“Great, no cell reception,” Matt whined with irritation as he tapped the screen of his phone.
“What did you expect? We’re in the middle of a blizzard,” James pointed out sarcastically.
Matt’s hand froze over his phone as his eyes slowly rose to glare at James. He opened his mouth to form a rebuttal, but Britney reached over and patted his arm.
“Since it sounds like we’re going to be stuck here for a while, what’s there to do around this place?” Britney asked, glancing across the living room of the cabin. “Do you have a gym, maybe a sauna?”
James frowned with irritation. “This isn’t the Ritz—I keep it pretty basic. When the weather is good, I hike or fish. When I’m snowed in, I read or play solitaire.”
“My brain is fried from everything that happened today. Is there anything else to do that doesn’t take so much energy?” Britney whined.
“We could watch a movie—that would take way less energy,” José suggested, pointing to the TV.
“I hardly ever use it, but sure, have at it,” James said with a shrug, taking a seat in his recliner as the rest of the Hollywood group gathered on the couch and two other chairs.
José picked up the remote and clicked the button. The TV turned on, but the screen was static. “Do you have cable, satellite?”
James shook his head. “I’ve never seen the point. I think there’s some DVDs on the bookcase though.”
Britney stood up and joined José, where they thumbed through the offerings.
“I can’t believe you have this one,” Britney exclaimed as she pulled a movie from the shelf. “We have to watch it.”
José looked over Britney’s shoulder, then let out a laugh. “You’re right; we totally have to watch that.”
Britney plopped the DVD into the player and a few moments later, the dashboard lit up, revealing an image of Nicole leaning on the shoulder of a man. The title at the top of the screen read, “My Best Friend’s Reunion.”
“Oh no, I never watch my own movies. Please don’t pick that one,” Nicole begged from her spot on the couch. “Anything but that.”
“No way, this is too good to pass up,” José pointed out as he sat down beside her. “We can’t pass up the chance to watch the movie that earned you your very first number one spot at the box office while snowed in with the star.”
“I find it odd that you would know that, José,” James stated with mockery.
“Is it? You know how much I like pop culture. Besides, you’re the one that has this movie. I thought you said you didn’t know who she was,” José challenged as he took a seat on the couch.
“I didn’t, and the movies aren’t mine. My mom bought them before—“ James didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t want to talk about his parents’ death with a bunch of strangers. He quickly changed the subject. “Just hit the button already, José. All I ask is that you don’t repeat every line while we watch it.”
“I’ll make no such promise. I can’t help it if I love the magic of movies.”
“You know, if you ever come out to California, you should look me up. I’d be more than happy to give you a tour,” Britney offered with a flirtatious smile as she took a seat beside him.
“I think I’d like that,” José replied with his own sexy grin.
The movie started to play, and within a few seconds, a younger Nicole with shorter hair appeared on the screen. She was hanging out with her best friend and discussing how he wants to get revenge on everyone at his high school during the reunion.
James didn’t want to admit it, but the movie was actually pretty funny, with slapstick comedy and silly jokes; he found himself steadily laughing as the movie progressed.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Nicole was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Her arms were folded across her chest and she had a frustrated look on her face. Every time someone laughed, she jerked slightly.
About twenty minutes into the movie, Nicole stood up and stated she had to go to the restroom. She exited the room quietly, but James wasn’t buying her excuse. He was certain she took off because she was upset with the group watching her movie. James wasn’t sure why he cared, but he found himself following her out of the room, hoping that maybe he could help her deal with whatever was upsetting her.
6
Nicole couldn’t stand being in that room one more minute. Having everyone laugh at her, including the guy who treated her with contempt the previous day, was more than she was willing to tolerate. Their comments on how silly the movie was, made her angry. She’d worked hard on that movie, and though it wasn’t the deepest of content, she’d did her best with what she’d been given. She knew it wasn’t Oscar-worthy; none of her rom-coms ever had been. Those movies did earn her a solid fan-base, a healthy income, and steady work, all of which many actors struggled their whole careers to obtain.
“You seem upset. What happened in there to make you run off?” James asked as he came into the kitchen.
She was leaning against the counter, her shoulders slumped forward. “What do you care? You haven’t liked me from the moment you met me.”
“That isn’t true. I’m just not great with people,” James explained as he leaned against the opposite counter. “It’s why I picked a career where my co-worker is a dog.”
Nicole was intrigued by the man in front of her. She looked up and let her eyes meet his, wondering if there was more to the man than the gruff exterior. He couldn’t be all bad if he chose to work with animals, could he? “Well, that explains the Alaskan husky you had with you at the resort, as well as here at your cabin. How long have you been a K9 handler?”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I have to admit; I’m impressed you knew the correct term.”
“I did a cop rom-com a few years back. I was a street cop and my love interest was a K9 handler. I did a lot of research for the part, even though most of the scenes got cut. They cared more about showing the jokes and the romance than they did about showing the cop tactics.”
“I notice that happens a lot in the movies,” James observed. “It’s probably why I don’t watch many.”
“And why you didn’t know who I was when we bumped into each other yesterday,” she joked. “It’s been a long time since someone didn’t recognize me.”
“Did it bother you?”
“Not as much as it was surprising. Of course, I prefer your reaction over the ones I get from people who treat me like the characters I play in my rom-coms. I’m not a vapid airhead, whose whole life revolves around finding love.”
“Is that why you’re out here filming your new movie?”
“You know about that?” Nicole asked with astonishment.
“José couldn’t stop talking about the detective thriller you’re filming here on the mountain. He said it’s quite a change from your normal roles.”
She nodded. “I could hardly believe it when Donald Henderson offered me the role three months back. I’ve always wanted a chance to dive into meatier roles, but once my name was tied to rom-coms, no one wanted to offer me anything else. They said it was too much of a gamble at the box office to take a chance on my pulling off a drama role. Even my ex-husband didn’t take me seriously. He told me I was stupid for taking this role and I was going to ruin my brand by doing it.”