“Attempting to dance,” Maryam interjected with a smile Anna found herself unable to return.
“And thanks so much for loaning me the clothes. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She didn’t look back as she rushed for the stairs that led to her dismal room, even though she could hear Saima begging Maryam to let her run after Anna and get the full story.
“She’s obviously upset,” she heard Maryam say. “She just needs to be left alone.”
But that wasn’t true. Anna had never felt more lonely.
Upstairs in her room, she sorted quickly through the clothes, hanging up anything that would wrinkle, and changinginto the jaunty, cupcake-adorned pair of pajamas borrowed from Maryam.Don’t worry, don’t worry, she kept telling herself. But it wasn’t working anymore.
As she passed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, she accidentally knocked her handbag to the floor, spilling its contents. Beth’s Happy Holiday Missive was right at the top of the pile, and Anna silently cursed Mr. Sandy-Haired Flight Attendant, who had chased her down as she exited the plane and given the letter back. Without giving it a second look, she edged the letter under the bed with her toe, where she hoped it would stay. Then she climbed into bed.
But no matter how hard Anna tried, sleep eluded her. Nothing worked. Not counting sheep. Not counting paint-color names. Not counting her fingers and toes over and over, hoping she’d get so bored she’d finally succumb to slumber. All she could think about were the many worries she had put aside all day, all the things in her life she was simply not dealing with. Was Janey going to fire her because of the Malone Mansion layout? Had she made a huge mistake with Nick? Did they belong together, or were they completely wrong for each other? And why couldn’t she stop thinking aboutJosh Tannenbaum—a guy who didn’t really exist, who had a beautiful starlet girlfriend, and who had fooled her into thinking he was someone else?
Anna tossed and turned, these thoughts filling her head, all questions without answers and problems without solutions,until finally, she threw the sheets aside and stood, straightening the lapels of the cupcake pajamas and heading for the door. Maybe she’d be able to find some chamomile tea in the kitchen downstairs, something that would settle her down enough tosleep. She opened her hotel room door, glanced up and down the dimly lit hall, then walked down the stairs, through the lobby, and toward the kitchen.
As Anna moved through the cozy, silent inn, she was struck by how homey and charming it was, despite the fact that it was still a work in progress. She couldn’t help it; her “work brain” kicked in, and she imagined a “before and after” story: “From Shabby to Chic Just in Time for the Holidays...”
Anna paused outside the kitchen door, her thoughts interrupted by something inside, banging and rattling. Was it—she squeezed her eyes shut—arat? A raccoon? Some sort of northern animal that had broken into the kitchen to steal the leftovers from theiftarearlier in the evening? Her choices were to run back to her room and spend the rest of the night sleepless, cowering in fear—or to face something head-on for once.
There was a broom beside the doorframe and she grabbed it, then pushed open the door. The broom held aloft, she shouted out, “Aha, you nasty little creature! I’ve got you!”
But it was not a nasty little creature she discovered in the kitchen. It was Josh Tannenbaum—or rather Chase Taylor—looking first startled, then sheepish. “Busted...” he said, holding up a fork that contained a deep-fried sweet-and-sour chicken momo. “I was sneaking a midnight snack. Cute pajamas, by the way.”
“Oh!” Anna glanced down at the cupcake-embellished flannel material and wished she had stayed in her room. “I thought you were—”
“A nasty little creature,” he finished with a smile. “Which I suppose you could say I am, given that I lied to you about whoI was—and then played dumb in the lobby earlier. I’m so sorry, Anna. I wish I could go back in time.”
“Why didn’t you feel you could trust me with who you were?”
He put down his fork and ran one hand through his hair, mussing it appealingly. “The truth?”
“Of course I want the truth,” Anna said.
He thought for a long moment. “I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again,” he finally said.
At this, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, thanks so much.”
“No, no, it’s not like that—I mean, Iwantedto see you again. I just figured I wouldn’t. I didn’t know how serious the storm was. I figured you’d be gone in the morning. That night we met, you made me feel like my old self. The self I was before... before Hollywood, I guess. I was able to be really honest with you in a way I haven’t been able to be with anyone in a long time.”
Anna put one hand on her hip. “I think I would have been willing to forgive you for being dishonest with me once. Maybe. But we met again this morning! You had the chance to come clean. And you didn’t. You made me feel, and look, like a fool. Plus, you embarrassed me in front of my new friends.”
“Please, believe me, that wasn’t my intention. Anna, the thing is...” He looked distraught, but she told herself he was just a good actor. “ ‘Josh Tannenbaum’ is my real name. ‘Chase Taylor’ is just my stage name. It felt so nice to be me with someone who knew that. I didn’t want it to end.” He shook his head. “It was a dumb move, though. And I don’t blame you if you never want to speak to me again. But I really enjoyedmeeting and spending time with you. Like I said, you made me feel like myself again. I’m really grateful to you for that. I owed you better.”
“Why don’t you use your real name?” Anna asked, genuinely curious.
“My first agent told me I needed something more... I think ‘universally appealing’ were the words she used. But sometimes it makes me feel like I’m playing a role, not just on-screen but in my life.” His expression was far off, and then he seemed to come back to reality. “Sorry. I’ve lost the right to unload stuff on you by being dishonest.”
Anna couldn’t help it: she wanted to stay mad at him, but she felt an immediate rush of empathy. “It’s okay,” she found herself saying. “I think I can understand why you wanted to keep your real—fake?—identity a secret.” She thought back to the way Saima had fawned all over him. “Being famous must be so strange.”
“To say the least,” Josh said with a relieved smile.
“I really do feel silly for not recognizing you. All this could have been avoided if I had. But, I’ll admit, I hadn’t seen any of your films when we first met. Mr. Dadu really is a huge fan, though, and he showed meOne Night at Christmasthis morning. I don’t even watch holiday movies, and I loved it!”
“Really? Who doesn’t secretly love holiday movies?”
“Maybe because it’s always bugged me that Hanukkah is almost never included in them, too, I just never got into them.”
“I hear you on that—I’m Jewish, and I’ve given up trying to convince writers and directors that a Hanukkah romance is a good idea. They always ask me, what could possibly be romantic about Hanukkah?” Josh rolled his eyes.
