by Robyn Neeley
He watched as Annie stirred his hot chocolate, sprinkling something he couldn’t quite make out into the liquid. If Olivia were here, no doubt Luke, their dad, Kate, Lauren—really anyone in the state of New York and probably Hawaii—would offer her a Naughty or Nice Peppermint Surprise, heavy on the naughty.
He didn’t blame them. She’d done some questionable things in the past—okay, attempting to come between Kate and Luke and trap Luke into marrying her was downright evil.
But he also knew she’d changed. They’d talked about it a number of times way before they’d shared their first kiss. He’d forgiven her. Luke and his dad would have to as well. He knew his father had always been fond of Olivia, and eventually all would be forgotten. Luke might be another story.
On their walk to Luke’s after dinner, Olivia had made it known how uncomfortable she was around Lauren. He could understand that. While he assured her there was nothing to worry about, if he could keep his ex and his new girlfriend apart during their visit it would probably be for the best.
He might just need a Christmas miracle to get through the next two weeks.
“Good morning.”
He spun around to the familiar sweet voice that he knew as well as his own. “Hi, Lauren.” His breath hitched as he gazed at the stunning beauty in front of him. She was bundled up in a black wool coat. Her rich blue cashmere scarf matched her eyes, making them sparkle.
“Interested in finding your Happily Ever After?” She smiled and pointed to the doll.
He chuckled. “Is it that easy?” His eyes met hers and she looked away. They both knew the answer to that question and it wasn’t a resounding yes. At least, it hadn’t been for them. “Thanks for picking us up last night,” he said, ready to change the subject.
“No problem. How crazy is it that Jack and Vanessa eloped?”
She unraveled her scarf, and he stared at the soft slope of her neck that his lips also knew far too well. He gulped. “I know. Guess I should start calling her Mom.”
They stood in awkward silence. “Well, I should probably head upstairs. We’ve set up your office across from mine.”
“Right. Has my twin made himself at home in Dad’s plushy space?” He reached for the Rocket Chocolate Annie had set down and took a sip. His mouth crackled and he smirked. Pop Rocks, of course. It was Luke’s favorite candy growing up, but had always freaked Drew out.
“Yes, he has.” She grinned. “You’ll have to suffer with us minions on the tenth.”
“I’d hardly call working next to you suffering.” He smiled and looked down at his paper cup. Why was it so hard to have a simple conversation with his ex? They’d been together for nine years. “I’ll be right up,” he added, nodding to his cup. “I think I’ll trade Luke’s favorite for something else. What’s in the Naughty Surprise?”
“Lots of sinful things.” She winked and adjusted her briefcase strap. “For those under twelve, that is. I’ll see you up there.”
“See you …” Drew’s voice trailed as he watched her walk away. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. He loved this longer hairstyle on her. She’d always worn her hair just below her shoulders the entire time they were together. This new look was very sexy.
He turned and glanced back at the doll, his gaze zooming in on the Happily Ever After logo stamped on the bottom right of the bright blue package. Would things have been different this year if he had fought a little harder for his happily ever after with Lauren or if he hadn’t relocated to Tokyo?
He jumped off the stool and headed back to the second floor where he returned the doll and proceeded toward the elevators that would take him up to the executive offices. Figuring out what his heart really wanted would have to wait. He cracked his knuckles. First he needed to save his ass.
• • •
Lauren stirred the silky white creamer into her paper coffee cup and reached for the sugar. Her heart was still racing a mile a minute from the sight of Drew, and she really didn’t need any caffeine. At least, not for the next couple of weeks.
“Looks like you and I have the same need this morning.”
Her heart stopped for a second at the insinuation, before she realized it was delivered by the wrong twin. “Hey, Luke.”
Having Drew and Luke both in the office was seriously going to mess with her head. Not only were they identical in features, but both were sporting tans. She poured a cup of coffee into a bright red JDL mug and handed it to him. “You need this, too?”
“You know it.” He reached for the sugar container and let it roll out.
“Cream?” She handed him the basket containing individual creamers.
“No, I’m good.”
“How are you doing?” His voice softened, and she knew what he was really asking. How was she coping with the latest news involving Drew and Olivia? No one needed to say the actual words for her to realize they were together.
“I’m fine.” She locked his eyes with his, but immediately looked away. “I guess that time alone Drew and I need isn’t going to happen, is it?”
He patted her shoulder. “Don’t be so sure. This is the season for believing.”
She laughed sarcastically and lowered her voice. “That Olivia will disappear to New Jersey.”
“Whatever’s going on with them isn’t going to last. Trust me. I’ll make sure you and my brother get the time alone you need.”
She hoped Luke was right about Drew and Olivia, but she wasn’t so sure. She also wondered what he had up his sleeve to give her some quality time with Drew. If yesterday were any indication, Olivia would be sticking to him like glue.
Lauren sipped her coffee and changed the subject. “So how was your night?”
“It was fine. Still can’t believe what Kate’s mom and Dad did.” He stirred his coffee and took a long drink.
“And now you’re getting married on Christmas Eve,” she added.
He nodded. “My bride-to-be is a bit stressed out, but I think I’ve come up with a plan.”
“A plan?”
“A two-week one.” He winked. “I think you’re going to like it.” Walking over to a small table where an assortment of fresh doughnuts had been placed, he selected a glazed one. Of all the Cannon men, Luke had always been the one with a sweet tooth. Whenever he had visited Drew and her in Los Angeles, she’d always made it a point to stock their kitchen’s pantry with a few extra sweets.
“I’m intrigued …”
“It’s a good one.” He grew serious, glancing down at his watch. “But first I need to have a conversation with my mirror image. Have you seen him?”
“He was in the store earlier having hot chocolate with a Happily Ever After doll.”
“Oh, really?” Luke snickered, grabbing a second doughnut for later. “Next it will be a tea party with our stuffed animal collection.” He cocked his head, smiling warmly at her. “Hey, we’ll talk later.”
“Sure thing.” Lauren refilled her coffee and watched as Luke left the break room. What was he up to and why would she like it? As soon as she got back to her desk, she’d send Miles a text asking him to pump Kate for information. Something was definitely up.
She headed down the hallway, greeted by the festive holiday music filling the air. She really did love working for JDL Toys this time of year. Who wouldn’t? The store was beautifully decorated from floor to ceiling, and holiday cheer could be found on each office floor. If Santa were real, he’d definitely want to take up residence at JDL Toys.
Turning the corner, her heart galloped at the sight of Drew standing outside the doorway to the guest office. Tall, rocking his black business suit, and—she paused and frowned. And not alone.
Olivia stood inside the office, dressed in a matching black suit jacket and skirt.
Of course she would be here. She’s Drew’s assistant, after all. You can do this. You are a professional. That internal pep talk didn’t make her feel any better.
“Good morning,” Olivia chirped. “Lauren, I hope you don’t
mind if I use the office next to yours.”
“No, that’s fine.”
Drew chuckled, leaning against the door. “Just like old times.”
Lauren attempted to paste on a smile. This was certainly not like old times. “Okay … um … I’ll just be over there if you need anything.” She pointed to her office.
“Oh, he’s all set.” Olivia pulled Drew in and shut the door.
Bitch! Lauren spun around and flew into her office. You cannot be mad. You cannot be mad. You broke up with him. She sat down and buried her head in her hands. Why was this happening? In a perfect world she and Drew would have gotten married in Maui when they had their chance and Olivia would have slipped on lava rocks into an erupting volcano.
Her phone buzzed. It was Luke.
“Hey, Luke.”
“Hey, Lauren. I need you to meet me in the CC Boardroom in five minutes.”
“Sure thing.” Lauren hung up. That was odd. They didn’t have a meeting scheduled. It was also unusual to meet in the CC room. CC stood for Carol Cannon, Luke and Drew’s mother. The boardroom was located at the very top of their building and had a breathtaking view of the city. It was normally used for VIP meetings and receptions. Most internal meetings took place in one of their other three conference rooms on the lower floors.
She grabbed a pen and notepad and took the elevator up, her heart tightening as she reached the room. It also held a sentimental significance for her—it was the place that Drew had proposed.
He’d planned a surprise whirlwind trip that ended with a romantic candlelit dinner where he’d finally popped the question. She smiled at the memory of the first-class ticket that he had left on his pillow with instructions to meet him in New York City.
Lauren clutched her notepad, pushed all of those memories to the back of her mind, and opened the door. Luke was sitting alone at the head of the long boardroom table. To his left sat two Happily Ever After dolls out of their packaging, a girl doll with long brown hair and a red-headed boy doll.
“I didn’t realize they’d be joining us. I would have picked up some Christmas cookies from the bakery around the corner.”
Luke smiled. “Have a seat. Drew should be here any minute.” He folded his arms, his eyes locked on hers. “This Olivia thing can’t be easy for you.”
She laughed sarcastically. “I was going to say the same thing to you.”
Luke’s face twisted, revealing he was also irritated over Drew’s new love interest. “I just don’t get how Drew could do—”
“I could do what?” Drew sauntered in and pulled out a chair next to Lauren.
“Nothing.” Luke stood and shut the door while Lauren sneaked a whiff of Drew’s cologne. It took all of her strength not to lean closer to inhale him deeper. God, she’d missed his musky scent.
Judging from what sat across from them, they were obviously going to talk about the Happily Ever After dolls. Apparently Luke had decided he’d rather have her in the room for this conversation. She would have preferred that the brothers square off in private, but that didn’t seem to be happening.
“So …” Luke started. “After yesterday’s turn of events, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the wedding and what we should do next.”
Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. He’d called her here to discuss his wedding. Terrific. She’d offer her help and hightail it out of there before Drew got his butt chewed out.
Although out of any of them, she and Drew were probably the least equipped to offer any advice on throwing a wedding. For their own nuptials, they had hired Kate’s company to take care of all of the arrangements.
“You brought us up here to talk about your wedding?” Drew cocked a suspicious eyebrow.
Luke grinned. “Not exactly. I asked you both here because I’ve decided that you two are going to plan my wedding.”
“What do you need us to do?” Lauren asked. “Everything’s pretty much done. Kate and Miles have been working on this event for months. Since Kate and you are now the bride and groom, we just need you both to step into the roles that Jack and Vanessa vacated.”
Luke shook his head. “That’s just it. It was their wedding. Not ours, and certainly not the wedding Kate ever dreamed she’d have for herself.” He swung both of his pointer fingers in their direction. “And that’s where you two come in.”
“Dude, you’re not making sense.” Drew leaned back in his chair.
Lauren smiled. No matter how hard she tried while they were together, she could never break Drew of the “dude” habit he’d picked up in college.
Luke slid Lauren a shiny red folder and Drew a set of keys. “You two are going on a little trip.”
“What? Where?” Lauren opened the folder. Inside was a winter brochure for a ski village in Vermont. Tiny log cabins clustered at the bottom of a white-covered mountain. “You want us to go skiing?”
“No.” He paused. “Well, if you have free time, I’m sure Drew would love to hit the slopes. You’re both leaving tomorrow for Snow Frost Mountain. Once there, you’ll plan my wedding for the next two weeks, and we’ll all surprise Kate on Christmas Eve.” Luke grinned from ear to ear.
“And what do these unlock?” Drew jingled the keys in the air.
“The log cabin I’ve rented. You and Lauren will stay there and then all of us will join you the day before Christmas Eve. There’s plenty of sleeping space for the family.”
Lauren looked over at her boss, eyes narrowed. “You planned all of this last night?”
Luke’s nod couldn’t have any more triumph to it if he tried. “And this morning with help from my assistant. Listen …” He raked his hair. “Kate and I absolutely love Snow Frost Mountain. We spent a long weekend there last winter and fell in love with it. I know this is the place for us, not a church with all the pomp and circumstance and a fancy reception at the Four Seasons. That’s not us.”
He had a point. Luke and Kate were more of a laid-back couple. Before Lauren could ask another question, Drew threw the keys on the table.
“Have you lost your ever-freakin’ mind? I’m not going anywhere. I have an entire region to run.”
Luke challenged his brother. “And that region is on the other side of the Pacific. You can do it from Snow Frost Mountain just as easily as you could do it from New York.” He turned to Lauren. “I’ve already talked this morning to Miles, Dad, and Vanessa. Miles will pretend that everything is status quo. Kate’ll never know that the wedding location has been moved until I surprise her on Christmas Eve.”
Lauren leafed through the contents of the folder. “Why don’t you just send Miles to Vermont? Not only would he know what to do, but he knows Kate better than Drew and I do.”
“I need him to stay here so Kate doesn’t suspect anything. I want this to be a complete surprise.” He pointed to the folder in front of Lauren.
“You’ll find all the information you need on reception venues, wedding cakes, and flowers,” Luke said, clearly pleased with himself for what he and his assistant pulled together in such a short period of time. “I’m working on appointments for you for Wednesday. I’ll have Miles send you daily agendas that he’ll review with you each morning.”
“Oh, goody.” Drew pushed out of his seat and headed toward the window.
“Luke, you do realize how much money Jack will lose by not going through with it here? How on earth will you get Kate up to Vermont?” Lauren asked.
“I’ve already talked to my dad. The money doesn’t matter. I refuse to give my fiancée anything less than the wedding of her dreams. I know you two can pull this off. As far as PR goes, I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves.”
Drew turned abruptly and sat back down. “You’re insane.” He pointed to the dolls across the table and all so conveniently changed the subject. “When are we going to get down to it and talk about the two elephants in the room?”
“Right now, and their names are Anna and Tyler.” Luke stood and picked up the dolls, handing the female doll to
Lauren and the male doll to Drew. “While you’re away, you have one additional assignment.” He took his seat. “I want you to find their soul mates.”
Lauren looked down at her doll, touching its silky brown hair. What was her boss up to? He wanted them to plan his wedding and search for soul mates. “Why do you need to know their matches?”
Luke winked. “They’re out there somewhere. I want to know who they are.”
Drew threw his hands up in the air. “This is ridiculous.”
“This was your idea,” Luke said, firing all his agitation Drew’s way. “Find their soul mates and come up with a plan to sell this toy.” He wheeled his chair back. “A good one this time.”
“I’ve told you a million times what we need to do,” Drew said through gritted teeth.
“We’re not giving any of the dolls away for free.” Luke folded his arms. “That’s not how you turn a profit.”
Lauren cradled the doll in her lap, feeling an odd attachment. “How is finding this little doll’s soul mate going to help us sell it?”
“You two working together can do anything. I’ve already given you some help.” Luke paused and pointed to Lauren’s folder. “All the information is in there toward the back. The village in Vermont has an annual Frost Festival, where merchants sell toys to over ten thousand visitors throughout the weekend. Apparently it’s a big moneymaker.”
Lauren ruffled through the materials in her folder, pulling out the powder blue flier for the festival. “How charming.”
“It’s this weekend. I’ve sent up a thousand of these dolls from our warehouse for you both to sell.” He looked squarely at Drew. “Not give away. Sell at half price. Two of those dolls are the soul mates to the dolls you have in your hands. The owners of those dolls will win a free trip to New York City and a one-thousand-dollar shopping spree at JDL Toys. It’s up to you two to find them.”
“This is ridiculous.” Drew flung the boy doll across the table. “Who died and made you Father Christmas?”
Lauren gazed down at the beautiful winter village displayed on the brochure. Snow Frost Mountain certainly looked like a winter wonderland. The perfect place for a long romantic getaway.
