Chapter Ten
Ten
Julian
“There’s an entire news crew unloading in the lobby,” Warren said, popping his head into Julian’s office. “Did you know?”
“Already?” Julian hadn’t even had a chance to finish his coffee or pop down to the music room to see if Charlie and the choir were prepared. He’d spent the last half hour tallying votes from the gingerbread decorating contest. He checked his phone. “They’re early.”
Warren ran his hand through his short locks. “I sort of feel like I should have gelled my hair or something this morning.”
Julian laughed. “They’re not here for you.”
“You never know. This face was made for TV.”
“Mm-hmm,” Julian said. “More like for behind the camera.”
“Ouch. Shots fired.” Warren hit him with the classic eyes on you move. “I’m only letting you get away with that because you’re holding the voting box.”
“I’m not telling you anything,” Julian said, hiding away his tally sheet. He didn’t want Warren to realize that the admin team had started to pull ahead in the count. “Don’t even ask.”
“Oh, come on,” Warren complained. “The nurses are gonna take it this year, right? Blink twice for yes.”
“No comment.”
Warren sniffed. “I see you’ve had your media training.”
“They’re not interviewing me,” Julian said.
“Not with that attitude.” Warren leaned across the desk, trying to spy into Julian’s notebook.
He flipped it closed. “Plus I don’t think this is the kind of thing that requires media training.”
A cheeky smile stretched across Warren’s face. “Why don’t you hold that thought until you see what Harriet is wearing this morning?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” Warren reached for the notebook.
Julian tugged it out of reach.
Warren rolled his eyes. “Come on. It’s not like I’m gonna say anything.”
“You absolutely will,” Julian said. “You’ll go shouting it through the halls. But there’s nothing to get excited about yet. I’m only halfway through the votes.”
Warren narrowed his eyes. “Just know that if the admin team wins again, Harriet and I are prepared to launch an internal investigation.” He plopped down on the edge of Julian’s desk. “But this is super cool, huh? Having the news out.”
“I didn’t think it’d be this quickly. I only connected with them at the end of last week, but they were super eager to get the segment filmed.”
“Well, they probably want the segment to air before the choir competition. Still can’t believe you managed to wrangle this. Glendale never gets cool opportunities to be in the spotlight.”
“It’s mostly thanks to Charlie. I’d be way out of my depth if it wasn’t for her. But cross your fingers that this little news spotlight pushes our application to the front of the pack as far as the Arts Council is concerned.”
“Still haven’t heard back?”
Julian shook his head. The competition was less than two weeks away. He’d managed to get their application in before the deadline, but they’d have to hear back soon, right?
“No news is good news,” Warren said. “Don’t stress until there’s something to stress about. Or else you’re stressing twice.” He clapped Julian on the shoulder. “I’m gonna go make my medication pass and then I’ll try to swing by the music room. I want to see the choir in action with the news crew.”
Julian nodded. “You just want to see if everyone behaves themselves.”
Warren threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve got that Maggie, Harriet, Doris trifecta now. So the possibilities are endless.”
Julian sighed. “I want to say how much damage could a couple of old ladies do? But I’m afraid I know better.”
“Exactly. Let’s not forget who suggested having those nude model art classes,” Warren reminded him.
Julian dropped his head in his hands. “God, I forgot about that.”
“Hey, at least it’s not live TV. They can always edit stuff out.”
“Now that is the real Christmas miracle.”
As Warren set off with his medication cart, Julian hurried down the three flights of stairs to the main floor. He swung by the music room quickly, catching Charlie’s eye at the front of the room. “You’ve probably got about fifteen minutes. They’re just unloading their equipment now.”
An excited murmur whisked through the room.
“We’ll be ready,” Charlie assured him. “Just waiting on a few stragglers. If you see Frank in the hall, send him my way.”
“He’s not here yet?”
Charlie shook her head.
Odd, Julian thought. He figured Frank would have been one of the first people here, if only to clock the setup.
He adored anything remotely techy and a camera crew would be right up his alley.
“If I see him, I’ll send him over,” Julian promised, knowing he’d already lingered too long.
He set off down the hall to meet the Channel 7 News team.
He spotted them in the lobby, surrounded by half a dozen black trunks which he presumed held a selection of lighting and camera equipment.
A man was leaning against the counter, chatting with Erin.
“Hey there,” Julian called.
The man turned and immediately reached for Julian’s hand, flashing a brilliant smile. He was younger than Julian and chipper, grinning from ear to ear while oozing an unnerving amount of confidence.
“Julian Guerrero,” Julian said. “I’m the activities director here at Glendale.”
“Nate Finch. Good to meet you. I was copied on all the emails you were exchanging with our outreach manager.” He gestured behind him. “This is Bobby and Tyler. Best camera operators in the business.”
One of them, Bobby or Tyler, snorted. “Not before coffee.” He inclined his head toward Julian in greeting.
“Thanks for coming out,” Julian said. “I know we were invited down to the studio but getting travel sorted for this crowd takes a minute. We really do appreciate you coming to us.”
“No worries,” Nate said. “We like field trips.”
“Not before coffee,” Bobby or Tyler said again.
“Coffee, I can definitely help with,” Julian said. “If there’s time? I’m not sure how this normally works. Do you guys have time for a cup, or do you want to jump right in?”
“There’s always time for coffee,” Nate said. “And then we can go over the details.”
The others nodded, moving their equipment off to the side of the lobby so it wouldn’t become a trip hazard. Julian escorted the team to the dining room and secured the goods. “Probably not the best you’ve ever had, but the residents don’t complain, so that’s saying something.”
“It’s hot,” Bobby said. “That’s all that matters.”
He drank his black. Tyler and Nate filled theirs with so much sugar, Julian didn’t know if it qualified as coffee anymore.
“So,” Nate began while perusing the display of gingerbread houses. “We’re going to film a short interview. Do you have someone who can take point on that?”
“That should be our choir director, Charlie. She’s probably best equipped to answer any music-related questions you have.”
“Is she the woman from the video?” Nate asked.
“That would be the one.”
“Okay, great. And do you think any of the residents would like to answer a few questions? It’d be great to hear directly from them, too. Nothing major. Just what being a part of the choir means to them. What they’re looking forward to. Favorite Christmas carol. That sort of thing.”
“Heartwarming,” Bobby piped up.
Nate nodded. “Exactly.”
“I’m sure some of them would love to participate.” Julian spotted Frank rolling past on his way to the music room, a little slower than usual. “If I’m being honest, I’m more worried I’m gonna have a harder time keeping some of them away from the camera.”
Bobby laughed. “We’re used to it.”
“Okay, great. Anything else you need from us?” Julian asked.
“A bit of footage of them singing a song or two,” Nate said. “We don’t have to worry about anything being perfect. Our editors will cut it together depending on how big of a TV spot they have to fill.”
Good, Julian thought. They could edit out all the Doris, Harriet, Maggie shenanigans.
When the crew finished their coffee, Julian led them down to the music room where Charlie and the choir were rehearsing.
Julian was glad to see that Frank had finally made it.
He introduced Nate and Bobby and Tyler to the group.
Most of them had seen Nate Finch on TV at one time or another, and though he was only a local news anchor, Julian could tell some of the residents were a little starstruck.
Or maybe they were just working out the jitters.
Julian watched Maggie fluff her hair until it was practically standing on end with static.
“No need to be nervous,” Nate said as Bobby and Tyler unpacked their cameras and started wandering around, figuring out their angles. “We’re just going to get some shots of you doing what you do every day. Pretend we’re not here for the moment and resume rehearsals as you always do.”
The group looked to Charlie for direction.
Charlie, who did not bat an eye with the addition of the small news crew. Charlie, who smiled at them encouragingly.
Julian supposed she was used to this kind of pressure. Having a camera on her was probably no different than having hundreds of eyes looking at her from an audience.
“I’m really glad you agreed to do this,” he said to her as the crew sorted themselves out. “I mean specifically today. I’m always grateful for your help with the choir, but especially with this.”
“I had nothing else going on this morning,” she teased.
Julian smirked. He knew that wasn’t true. She had a lot of work still to do on Doris’s place, but he also knew that the choir was growing on her. Maybe she needed them just as much as they needed her.
His gaze lifted as Bobby walked behind the choir. Harriet wiggled her fingers at the camera, and Julian got a look at her attire. He’d almost forgotten what Warren had said. His face fell. She was wearing a holiday sweater that said This Shit Happens Earlier Every Year.
“Oh my God,” he muttered.
Charlie frowned. “What?”
Julian darted to Harriet’s side, leaning close. “You can’t wear that on TV.”