The Holiday

A Josh & Maya Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Author's Note: Here's a special sneak peek of my multi-chapter Christmas story. I hope you will all enjoy it and tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, the plot does not even really belong to me because I got the idea from a Hallmark movie and they got the idea from "the Holiday". This will be based more on the latter movie than it is on the Hallmark movie.

Rated: mild T

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Chapter 1

"Miss Hart? Miss Hart? Miss Hart?"

Maya Hart looked up from her piano and pushed an unruly lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Yes?"

"Big Machine Records is on line one, they want to talk to you about your collaboration with Taylor Swift," her assistant, Isadora Smackle answered as she adjusted her fir green glasses.

"Yeah, it just isn't working right now," Maya replied. "It's like I'm blocked."

"Like writer's block?" Isadora asked. "You know most songwriters would kill to work with Taylor Swift, it's like the easiest job on earth. She usually has tons of ideas right out of the gate."

"Right, I know. It's a dream to work with Taylor Swift, instant notary, she usually has half of the song written before you even begin. . . but the trouble is, I don't do happy and right now it's like she's the happiest woman in America."

"Well, she did just marry Calvin Harris. . . they're still the number one power couple in the world."

"Right but I don't do happy! And I didn't really think she did either, I mean didn't she say that she wasn't ever going to write an album full of happy songs?" Maya asked.

"It's just one song. . ." Isadora answered. "Come on, step outside your comfort zone. When was the last time you were really happy?"

Maya shot her a look. "Put the record company through, Is."

"Fine," Isadora replied. "Um, before I forget there's something I need to ask you when you're done with Big Machine Records."

"We'll grab lunch," Maya promised as she went over to her desk and waited for Isadora to put her call through.

An hour later, she had agreed that she would do her best to honor her contract with the record label. She was banging her head against the palm of her hand when Isadora came back in wearing her coat and scarf.

"Did you forget we were going to get lunch?"

"No, of course not! I'm coming right now," Maya answered, getting her own coat and her purse.

Fifteen minutes later, they were being seated at their favorite Chinese food restaurant. Maya pretended to look over the menu even though she was going to order the same thing she always got while Isadora stirred her straw around in her Coke, she looked like she was debating if she should ask her question or wait until after they were done eating.

"Didn't you say that you had something to ask me?" Maya asked, helping her along a little bit.

"Um. . . yes," Isadora answered weakly. "I was wondering. . . well, I wanted to know if maybe you would give me a week off at Christmas? Farkle wants to go out of the country and he asked me to go with him. . ."

Maya studied her. "You're still dating that tech geek?"

"Actually, he's a partner at his father's company and he has a trust fund!" Isadora replied defensively.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. . . he said it was somewhere romantic," Isadora hedged.

"Aha! I bet you anything you're going to come back after the New Year with a rock on your left hand, fourth finger!" Maya said.

"He-he hasn't mentioned anything about that," Isadora told her.

"Well maybe he wants it to be a surprise," Maya answered, snapping the menu shut. "Well, Isadora, you may have that week off. But I expect you to be back at the office on January forth with my coffee at 8am, sharp!"

"Yes ma'am! I mean, of course Maya! Thank you!" Isadora said. "So, what are you going to do for the holidays?"

Maya shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'll stick around here, work on Taylor's song. . ."

"But what will you do on Christmas day? Spend it with your mother and Shawn?"

Maya shook her head. "They asked for me to come but if I went over, I'd only feel like an intruder on their new lives."

"I'm sure they wouldn't feel that way," Isadora answered.

"You know what, let's not talk about it. Okay?"

"I hate to think of you all alone on Christmas. . ." Isadora started to say.

But Maya shook her head, cutting her off abruptly. "Don't worry about me, Is."

"But I am you're more than my boss. You're my friend," Isadora told her as she started in on the appetizers their waiter had brought them. They were frequent customers, so the whole staff knew their order very well.

"You know what you should do for the holidays, Miss Hart?" Their waiter asked as he refreshed Isadora's Coke.

"I don't come here so you can give me advice, Ranger Rick!" Maya retorted.

"You could trade houses with somebody for two weeks during the holidays," he said.

"Friar," Maya said through her teeth. "Just take our order and get out of here! Okay?"

"But I haven't even told you why it's a good idea for you to trade houses with somebody."

"Yeah, I don't really care," Maya answered. "Because I'm not going to do it, I have a million things to do and the holidays will be a perfect time to get them done. Now go and place our order!"

"Say please and I'll do it faster."

"Will you please go and place our order, Lucas?" Isadora asked because she knew Maya would die before asking him to do anything nicely.

"The usual?" Lucas asked.

"The usual," Maya confirmed tersely.

"You've been awfully tense since Garrett broke up with you for his childhood friend, Delia," Isadora started.

"He was cheating on me with Delia," Maya reminded her.

"Who knew that he had it in him," Isadora muttered, she cleared her throat. "Maybe Lucas is right, maybe you need to get out of Tennessee for a little while. It might do you some good to get out of town and away from all the garbage here."

"Don't you start, Isadora! Don't you dare start! I'm fine, I swear I am. I'll be fine after Christmas!"

"You've been saying that for the past six months! I'll be fine after Fourth of July, I'll be fine after Labor Day, I'll be fine after Halloween, after Thanksgiving. All those holidays have come and gone and you're still not fine."

"Stop it, okay?

"Sorry," Isadora muttered, stabbing a spring roll with her chopstick. "I was just trying to help."

Maya sighed. "No, I'm sorry Isadora. I'm just a little stressed out, I should be nicer to you. I want you to come back when Christmas is over, after all."

Isadora smiled. "Don't worry, I'll always come back no matter what. Unless, you know, you fire me."

Maya shook her head. "Not a chance. It takes forever to break in a new assistant and really, I think I'd scare everybody away."

"Well, I'm sure there are a few people out there who wouldn't be intimidated by you," Smackle assured her.

"You may be right but I am yet to meet them!" Maya answered as she sipped at her Diet Coke.

"Well, maybe something is going to happen this Christmas," Isadora said sagely.

"Maybe," Maya replied, shaking her head. "Maybe not."

"Oh come on, where's your sense of optimism?" Isadora asked.

"Is, if I had a sense of optimism, I wouldn't be half the songwriter I am today!"

"You don't know that because you haven't tried!" Isadora protested. "If you give me anything for Christmas this year, give me that. Who cares about Gucci shoes or Prada bags or a huge bonus? All I want is for you to be happy, Boss."

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Two days later, Maya was coming out of a meeting that she had had with Taylor Swift at her mansion. Over iced coffees, the mega star had basically told her the same thing everybody else had told her over the past forty-eight hours.

She needed to find a cheerier persona.

Maya had bitten back a remark about how all her platinum records had depended on broken hearts and her attitude towards soured relationships. She wanted to but she refrained from it because the other woman was literally holding her career in her hands.

Everything the Grammy-winning artist touched turned to gold. Maya had said it before, writing a song with her would do wonders for her career.

That didn't mean she was going to listen to her advice though.

Because she was fine.

.

"They're getting married, Is!" Maya said, wondering why she was so calm and collected and not crying at all because there had been a time when she thought Garrett would be the one and she really did feel like crying but her eyes were so dry, it wasn't even funny.

She hadn't cried since her father had left her and her mother. That had been over twenty years ago, there had to be something wrong with her. Even her assistant cried and Isadora had Asperger's Syndrome! Except Maya was beginning to think she had some form of it because she hadn't cried and she was rude to everybody even when they were trying to be nice to her.

It was no wonder Garrett had cheated on her with somebody else. Although, from things she saw on Facebook, it seemed like Delia was worse than her.

Isadora cleared her throat, jerking Maya out of her head.

"Okay, I'm coming over Maya. We're going to delete every picture of you and him off Facebook and then you are going to unfriend him. After that, you are going to unfollow him on Instagram and Twitter. And we're going to drink wine and eat ice cream."

"I'm fine!" Maya protested.

"Sure," Isadora placated. "I'm sure you're doing wonderfully! I'm still coming over because you need a friend right now."

"But weren't you supposed to have dinner with Farkle's parents tonight?" Maya asked.

"Yeah but I'm sure he'll be fine with it, besides I think he wants me to bow out. At least that's the vibe I've been getting all week."

Maya scrolled through Garrett's Facebook page, she wanted to ask Isadora if there was any chance Farkle was cheating on her. But she knew it would offend her and besides, there was always the chance he wanted to do something like get his mother's engagement ring.

After all, Farkle and Isadora were headed off to Europe for the holidays and Maya had predicted the other girl would come home engaged. Suddenly, she realized how little she had in life.

She remembered Lucas Friar's suggestion about trading houses with somebody in a different state. Maya couldn't even believe she was considering it but it was better than the alternative, she didn't want to stick around Tennessee and run into them.

She sat down at her desk, plugged trading houses into her server and waited while Google loaded a page of different sites to choose from. She closed her eyes and clicked on the first site.

"Well, here goes nothing!" Maya said.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note II:

This chapter is shorter than I wanted it to be but I am going to rectify that with other chapters, I promise. The next chapter is going to be from Riley's POV. I know some people who ship Joshaya do not ship Rucas. I am telling you now that this is sort of a Rucas story but not as much as it is a Josh & Maya story. Right now the general plan is to focus on a Lucas-Riley friendship as opposed to a romantic relationship. IF my muse takes me in a different direction, I might follow it but as for now there is no romance. If you read chapter 2, you'll find out why there won't be. Also, I promise I am going to develop a Riley/Maya friendship throughout this story.

Whatever interactions Maya has with Taylor Swift will be off-scene and you'll only hear about them afterwards. I feel extremely uncomfortable writing about real life people in fan fiction but I have mad respect for all the people who are confident enough to write it and post it.

Lastly, if you were wondering, yes Delia and Garrett were an IDDI reference. Like Taylor Swift, Maya will actually never have any on the page interaction with them so I don't have to make it a crossover story.

I'm excited to write this. I hope you are excited to join me on the journey.

Until Next Time!

Lots of Love,

Holly, 12/3/2015_