Snowed in on Main Street

by Kasey Stockton

  Tearing her gaze away from the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen in real life, Mia cleared her throat. “I might need more like thirty minutes, Sylvia.”

  Sylvia nodded, glancing between Mia and Sophy before heading for the elevator.

  “Hello?” Sophy Grant called, an obnoxious whine to her voice. “Can I get a little help here?”

  The woman was standing on the rug just inside the doors. She had no bags except a tiny backpack hanging over one shoulder. What could she possibly need help with?

  Mia glanced to Ashlyn and found her wide-eyed and open-mouthed. The phone was still against Ashlyn’s ear and someone must have spoken to her, because she snapped out of her trance and began talking into the phone again, but her gaze didn’t leave the red-headed supermodel.

  Mia crossed the lobby, pulling off her hat and shoving it into her coat pocket. “Hello, what can I do for you?” It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if the woman needed help checking in, but since Mia hoped that wasn’t the case, she didn’t offer.

  Sophy Grant turned narrowed eyes on her, glancing up and down Mia’s unprofessional snow gear. “I’m looking for someone. Can you tell me if Elliot James is here?”

  Mia’s stomach fell. Of course she assumed that was Sophy Grant’s purpose for being in Hidden Hollow, but hearing the words solidified her fears. Was there more between them than Elliot had led her to believe? “I am sorry, but it is against hotel policy to reveal any information about our guests. I’m sure you understand.”

  “No, I don’t. I’m Sophy Grant and all of America knows that I have a personal relationship with Elliot James. Now, I don’t want to stand around in this cabin for longer than I need to. Please inform Elliot that I’m here right away.”

  Mia clenched her jaw. It was against hotel policy to tell Sophy Grant anything, but she could call up to Elliot’s room and let him know that he had a guest waiting for him. “If you would like to be seated, I will see what I can do.”

  Sophy turned away, clicking her heels across the lobby before she dropped daintily into a plush armchair. The chair was likely covered in dog hair since Mrs. Bruin and Snookums had recently vacated it, which only caused Mia to smile.

  “Your car will arrive within fifteen minutes and drive you straight to the airport,” Ashlyn was saying to Mrs. Bruin when Mia went behind the desk.

  “Wonderful,” Mrs. Bruin said. “Thank you for all you’ve done this week.”

  “We are happy to have been part of your holiday, Mrs. Bruin,” Mia said. “But we are also glad we can get you back to Seattle by Christmas.”

  “Just barely,” Mrs. Bruin said. “But we’ve done it.”

  Mia lifted the phone and dialed the extension to Elliot’s room while Ashlyn printed out the forms for Mrs. Bruin’s checkout.

  A sudden gasp ripped from Mrs. Bruin, causing Mia to jump where she stood. “That is Sophy Grant,” Mrs. Bruin said with reverence, her eyes wide in delight. “The Sophy Grant is sitting in this lobby. Oh my heavens. Do you think she’s here for Elliot James?”

  “Hello?” Elliot’s voice rang through the receiver. Mia was stunned momentarily. “Hello?” he repeated.

  “Yes, hello. It’s Mia Murphy, the assistant manager.”

  Elliot chuckled and the sound was like warm honey. “What’s up?”

  “Um,” Mia said, looking between Mrs. Bruin and Ashlyn.

  Mrs. Bruin leaned in closer. “You don’t think old women like television? I’ll let you in on a secret: we do.” She cackled and Ashlyn laughed politely.

  The elevator doors opened and Hannah stepped out, pausing halfway across the lobby when her sights landed on the celebrity in the armchair.

  “Mia, are you still there?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s kind of crazy down here right now. Listen,” Mia said, turning away from the lobby and leaning back against the counter, “there is a woman here who would like me to summon you. I’ve explained that I can’t give out guest’s information, but she’s adamant…she needs to see you.”

  The line was silent.

  “Elliot?”

  “Yeah, I’m here. Is it Sophy?”

  “Yes,” Mia confirmed, her voice sounding as strained as she felt. She hoped he wouldn’t pick up on that.

  Elliot sighed into the phone. “I’m sorry, Mia. I just got out of the shower so it’ll take me a minute to get dressed but I’ll be down as quick as I can.”

  “I’ll let her know.”

  Mia hung up the phone and directed her attention to Hannah, who was still frozen in place. She hoped the employee would have enough sense to come to the front desk and avoid approaching Sophy Grant, but the brunette seemed undecided.

  “I am probably their biggest fan,” Mrs. Bruin said. “I was rooting for them to get together, but the tabloids only had those same few photos over and over again. So if they were dating, they were probably very discreet.”

  Mia’s stomach grew sicker the more she listened.

  “Well,” Mrs. Bruin said with a bright smile, “I suppose I ought to ask the woman for an autograph since I will probably never have this opportunity again. Or perhaps I should ask for a selfie?”

  Hearing the word selfie from Mrs. Bruin’s lips was as incongruent with the woman as learning about her abiding love for My Crazy Family.

  But she was not a hotel employee, and she was no longer a guest, so Mia could not do anything about Mrs. Bruin approaching Sophy Grant. Instead, she sat back and watched.

  She could inform the TV star about Elliot’s impending arrival right after Mrs. Bruin got her selfie.

  Hannah stepped behind the desk and plopped into the chair beside Ashlyn. “I don’t know about you guys, but this had been a weird week.”

  Ashlyn nodded. “Seriously.”

  Both of their gazes were trained on the short, white-haired woman pulling along a terrier on a thin, red leash and approaching a bored looking television star.

  Mia joined them in watching.

  They couldn’t hear Mrs. Bruin from where they sat, but it was obvious when she’d asked for the photo, for Sophy Grant gave the woman a short, tight smile and stood, smiling into the camera while Mrs. Bruin held it at arm’s length.

  The moment Mrs. Bruin lowered her phone, Sophy Grant’s face fell back into a flat, irritated expression and she sat in the chair. Mrs. Bruin said something to her, and she nodded back.

  The front door opened and Ashlyn’s brother, Jacob, stepped inside. He was utilized by the lodge occasionally to drive people to or from the airport and was compensated by Janice for the job.

  Hannah shot to her feet. “I’ll let Mrs. Bruin know her ride is here.”

  She was out from behind the counter before Mia could respond. “How did she even know Jacob was here for Mrs. Bruin?”

  “She knew Mrs. Bruin was heading to the airport, so it wasn’t much of a stretch,” Ashlyn said. “The better question is why you double booked us today to work the front desk.”

  “I didn’t,” Mia said. She sat at the computer and pulled up the schedule, but it was only Ashlyn’s name which filled the spot for Christmas Eve. “In fact, she isn’t on the schedule at all this week. She requested it off for a family vacation.”

  “She was stuck in town like the rest of us,” Ashlyn said, her tone dripping in irritation. “I bet her trip was canceled. And I bet she’s only here for more Elliot sightings.”

  “Probably,” Mia agreed.

  Jacob crossed toward the desk and picked up Mrs. Bruin’s suitcase and dog carrier. “I’m guessing these go?” he asked.

  “Yep,” Ashlyn said. “And hey, when you get home can you tell Mom not to bother with the eggnog today? I can make it when I get off work.”

  Jacob nodded before carrying the items outside. When he came back into the lobby, Mrs. Bruin was waiting by the door. She sent them a little wave and Mia and Ashlyn both waved back.

  Hannah was sitting in the chair beside Sophy Grant, her face an awed mix of excitement and b
ewilderment.

  The door to the stairwell opened and Elliot stepped out. He looked around the lobby, his gaze passing over Sophy Grant and landing on Mia.

  He grimaced. Shooting her an apologetic look, he crossed the lobby.

  Sophy stood as soon as she saw the man she came for. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around Elliot’s neck.

  Mia wanted to throw up.

  “I’ve got to talk to Rosa and set up the projector for the Caldwell family in the Wasatch Room. You’ve got things under control here?”

  Ashlyn nodded, her eyes glued to the reunion.

  “Then I’m out,” Mia said. She glanced back at them once and found Elliot leading Sophy away, her arm grasping his as though he supported her entirely. Shuddering, Mia swallowed her disappointment and walked from the room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Elliot peeled Sophy off of his neck. “Should we go into the parlor over here?” he asked.

  Sophy nodded, stringing her arm through Elliot’s as he led her away.

  “What’s going on?” he asked once they reached relative privacy. “Why did you come all the way to Utah?”

  “You haven’t been watching the news?” Sophy asked, arching her eyebrow in superiority.

  “No.”

  “Well surely Frank has kept you informed, right?”

  Elliot swallowed his irritation, pulling his arm from her grip. “I’ve ignored his calls and texts. Sophy, it’s Christmas Eve. What could be so important that you’d come all the way here?”

  She pierced him with a glare. “Hansen has been arrested. He was caught selling drugs to minors and they found a whole sales ring among the producers, so the show is off.”

  “Off?”

  “Yeah, totally done.” Sophy’s face broke into tears. “We’re canceled, Elliot.”

  His heart leapt in his chest. “For good?”

  “If you checked in with your agent then I’m sure you’d find a termination agreement somewhere in his email.”

  “That’s great,” Elliot said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. “I’m done.”

  “What is great about being cancelled?” Sophy wailed. “This is absolutely horrible. You need to come back to LA with me and talk some sense into Tommy and Mark. Just because Hansen was arrested doesn’t mean the entire show has to go off.”

  “I don’t want to talk sense into Tommy or Mark. And they wouldn’t listen to me anyway. I’m done, Sophy. I’m quitting.”

  “You can’t quit,” she all but screeched. “I need this show, Elliot. We can’t get cancelled mid-season. Who would pick us up?”

  “I don’t want to be picked up,” Elliot said. Again. All he wanted in that moment was to go find Mia and share his news. Maybe their long-distance didn’t need to be quite so distanced after all. “I’m not coming back to LA, Sophy. I’m going to sign my termination agreement and walk away. If you want to get the show back up, you should try getting help from Alex or Sam.”

  Sophy glared at him. And he got it. She’d dated their other coworkers, both Alex and Sam, and none of them got along anymore.

  “You could try Angelica,” he offered. “She might have a connection to someone over at the CW. I heard her mention it once.”

  Sophy perked up, her eyes lighting. “That’s true, huh? She always talked about her stupid step-dad and his friend at CW.” Grasping his shoulders, Sophy leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Elliot, you’re brilliant. Ciao, babe.”

  Sophy spun away, leaving the parlor, her heels clicking across the lobby and straight out the door. He was sure her car had idled right on Main Street for the duration of their conversation.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket and went straight to his voicemail. There were a dozen messages from Frank, his agent, and he listened to them all. His grin widened as the messages altered from Frank trying to convince him to agree to the commercial, to Frank calmly explaining what Sophy had said, only carefully choosing his words so as not to sound as bad. Frank knew that Elliot wanted out. It was probably why the agent hadn’t mentioned a termination agreement at all.

  Dialing Frank’s number, Elliot held the phone to his ear and waited.

  “Finally,” Frank answered. “I began to wonder if you died.”

  “I’m alive, and I just had an interesting visit from my red-headed co-star.”

  Frank cursed. “She wants you to try and get the show picked up by a different network, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes. And I’m not doing it, Frank. I’m out. I want you to email me the termination agreement so I can sign it and be done.”

  “Just listen to reason, Elliot—”

  “No. I’m done. You know how long I’ve wanted to be done, Frank, so don’t even bother trying to convince me otherwise. Send me the forms so I can sign them and enjoy the rest of Christmas with my family. And then do me a favor.”

  “What?” Frank asked, his voice sad and sullen.

  “Go enjoy Christmas with your own family.”

  Silence sat on the line between them, followed by a sigh. “I’ll send the forms now.”

  “Thanks, Frank. Merry Christmas,” Elliot said.

  “Bah.”

  Frank clicked off and Elliot lowered his phone, checking his email repeatedly until the forward came through. He scanned the document and then opened the e-sign program and swiped his finger across the screen in a semblance of a signature.

  And all at once, the weight fell off his shoulders. He was done. He was free.

  He could move back to Utah.

  He could be with Mia.

  As the thoughts settled in his mind, his smile grew wider and wider. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he left the parlor. He needed to find Mia now.

  Rosa had agreed to make little gingerbread men for the kids to decorate while Mia walked to the market down the street and found sprinkles to replenish the stash she’d used up for the sugar cookies.

  The projector was set up and Hannah left in charge of orchestrating the movie for the Caldwells and getting the sofas moved into the Wasatch Room once Elliot and Sophy Grant vacated the parlor.

  Everything was working out fine. Even seeing Sylvia James after all those years hadn’t been as difficult as Mia had expected it to be. It was much the opposite, like a warm reunion.

  Slipping out the front doors, Mia passed a shiny black Range Rover parallel parked in front of the hotel. The windows were tinted, and the driver looked bored—most likely Sophy Grant’s vehicle.

  Mia huffed and her breath formed a cloud in front of her. She walked through it and tried to ease the scowl on her forehead. She hadn’t expected to see one TV star in their lobby this week, let alone two.

  The market was at the other end of the block and Mia reached it in a few minutes. Gathering all of the holiday sprinkles they had available, Mia threw them into her basket along with gumdrops and red hots.

  She paused near the checkout stall. There was a stand of canned cranberry sauce, so she picked up a few cans and added them to her basket. It wasn’t anything like the fresh sauce, but canned was better than nothing. Once everything was bagged up, Mia wished the clerk a Merry Christmas and headed back into the cold.

  She was halfway back to the hotel when she remembered that she was nearly out of dog food. Pug had been a champ the last few days hanging out in the hotel room and down under the front desk in reception. Mia made a mental note to get him one of those squeaky bones he loved so much when they were back at home.

  She walked down the sidewalk, doing her very best to think of Pug and how she would reward him and not the handsome TV star who was probably introducing another gorgeous TV star to his family right about now.

  It was fine that Sophy went back to Elliot. It just proved that getting back together with him was obviously a bad idea for Mia.

  At least she hadn’t kissed him on that snowmobile.

  “Mia!”

  She paused on the sidewalk. She knew that voice, and it belonged to Elliot.r />
  “Mia, hold on,” he yelled again.

  Mia glanced over her shoulder and found him jogging down the sidewalk toward her. Alone.

  His cheeks were red and his nose was turning pink from the cold.

  “You’ve really got to quit going outside without proper attire,” she said. “You aren’t in LA right now.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I know. But I wasn’t expecting to chase you down outside. I was hoping you were in the nice, warm lodge setting up the movie thing for my mom.”

  “Hannah’s taking care of that.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that. The girl has been grilling my mom about what I was like as a kid.”

  Mia couldn’t help but smile. “If it’s any consolation, she’ll probably get written up for it.”

  “No, don’t do that,” Elliot said. “I don’t really care. She’s harmless.”

  Mia adjusted the grocery bag in her hand. “What do you need, Elliot?” she asked, her voice sounding as tired as she felt.

  “You.”

  The bag slipped from her hand and dropped on the wet, salty sidewalk.

  Elliot took a step closer. “I want you, Mia.”

  She began to shake her head, glancing over his shoulder to where the Range Rover was parked on the street. But it was gone. “Where is Sophy Grant?”

  “I don’t know, probably heading toward the airport.”

  Mia reached down and picked up the grocery bag. “Elliot, don’t play games with me.”

  “I’m not,” he said, moving closer. “She’s gone.”

  “Why did she come at all, then?”

  “To persuade me to come back to LA and convince another network to pick up our show.”

  “Why would—”

  “We’ve been cancelled,” he said, grinning. “My Crazy Family is over.”

  Mia didn’t understand why he was so thrilled about being fired. Or why Sophy would come all the way to a town just outside of Park City, Utah to drag him away from his family on Christmas Eve. “Why is that a good thing?”

  “Because then I can stay here with you.”