Coleman - Magic Under the Mistletoe

The French Adventure

Snowflakes over Holly Cove

Summer on the Italian Lakes

Magic under the Mistletoe

AN IMPRINT OF HEAD OF ZEUS

www.ariafiction.com

First published in the United Kingdom in 2019 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd

Copyright Lucy Coleman, 2019

The moral right of Lucy Coleman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781788541572

Aria

c/o Head of Zeus

First Floor East

58 Hardwick Street

London EC1R 4RG

www.ariafiction.com

To Clive, Claire, Ellie and Anna-Sophia for a wonderful day spent at Porthkerry the perfect setting for this story. Love you guys. xx

The channel piping Christmas music through my earphones might be all singalong, jingle bells and goodwill, but Im trying very hard to contain myself. If I let rip it wont be to spread any seasonal joy. And as Im in a plane flying at 38,000 feet over the Indian Ocean, its no place for a meltdown.

As I switch screens on the laptop a message box pops up bearing that dreaded little flag.

Im having second thoughts about the opening shot. I think, on balance, I prefer the one you originally selected. Although, I recall seeing a side-angle shot before I turned to face the camera which might look more natural. Can we discuss please?

The mere thought of Solar Powered Solutions CEO, Mr Cary Anderson, reclining in comfort a mere thirty feet away while he sips his cocktail, isnt doing my blood pressure any good. Its the twenty-third of December and were flying back to the UK from Sydney. The answer is, no , we cant discuss this until the Christmas holidays are over, unless he invites me up to first class.

Sitting in a row of four seats in economy class, with a boisterous toddler to the left of me, is a challenge. His father has the aisle seat the other side of him, but the child is out of his own seat more often than hes in it. Add into the mix a woman to my right, sorting out an oversized bag and its little short of hell when you are trying to type.

Its unbelievable that Cary is continuing to harass me with messages as if were still at work. The list of changes hed like made to the rough edit of the promotional video my company, Dynamic Videography, has been making for Solar Powered Solutions is beyond unreasonable.

What is really incensing me about all this is that if we hadnt over-run on the filming schedule then Id already be at home relaxing. I had been due to fly back a little over a week ago with my cameraman, and long-time friend, Jeff Martin.

But I reckoned without the interference of a CEO who didnt just deviate from the previously agreed storyboard and script for the shoot but kept insisting I re-write bits of it. And now, when weve finally finished filming, hes still not letting up.

Cary isnt the only workaholic around here, but even I acknowledge that you cant work at full throttle twenty-four-seven. I get the impression that Christmas isnt a big deal for him. However, most of us have family obligations to meet which arent always easy and I was hoping to unwind a little on the flight home.

Hasnt it occurred to him that after a stressful few weeks at his beck and call, I might actually want to sit back, relax and switch off? If only to get a break from him and his constant demands.

Theres another reason my nerves are on edge at the moment, though. Jeff decided rather wisely as it turns out not to fly back with me to the UK, but to stay in Australia for the Christmas holidays. Self-professed, long-term bachelor Jeff is going to be experiencing an Aussie Christmas with a rather attractive woman named Tania. She was working on one of the exhibition stands next to where we were filming.

That is good news in a way because its been a while since anyone caught his eye. Sadly, his little romantic interludes never last very long. Mainly because hes not a wine em and dine em sort of guy who is prepared to make an effort. Tagging along for a beer at the local and then on to a football match isnt every womans idea of the perfect date. Even though Ive set him up on more than a dozen dates with friends over the years, Ive accepted he was a lost cause. So this was a complete surprise, to say the least. Hes due back on the second of January and I hope he comes home prepared to tackle Carys growing list of edits at full throttle.

A message alert signals yet another communication from Cary.

I now have updated information with regard to some of the energy comparison figures you are using. Full spec uploaded to Google Docs for action.

I stifle a groan. Being under contract to him doesnt make me his slave.

Taking a deep breath, I try not to take this personally. Ive witnessed up close how tirelessly Cary works; the man is like a well-oiled machine. I get the impression he would never ask anyone to do something he wouldnt consider doing himself because basically he seems fair, but his work ethic is a tad intimidating. He never stops, and Im loath to admit his focus is admirable, if relentless.

Success comes at a cost and I know that myself. But he is a total control freak and I imagine that the employees who report directly to him have proven themselves time and time again. Understanding the way he likes to work and getting onboard with that is probably the only way to survive. I wonder what his marketing director thought when Cary insisted on starring in, and overseeing, the filming of the video himself. This is clearly his sole focus at the moment, so I guess a lot is riding on it.

There you go figuring out his excuse for acting like a total pain in the ass helps, doesnt it? I ask myself. Ding. Another message alert flashes up.

When Jeff zoomed in on the conference banner did you realise the sign for the public toilets off to the left-hand side is on the screen for a couple of seconds? Im sure there must be the same shot taken from another angle. Can you sort it, please?

Aarrgghh! Is he going to spend the entire flight lying back and replaying the footage over and over again?

I jumped at the offer to fly to Sydney to make what has turned out to be more of a documentary than a promotional video. It was a first for us and Jeff was raring to go. But the reality is that Ive probably underpriced the job, given the amount of time weve been away. Cary has acknowledged the parameters of the project have grown, but whether hell like the increased bill at the end of it, who knows?

My back is really aching and I squirm around in my seat as much as I dare, given the constant jostling either side of me. To my left the increasingly hassled father has hauled his unruly, screeching child onto his lap. Now Im having to dodge sharp elbows and kicking feet. To my right, the woman who has taken command of the armrest is spilling out over her seat, as are the items shes sorting from her enormous carry-on.

Snapping my laptop shut, I lean forward to stow it in the seat pocket in front of me for safety. Why me? I ask myself. I dont do kids; I simply dont have the patience, or that well of maternal instinct most other women I know seem to have.