Holiday Wedding

by Robyn Neeley

  Pulling the soft pine green drapes back, her gaze focused in on the twinkling lights high above her. If that was the mountaintop, they must be at the foot of the mountain. She bet in the daylight this room had a beautiful view.

  Spinning around, she took a few minutes to freshen up in the adjoining bathroom, deliberately applying the vanilla-scented perfume that once upon a time drove her prince crazy. She gave herself a few extra spritzes for good luck and headed back downstairs.

  Her breath hitched as she watched Drew talking on the phone. He’d chosen comfort, having changed into gray sweatpants and a blue V-neck sweater, but not just any sweater. She’d bought it for him two years ago, loving how it made his gorgeous blue eyes pop.

  He glanced up. “You still like mushrooms on your pizza?”

  She nodded.

  “Half onions and half mushrooms. That’s fine. Thank you.” He clicked off his phone. “It will be here in an hour. Turning to the fireplace mantel, he picked up a full wine glass, handing it to her. “To planning Luke’s and Kate’s wedding.”

  “Cheers.” She clinked her rim with his and took a sip. “Wow. That’s delicious.” Setting her wine on a glass coffee table, she adjusted her ponytail. They had a tree to trim. “Shall we get started?”

  “Get started?” He sipped his wine with a more than flirtatious glint in his eye.

  “Decorating the tree,” she said coyly.

  He set his glass down next to hers. “Might as well get this over with. I’ve got work to do tonight.”

  And just like that the flirting was over. “So do I.” She pulled open the box and began to take the decorations out. It wasn’t the first time they’d decorated a Christmas tree together, but would it be their last? “Why don’t you string the lights, and I’ll unpack and separate all the ornaments?”

  “Sure.” He reached inside, pulling out the strand of multicolored lights. “You always made me do this part.”

  “It’s because you’re taller.”

  “And a sucker for a pretty face.”

  She smiled and turned to face the tree. Flirting back on! “Remember the tree we bought for our first apartment?”

  “The Charlie Brown one? I was just thinking about that tree yesterday. It was pathetic.”

  “It was cute,” she said, rolling her eyes, while her inside did a little jig delighted that he’d thought about their first tree.

  “Lauren, it barely had any branches and was more brown than green.”

  “I felt sorry for it. You know, if we didn’t take it, it would have ended up—”

  “As fire kindle.” He chuckled. “Speaking of. Are you warm enough in here?”

  Oh, boy was she, and it had nothing to do with the temperature in the cabin. “I’m fine.” She reached for her wine. “This is keeping me warm. Luke has good taste.”

  “I’ll make sure we get some firewood tomorrow so we can get that fireplace blazing.”

  Enjoying a decorated tree by a crackling fire sounded like the perfect way to spend their second evening in Snow Frost Mountain. “I’ll hold you to that,” she said.

  Drew sat down on the white bearskin rug in front of the fireplace and began to unravel the lights. “So what’s it been like working for my brother at headquarters?”

  You mean with the man that looks exactly like the guy I’ve loved all my life? “It’s been great.” Although she’d wanted to murder him earlier in the week for the mandatory Santa’s Village stint. Drew would probably get a kick out of the getup she was forced to wear. “Other than making me dress like an e—”

  His phone buzzed from the coffee table where he’d left it. “Oh, I should take this.” He scrambled to his feet. “Hi, Olivia.” Lauren continued to unpack the decorations, trying not to eavesdrop.

  Was Olivia going to call every day? Lauren took another sip of her wine. Of course she would. It really wouldn’t surprise her if the little conniver showed up in person by the end of the week.

  Drew finished his conversation and grabbed the lights, continuing to unravel them. “Okay, so where do we begin?”

  Lauren blinked. By you breaking up with Olivia and then letting me tear off that sweater that I bought for you. “At the top, silly.”

  “I forgot. You know how much I enjoy this.”

  That she did. That he was making an attempt to decorate a Christmas tree without being forced surprised her; it had never been a holiday pastime he volunteered to do willingly. Again, was this change Olivia’s influence?

  Drew went to work stringing the lights, while she followed behind draping the shimmering silver tinsel.

  A loud “Deck the Halls” chime filled the house.

  Lauren giggled while Drew threw his hands up in the air. “Seriously?” he said. “Where are we? The North Pole?”

  “Well, we are staying in an enchanted Christmas village, according to the brochure.”

  “It must be the pizza guy. Perfect timing.” Drew finished stringing the lights and reached in his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. “Be right back.”

  “I’ll be here.” Lauren moved back to the decorations, inspecting the box for ornament hangers.

  Within minutes, Drew returned with a large pizza box and then headed into the kitchen for plates and napkins.

  Lauren sat down next to the coffee table and grabbed the wine, refilling their glasses. The enticing smell of the saucy cheese pie floated up her nostrils. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Starving, really. “It smells amazing.”

  “It sure does.” Drew slid down next to her with two red plates.

  She couldn’t help but snicker at the silver snowflakes imprinted on the napkins he handed her. “Festive.”

  He pulled back the lid. “And voila. Half mushroom and half onions. Just like old times.”

  Now, this is exactly like old times. Lauren scooted around the other side of the table to be closer to Drew. “I can’t believe I let you get away with that on our pizza all these years.”

  “What?”

  “Onions.” She pointed to the half of the pizza that Drew would polish off in no time. It was his favorite topping.

  “I never realized you didn’t like onions.”

  “No, it’s not that.” He obviously didn’t get her hint of kissing him and his post-pizza breath. She grabbed a mushroom slice and took a bite, eyes rolling back. “Oh, my gosh. This is heaven.”

  “Better than New York pizza?”

  “Close.” She took another bite. “Very close.”

  “We sure did have our fill of pizza in college, didn’t we?”

  Lauren agreed, while Drew out of nowhere reached over and touched her hair, removing a piece of tinsel. Their eyes met, and her cheeks flamed. If only they could rewind time and be back in that stupid one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, decorating that silly tree. A time when they were happy, ridiculously in love, and Olivia wasn’t a factor.

  She could blame it on the wine later, but she was ready to do a little prying into his current relationship status. She sat up and grabbed her glass, pretending the next question really didn’t matter.

  “So how long have you and Olivia been dating?” she asked and mentally braced for impact.

  He took another bite of his pizza and reached for a napkin. “Not long.”

  “Well, it was quite a surprise.” She added quickly, “To all of us.”

  “She’s really changed.”

  Lauren scoffed.

  “No, really she has.” He reached in the box and pulled apart another onion-saturated slice. “I know it’s hard to believe, but she regrets the stunt she pulled in Hawaii.”

  “I’m sure she does.” Now that she had her hooks into Luke’s twin. Lauren took another sip of her wine. Listening to how Olivia had changed her wicked ways was not how she wanted to spend her first night alone with Drew in over a year.

  “What about you?” Drew asked, breaking the silence.

  “What about me?”

  “Seeing anyone?”

 
“No.” She shrugged, thinking she could lie and make up a boyfriend or two but what would be the point? “I’ve just been so busy.” She paused, struggling to find her way out of this conversation. “Who knows? Maybe I should go online and see if I can find my soul mate.”

  Suddenly, they both looked at each other, eyes wide. “The Happily Ever After dolls!” They said in unison.

  Drew smacked his head. “How could I have forgotten?”

  “Go grab your laptop,” she ordered. “I bet the website has been bursting with activity.” She drained her glass. At least she hoped so.

  He rushed out of the room and up the stairs, returning minutes later with his laptop and charger.

  “Bring it over here.” She motioned for him to sit on the chestnut brown sofa. “There’s an outlet right next to the couch.”

  Drew powered on his laptop, while Lauren gathered up their dirty paper plates.

  “No freaking way.” He shook his head.

  She stopped what she was doing and stared at Drew. “‘No freaking way’ good or ‘no freaking way’ bad?”

  “Bad, very bad.” He tilted his head up to the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh.

  “Let me see.” She crossed the room and plopped down next to him, peering at his laptop.

  “It’s all there in black and white.”

  “What are you talking about?” She pointed to the graph. “Look at all the activity. Kids are logging onto the site.”

  He tapped on the corner of his screen. “Look here.”

  Her eyes squinted to see the tiny graph. She really should be wearing her new reading glasses, but she had a hunch she didn’t need to see the numbers to know what had happened. “How many boy dolls are registered?”

  “Five. Freakin’ five. I must have given out over three hundred male dolls yesterday, if not more. Why aren’t the little dudes going online and registering their dolls?”

  Lauren put her hand on his shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. “Maybe it’ll just take a little more time.”

  “Maybe.” He stood and finished his wine. “Let’s just clean up. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  “Right.” Lauren slid the cover down on the pizza. He was certainly taking this hard. She understood that the Happily Ever After doll was his concept but his unyielding determination was a side to him she’d never seen before. She pulled herself off the couch as Drew headed to lock up. “Hey.”

  He spun around. “Yes?”

  She walked over to him. “This is not over. Not by a mile. We’ll fix this.”

  His lips turned up a fraction. “I almost believe you.”

  She couldn’t help reaching for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Snap out of it, Drew Cannon. You should know better than anyone that our two heads have always been better than one. We can do anything together.”

  His gaze burned right through her. “I once thought so. Good night, Lauren,” he said softly and let go of her hand.

  Lauren’s heart dropped as she watched a deflated Drew leave the room to lock the front door. Minutes later, she could hear him moving around upstairs. She went back to the tree and began hanging the ornaments, her eyes resting on a silver snowflake. Somehow they’d fix this.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Drew zipped up the neck of his red cable sweater and took a deep breath, letting the cool, crisp air greet his lungs. The scenery around him took his breath away, and he knew lately exactly what that felt like since another beauty was doing the same thing to him.

  Being around Lauren all yesterday had stirred up nostalgic feelings. Hanging out with her last night had been fun. Well, up until he went online and checked the status of the Happily Ever After dolls.

  He kicked the snow with the toe of his shoe. Who was he kidding? Fun would have been him and Lauren celebrating their second Christmas as a married couple in their beachside mansion in California. This trip engineered by his brother was not fun.

  He hadn’t meant to retire to his room so abruptly, but the look of pity in her eyes while they looked at the Happily Ever After dolls website was more than he could handle.

  If he could just get them to sell, he could proudly admit to Lauren that she was the inspiration for their creation. They had to sell. If they failed it would be like losing her all over again.

  He looked up at Snow Frost Mountain, his gaze sliding down the powder white ski trail. What he wouldn’t give to spend an hour or two flying down those slopes. Perhaps he and Lauren could carve out some time to do just that.

  Then again, his ex and skis didn’t quite mix. He’d tried to teach her several times over the course of their relationship. She’d spent more time flat on her face than upright. Their ski excursions always ended with him carrying her off of the mountain to the lodge where they would spend the rest of their time sipping spiked hot cocoa next to a roaring fire or naked in a bubbling Jacuzzi.

  Not that he ever complained. God, he missed those ski trips.

  It didn’t go unnoticed by him that his bedroom had a balcony with an outdoor hot tub. Would Lauren want to indulge in their former favorite pastime? She had admitted she wasn’t seeing anyone.

  But he was, and he hadn’t a clue what to do about it.

  He’d tossed and turned all night, coming to the conclusion he’d have to be honest with Olivia. Lauren had his heart, whether she wanted it or not. He had no other choice but to end things with Olivia. That conversation would suck, and would surely involve her calling him every name in the book, which he deserved.

  Eventually, she’d understand that it was for the best. Regardless of what Lauren, his brother, or anyone thought of Olivia, she was a good person who also deserved to find love.

  The question was, when would he do it?

  The front door swung open and he turned. Lauren greeted him in a white snow jacket and dark jeans. She’d blown her blond hair out straight and had it pulled back with a black headband. “I was wondering where you were hiding.”

  “Just taking in the beauty,” he said, gazing into her beautiful eyes and unable to hide what he was sure was the dopiest grin.

  She stepped back inside, appearing again with his wool coat and red scarf. “We should get going. We’ve got a busy day, according to the agenda Miles e-mailed over this morning.”

  “Let’s go then.” He slid his coat on and followed her down the snow-dusted walkway. “What are we doing this morning?”

  “Well, it looks like our first stop is to see a possible venue.”

  “Venue? Is it a church?”

  She shrugged. “It just says S.W.”

  “S.W.? What the hell does that stand for?”

  “Doesn’t say. We’re supposed to be there in two hours. Why don’t we grab some breakfast and check in with Miles? I’m sure he’s gotten all the details from Luke by now.”

  “I love how my brother won’t tell us squat about this wedding he’s forced us to plan for him, but confides in your roommate. Why is that?”

  “Because not only is Miles an amazing wedding planner, he knows Kate better than either of us do.” Her eyebrow shot up. “Except for how she kisses. I suppose you are the expert there.”

  “You know that kiss meant nothing.”

  “I do now, Casanova.”

  She reached for the ends of his scarf, giving them a tug. He couldn’t tell if she was still pissed or messing with him. Regardless, he liked her hands exactly where they were, even if they were trying to choke him. He smiled down. “Want me to drive?”

  Lauren nodded, walked over to the passenger side and hopped in. “We can Skype with Miles when we get to the restaurant.”

  “Can’t wait,” he said, not bothering to mask his lack of enthusiasm. “We’re not really going to video conference call with him every day, are we?”

  “Yes, we are.” She turned. “Let’s face it. He’s the pro, and, well … we’re not. Plus, having his help will give us more time to concentrate on our Happily Ever After situation.”

  His heart sped up, even tho
ugh he knew she was referring to the dolls, not them.

  If she only knew that the very existence of the toy was a dedication to their love story. He wasn’t ready to reveal that secret just yet. No, they had to sell first. “Okay. Fine. We’ll Skype with Miles. Every morning. Super …”

  After a couple of quick turns, he headed down the one winding road that dumped them into the middle of town. To say it was quaint might just be the understatement of the year. Charming Victorian houses cluttered the streets, all decorated for Christmas with lights and wreaths.

  “Wow. The good people of Snow Frost certainly embrace the holidays.” His gaze fell on a huge tree in the center of town. It had to be over thirty feet tall. “Wonder how long it took for them to string up those lights.”

  Lauren followed his gaze to the tree. “I love New York City, but something about a small town at Christmas is …”

  “What?”

  She offered a small smile, and her lashes fluttered for the briefest of seconds. “Magical.”

  Minutes later, they found a restaurant just off of the town’s square, and Drew pulled into the one empty spot.

  “Appears this is a town favorite.” He laughed, reading its name. “Dasher’s Diner. What do reindeer like to eat?”

  She giggled. “Grass. Mushrooms …”

  “Mushrooms? This place is perfect for you then.” He parked the car and hopped out.

  She followed suit, pausing for a second. “You know. You could accept Luke’s challenge and enjoy the next two weeks.” Her hands waved around her. “When are you ever going to be in a place again that embodies Christmas?”

  “Bah humbug,” he said with a wicked grin and opened the diner’s glass door for her.

  “Merry Christmas.” A middle-aged waitress with flaming red hair brought them over to an empty window booth, dropping down menus, napkins, and silverware. “You two here to ski?”

  “No.” Drew eased out of his coat, inhaling the delicious scent of pancakes and bacon. A yummy warm breakfast was definitely in order. “We’re planning my brother’s wedding.”

  Her face lit up. “You must be Drew and Lauren.”

  Lauren smiled up at the lady. “We are. How did you know?”