Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
M onday morning brought a far different version of Derek Brownlee to the set of Silver Bells . Gone was the tear-filled and nostalgic Derek Sophie had glimpsed at the party.
As yellow sunlight crept across the bright snow, Derek stormed out of his car with a stack of brand-new scripts and snapped them into people's hands. He looked authoritative and mean.
Sophie was handing out coffee and Christmas-themed homemade Pop-Tarts at the catering table. She strained to hear what Derek was saying.
"That old script was a mess," Derek insisted to one of the head camera operators. "I spent all Sunday fixing it."
"You changed the script?" The camera operator looked shocked and exhausted. "But that means we'll have to change the filming schedule. It means—"
"It means we'll do what I say," Derek shot back. "It takes a great deal of courage and inventiveness to make good art. We have to keep working."
The camera operator made a face and took a long sip of coffee. Just a few minutes ago, that same camera operator had said to Sophie, "I think we really turned a corner with Derek! He seemed so happy on Saturday!"
We all spoke too soon , Sophie thought.
The brand-new script brought an air of resentment back to the set. Terribly pleased with himself, Derek grabbed a cup of coffee without speaking to Sophie and disappeared into his trailer, leaving the cast and crew to pore over the new pages. Sophie burned with curiosity. She hadn't had time to read the original script in the first place, but she'd assumed it was a relatively straightforward Christmas romance. What had he changed?
Finally, when Mike and Isaac approached for Pop-Tarts, Sophie got up the nerve to ask them what had happened with the script.
Mike and Isaac chuckled as quietly as they could.
"Let's not bring the monster out of his cave," Isaac joked, speaking of Derek.
Under his breath, Mike explained, "The original script was a celebration of all things romance and Christmas. That's what the film investors think they're investing in; that's the film the production company thinks is heading their way after the editing process. But Derek decided yesterday that Christmas and romance aren't good enough for him. No surprise there, right?"
"We've only had a chance to skim the new pages so far," Isaac continued. "But it looks like he brought in some really sad themes."
Mike nodded. "The female love interest leaves the male love interest at the end of the film."
"What?" Sophie cried. She was too loud and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Isaac winced. "In the original script, Natalie's character and Brent's character finally get together on Christmas Eve after a lot of 'will they, won't they.' But in Derek's new version, Natalie leaves Brent for her sensible ex-boyfriend on Christmas Eve, and Brent renounces Christmas and goes out to the woods to walk around until he almost freezes to death."
"Excuse me?" Sophie demanded. "That sounds like the saddest film in the world."
"It will be," Mike said, chortling.
"I mean," Sophie continued, her blood pressure skyrocketing, "why would he do something like that?"
"I heard him say the original script was too 'heartwarming,'" Isaac explained.
"But Christmas movies are supposed to be heartwarming!" Sophie exclaimed. "That's their entire point!"
On the other side of the cameras, Natalie was crying. Sophie, Isaac, and Mike quit talking to overhear her say, "But you don't get it, Brent. This is my last chance! My last chance at becoming a real, beloved actress! There's no way the production studios will release this version of the film. This crazy, psychotic, depressing version."
Brent cooed tenderly, "We don't know that. Maybe this version will be better than the other version. Maybe they'll release it to, um, acclaim?"
"I promise you, they won't release it at all. I've been in this business longer than you," Natalie stammered. "Derek's twisted Christmas movie will not fly in Hollywood. It'll be abandoned on a shelf somewhere." She sniffed. "Derek wants to kill his own career. But he's going to kill mine as well. Who knows how many other people will lose jobs after this?"
Sophie grimaced. She turned to Mike and Isaac for confirmation.
"It won't kill ours," Mike said softly. "But Natalie's right. If we really film this movie, a lot of the cast and crew won't work after this. Silver Bells is cursed."
Sophie's heart fluttered.
I have to do something , she thought.
And then she shook her head.
Don't be silly, Sophie. There's nothing you can do!
Suddenly, Derek erupted from his trailer. There was a smug smile on his face, one that translated just how proud of himself he was. A shiver ran down Sophie's spine.
"Places, everyone," Derek ordered. "I want to rehearse a brand-new scene. Scene forty-two. It involves Natalie’s and Brent's characters having a dispute in front of the ice cream shop after another unsuccessful date. We've all had those, haven't we? If life does anything, it disappoints you!"
Sophie's stomach curdled. She watched as Natalie limped to her place outside the ice cream shop, gripping her script. Brent came up behind her and touched her shoulder.
"I don't really get my motivation in this scene, Derek," Natalie said. Her voice wavered, as though she was on the brink of crying.
Derek clapped his hands. "Okay. We can talk about that. You probably remember the first kiss scene?"
Brent and Natalie nodded glumly.
Beside Sophie, Mike muttered, "They basically fell in love during that scene—in real life. Doesn't Derek see that?"
"He's too entrenched in his own misery," Sophie breathed.
And then she wondered, Where's Cara? Normally, she was on set by now.
Suddenly, Sophie had a bad feeling. Not only did Derek want to tank the film and Natalie and Brent's future careers, but she sensed that he'd cut Cara loose. Maybe Cara had tried too hard to draw him out of his foul mood. Maybe she'd "overstepped" whatever invisible boundary he'd drawn.
Natalie and Brent began to recite the new lines that Derek had written. They were alienating and hate-filled. More than that, they didn't make any sense, given what had already happened in the film. Was Derek going to throw away all their hard work?
Sophie turned to Randy. "Can you watch the stand for a sec?"
Randy nodded. Sophie thanked him and hurried behind the line of trailers to look for Cara's number on the call sheet. With shivering fingers, she dialed her and waited as the phone rang and rang and rang. It wasn't like a Hollywood elite not to answer her phone on the first ring.
What was going on?
Finally, Cara answered. She sounded groggy and weak. "Hello?"
"Cara, it's Sophie from catering," Sophie said. "Are you all right?"
Cara groaned again. "Sophie from catering. It's nice of you to call."
Alarm bells grew louder in Sophie's ears. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the cabin," Cara said, then burst into a yawn. It sounded as though she hadn't slept in years. Maybe that was what a career in Hollywood involved.
"Should I drive out to get you?" Sophie asked.
"No need," Cara said. "The angry Christmas Grinch fired me last night."
Sophie's heart pumped with sorrow and anger. "Oh, Cara. That's awful."
Cara laughed darkly. "It's probably for the best. Like I said, it's been three years since Georgia died. I've worked so hard for him since then. Sending him scripts. Setting up meetings. Making excuses for him. And why? Because I thought he was a genius? Maybe. But maybe he lost all his genius when Georgia died. Maybe Georgia was the only true genius. Who knows?" Cara sighed. "I'm headed back to Los Angeles. I don't want to see Silver Bells crash and burn. It was supposed to relaunch his career! It was supposed to relaunch my career. Maybe I'm a fool."
"You're not a fool, Cara," Sophie breathed. "What happened?"
"He showed me that heinous new script," Cara said ruefully. "And I told him exactly what would happen if he brought it to set today. That's why you're calling, isn't it?"
Sophie closed her eyes. Why do I care so much? Come on, Sophie. Just go back to the catering stand. Make coffee. Make lunch. Feed everyone as the Silver Bells ship goes under.
"Good luck, Sophie," Cara said. "He's a ticking time bomb. I hope he doesn't bring everyone down with him."
Cara hung up.
Sophie remained behind the trailers. Her blood pressure skyrocketed. From where she stood, she could hear Derek saying, "Come on, Natalie. Put more into that line. You're about to leave the only man you've ever loved for your ex-boyfriend. Think about what led you to this moment. Think about how disappointed you are in humanity and in yourself."
Natalie's small voice protested. "I don't understand why she would go back to her ex, though?"
"Because she's afraid," Derek explained. "And frightened people do horrible things. Frightened people hurt the ones they love, and they hurt themselves most of all."
Just then, Jeremy walked by Sophie in his traffic vest. He waved at an approaching car and bent down to chat with the driver. Sophie could half hear what he said. Something like, "There's a Hollywood film set through here. You have to turn back."
He sounded so self-important.
Sophie's stomach curdled.
Suddenly, Jeremy straightened up and turned back to see Sophie. He smiled, and his smile tossed Sophie back through time to high school, when he'd first asked her to be his girlfriend, and to culinary school when he'd driven out to visit her every weekend and listened to her daydreams about her culinary future.
Natalie's voice echoed through her head. Why would she go back to her ex, though?
Rage spun through Sophie. Something took hold of her. She stormed around the line of trailers and sped back to the Culinary Tastings stand. Randy locked eyes with her and grimaced.
"This is crazy," he muttered. "Derek is insane."
But Sophie had had enough of Derek's antics. She didn't care if it cost her everything she'd worked for.
She had to say something.
As Sophie stormed through the cameras, her vision blurred. It was like an out-of-body experience. She felt the eyes of the camera operators on her; she felt confusion shimmer through the air.
And then she was standing in front of Derek, Natalie, and Brent. Her hands were in fists at her sides. Natalie's mouth opened with surprise, and Derek turned to see what she was looking at. Sophie's breathing was ragged.
What am I doing? Have I lost my mind?
"Excuse me?" Derek demanded. His voice was hard-edged. Sophie should have been frightened, but she wasn't. "Is there a reason you're interrupting this extremely important rehearsal? Is there a reason the catering department is on my set?"
His voice dripped with disdain.
Sophie raised her chin. "Don't do this."
Derek looked flabbergasted. "Excuse me?"
Sophie took a step toward him. "You've ruined the script. And you're about to ruin Natalie’s and Brent's careers along with it."
What am I doing? What am I doing?
Derek's eyes glinted with anger. He waved his hand. "I'm going to say it again. Can someone get this catering woman off my set?"
But around him, everyone was frozen. Sophie knew he knew her name; she wasn't just a "catering woman." More than that, she knew she was far more beloved on set than he was. Far more. Which meant that nobody would throw her off set. He would have to do it himself.
Derek stomped toward her. He looked animalistic. "What I do with my script is none of your business," he growled.
"You're going to tank the entire film," Sophie burst out. "It isn't fair to the entire cast and crew. They've worked tirelessly for weeks. They've moved their lives out east for you."
"They're getting paid," Derek said. "As are you."
Sophie flared her nostrils. A moment of silence passed between them. Derek's breathing was rapid and strange.
Nobody on set moved a muscle.
Sophie knew what she needed to say.
She knew where she needed to strike.
Right in the heart.
She took a breath. "Georgia wrote the original script. What would she say about the changes?"
Immediately, Derek's eyes filled with tears. He blinked rapidly; his face grew shadowed and even more cruel.
For a moment, Sophie thought he might kill her. She remembered what he'd told Natalie—that frightened people did terrible things.
But instead, someone else intervened.
The assistant director threaded through the cameras and announced in an authoritative voice, "Thirty-minute break, everyone. Head to catering for breakfast and coffee. Derek? Let's talk in your trailer."
Derek glared at Sophie and rolled the brand-new script into a tight cylinder. Already, Natalie and Brent scampered off set, clasping their hands together. Next came the smell of sizzling bacon. Randy needed her help to melt the cheese on the breakfast sandwiches. He needed her help to pour the coffee.
She'd done enough.
Derek spun around, storming toward his trailer with the assistant director hot on his heels.
Suddenly, a hand touched Sophie's shoulder. She turned to find her three grinning friends: Mike, Beck, and Isaac.
"She faced the monster," Mike rasped, still careful to keep his voice low.
"And she lived to tell the tale," Isaac finished.
"So far," Sophie whispered. Fear wrapped around her heart.
Sophie wasn't convinced she'd keep her job for the rest of the day. As she headed back to the Culinary Tastings stand, she cursed herself for her big, open, Christmas-loving heart. Maybe it had ruined her career.
But at least she'd stood up for what she believed in.
At least she'd stood up for hope.