Page 23 of The Summer of Christmas

I’m an employee,Nick thought.I’m the guy who dies at the end of the movie.

He burst into the principal’s office. No one was there. It was empty. He heard the sound of someone using a Keurig, making coffee. He saw her from behind. Her long blond hair. Her tight-fitting leggings. Her yoga-type top. Nick had to admit Ivy still looked hot. Maybe even better than before. Was she taller? Did she grow an inch in LA?Get out of your own way,Nick said to his brain. He felt his anger building.

He blurted out, “How could you do this? Write about our love life? Put all of our pain and emotions on the screen for the whole world to see! And that ending? How could you do that to me!”

Then Ivy turned—but it wasn’t Ivy. It was Amari. She faced Nick with a Cheshire cat smile, loving that she had the upper hand. She was checking him out, up and down. Loving all the body parts Nick showed in his tight-fitting T-shirt. “There are a lot of things I might want to do to you,” Amari said, “but maybe we should get to know each other first.”

“You’re not Ivy.”

“I’m Amari. I’m playing Ivy in the movie.” Nick looked around, confused. Amari was never one to seem confused. She laser-targeted him, coming closer with her plunging neckline. “You’re Nick—the guy Rick is based on.”

“I guess so,” he said. He felt off-balance. It was the way she was looking at him. Like she was about to unwrap the Christmas present she’d always wanted. “I’m very sorry I bothered you,” Nick offered.

“I’m not. I’m an immersive actor. I want to inhabit the character I play. Ivy wrote you. I want to get to know you better, a lot better.”

He was slow to answer. She was throwing him off his game. “Sure, I guess I can answer a few questions.”

“Talk is cheap. I want the experience. The deep character research that gets inside of you. Show me where you two would sneak off to. Tell me when you knew it was love. You took her virginity—what was that like?”

He gulped. “Uh, sure, but right now, I’d really like to talk with Ivy.”

“Nick, look at me. And not at my boobs, in my eyes.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Look at me, and I’ll tell you where she is. Don’t say a word. Just look.” Amari stepped closer to him. Gazing into his eyes. Nick did the same. Part of him didn’t know what was going on. He was in an emotional free fall—he had gone from anger to confusion to attraction.

Attraction? He felt something in his lower region. He was awakened. Amari leaned in closer and closer. Nick forgot about emotions. His thoughts went primal. Were they about to kiss? Amari was hot. This couldn’t be happening. He leaned in just a notch when—

“I have no idea where Ivy is,” Amari said. Switching off the heat and going into AC mode, cooling off. Flipping it back on. “But if I see her, I’ll tell her how cute you are.” She winked. “See you soon, Rick—I mean Nick.”

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