Page 71 of Kiss Me at Christmas
“That’s very kind of him.”
“He’s a kind man.”
From above their heads came a crackling sound, and then “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” began to play through the speakers dotted about the auditorium. Josef clapped his hands delightedly.
“That’ll be Winston, he said he could get that old sound system up and running again, and bless my soul, he’s gone and done it.”
Harriet pushed away the pang of longing for Maisy induced by the music and asked, “Have you got plans for Christmas?”
“Absolutely none.” He grinned.
“Oh, I’m so sorry…”
Josef laughed and slapped his thigh. “Why are you sorry? I’m Jewish!”
“Oh!” Harriet laughed too, mostly with relief. “Well, that’s all right, then.”
From the balcony above, Winston called for Josef’s assistance and he hurried off, still chuckling, and Harriet made her way over to Billy. She’d seen her students at registration this morning but had been holed up in her office for the rest of the day.
“Billy, can I have a word?” she asked as he hurried past her with a list in his hand.
His expression was pained, and she could tell he really wanted to crack on.
“Farahnoush has got me on a scavenger hunt to find bits and pieces for the sets. I need to track down a desk and a random door for the Marley door-knocker scene…and a bowl for ‘gruel.’ ” He shrugged at the last word.
“It won’t take long. Please.”
He gave a beleaguered sigh. “All right.”
She led the way down to their makeshift coffee room backstage, having already messaged Grace to meet her in there under the pretext of organizing a baking roster.
Odette and Grace had brought along homemade shortbread and cookies to Saturday’s auditions, and Hesther’s group had arrived yesterday bearing a variety of snacks; Zahra’s tray of jalebi, sticky with honey and cardamom, had gone down a storm with the famous five. And now there were Ernest’s fruited tea loaves too. Clearly baking was a great way for people to bond, andHarriet was keen to harness that momentum, but she was also aware that if only the same few people were baking with ingredients bought out of their own pockets, resentments could quickly build. Hence, a roster and a kitty.
Technically, though, this was an ambush, as became clear when Billy walked in behind Harriet and saw Grace polishing the mirror above the dressing table top. James sat on a chair with a copy of theFinancial Timesheld in front of his face.
“Nope!” said Billy, and he immediately made to leave.
“Not so fast!” said Harriet, hooking his hood with her finger.
“What is this?” Grace demanded, dropping her cloth into the sink.
“An intervention,” said James, smoothly folding his newspaper as he stood and moved to block the door and any further escape attempts. There was something in the way James moved his body, at once both languid and purposeful, that made Harriet think she could happily spend a day simply observing him maneuver through the spaces he inhabited.
She was happy to see him here. They had concocted this little ruse via emails sent back and forth while they both navigated their day jobs. She’d been surprised by the uptick in her heart rate every time she got an email notification, the thrill of seeing his name pop up in the header and the smiles that came to her face. It had added some much-needed pep to an otherwise relentless day.
Grace blustered while Billy locked himself inside his protective metaphorical sarcophagus.
“You two got off on the wrong foot. I don’t know why, and I’m not interested in who said what when. But itneeds to end now,” said Harriet. “We have to work together whether you like it or not, so say your pieces to each other and then put them to bed and start over. And just so you know, this is not optional. I am in charge of this project, and I will have to ask you to leave the production, Grace, if this situation can’t be remedied. Okay? Who wants to go first?”
Grace’s expression was like sucking on a lime. Billy’s remained impassive. After checking her nails several times, Grace snapped, “I’ll start, then, shall I? I don’t apologize for the things I said about your boots because youweretraipsing mud across the stage.”
Harriet raised her eyes to the heavens. This wasn’t sounding much like an apology yet. Billy was looking ready to have his go.
“And I don’t understand why you youngsters think it’s okay to dress like you found your clothes at the bottom of a well, there’s no effort. It doesn’t instill any kind of self-respect or make others inclined to respect you, either.” She took a breath and raised her chin. “I realize I come across as brusque. I spend a lot of time alone and I get out of the habit of being personable; I will try to be more friendly. And I’m sorry for the things I said yesterday, I didn’t know your circumstances. It was thoughtless of me.” Grace smoothed her skirt and sat down, ankles crossed, staring intently at her hands clasped in her lap.
“Thank you, Grace.” Harriet turned to Billy, whose jaw was so set his teeth must surely be aching under the pressure. “Billy, is there anything you’d like to say to Grace? Now is your chance.”
Billy’s eyes were laser beams trained on the linoleum as though he wanted to melt through it.
