The Christmas Contract Synopsis

Jolie Guidry, who works for a web design company, moved back to New York City six months ago following her high school sweetheart, Foster Broussard, breaking up with her. It's the Christmas season, and Jolie is dreading heading home to Lafayette, Louisiana for the holidays as she knows she will run into Foster who will be with his new girlfriend Amy. The Guidry/Broussard ties are more than just between Jolie and Foster as her father, Tim Guidry, and his father, Rocky Broussard, organized the first and what has become the annual Lafayette Christmas Market thirty years ago, the two who will be honored in a civic ceremony. In Jolie not wanting to face the drama of encountering Foster as a still single woman, her best friend, Naomi, a lawyer, suggests she bring a "fake" boyfriend back to Lafayette with her for the holidays to balance the playing field. Of all the men they know, Naomi comes up with her older brother, writer Jack Friedman - most of his work ghost writing novels - as the best candidate as Jolie and Jack know each other, and with Naomi being out of town spending the holidays with her husband Martin and his family, Jack has no Christmas plans but to write. The problem?: Jolie and Jack have had a strained relationship ever since Jack canceled what was a set-up date by Naomi for the two of them when Jolie first returned to town. While Jolie doesn't think Jack the best person, Jack too has no intention of doing Jolie this favor. But when Naomi suggests she write a binding contract for the two of them, with Jack doing Jolie this favor in return for Jolie setting up a new website to promote his own few novels, Jack and subsequently Jolie agree. What Jolie and Naomi don't know is that Jack only agreed as his latest ghost writing assignment is supposed to be set in Louisiana. The further problem for Jack is that the assignment is the latest in a cheesy romance series, romance novels which he has no experience writing, he only given certain plot points which are supposed to be included in the manuscript. His editor Devon suggests he draw from real life in experiencing many of those "plot points" with Jolie. Beyond trying truly to know each other in needing to fool her family and Foster that Jack is really her boyfriend, true romantic feelings start to develop between the two. Jolie may have to choose between Foster and Jack if part of her ploy to make Foster jealous works. What may tip the balance is if Jolie discovers the nature of Jack's writing assignment. —Huggo

Jolie Guidry, who works for a web design company, moved back to New York City six months ago following her high school sweetheart, Foster Broussard, breaking up with her. It's the Christmas season, and Jolie is dreading heading home to Lafayette, Louisiana for the holidays as she knows she will run into Foster who will be with his new girlfriend Amy. The Guidry/Broussard ties are more than just between Jolie and Foster as her father, Tim Guidry, and his father, Rocky Broussard, organized the first and what has become the annual Lafayette Christmas Market thirty years ago, the two who will be honored in a civic ceremony. In Jolie not wanting to face the drama of encountering Foster as a still single woman, her best friend, Naomi, a lawyer, suggests she bring a "fake" boyfriend back to Lafayette with her for the holidays to balance the playing field. Of all the men they know, Naomi comes up with her older brother, writer Jack Friedman - most of his work ghost writing novels - as the best candidate as Jolie and Jack know each other, and with Naomi being out of town spending the holidays with her husband Martin and his family, Jack has no Christmas plans but to write. The problem?: Jolie and Jack have had a strained relationship ever since Jack canceled what was a set-up date by Naomi for the two of them when Jolie first returned to town. While Jolie doesn't think Jack the best person, Jack too has no intention of doing Jolie this favor. But when Naomi suggests she write a binding contract for the two of them, with Jack doing Jolie this favor in return for Jolie setting up a new website to promote his own few novels, Jack and subsequently Jolie agree. What Jolie and Naomi don't know is that Jack only agreed as his latest ghost writing assignment is supposed to be set in Louisiana. The further problem for Jack is that the assignment is the latest in a cheesy romance series, romance novels which he has no experience writing, he only given certain plot points which are supposed to be included in the manuscript. His editor Devon suggests he draw from real life in experiencing many of those "plot points" with Jolie. Beyond trying truly to know each other in needing to fool her family and Foster that Jack is really her boyfriend, true romantic feelings start to develop between the two. Jolie may have to choose between Foster and Jack if part of her ploy to make Foster jealous works. What may tip the balance is if Jolie discovers the nature of Jack's writing assignment. —Huggo

December 26, 2018 at 09:06 PM