“I almost didn’t recognize him with the beard, but Saima, I think you’re right. It’s Chase Taylor. What do we do?” Maryam whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
“Stand here and look pretty, of course,” Saima whispered back.
Anna felt like she was losing her balance. She clung to the sisters, trying to make sense of her swirling thoughts. Josh’s eyes were still on hers. Anna couldn’t read his expression, but she thought he looked a combination of embarrassed and guilty. She was sure she was the picture of shock.
“I thought he was a spy,” Anna said faintly. “Turns out he’s—”
Saima sprang forward, apparently no longer able to contain herself. “Chase Taylor!” she shouted. “Huge fan! And Tenisha Barlowe! Huge, huge,hugefan.”
“Oh, boy, here we go,” Maryam said under her breath. “Prepare to be embarrassed beyond belief. Saima doesn’t do subtle.”
Saima was pulling Anna and Maryam along toward the crowd of film people, as Anna wished there was a way to escape from the room unnoticed.
“I’m Saima!” She pumped Josh’s hand and then Tenisha Barlowe’s, before pushing Anna and Maryam forward to do the same. Anna’s cheeks felt like they were on fire as she nearly stumbled into Josh’s broad chest. Except he wasn’t Josh, was he? Now she knew there was a reason she had been convinced she had seen him before. Because shehad. In magazines, andin the movie she had watched that morning with Mr. Dadu. He really was a good actor—and had done such a great job of pretending to be just a regular guy that she had fallen for it, head over heels.
“Anna, say something,” Saima said through a big, clench-teethed smile.
“Um, hi,” Anna managed. “It’s nice to... see you.”
“It’s nice to see you, too.” Thatvoice. It made her heart do things it shouldn’t. Flutter and swoon. And now she knew why. Because he was a movie star—not the person she had thought he was, not the sweet, slightly mysterious guy who had come to her rescue twice in twenty-four hours.
Beside him, Tenisha’s smile was cool. She linked her arm through Josh’s—Chase’s?—and said, “We have lines to run. We should probably head upstairs.”
But Saima was grasping Josh’s hand again like she wanted to find a way to bronze it and keep it as a souvenir.
“Our dadu—who, sadly, has gone to bed and will be devastated to have missed the pleasure of your company—is truly yourbiggestfan, and in fact, he spent part of today sitting on that very couch, watchingOne Night at Christmasnot once, but twice.”
“Oh, yeah?” Josh said, beaming his charming smile—one that had been so much more endearing when Anna had not known that he smiled this way at everyone. “Well, listen.” He leaned in close to Saima. Maryam put her hand gently on her sister’s back, presumably so she didn’t swoon and fall right over. “I happen to know the director is looking for some extras for a scene we’re shooting tomorrow that requires a bit of a crowd.We need people of all ages. Would you and your family like to be part of that? Your grandfather included?” Now he looked over at Anna. “You, too?”
“Oh, um, well, thank you, but I actually have things to do tomorrow,” Anna managed.
“Things to do in Snow Falls?” Saima said, nudging her.
“That’s right. I’m very... busy,” she trailed off. “I have an extremely important fax to send. For my job.”
“Don’t you think the fax can wait?” Saima nudged her again, hard, and Anna almost fell into Josh’s chest again.
“Well, I—” Anna was almost sure she had never been more confused or embarrassed in her life. She just needed this moment to be over. So much for resolving not to worry. Look where that had gotten her. She had not-worried herself into a situation where she hadn’t paid attention to important details, and now she felt like a total fool.
“Chase, darling,” Tenisha murmured, moving even closer to him. “We really do need to go.”
Josh was looking at Anna as if he had something he wanted to say—but wouldn’t in front of an audience. Which, Anna decided, was funny considering he was anactor. He shot her a look that was hard to read, then turned to Saima and Maryam. “I’ll let the casting director know you’ll be there tomorrow, then?”
“Definitely,” Saima said with enthusiasm. Josh smiled, then shot one last probing look at Anna. “If you manage to get that important fax sent in time, maybe you’ll join in, too. Call time for extras is nine o’clock sharp.”
He headed off, Tenisha on his arm. As they climbed thestairs that presumably led to the rooms on the nice side of the hotel, where all the Hollywood people were staying, he leaned down and said something to her, softly, in her ear. Tenisha glanced over her shoulder at Anna, then said something to Josh in reply—and a moment later, they were gone.
“So, that was Chase Taylor,” Maryam said softly.
“Actually,” Anna said, turning to the sisters, “that was also Mysterious Josh.”
“What?” Saima blustered. “Anna, are you saying...?”
“That he took me for a fool and lied to me about who he was? Yes. But I should have known. I’m so embarrassed!”
“It was an honest mistake,” Maryam said. “He didn’t have a beard inOne Night at Christmas.” But Maryam’s expression was now just as hard to read as Josh’s had been. Anna looked naive and foolish—that was all there was to it.
Anna felt suddenly exhausted. “You know what? I need this long, confusing, very strange day to be over. I had fun dancing—”
