Finding Christmas

by Karen Schaler

  “Garlic and rosemary,” Emmie finished for him.

  Sam smiled. “And the roasted Brussels sprouts with—”

  “The warm honey glaze,” Emmie added.

  “And that cranberry sauce—”

  Emmie was about to jump in, but Sam held up his hand to stop her. “Wait, I got it.”

  Emmie waited. “Okay, go for it.”

  “It was kind of spicy. It had peppers in it . . . I think.”

  “Jalapeños,” Emmie said. She couldn’t stop herself.

  They both laughed.

  “And everything else, it was all fantastic. Thank you.”

  Sam’s sincere compliment and appreciation for the meal took some of the sting out of the fact that Grant had missed it. “All of these things are Grant’s favorites,” she said.

  Sam picked up his champagne and tipped the glass toward her. “He obviously has excellent taste.”

  Emmie felt herself blush. The way Sam was smiling at her made her wonder for a moment if he was talking about the meal or . . . her. She quickly looked away and told herself to stop being ridiculous.

  “So this scavenger hunt,” Sam asked. “Is this some kind of Christmas tradition you two always do?”

  Emmie laughed. “No, not even close. This was my first attempt, and I obviously failed miserably.”

  Sam gave her a surprised look. “How can you say that? I’m telling you it was great. The clues were clever, and it really brought back some great Christmas memories for me.”

  Emmie couldn’t help but smile. She was glad that all she’d done, putting the scavenger hunt together, wasn’t a total loss and that someone had enjoyed it.

  “You said you thought your agent sent you the scavenger hunt clues to help you come up with an idea for your new book. What kind of books do you write?” Emmie asked.

  “Mysteries,” Sam said.

  Emmie nodded. “Oh.”

  Sam laughed. “Not a mystery fan?”

  Emmie gave him an apologetic look. “I’m not really a mystery kind of girl. I like to know where I’m going, even when I’m reading.”

  “Then how are you ever surprised?” Sam asked.

  Emmie gave him a blank stare.

  Sam laughed. “Let me guess. You don’t like surprises?”

  Emmie shrugged.

  Sam threw up his hands. “But being surprised is one of the best things ever! You have no idea what to expect. Anything is possible. It’s eye-opening, empowering. It’s—”

  Emmie jumped in. “It’s unpredictable, and I like things more planned out.”

  Sam was speechless.

  Emmie felt bad for being such a Debbie Downer about what he did for a living. She quickly tried to redeem herself. “It’s clear you’re passionate about what you do, and I think that’s great.”

  “I have to be or else no one would care what I write,” Sam said.

  “What do you mean?” Emmie asked.

  “If I don’t feel a story, my readers won’t feel it, either. You have to be passionate about what you’re writing, always. It’s the only way it works.”

  “I never really thought about it,” Emmie said. “But that makes sense. So you’re saying right now there’s nothing you’re passionate about, and that’s why you can’t come up with your next book idea?”

  Sam gave her a surprised look. “Yes, actually. I think that’s the problem. I’ve been trying to force myself to feel something I don’t, and that’s why nothing has worked so far. I’m running out of time, so I hope some inspiration hits me. That’s why I did this scavenger hunt.”

  Emmie gave him an apologetic look. “And that clearly backfired.”

  Sam shook his head. “Not necessarily. It took my mind off writing for a day—or should I say, stressing out about not writing. It got me out of the city and brought me here and this place looks great. I saw all the Christmas decorations when I drove in. It looks like this town really goes all out.”

  Emmie nodded. “They do. Christmas Point is famous, not just here in the Northwest. People come from all over the country to celebrate Christmas here.”

  “I bet,” Sam said. “And coming here, I got to have a great meal, this amazing cake, and the great conversation with you, so I’m thinking it’s a win-win. Nothing about this trip has disappointed me.”

  He’s doing it again, Emmie thought. The way he was looking at her like . . . like he was talking about her. A little shiver went down her spine. She shook herself mentally and convinced herself that shiver had been because she’d felt a draft. Feeling flustered, she stood up.

  “I’m going to call it a night. I have a big day planned for when Grant gets here tomorrow.”

  Sam stood up as well. “Of course, and thank you again for dinner and the company.”

  Their eyes met.

  “You’re welcome,” Emmie said, seeing only sincerity in Sam’s eyes. “And if I don’t see you tomorrow before you leave, have a safe trip back. I hope you find the inspiration for your next book that you’re looking for.”

  Sam smiled back at her. “I hope so, too, and I hope your special time you’ve planned with your boyfriend is everything you need it to be.”

  “Thanks,” Emmie said. As she walked out of the dining room and upstairs to her room, she thought about the words Sam had just used. He had said he hoped her time with Grant was everything she needed it to be. She wondered why he’d said needed instead of wanted or hoped. Needed sounded so . . . needy. Even more, she wondered why she’d noticed or even cared what he said. Right now, she felt like she was overanalyzing everything.

  I must just be tired, she told herself. It had certainly been an emotional day. Right now all she wanted to do was take a long hot shower, curl up in bed, relax, and get ready for her first big day with Grant in Christmas Point.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After Emmie finished her shower, she got out her list of Christmas activities and sat down on her bed to go over everything. She wanted to find some new things to do with Grant, now that he had missed the first dinner and would miss ice skating. She wanted to make sure he had the whole Christmas Point experience. Once she figured out what to add, she needed to reprogram her On Track app. She was just starting to go over the list when her phone rang. Her face lit up. Thinking it was Grant, she answered quickly.

  “I miss you,” she said, jumping up from the bed.

  She heard Denise laugh. “Well, I miss you, too.”

  Emmie sank back down onto her bed. “Sorry, thought you were Grant.”

  “Apparently,” Denise said. “I didn’t want to bother you two, but I thought you were going to call and let me know you got up there okay.”

  “I’m sorry,” Emmie said. “I totally forgot. I meant to call, but everything got crazy.”

  “Okay, as long as you’re fine. I’ll let you go. I don’t want to interrupt your dinner with Grant.”

  Emmie laughed sadly. “Don’t worry. There’s no chance of that.”

  “What do you mean?” Denise asked.

  Emmie got up again and started pacing around her room. “Oh, I had dinner all right. I just finished.”

  “So, what did Grant think? Is he getting in the Christmas spirit?”

  Emmie laughed a sad little laugh. “I have no idea, but Sam loved the dinner. He thought it was great.”

  “Sam?” Denise sounded confused. “Who’s Sam?”

  “Sam’s the guy who followed the clues and showed up for dinner. The doorman at Grant’s apartment gave Grant the wrong gift and gave Sam Grant’s gift with my first clue.”

  “Wait, what?” Denise exclaimed. “Are you kidding?”

  “I wish I were.” Emmie sighed as she looked out her window.

  “So some other guy showed up at the inn?” Denise asked.

  “Yup. Only the crazy part is I’ve actually met him before,” Emmie said.

  “What?”

  “Remember the guy at the flower shop that gave me the wreath I wanted?”

  “The good-looki
ng guy?” Denise asked.

  Emmie jumped in. “I never said he was good-looking.”

  Denise laughed. “Wait, you’re saying the hot guy that gave you the wreath is the guy who followed the clues and showed up for your romantic rendezvous. Wow, this story just got a whole lot more interesting!”

  Emmie glared at the phone. “Denise, this isn’t funny. This is a nightmare. You know how long I’ve been planning all this.”

  “I know,” Denise said quickly. “I’m sorry. So this guy who showed up . . .”

  “Sam,” Emmie offered.

  “Sam,” Denise said. “You had dinner with him?”

  “I didn’t have much choice. The inn’s owner closed down the dining room for me and Grant, for our special dinner, and I’d already paid for all this food.”

  “So what’s the guy like?” Denise asked.

  Emmie struggled to find an answer. “I don’t know. I don’t know him.”

  Denise laughed. “You just had dinner with him.”

  Exasperated, Emmie looked out her window again and saw Sam outside playing in the snow with Dasher, who was literally running circles around him. Sam was laughing and looking like he was having a great time. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Sam throw a snowball at Dasher and Dasher catch it in his mouth.

  It had stopped snowing, but the new snow that was clinging to the trees made it look like an enchanted winter-white forest from a fairy tale. As she continued to watch Sam, she let out a gasp of surprise when he happily fell back onto the snow and started making a snow angel.

  Emmie laughed. “No way!”

  “What?” Denise asked. “What’s wrong?”

  Emmie had completely forgotten she was still talking to Denise. “What? Sorry. I was just watching Sam from my window. He’s making a snow angel in the front yard. He’s crazy.” Emmie laughed again when she saw Dasher run up and lick Sam’s face.

  “And hot,” Denise said. “I like him already.”

  When Emmie saw Sam carefully get up, so as not to wreck his snow angel, he looked up and caught her watching from the window. He smiled and waved.

  Embarrassed, she quickly moved away from the window, then realizing she was acting childish, she went back to the window. When he waved again, she waved back.

  “Hello, Emmie? You still there?” Denise asked.

  Emmie quickly walked over to her bed and sat down. “Sorry, I was just . . . distracted.”

  “By the hot guy,” Denise said smugly.

  “Would you stop saying that?” Emmie shot back at her. “I never said he was hot.”

  Denise laughed. “But you never said he wasn’t. So what are you going to do? You have two guys. Sounds like a Christmas miracle to me.”

  Emmie picked up a cute embroidered snowman pillow from the bed and admired it. “You’re reading too many romance novels. There is no love triangle here. This Sam guy is going home tomorrow, and all I want is for Grant to get here so we can have the Christmas vacation I planned. Now he can’t even get here until lunchtime tomorrow, so we’re missing ice skating, and I was really looking forward to it.”

  “So go,” Denise said. “I know this isn’t how you planned it, and you’re all about the planning, but you need to go with the flow here. You’re in Christmas Point, your happy place. You need to just do all the things on your list you wanted to, and when Grant gets there, he’ll join you, right?”

  Emmie took a deep breath. She knew Denise was right. It wasn’t like her to be so negative. She needed a holiday attitude adjustment, and it needed to start right now! She jumped back up, hugged the snowman pillow, and grabbed her coat.

  “You’re right,” Emmie said. “Thanks for the pep talk. I gotta go.”

  “It’s late,” Denise said. “Where are you going?”

  “Outside to clear my head to get a do-over. I’m going to come back into the inn with a new attitude. It’s Christmas. I have a lot to be thankful for, and Grant will be here soon.”

  “Now that’s the Miss Christmas I know and love,” Denise said.

  “I’ll send you some pictures,” Emmie said as she left her room.

  “I can’t wait,” Denise said. “Have fun.”

  By the time Emmie got outside, she was a little disappointed to see Sam and Dasher were gone. She could tell by the tracks in the snow that they had probably gone behind the inn, but in her hurry to get outside, she hadn’t grabbed her hat and gloves, and with the way the wind was picking up, she knew she better not go too far. She walked to the end of the driveway and took a couple of pictures of the inn to send to Denise. Just looking at the inn with all the lights dancing and sparkling against the snow made her feel as if she was in her own snow globe dream that somebody had gently shaken.

  Taking it all in, she looked up into the sky, and what she saw took her breath away. The sky had cleared and was filled with twinkling stars—Mother Nature’s Christmas lights is what her dad would always call them. As she smiled a thankful smile, she continued gazing up into the sky. When a shooting star streaked by, she immediately shut her eyes and made a wish.

  “I wish for the next few days to be filled with love and all things Christmas.”

  As she was heading back to the inn, she couldn’t help herself from stopping to look at the snow angel Sam had just made. She shook her head and smiled, remembering how happy he’d looked when he’d been making it.

  She started to walk away and then abruptly stopped and went back to the snow angel. She quickly looked around, and when she didn’t see anyone, giggling a little, she raised her arms up over her head, lifted her face to the stars, and fell back into the snow. The laughter that bubbled up inside her filled her with joy. Lying there on her back, making a snow angel, she felt like she was seven years old again, without a care in the world.

  Looking up into the sky she embraced the silence all around her. As reluctant as she was to go, her freezing hands demanded it. As she carefully stood up, brushing the snow off, she looked back at what she’d created and for the first time saw how her angel wings were touching Sam’s angel wings.

  The two angels were side by side. They looked perfect.

  After Emmie took a quick picture, she made a mental note to add making snow angels to her Christmas activities list for her and Grant.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, as the sun rose over the mountaintops and streamed into her bedroom, Emmie rubbed her eyes. When she finally opened them and looked around the star-themed room for a moment, she was confused until she remembered she was at Christmas Point.

  She felt a rush of excitement as she threw off the covers and jumped out of bed. She was humming “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as she wrapped the fluffy white bathrobe around her. She had found it in the armoire with a matching men’s robe. She was thankful for the robe because even though she was wearing her flannel pajamas, there was a chill in the air.

  She frowned when she saw the fireplace was no longer burning. She’d forgotten to put a log on the fire before she’d fallen asleep. She had stayed up well past midnight researching new activities she could do at Christmas Point. The problem was, there were a lot to choose from, and every time she found something she thought Grant would be interested in, she got caught up looking at all the pictures people had posted on social media and reading all the reviews. She’d finally forced herself to get off her computer and phone and get some sleep so she could actually enjoy the activities today without being too tired.

  Usually an early riser, she was surprised that after waking up before sunrise, she had drifted back into a deep sleep in the blissfully comfy bed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept that well.

  As a delicious aroma drifted into her room, Emmie realized how hungry she was. There was definitely something that smelled delicious cooking downstairs. She thought it must be pancakes or waffles. She could smell melted butter and syrup, and her stomach growled as she quickly grabbed some clothes and started bundling up for the day. She
knew layering would be key, so she could add on or peel off a layer, depending on what they were doing.

  When she opened her door to go downstairs, she was surprised to find Dasher waiting for her.

  “Well, hello, boy. How are you today?” When she leaned down to pet him, she found that his fur was cold. “You must have been outside.” She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug while she quickly ran her hands up and down his back, fluffing up his fur, trying to help warm him up.

  He gave her a funny look but didn’t move. He was obviously enjoying the attention. When he licked her face, she laughed. The moment was interrupted when Emmie’s On Track app went off, causing the referee whistle to blare loudly.

  Dasher laid down and put his paws near his ears as if he was covering them. Then he started howling.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Emmie said to Dasher as she hurried over to grab her phone and turn off the app. She gave Dasher an apologetic look. “I know you don’t like that. Neither does Denise. I’m sure you two would get along great. But this means it’s time to go! You with me?” she asked Dasher.

  Dasher bolted back up and ran out the door. Laughing, Emmie followed him downstairs and into the dining room. As she walked into the room, she felt a little like the kid in the movie A Christmas Story, who was so bundled up he could barely walk. It was also toasty warm in the dining room, and she was already starting to overheat. Realizing she might have overdone it a bit, she began peeling off her fleece pullover when Ruby walked in.

  “Good morning!” Ruby said cheerfully. She held up a reindeer mug that had antlers sticking out and a bright red nose. “I have hot chocolate, but if it’s too early for hot chocolate, I also have a pot of coffee ready.”

  Emmie gratefully took the reindeer mug and inhaled happily. “It’s never too early for hot chocolate.” She admired the cup. “This is adorable!”

  Dasher looked up at the mug and barked.

  “Dasher gets jealous,” Ruby said.

  Emmie laughed, almost spitting up her hot chocolate. “Of the reindeer mug?”

  Ruby gave her a serious look. “Oh yes. He’s not a fan of Rudolph. Never has been. I used to have this really cute Rudolph pillow in the living room, and one day I came home and Rudolph’s stuffing was all over the place. I found his red nose in the fireplace.”