Snowflake Lane Inn

by L. P. Dover

  Good news? I was clueless. The line beeped, and Miriam cleared her throat. “Layla?”

  “Miriam,” I replied nervously, “to what do I owe this pleasure?”

  “Your new designs, of course. I’ve looked over them all, and I’m in love.”

  “What? How?”

  “Your assistant, Brianna, sent them over to me. Amazing job, my dear. I know you took it hard after your last line, but you’ve totally redeemed yourself. I’d love to meet with you after Christmas.”

  I was in shock and didn’t know what to think. “Of course,” I blurted. “After Christmas is great.”

  “Wonderful. Andrea will get it scheduled in. Right now, I have to finish drinking my eggnog. See you soon.” She hung up, and I stood there, mouth gaping.

  Brianna walked by with a sugar cookie in her hand and stopped when she saw me. “You okay?”

  I held up my phone. “You tell me. I just got a call from Miriam.”

  She held up her hands and stepped back, a look of terror on her face. “Please don’t be mad at me. When you left your sketchpad in Colin’s truck, I was afraid you wouldn’t do anything with them so I made copies. I knew that Miriam Parrish was the woman to speak to, so I called, pretending to be your assistant.” On the verge of tears, she walked into the library. “What did she say?”

  Without a smile on my face, I stared at her for a few seconds, hoping to make her sweat. She lowered her head, and I smiled, drawing her attention back when I snickered. “She loved them,” I announced happily. “She wants to get together after Christmas.”

  “Everything okay in here?” Colin asked, standing in the doorway.

  Brianna jumped up and down excitedly. “Miriam liked Layla’s designs. They’re going to discuss everything after Christmas.”

  Colin looked over at me. “Congratulations, Layla. You’ve worked hard for it.”

  “Did you know?” I asked him.

  Sighing, he glanced down at Brianna. “I was told yesterday to keep it a secret.”

  Sheepishly, Brianna shrugged. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, draping my arm over Brianna’s shoulder. “Looks like I have an assistant now. That is, if you’re up for the job.”

  Her eyes widened, and she froze. “This is literally the best Christmas ever. Someone pinch me.”

  Theresa peeked her head around the corner and motioned for me. “You haven’t seen your Christmas present yet. Come on.” Colin smiled and stepped out of the way when I walked past. Theresa pointed to the front door. “Look out there.”

  I walked to the door, and outside, there was a couple getting out of a car. It didn’t take long to realize who they were. “Oh my God.”

  I raced outside, and my mom flung her arms open. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

  Excited beyond belief, I hugged both my parents. “What are you two doing here?”

  My dad kissed the top of my head. “We were hoping to surprise you. We’ve been planning this for weeks.”

  I hugged them again. I couldn’t believe they’d kept that from me. “Thank you. I didn’t want to spend Christmas without you two.”

  By now, Colin, Brianna, and Theresa were all outside. I introduced them to my parents, and Colin helped grab their bags from their rental car. We walked side by side back into the inn. “You should spend tonight with your parents. We can take a rain check on the new coffeemaker.”

  Sadly, I nodded, but I had my parents for Christmas, which made me extremely happy. For once, in a very long time, everything was looking up for me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Layla

  Christmas Day

  My parents stayed in Colin’s cottage with me. We spent the entire night talking about anything and everything. They were extremely excited about my new line. There was a lot to think about as far as where I wanted to go after that. Did I want to move back to the big city or keep a low profile? I knew what my heart wanted.

  “Layla, we’re going to the main house for breakfast. Are you coming?” my mother called out.

  I leaned out of my bedroom door, holding my red sweater over my chest. “I’ll be there in a minute. Go ahead without me.” The front door shut, so I quickly slipped on my sweater, jeans, and boots.

  It was Christmas morning. Colin’s entire family would be arriving soon at the inn. I was going to meet the whole Jennings side.

  Once I grabbed my phone, I opened the front door, only to come toe to toe with Colin. “Whoa,” I said, sucking in a breath. “You scared me.”

  The wind blew his cologne my way, and I breathed it in. He chuckled and glanced down my body. “Sorry. You look beautiful, by the way.”

  “Thanks. You look rather dapper yourself.” And he did, dressed in his jeans and gray sweater. I missed him wearing his plaid shirts. I had begun to get used to them.

  Clearing his throat, he glanced down at a small wrapped box in his hands. “I wanted to find some time to get you alone. When I saw your parents leave, I figured it was now or never.”

  He handed me the present, and I opened it. Inside was a gorgeous, sparkling snowflake necklace. “Colin, it’s beautiful.” I pulled it out, and he fastened it around my neck.

  “I wanted to give it to you last night but never got the chance.”

  I placed a hand over the snowflake. “Thank you.” It was obvious there was more to say by the determined look on his face. “Why are you really here, Colin?”

  With a heavy sigh, he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. “Layla, there’s so many things. After last night and hearing about New York, it made me realize how stupid I’ve been.”

  He closed the distance and grabbed my hands. “When we ran into Gabe at the tree farm and he told us both to take a chance, I didn’t realize what he meant at first. But then, I got to thinking. For so long, I was afraid to take a chance on anyone, least of all you. You’re famous as hell. What would you ever want with someone like me?”

  I started to speak, but he held up a hand. “I have to get this out.” Taking my hands again, he held them to his chest. “I’ve fallen for you, Layla. I tried to keep my distance because I knew there was a huge chance you were going to leave. And then I started second-guessing myself on whether I was good enough for you.”

  “Colin,” I breathed. My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.

  He moved closer, his lips only a breath away. “It turns out, it doesn’t matter if I am or not. I want to be with you, Layla.”

  I looked right into his emerald eyes. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that? You’ve dodged me every time I’ve tried getting answers from you.”

  He sighed. “I know. All I wanted to do was tell you how I felt. I couldn’t let you leave without knowing the truth.”

  I smiled up at him. “I’m glad you did … because I fell for you too.”

  That devilish smile of his was back. “You did?”

  “Yes,” I said with a giggle. “And just so you know, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve decided to stay here no matter what. Granted, I’ll have to travel every now and again, but my home is here.”

  He held my hands tighter against his chest. “I don’t know what to say. What happens now?”

  I looked up above his head where a bundle of mistletoe hung from the doorway. He followed my line of sight and chuckled. “Guess that answers it then.”

  We stared into each other’s eyes and he leaned in close, our lips touching gently. I closed my eyes and he deepened the kiss. Our lips parted and he rested his forehead to mine. “Merry Christmas, Layla. Moving here wasn’t so bad was it?”

  “It was the best decision I ever made.”

 

 

 
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