Night On Set ❁ COLIFER

Chapter 31 ❁ France, here we come

Jen's POV

There's this thing characters in movies seem to do when they're onto something secretive and the only way to keep that secret is to sit on your bed with your duvet pulled over your head. Let me tell you this: in reality, that position is about the most uncomfortable thing in the world.

And still, I'm doing it, peering at the screen of my laptop with the weight of my duvet pressing down in my neck. We got back from set half an hour ago and I'm supposed to get ready for the celebration dinner with Josh and Ginny, but my sister called me on Skype right when I was selecting an outfit.

I'm smirking as I scroll through the website she sent me a few minutes ago. This is something typical Julia would do.

"Well, what do you think?"

I glance at the top of my computer screen, where I can see Julia lying on her bed with Ellie crawling over her back. Ellie's almost two now, and the fact that she can't really form full sentences yet is the only reason why she's even allowed to be in the room with Julia.

Because we're doing something secretive here. Hence the sheet over my head. And when my sister wants to plan a surprise, she goes out of her way to keep it a surprise.

"It looks great, Jules," I say. I'm looking at pictures of a holiday home in the south of France, and I'm not telling Julia this, but my whole body is buzzing with excitement. The rest of our family doesn't know, but Julia has planned a ten-day trip to France for all of us —including mom, dad, Daniel and his girlfriend, Ellie— right before Christmas.

The only reason why she would even let me in on this was because there was no way she could've known if it fit my schedule without asking me. And to great excitement of both of us, I'm able to fly over right in time.

"So, the house has six bedrooms and an equal number of bathrooms, which is perfect for our family," Julia says. "It will take us about five hours to drive there from the airport, but the area is just stunning. Plus, the house even has a basement with a pool table and a closet full of family games, how awesome is that?!"

"Wicked," I say, but there's a strain in my voice when I say that, because six months ago Julia wouldn't have been excited about pool tables.

She hates pool. Ever since one of our cousins jammed her arm in one of the pockets at a family Christmas party and got it stuck there for twenty minutes, she's avoided all pool tables in a proximity of five yards. But after practically getting dumped by the father of her child, she has taken on a new resolution to see the positive side of everything— even pool tables.

"So when are you thinking about telling mom and dad?" I ask, before I allow myself to start feeling sorry for her again. I've spent the last six months feeling sorry, and guilty because I couldn't be there for her, until she eventually told me I had to get over myself.

I know I'm the older sister, but she still likes to boss me around. And I let her, because it was the first sign that she was actually starting to get over that bastard.

"It has to be soon," Julia says. She reaches for Ellie right before she slips off the bed and sets her in her lap. "I know dad's been talking about going to a baseball game that week, so I'm going to beat him to it. And I think mom knows."

"Does she?"

"Mom Instinct. You know what she's like. Plus, I've been living back home for six months now, so there's really nothing that goes unnoticed around here."

The weight of the duvet is starting to make my neck cramp, but I shoot her a smile. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"I'm going to book the house and plane tickets tomorrow night. Are you sure there's no one I should book an extra ticket for?"