Page 5 of Wrapped in You

"I'll give it to you," Sophie said.

Her heart felt lighter after every conversation with her sister. But from the background came the sound of Annie crying.

"I gotta go," Cindy said. "A mother's duty never ceases!"

"Never," Sophie said. "Give my niece a kiss for me."

"Will do."

Sophie got off the phone and stood in silence in her office. For whatever reason, right now, despite all she had to do and all the stress she was under, she allowed herself to mourn the loss of the children she'd thought she'd have with Jeremy. She mourned the Christmases she thought they'd share together—the presents she'd wrap and hide so they wouldn't find them before Christmas morning.

Focus onSilver Bells. Focus on this Christmas. Focus on Culinary Tastings.

The first morning on set began with a disaster.

Sophie drove the catering van downtown, where she parked on the opposite end of a slew of big vans and trucks filled with film equipment and costumes. On the other side was the set, where an actress in a powder-blue coat walked dreamily through a winter wonderland. Just as the director had prayed for, Willow Creek was decorated with a thick blanket of snow. No fake snow required.

Sophie, Randy, Tommy, Fiona, and Piper exited the van to set up for lunch. They'd brought heaters, long tables, big vats of hot apple cider, plenty of water, and the food—both meat-based and vegetarian chili and homemade bread. Sophie wanted the crew to warm up during these chilly and long days on the streets of Willow Creek. She knew how Upstate New York winters dug down to the bone.

But as Sophie set a big vat of chili on a long table, she heard her name.

"Yo! Soph!"

Sophie nearly dropped the chili. For there, coming through a group of guys holding sound equipment, was Jeremy. He had a bright vest on and wore a big smile. It was clear he was working for the film, too.

Great.

"Jeremy. Hey." Sophie clapped her hands and spun around to fetch something else from the van. But Randy had grabbed the last case of water bottles and was standing in her way.

"I got a last-minute job," Jeremy explained when she had nowhere to run. "I'm directing traffic away from downtown."

"Oh. Nice," Sophie said, although she wanted to say,How pointless is that?Everyone in Willow Creek knew not to drive downtown during film hours. There had been at least twenty films in Willow Creek in her lifetime, and it was always the same!

"It's so cool," Jeremy said. "I always wanted to work on set. It's where the action is, you know?"

Sophie grimaced and walked around Randy to fetch the Christmas decorations she'd brought for the catering area. She wanted the crew to know just how passionate she was about the season. She wanted them to feel her warmth and gratitude.

"No surprise you went overboard on the decor," Jeremy remarked as she began to string holly and lights. "As always!"

Sophie's arms and legs felt stiff. She wanted Jeremy to go.

Suddenly, the sound guys took notice of her work and came over to investigate.

"It's so cozy!" one of the guys said in an Australian accent.

"This is adorable," another announced.

Sophie grinned. "Grab a mug of hot apple cider, guys. It should be ready for you."

"It's like our very own on-set Christmas festival," one of them said as he filled his mug.

"And they said this set would be the worst we ever worked on," the Australian said under his breath.

Sophie's ears rang. "Who said that?" Why would they say that?

Another sound guy rolled his eyes and muttered, "We have a dictator on set with us."

Sophie and Jeremy locked eyes in confusion. Suddenly, Jeremy's walkie-talkie rang out.

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