Mr. 365 (21 page)

Will surveys the front yard before I head out to work. I’m relieved to see all the decorations exactly where they’d been left the night before. The neighbors have been prepped for what’s happening this evening, but one never knows how people will react to a yard of Christmas stuff in mid-October. Hell, it’s not even Halloween yet.

“So I’ll be back before the truck shows up,” I say, feeling glum as Will hugs me good-bye.

“Why are you pouting?” He places his fingers under my chin and lifts my face to greet him.

“I’d rather hang out with you and Romeo today.”

“I’d rather you did that too. Take the day off!” he says enthusiastically.

I sigh. “I can’t.”

“Well then don’t pout, baby. You’ll be back here before you know it, and we’ll be here waiting for you.”

I lean over and give Romeo a pat. “See you later, handsome.” His tail wags furiously.

I kiss Will next. “And see you later too, handsome.”

I get into my car and when I roll down my window, I overhear Will talking to Romeo.

“Hey, Romeo, we sure know how to pick ’em, don’t we?”

Romeo barks.

“You said it dude, she’s quality.”

That afternoon, the trucks aren’t even fully unloaded before the yelling starts. It’s like herding cats. The crew is more irritable than usual.

“We have to figure out what shots are most the important so we can prioritize the shoot and make the most of our time before we lose the light.” Aaron points to his makeshift schedule.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. This place is like a damn theme park—there are almost no black holes.” Stu argues.

“I thought we’d already mapped this out. Paul and I agreed that we were going to start with a pan of the overall house and yard, and then zoom to the roof with Santa and the sleigh,” I say, my arms folded over my chest.

“That’s so expected.” Terry rolls his eyes.

“Do not get fucking artsy on us, Terry. We have four hours to get everything and this isn’t a Merchant Ivory film. As our Sophia said, Santa and the damn sleigh—this shot isn’t optional.” Lindsey puts her hands on her hips and glares.

“And then the tight shots of the most animated stuff like the Ferris wheel. We need enough light for that,” Aaron says.

“Sure, fine.” Lindsey sighs.

I watch Will as he stands on the front porch with his arms folded and observes the argument. He had hoped to be an observer tonight, but Lindsey and I informed him earlier that he’s expected to say a few things on camera. Now we’re waiting to find out what that is exactly.

“Tell me when you want everything fired up,” Will yells when there’s a lull in the arguing. I smile at how comfortable he is with everyone now.

“Thanks,” Aaron calls back. “Will do.”

Lindsey looks at her watch. “Probably in about thirty minutes.”

Will waves. “Okay, fine.”

I get busy with details but I smile at him from a distance just before I touch base with Lindsey. He winks at me and I beam in response.

“How’s it going?” I ask Lindsey.

“Fine. This should be pretty straightforward as long as they can get everything to read on camera.”

I nod. “Isn’t it amazing?”

Lindsey laughs loudly as I scan the yard. “It’s so typical of me. I haven’t really looked at anything from the perspective of a viewer… just the potential problems with the shoot. Now that you mention it, it is amazing. Those singing polar bears are a hoot.”

“Can you imagine what the kids think when they see it?” I ask with reverence.

“Yeah, but where the hell does he store all this crap?”

“He’s got it figured out, but who cares. I think it’s really special what he’s created here.”

Lindsey shakes her head and laughs. “Damn, girl, you’ve got it bad.”

She looks at Will who’s looking at me. She nods toward him. “I guess that works since he’s obviously got it bad too.”

I smile but don’t encourage her. “Oh, Lindsey,” I say with a loud sigh before wandering off to find Paul.

I watch Will with amusement as they mike him up for the next take.

“Will, say something so we can make sure your mike is working,” Terry says.

“What should I say?”

“Whatever you want as long as you’re talking. Pretend you’re Santa Claus.”

“Testing, testing. Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas,” Will says, rolling his eyes.

Terry nods. “Good, thanks.”

Aaron motions for Paul to start.

“So, Will, you showed us the amazing, over-the-top, Christmas décor in your house, but you hadn’t warned us that the best stuff is outside. This is crazy,” Paul says.

“Well, that’s one way of putting it,” Will says dryly.

“Now I’ve heard that your house is really well known in the area, and you get a lot of visitors over the holidays. Is that true?”

“Yeah, from the day the set up goes live, there’s usually a crowd along the fence looking at everything. It pretty much stays that way until after New Year’s.”

“A crowd? Wow! Your neighbors must love that,” says Paul.

“No, not really,” Will answers honestly.

“Aw, where’s their Christmas spirit? Don’t be Scrooges, neighbors,” Paul says.

“That probably isn’t going to help,” Will says, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

As if on cue an old Pontiac slowly passes by the house and a young man leans out the car window and yells, “Hey pretty boy, your house sucks and you do too!”

Will grits his teeth and clenches his hands into fists as the car tears into the driveway next door.

As I watch Will’s reaction I’m horrified that anyone would do that, let alone your next door neighbor.

Paul waves to the car enthusiastically. “Love you too, asshole!”

“Can you say that on TV?” Will asks, his eyebrows raised.

“No, Aaron stopped shooting. Do we need to do a retake, Aaron?” Paul asks.

“We’re okay. I’m sure we can salvage the front end of that,” he replies.

Paul turns to Lindsey. “I thought you took care of those losers.”

“Yeah, Lindsey,” I grumble as I put my clenched fists on my hips and glare at her.

“Okay, okay. Let me go over there
yet
again. They’ve become my all-time favorite people…
not
!” she snaps as she heads next door.

After Lindsey returns, I take her aside. “Are we good?”

Lindsey frowns. “Not exactly. They just told me that since the check is late and won’t be here until tomorrow, they want to triple, not double their fee. I told them it was impossible.”

“Are you joking?” I ask with disbelief.

“I wish I was,” Lindsey says, shaking her head.

“What are we going to do?”

Lindsey chews on her lip. “We should talk to George first thing in the morning. Maybe he’ll get the lawyer involved.”

By the time the guys are done shooting, quite a crowd has gathered behind the picket fence. “It’s much too early in the season for this kind of spectacle,” an old man walking his dog, observes.

“We’re filming a special. The set is coming down tomorrow so enjoy it while you can,” Lindsey announces loudly.

“Can’t you leave it up?” a young boy asks, looking disappointed.

“Sorry, the owner’s not allowed to, but he’ll have it back up around Thanksgiving,” I say.

“That’s great! It’s super cool. The best Christmas house ever!” he says.

Will steps up next to me. “Super cool? That’s high praise. Thanks, dude,” he says to the boy as his parents pull him along.

He turns to me and smiles. “You’re getting a taste for what it’s like.”

“Do you come out and talk to the crowd often?” I ask.

He shrugs. “It depends on my mood, but I usually do at least once a night. People tell me great stories. It’s usually pretty interesting.”

I eye the production van. “I bet. Hey, it looks like they’re almost packed up. How much longer do you want to keep everything lit?”

“Let’s give the crowd a ten minute warning and then shut it down.”

I nod and give Lindsey the direction. While she makes announcements to the crowd, I whisper, “Would it be okay if I stay with you again tonight?”

He grins. “Of course, you don’t need to ask. I always want you here.”

His smile is warm and it carries to his eyes. It melts me when he looks at me like that.

The crew says their good-byes to Will, and I pretend that I’m going to use the restroom before leaving. I say good-bye to everyone and head into the house. When the coast is clear, I come back out and we say good night to the group of neighbors still left at the fence. Will turns off the lights one circuit at a time until the yard is dark except for the landscape lighting and front lanterns. He takes me by the hand and we go inside.

“The three-ring circus is officially done. I think we need to celebrate,” he says. His grin is boyish as if a heavy weight has been lifted off his weary shoulders.

I smile, glad to see the giddy relief on his face, even if I was the one who introduced this distress in his life.

“Champagne?”

“Yes.”

I pull two glasses out of the cabinet while he digs around in his refrigerator. “They gave us champagne when the last series ended,” he explains as he finds the bottle and pulls it out. “I’ve been waiting for something to celebrate.”

“Perfect.”

“Sorry I don’t have those fancy champagne glasses, but we can use wine glasses,” he says when I set out tumblers.

“I keep telling you I’m not fancy.” I insist.

“Hmm.” He pops the cork and pours two healthy glassfuls.

I lift mine up. “Here’s to getting through!”

“Hell yes! It’s over!” He laughs, his energy invigorating.

I expected we’d be exhausted but as it turns out, Will is amped up and he gets me going. As we work our way through the champagne bottle, my flirting accelerates and he teases back.

“Did I tell you earlier how hot you looked during the yard set up yesterday, all manly doing your manly stuff?”

He laughs. “No you never mentioned that. Manly stuff, huh?”

“Yes, you looked good enough to eat. Now that I mention it, you look that good now too.”

“You’re all talk and no game,” he says with a salacious grin.

“Oh yeah? Are you challenging me?” I ask.

He nods. “Are you up for the challenge?”

Game on,
I think as I wink.