A Villain for Christmas (The Holyoake Christmas Series, Book 2)

Billie on Split-Screen

"I'm sure there's a better–" Billie started, but the director was already waving her hand dismissively and talking into her mobile.

"Eric, where are you? Never mind that. I need to go to town, or whatever civilisation there's here. I need coffee." 

The director listened to the man's booming statements on the phone. Woah, is that what he sounds like?! Despite having interacted with him twice - and in quite dramatic circumstances, to think of it - Billie realised that she hadn't heard him speak much.

"Well, the local girl doesn't drive, and Laura will run over some sheep or a farmer, if we let her take the wheel," the director scoffed. 

Billie could hear him respond on the other end. For a thespian, he was surprisingly concise. Don't they like the sound of their own voices more than anything in the world? 

"I don't want to ask your fancy friend for another favour," the director answered curtly a few seconds later. "I already feel like they're buttering me up too much. All sweet and smiley." She grimaced. "Last thing I need is to be chauffeured around, like some aristocrat. The local girl is taking me to a pub here, and then I want to meet some normal British rednecks."

Billie thought she heard the man laugh on the other end, and then Bondarenko muttered, "Yeah, OK," and hung up. Billie threw a cowardly side glance towards the path on the side of the building, where the man would mostly likely show up from.

"He's coming," the director said, lighting up the next cigarette.

Billie had a sudden panicked thought that he could decide to go through the Hall; and her gaze was now jumping between the entrance and the corner of the house.

"Whatever your history is, it's not going to be a problem, right?" Bondarenko asked in a peeved tone. "I don't need any of this crappy drama on my set. If you can't keep it clean, we can have someone else show us around."

Billie was now sure only of one thing: clearly, there had been some sort of a misunderstanding!

"I haven't–" she squawked. "I haven't got any history with–" Oh god, what was it again?! "Mr– Mr. Dair."

The director hummed distractedly, seemingly having lost any interest in their previous conversation.

"So, do you have a boyfriend? And if yes, what does he do?" She exhaled a large smoke puff. "I want to dip my toes into something real here. Some sort of a workshop, hopefully something authentic. I don't know– a candlemaker?"

What century does she think Fleckney is stuck in? Also, who says something like that to a person they've only just met half an hour ago?!

"I don't see–" Billie rasped out and once again checked the path leading around the Hall. "I don't see how it's relevant."

"So, no boyfriend then," the director postulated. "And I assume, you aren't gay either."

"Why not?" Billie bristled.

Blimey, Billie, stop encouraging the ridiculous steamroller!

"You would've corrected me," Bondarenko said with a shrug. "Or are they all homophobes here in your outback?"

Despite how taken aback she was by this whole preposterous convo, this last statement made Billie snort. The director had no idea what she was dealing with here in Fleckney!

"Either way, you're definitely single. I guess there are no decent guys here. Or gals." Bondarenko said with another shrug.

"Why?!" Billie once again lost her battle with her resolution to simply ignore the Russian's articulations.