One New York Christmas

by Mandy Baggot

  ‘Red then?’

  ‘I don’t know …’

  ‘Come on, Lara. A whole new you while you’re in New York.’

  Lara’s phone made a noise and she retrieved it from the back pocket of her jeans.

  ‘Is that Dan?’ Susie asked, eyes narrowing.

  ‘No, it’s Aldo.’ She shook her head as she read the text.

  I ate all the chocolates in the calendar. Dad said I was meant to only open one window each day until Xmas. Sorry.

  ‘Is he OK?’ Susie asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Lara said, smiling. ‘He’s fine.’

  Twenty

  Seth Hunt and Trent Davenport’s apartment, West Village, New York

  ‘No carbs today or tomorrow!’ Trent spat as Seth came over to the kitchen island, a plate full of toasted bagels in his hand.

  ‘What?’ Seth asked, swallowing. He was starving. Despite the amount of barbecue he’d consumed he still needed something solid to soak up the beer, and the whisky he had settled into when he’d got back to the apartment. His mom had cried and said she had let him down and he had just stood there watching the snowfall thicken, stunned and shocked by the fact that he could have a brother or sister. The exact same age, perhaps with the exact same face, and no one seemed to know about it. He’d said very little – not knowing what to say, not wanting to spoil what had been a great evening, not wanting to say lots of things he might regret – and he’d got a cab back to West Village. His mom had called him several times already, but he just couldn’t bring himself to pick up yet.

  ‘I have got you a fast-track audition for a biopic based on the life of David Hasselhoff.’

  ‘What part am I going for?’ Seth sat down and poured himself coffee. Trent snatched the pot away with one hand and pushed the orange juice carton towards him with the other.

  ‘Is that a joke?’ he asked. ‘The Hoff, obviously.’

  ‘Trent, I’m not sure it’s really me and—’

  ‘You’d be going for the role of David when he was in his twenties and had rock-hard abs, hence no carbs. And you’d better do a couple of sessions at the gym. You’re still a member, right?’

  He was. But he hadn’t done anything other than swim for quite some time. He preferred to jog around the city, taking in the fresh air and ambience of the New York he loved. But he hadn’t really done that for a while either. Sit-ups and squats to keep his tone had lately been done in front of a box set of Friends.

  ‘Trent, I know you’re trying to pull out all the stops here and I know, believe me I really know, I can’t pick and choose if I want to keep living in West Village, but …’

  ‘This is playing The Hoff,’ Trent said, looking at him with an expression usually worn by a newsreader giving dire news with global consequences. ‘Not advertising nuts.’

  ‘I get that,’ Seth said. ‘Really, I do, but …’ What could he say? That what he really wanted was a second chance to read for the character of Sam in A Soul’s Song now he knew his mother was a prostitute and he might have a twin? He could dig deeper with that reference point, he just knew it. And he felt right about the film. It had a Nicholas Sparks vibe to it and what actor in their right mind didn’t want to be part of a Nicholas Sparks adaptation? ‘I want that Universal film. A Soul’s Song. Do you think we should follow it up?’

  ‘You mean call them?’ Trent asked, eyes almost bulging out of his head. ‘Call the casting director and … hurry them along?’ Trent had said ‘hurry them along’ like he had suggested walking up to the White House front door and inviting the president for coffee.

  ‘I just … I don’t know … I would hate to hear that someone else had got the role when I don’t think I gave the best of myself in the first round.’

  ‘You don’t wanna appear too keen. It’s not a good look,’ Trent said, picking up one of Seth’s bagels and biting into it.

  ‘I know, but … I don’t know … I really feel that part should be mine.’ Did that sound completely egotistical? Who did he think he was? He wasn’t exactly Matt Damon.

  Trent pointed a finger at him, nodding. ‘This is good. This is positive. I haven’t seen you looking this positive for quite some time. But …’

  ‘But?’

  ‘Let’s not hang everything on one part. Isn’t that one of the first rules of acting?’

  ‘Yeah, I know.’

  ‘So, let’s cover our bases and our asses,’ Trent said, pouring himself a coffee. ‘How long has it been since you auditioned for that part?’

  ‘Two weeks and three days,’ Seth replied.

  Trent sucked in a breath that sounded like Seth had as much chance of getting a call-back as he did of stopping the onset of Christmas.

  ‘I know it’s been a while but it’s gonna be a great movie, a big movie. They take longer to make decisions, don’t they? Come on, Trent, you know they do.’

  ‘I got a “no” phone call after thirty-six minutes once.’

  ‘But that was a “no”. No news is good news. It has to be.’ That’s what he wanted to believe. And it was what was keeping him going. The chance at another part he really wanted. That hadn’t come along since he’d left Manhattan Med, if he was really honest. And it would be something to work towards that wasn’t the messed-up madness of his family life.

  ‘OK,’ Trent said, speaking through a mouthful of bagel. ‘I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You get prepared for The Hoff audition and you get me the details of the director and producer of A Soul’s Song.’

  ‘Are you gonna call them?’ Seth asked, interest significantly piqued.

  Trent waved a hand. ‘That’s old school. These days the best business is done on the fly, which is why I didn’t make the party last night.’ He bit into another bagel. ‘I would say sorry, but an evening eating Vietnamese with the casting director for Knight to Bay – The David Hasselhoff Story should not require an apology.’

  ‘Thanks, Trent,’ Seth replied, meaning it.

  ‘So, how did it go with laraweekend? I see social media has called her Lemur Girl. It couldn’t have gone better … well, unless they had started calling you Lemur Boy, but frankly I’m glad they didn’t. It’s not quite as cool as Deadpool.’

  Seth had completely forgotten how mad he had been with Trent for creating this social-media incident with Lara. He had enjoyed himself so much last night and that had mainly been down to her company. He swallowed, not really knowing what sort of emotion was going to come out.

  ‘You should have told me about her the second you saw the tweet.’

  ‘And what would you have said?’ Trent asked him. ‘No, you don’t have to tell me. Because I know you would have just ignored it. If you had even seen it at all. And poor laraweekend would be here in New York, alone and heartbroken, when Dr Mike could be soothing her troubled soul.’

  Seth shook his head. ‘I know what you’re doing and I’m having no part of it. She’s nice. I’m not gonna use her for publicity.’

  ‘Er, hang on a second, bud. I think it’s her trying to use you, unless her plan’s changed.’

  Trent had a point. But it hadn’t felt like that at the party. Having spent the evening with Lara – who he was never going to refer to as @laraweekend – he didn’t see her as the publicity-seeking kind. He believed this was a genuine case of her wanting to show her boyfriend she was strong, whether she really felt it or not. And Seth was just the prop she had plumped for, somewhere in between Ed Sheeran and Tom Hardy.

  ‘Come on, Seth, what happened at the zoo was as golden as it gets! It won’t hurt to hang out with her for a couple of hours and tweet a few photos. Lemur Girl and the new Stand for Wildlife campaigner. Tag the zoo – are there animals in the film you want? If there are then tag Universal. Keeping in the public eye with feel-good PR is the way to go, and there’s nothing more feel-good than animals and almost-doctors treating broken hearts. And it’s getting closer to Christmas every day, man! All those Hallmark movie feels … that reminds me, we should send your reel out to them r
eady for 2019.’

  Should he tell Trent he was meeting Lara this afternoon? He didn’t see why. Any photo-taking they were going to do together was most definitely going to be on her terms. He didn’t care for maintaining his actor brand with anything that wasn’t authentic. There were limits. He wasn’t sure Trent knew this, but his friend was under his employ. Seth was the boss. He needed to be better at remembering that.

  ‘When’s the fast-track audition for The Hoff?’ Seth asked, swerving the conversation.

  ‘This afternoon. Two. I’ll message you the details.’

  His heart sank. It was right when he was supposed to be meeting Lara at the Empire State Building.

  ‘Get down the gym,’ Trent stated. ‘Focus on your core. I don’t know what they’re gonna make you do, and I know you can’t grow a chest thatch in a couple of hours, but let’s give it our best shot, yeah?’

  Twenty-One

  Macy’s, W 34th Street

  ‘Look at that!’ Susie’s voice was rich with enthusiasm. Lara suspected that if her friend breathed out in too much of a rush she would cover the street in glitter, such was her sparkling joy.

  Macy’s was the tallest, brightest, shiniest shop Lara had ever seen – in reality or on the internet. It shot up from pavement to sky in one extraordinary extravaganza of colour that looked pretty impressive now in the afternoon but would surely appear twice as glorious at night. There were huge green, red and gold Christmas wreaths at every second window, the other windows curtained in red with gold flashing stars at their centre. It was like every girl’s fantasy doll’s house … but super-sized.

  ‘What do they sell here?’ Lara asked, her neck aching from gazing up at the frontage.

  ‘Lara!’ Susie exclaimed, her mouth gaping, her look saying that knowing the answer to this question should be as common knowledge as the dance moves to cha cha slide.

  ‘What? You know I’m not exactly a shopper.’ She smiled. ‘Do they sell rock band T-shirts?’

  ‘Macy’s is a department store. The biggest store in the world,’ Lara said. ‘They sell pretty much everything I’m interested in.’

  ‘Shoes?’ Lara asked, trying desperately not to wince.

  ‘Handbags too, and jewellery, and men’s things. I need to get David a Christmas gift.’

  Christmas was ever present here in New York, from the sparkling decorations adorning every building to pavements with choirs clinging to the snowy kerbs treating the constantly bustling city to renditions of ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ and Mariah Carey classics. Lara usually loved Christmas, and had a festive agenda, starting with dipping into the After Eight mints followed by pâté on toast every day for breakfast from around the fourteenth. But here she felt completely removed from Appleshaw and everything that had gone before this break – the Dan one and the aeroplane one – and feeling so detached from the galloping on of December was another hangover of that. She would be back before Christmas Day. She had to think what to get her dad and Aldo for a gift. She wasn’t sure there would be anything for either of them in Macy’s.

  ‘I was thinking of something leather,’ Susie remarked as they headed towards the entrance.

  ‘Macy’s even has one of “those” sections?’ Lara answered.

  ‘A bag,’ Susie elaborated. ‘Nice, leather, professional. He can keep his scissors, combs and brushes in it. Maybe I could even get it monogrammed. What do you think?’

  ‘I think, after your PDAing this morning, he would probably prefer the leather thing I was thinking of.’

  ‘We haven’t seen each other for six months,’ Susie reminded her. ‘There was a lot of catching up that needed to be done.’

  She couldn’t deny that David’s affection for Susie was nice. Except it was hard not to feel a little bit envious because Dan had never draped himself all over her like he never wanted to let go. Who knew who he was draping himself all over right now? Perhaps, instead of looking for Christmas gifts for her dad and Aldo, she ought to have a look at Facebook. Mrs Fitch always said forewarned was forearmed – or something like that. If she was about to start posting photos of her and Seth Hunt she should see what Dan was posting, purely to get an idea of any impact that might occur after she posted. Would he engage with a picture of him out and about, enjoying his new single-for-the-holidays status? Or would he retreat and not post anything? Would he press like? Would he angry-face? No, angry-facing wasn’t Dan’s style and he didn’t really have anything to be angry about seeing as he had made this situation.

  ‘Are you coming?’ Susie asked, standing over the large star dominating the doorway.

  ‘If Macy’s has everything, am I going to be able to find something for Aldo in here?’ Lara enquired, catching up.

  ‘God, Lara, I said everything, but they don’t sell miracles.’

  ‘That’s not even a little bit funny.’

  ‘Come on,’ Susie urged. ‘Maybe we’ll find something else for you to wear when we meet up with Seth.’

  ‘It’s not a date, it’s a photo opportunity.’

  ‘I know. But wouldn’t it be nice for Dan to see you wearing something he hasn’t seen you in before?’ She reached out, past Lara’s partly zipped-up jacket to the top beneath. ‘One without a stain from the Emperor of India on it.’

  ‘It’s one of my favourite tops,’ Lara protested. ‘And what do they put in curry these days that makes marks like that?’

  ‘It’s probably best not to think about it,’ Susie said. ‘But come on, we’ve only got a couple of hours!’

  The inside of Macy’s was just as spectacular as the outside. It was like stepping into one never-ending Santa’s grotto that rolled from floor to floor, seamless in its twinkling, sparkling display. There were real Christmas trees – smelling so fresh and piney – making it like being in the middle of a deep, dark, festive forest. And there were crystals on everything – suspended from the ceiling, rising up from the ground like stalagmites, fastened to mannequins possibly as an accessory suggestion – creating an ambience of Frozen meets disco ball. Susie was in her element, dancing through the aisles, fingers fondly fondling everything in her path.

  ‘You need a bag! Look at this one! This is so on trend this season. It’s a muted tangerine – perfect for Christmas – and it’s a classic hobo with a professional edge.’ Susie whipped the bag from the rail and pressed it to Lara’s jacket.

  ‘When would I need this?’ Lara edged away from the bag as if it contained novichok. ‘I drive a lorry.’

  ‘And that comment just proves how much you’re limiting your life thinking like … like …’

  ‘A lorry driver?’ Lara suggested.

  ‘Just hold it.’ Susie inched the handbag a little nearer. ‘Feel it between your fingers and imagine it helping you to carry all your necessary items around each day.’

  Lara eyed the bag that could possibly fit in a whole week’s worth of clothing … for a family of four. She carried her phone, her keys, her debit card and maybe a bit of cash. There was no justification for a satchel that could help someone move house. Susie’s eyes were shining with admiration, fingers curling around the bag’s handles.

  ‘I get it,’ Lara said, smiling. ‘You want to buy the bag.’

  ‘No,’ Susie said quickly. ‘No, I think it would be perfect for you.’

  ‘Why don’t you buy it?’

  ‘Because I don’t need another bag … and it’s perfect for you.’

  ‘Well, I don’t need it either and I don’t want it.’ Her eyes went to a section of sunglasses. Weren’t designer ones supposed to be a lot cheaper here than they were in the UK? Aldo kept losing his and, even in the middle of winter with the sun low, you needed them most days when you were driving a truck. It could make a nice Christmas present.

  ‘You should treat yourself,’ Susie said, trailing after Lara as she moved away from bags to Ray-Bans.

  ‘I am,’ Lara replied. ‘I scrabbled together enough cash to be able to eat three meals a day while we’re here.’<
br />
  ‘I meant buy yourself something nice.’

  ‘I will,’ Lara answered. ‘Pizza, as soon as we can. Can we not spend too long shopping? Do they have a food court here?’

  ‘They have everything here!’

  ‘Even something for Aldo!’ Lara picked up some sunglasses and tried them on. She smiled at her reflection. ‘See, miracles do happen.’

  ‘Please look at Facebook,’ Susie said suddenly.

  ‘What?’ Lara exclaimed.

  ‘I know you haven’t because you haven’t been active on there for hours and I need you to be active on there for thirty seconds, so I don’t have to keep not saying anything since I saw it this morning.’

  ‘Saw what?’ Lara asked, swallowing.

  ‘Please, Lara, please look at it and then we can discuss it.’ Susie dropped the handbag to the ground. ‘And I’ll buy the pizza.’

  Her phone felt like a big, fat elephant in the pocket of her jeans. She knew she should look. She had talked herself into looking before she met up with Seth. But now the looking issue was being forced, it felt difficult. Plus, there was obviously something on social media that was going to adversely affect her ability to function if Susie was ready to buy pizza, and that meant it could only be to do with Dan.

  ‘I think he’s a shit, by the way. A complete shit who doesn’t deserve you doing everything you can to make this relationship work.’

  Lara drew out her phone and pressed the blue ‘F’ icon. She had Dan set to ‘see first’ so whatever was griping Susie was going to be quickly revealed …

  Dan Reeves: Christmas shopping

  There wasn’t much going on with that info update, but then Lara noticed the check-in location and that someone was tagged in the post. Her heart fell, as if it had just slipped off an escalator and someone was kicking it down to ground level.

  ‘He’s at the Salisbury Christmas Market.’ Lara had to force the words out. ‘With Chloe.’

  Susie threw her arms around her, holding her as tightly as if Lara had been out overnight in Icelandic conditions and she was trying to stop her from developing hypothermia. ‘I know, I know. It’s horrible and cruel and I can’t believe he’s done it so publicly. I mean, first a single status and now flaunting another woman.’