feelings since Isaac, and I don’t know what to do.”
Janet could hear the panic in her voice. She remembered the day Isaac died and her father having to tell her. Janet’s heart broke for Maggie; to watch her friend go through such a painful event crushed her. Janet wished she could protect her, but she also wanted Maggie to see that love can be good and worth all the pain. “Just breathe, okay. And enjoy this experience. Whatever happens, you have all of us and we love you. I just want you to be happy Maggie. Can you truly tell me the thought of spending your life alone is really what you want?” Janet asked, knowing the answer.
Maggie held the phone in her hand, not responding for a few moments. Deep down she knew Janet was right, all her friends were right, and maybe it was time to jump feet first. “Okay. However this turns out, I promise I’ll just enjoy the moment,” Maggie replied, at peace with her decision. She glanced at the clock, “I’ll talk to you soon. I need to get going, we have a date this evening.” Maggie stated.
Janet told her goodbye and Maggie hung up the phone. She had about two hours until she saw Brad again and this time, she was excited to see what the night would bring.
********
Brad went to the resort bar to get a drink. When he walked in, he saw an older man sitting at the bar by himself. Brad walked up and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. The man sitting there nodded at him and then his face lit up, recognizing Brad. Brad had hoped he could j
ust go in and think, but it looked like that wasn’t going to happen as the man stood up to approach him.
Brad smiled politely. “Let me guess, you would like an autograph for your wife,” Brad continued to smile. He reached out to grab the napkin under his glass to write on when the man stopped him.
“No, I’m not married,” he replied. “You’re Bradley Thomas, right?”
“That I am,” Brad drawled, hoping this interaction would be brief and he would be able to get back to drinking alone. “And your name?” he asked.
The man sat down next to Brad. “I’m Carl...Carl Vaughn,” he stuck out his hand to shake Brad’s.
He had not met Maggie’s dad yet, but he knew he had come along. Now he was sitting alone with Maggie's father and a little piece of him started to get nervous. He was not sure what he thought of this whole thing and didn’t want to get a lecture about breaking his daughter’s heart right now. Brad took a sip of his whiskey, preparing himself for the onslaught of questions and instead he got something else entirely.
“I’m glad you’re here. When the date was announced, Maggie was adamant she wasn’t going. I actually had to make a deal with her,” he informed him.
“You did? And what was that?” Brad asked rather curiously.
“She would only go on the date if I promised to go on a date with someone of her choosing. So, I agreed,” he smiled. “But now I’ve met someone, and I can only hope she finds someone after your date is over.”
“Well, Carl, I hope Maggie finds her person too,” he replied, sincere about his statement.
“Would you like to join me for a while?” Brad asked as he ordered a second drink.
“I should get going…” Carl started.
“Just one more? I’d love to hear more about Maggie. She is a rather interesting woman,” Brad stated, with a sincere smile.
Carl glanced at his watch. “Well, I guess I can stay for a bit.”
A Date for Christmas Page 9