Properly equipped, we spent the morning capturing footage around town—the Christmas decorations along Founder’s Row, the historic buildings with their fresh blanket of snow, locals going about their morning routines. Maddox’s instincts as a photographer were undeniable. Where I would have staged carefully posed shots of quaint storefronts, he captured a pair of elderly men playing chess through a steamy café window, their weathered hands moving pieces with deliberate precision. When I suggested a standard shot of the town’s Christmas tree, he instead directed me to a low angle that framed it against the mountains, making it appear to touch the sky.
Maddox was surprisingly skilled, catching moments I would have missed, finding angles that showcased Legacy’s charm without veering into cliché.
By nine thirty, we’d amassed enough B-roll to establish the setting, and I was feeling optimistic about the day ahead. We returned to my rental car to stow some equipment and check our phones before heading to the lodge for my first official date.
None of my messages or missed calls were urgent, but Maddox frowned at his screen.
“Problem?” I asked.
“Little bit.” He typed something quickly, then pocketed his phone and glanced back at me. “Alex can’t make it. We’re short one date for your date video.”
I felt a beat of disappointment before feeling unexpected excitement come over me like the Grinch’s slow grin.
“I know where we can find a stand-in. He’s grumpy as hell, but he’ll look good in front of the camera despite the scowl.”
Maddox’s eyes widened before narrowing again. The narrowing did something to his whole face—made it sharper, more dangerous… and unfairly hot. The scowl in question was present and accounted for. “Not on your life. Remember rule three?”
I smiled brilliantly. “Rules were meant to be broken, Maddox.”
#FuckRule3 #GrumpyButCute #HotCocoaHotWater
4
#RULESCHMULE
MADDOX
After arguingwith Adrian the entire drive to the lodge, I wasthis closeto telling him to forget the whole thing. The only thing that kept me from pulling over and tossing him into the snowbank was remembering the stack of invoices on my desk.
I needed this money. Badly.
“I’ll call around,” I told him. “Find someone who can stand in. You go inside and scope out… whatever. Just give me a few minutes.”
I could tell Adrian wanted to roll his eyes at me and accuse me, yet again, of being a stubborn pain in the ass. A “creative purist” who wasn’t able to shift on the fly.
But that wasn’t why I didn’t want to be in front of the cameras with him. The real reason was simple—I wanted to be seen as the videographer, not the date. I didn’t want to be the recipient of his charming smile and pithy comments. I wanted to take the best damned images and video possible and use it to bring as many eyes onto my work as I could.
Without getting caught up in a silly fantasy.
“Yeah, Maddox, what’s up?” Nate Lewis’s warm voice rumbled over the other end of the line.
“I need a favor. I’ve got a guy?—”
“Heard all about your guy,” he said with a laugh. “Everyone in town’s talking about it.”
“We need someone to be his date today for a video shoot. I was hoping you could?—”
I could hear him talk to someone in the background before coming back to the line. “Definitely can’t today, but put me down for a sleigh ride with the guy. Maybe Sunday, yeah? Be good publicity for us. Sorry, Maddox. Gotta go.”
The call was over before I could say thanks.
I quickly dialed several other people. If they did say yes, it was the same as with Nate. They’d be happy to help, but not today.
After exhausting the list of contacts in my phone, I blew out a frustrated breath and dialed one more number.
“Sullivan Hardware, this is Maya.”
“I need your help with something.”
