Undercover Holiday

Mexican-American Jaylen Rodriguez of small town Squirrel Hollow is the latest surprise winner, at least in her own mind, of Pop Star USA. While she loves singing, she is less than thrilled that the record label wants to pigeon hole her into mainstream English language pop music as opposed to her want to stay true to her roots by incorporating her own Spanish language songs into her repertoire. Beyond the consistent paparazzi hanging around, there are signs of a security breach at her rented Los Angeles mansion by an unknown rabid fan. Such safety issues are only one reason her family back in Squirrel Hollow were against her even applying for the contest in they wanting her among family at home. In Jaylen going home for the Christmas holidays, the record label has assigned her a 24/7 bodyguard indefinitely, he being ex-Navy SEAL Matt Lowis, something and someone in her life she doesn＇t want. He, in turn, is continually irked by her not taking her security seriously thus making what is him only trying to do his job more difficult. She, however, is more concerned about dealing with her family, and panicked in how to explain Matt to them, on the spur of the moment introduces him as her new boyfriend, something he was not expecting or wanting, especially in truth being key to his work for those who need to know such as her family. Their situation in Squirrel Hollow is made more complex as Jaylen deals with the return of her ex-boyfriend Eddie who seems to want to get back together with her again, and with the awkward feelings between her and her friend Lorelei, who encouraged her to audition for the show with her, who usually finished on top of Jaylen in anything having to do with singing, but who was cut from the show in one of the earlier rounds. But what may be the most problematic is the blurring of the professional and personal lines between Matt and Jaylen as they start to fall for each other.—Huggo