Christmas Ever After

by Karen Schaler

  Chapter Six

  Riley sat up even straighter as Margo marched toward her.

  “It wasn’t too hard,” Margo said, her tone matching her demeanor. “You always come here.” She turned to Alex. “Hello, Alejandro.”

  Alex smiled. “Margo, good to see you. It’s been a while.”

  Margo looked at Riley. “Yes, it has. Some of my authors have been keeping me a little too busy.”

  Alex chucked. “Understood. Can I get you anything?”

  Margo never took her eyes off Riley. “Yes, you can get me an author that doesn’t disappear on me after she’s just walked out on a national TV interview.”

  “So that’s a no?” Alex asked.

  “That’s a no,” Margo confirmed. “I won’t be staying.”

  Alex gave Riley a sympathetic look and moved the plate of fries back in front of her before retreating to give them some privacy.

  Riley picked up a fry, took a big bite, and slid the plate over to Margo. “You sure you don’t want to stay and have some fries, order a drink?” Riley asked. “These fries are amazing.”

  Instead of a fry, Margo picked up Riley’s phone from the bar and flipped it over so she could see the screen. There were dozens of missed messages. She held the phone up to Riley.

  “I’ve been trying to call you. Mike’s been trying to call you,” Margo said, exasperated. She looked at Riley’s phone again. “Apparently, everyone’s been trying to call you. You need to answer your phone.”

  Riley rarely saw Margo this upset. One of the things that made Margot such a great agent was how calm and unflappable she usually was. But when she finally did get mad, it wasn’t pretty. They’d become friends over the years, but Riley knew and respected that Margo never let that fact get in the way of being her agent first.

  Margo pushed the fries out of Riley’s reach. “I don’t have time to sit here and have a drink, and neither do you,” she said. She dug inside her tote bag and slapped an envelope on the bar in front of Riley.

  “What’s this?” Riley eyed the envelope. “A Christmas bonus?” she joked. She never got a Christmas bonus . . .

  When Margo smiled, it made Riley nervous. She knew that smile, and it always meant Margo was up to something.

  “I guess you could call it a bonus,” Margo said sweetly—too sweetly. “It’s your boarding pass. Your ticket to Colorado. You leave first thing in the morning.”

  “In the morning?” Riley asked as she grabbed the envelope, opened it, and took out the printed boarding pass. “How can I leave in the morning? I still have a whole day of interviews to do tomorrow that you and Mike have planned for me to promote this Christmas Camp and my novel.”

  Margo shook her head. “Not anymore. All your interviews have been canceled.”

  Riley’s jaw dropped. “Everyone called off my interviews? I can’t believe they would do that.”

  “They didn’t. Your publisher did,” Margo said without blinking.

  “Wait? What? Why?” Riley asked, giving Margo her full attention. “I thought you said I needed all this publicity if we were going to save my career.”

  “I did say that, and we do,” Margo answered. “That was the plan until your little stunt of running out on your live interview. Now everyone’s doing damage control. They’ve canceled all interviews until they can figure out what they want to do.”

  Riley’s heart beat faster as she fought to stay calm. “What do you mean, while they figure out what to do? What is there to figure out?”

  Margo met her stare and didn’t blink. “They’re trying to figure out if they still want you as their author after you walked out on a national television interview this morning. An interview most authors would kill to have the opportunity to do.”

  “Margo, come on,” Riley said. “What did you want me to do? I wasn’t going to sit there and let that guy tear my personal life apart on national TV.”

  “He was a jerk,” Margo said. “There’s no doubt about it. And honestly, I would have probably done the same thing.”

  Riley looked relieved.

  “But,” Margo went on.

  Riley didn’t like the sound of that.

  “There are consequences for your actions,” Margo said. “I’ve been trying to call you, to explain, as maybe this could have been avoided, but . . .”

  Riley shook her head, disbelieving. “But now all my interviews are canceled.”

  “That’s not even the worst of it,” Margo said. “The guy running the place where you’re supposed to be doing this Christmas Camp is upset.”

  “What’s he upset about?” Riley asked. “He got a lot of great coverage in that interview. They rolled video of the place and everything.”

  “Haven’t you watched the segment?” Margo asked. “It’s online everywhere. It’s gone viral.”

  Riley shook her head vehemently. “Are you kidding? I don’t want to watch how I was humiliated on national TV. It was bad enough that I had to live through it once.”

  “Then let me enlighten you,” Margo said. “After you stormed out, they had to fill the time somehow, so the guy who runs the lodge had to go on in your place at the last minute.”

  Now Riley looked even more confused. “What do you mean he had to go on in my place? He’s in Colorado.”

  “No, he came to the TV station to meet you,” Margo corrected her. “He apparently had to be in town for some other business, so Mike set up a meeting for you after the segment. Anyway, the point is, this guy had to go on national television totally unprepared and talk about what you’re going to be doing at the Christmas Camp.”

  “What?” Riley exclaimed. “I don’t even know what I’m going to be doing at Christmas Camp.”

  “Exactly,” Margo said. “So imagine how this guy felt when he was thrown on national TV to cover for you after you ran out. Mike says he doesn’t like public speaking in the first place. So bottom line, he’s not happy about any of this, and he’s ready to cancel the whole author event.”

  Riley gave Margo an incredulous look. “Can he even do that? We’re supposed to do this Christmas Camp in just a few days . . .”

  “Yes!” Margo said, obviously losing the little patience she had left. “It’s his family’s lodge, and his reputation is on the line, too. He can do whatever he wants. Mike called in a favor to set this whole thing up, but now this Colorado guy doesn’t think it’s a good idea, doesn’t think you’re the right fit for the lodge.”

  Riley frowned. “What do you mean? The right fit?”

  “Riley, it doesn’t matter what he means,” Margo said. “If this guy cancels, can you imagine all the bad publicity? We’ve already selected the Christmas Campers from the thousands of applicants. People have already bought their airfare. Your fans have made plans to come see you as part of their Christmas celebration. If this gets canceled, you’ll be the Grinch who stole their Christmas.”

  Riley frowned. While she wasn’t a Christmas person, she certainly didn’t want to be known as a Grinch.

  Margo wagged Riley’s phone in front of her. “Mike and I have been trying to call you so you could meet with the guy while he was still in town, try to smooth things over, but you haven’t answered your phone.”

  Riley jump up from her seat. “Okay, so let’s go meet this guy and I’ll explain. I’ll win him over. It’ll be fine.”

  Margo put Riley’s phone down and crossed her arms in front of her. “It’s too late.”

  “What do you mean ‘it’s too late’?” Riley asked.

  “When we couldn’t reach you, he wasn’t about to wait around,” Margo said. “He’s already heading back to Colorado.”

  “So you’re saying . . .” Riley started.

  “I’m saying,” Margo replied, “this could cost you.”

  “Cost me the Christmas Camp event?”

  Margo sh
ook her head and locked eyes with Riley again. “No, this could cost you your publishing career. Like I told you, you can’t afford any more bad publicity, Riley. This isn’t a game. This Christmas Camp was supposed to save your career, without it . . .”

  “I’m done,” Riley finished for her.

  Margo nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  Riley picked up the boarding pass again. “So this is . . .”

  Margo took a deep breath. “Your last chance. Mike says you need to go to Colorado and talk to this guy, show him you’re not the hotheaded prima donna he thinks you are.”

  Riley put her hands on her hips and looked part-insulted and part-hurt. “A prima donna? Seriously? Me?”

  “Mike’s words, not mine,” Margo added. “Apparently, it was what the guy said after you stormed off the set.”

  Riley shook her head, annoyed. “I had every right to leave that interview . . .”

  Margo held up her hands. “You need to get over the interview and who was right and who was wrong. What’s done is done, and now you need to decide if you still want a publishing deal or not. If you do, you need to go to Colorado and make this right with this guy. You need to persuade him to reconsider holding the Christmas Camp for you. We’re running out of time,” she said. “If you’re going to do damage control, you have to do it right now. You need to be on that plane first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Riley gave Margo an incredulous look. “This whole thing is impossible.”

  Margo’s eyes flashed a warning. “If you care about being an author, you better find a way to make it possible. You’re not going to get another chance. This is your only shot.”

  “Margo—”

  But Margo cut her off. “Riley, I’m doing the best I can to try to help you here. So what’s it going to be? I need to let Mike and everyone know. This is your call, your career. What do you want to do?”

  Riley looked over to Alex for moral support. When he looked into her eyes and nodded, she picked up the boarding pass again.

  Margo checked her phone. “I just got another text from Mike,” Margo said. “Are you in or not?”

  Riley felt a rush of adrenalin mixed with determination. It fueled her forward. “I’m in,” Riley said with conviction. “I’ll go apologize to this guy and make this Christmas Camp thing work. Whatever it takes to get my career back on track. I mean, how hard can it be? I’m sure once I talk to this guy, he’ll understand what happened. Right?”

  When Riley saw a flash of concern cross Margo’s face, she tilted her head to one side. Riley tried again. “Right?”

  Margo merely nodded as she started to head for the door. “I’ll let Mike know you’ll be on that flight to Denver.”

  She was halfway out the door when Riley called out to her. “Margo!”

  Margo turned around.

  “Thank you,” Riley said. Her voice was softer, filled with sincerity. “I mean it. I’m sorry I let you down today, and I know you’re just trying to help me. I’ll fix this. You’ll see. It’s going to be okay.”

  When Margo just nodded again, Riley saw something in her eyes that made her feel like there was something Margo wasn’t telling her. But before she could say anything more, Margo disappeared out the door.

  Riley looked over at Alex. “I better go.”

  Alex had already gotten her coat for her and held it out so she could put it on. He then handed her a brown takeout bag.

  “What’s this?” Riley asked.

  “Your favorite dessert,” Alex said proudly.

  Riley’s eyes lit up. “Your homemade churros?”

  “With extra sugar, just like you like them,” Alex said. “I added red and green sugar to make them extra festive.”

  Riley laughed. “Of course you did.” She gave him a heartfelt hug. “Thank you, Alex.”

  He put his arm around her as he walked her to the door. “It’s going to be okay. Just go find Christmas. Find your story. You can do this. I know you can.”

  Riley looked into his eyes and took a deep breath. “I hope so.”

  “Merry Christmas, mi tesoro.”

  Riley gave him another quick hug. “Thank you for everything.”

  Chapter Seven

  The next day, when Riley landed at the Denver airport, she was thankful Mike had hired her a driver, one that actually showed up this time. Originally, she’d planned to get a rental car. She didn’t like the idea of being stuck anywhere without a car. But Mike had told her the drive to Christmas Lake, the community that the Christmas Lake Lodge called home, was about three hours up the mountain and that the roads could get tricky, especially with snow in the forecast, so she’d agreed to having someone pick her up.

  But as they left Denver, Riley wished she’d had more time in the Mile High City. She’d wanted to do some shopping and pick up a few things for her trip to the Colorado Rockies. When she’d moved to Arizona, she’d happily donated all her winter clothes, embracing a new warmer climate and lifestyle. Her original plan had been to buy some basics in New York before going to Colorado, but that plan had flown out the window when Margo had only given her a few hours to catch her flight.

  What she had packed was based on what Mike had told her, that all she needed to do at Christmas Camp was to host a welcome reception, some author chats, and join everyone for the meals. So she’d brought a couple pairs of black pants—one leather and one suede—and some lightweight designer sweaters, along with a couple of cute professional dresses and a cocktail dress for the reception.

  When she’d asked Mike if there were any other activities she needed to know about for Christmas Camp, he said he’d check with the owner and send her a list if needed. When he never sent her anything, and she’d followed up again, he told her not to worry saying he’s sure if there was anything more it would just be “regular Christmas stuff.”

  Her plan B—because she always had a plan B—was that if she did finally get her schedule from Mike and something else was needed, she could quickly do the necessary shopping in Denver before heading up to Christmas Lake. But that plan had also backfired when her driver, Harry, a kind, soft-spoken man in his late sixties, told her a storm was coming and it was best for them to get on the road as soon as they could before things got really bad.

  When Riley had looked outside the icy car window, all she could see was a whiteout. She had thought the weather they were already experiencing was “really bad,” but Harry had told her this was nothing, just a few flurries, and assured her they would get to the lodge safely. As they climbed up the mountain, the SUV’s wheels kept spinning as they hit random patches of ice. She didn’t even want to think about what Harry would consider bad weather.

  She was thankful when he had slowed down enough that it felt like they were barely crawling as he expertly navigated the narrow, winding road. He had turned up the Christmas music and was humming along to it. The song playing was, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.”

  As she peered out the window, she was glad she wasn’t walking anywhere. Still, she had to admit the scenery, or what she could see of it through the whirling snowflakes, was breathtaking. The mountain pass was truly a winter wonderland. All the evergreens were draped in a thick blanket of snow, and all the waterfalls were frozen in time, surrounded by sparkling icicles.

  Riley leaned forward so she could talk to Harry. “I don’t know how you can drive in this. I can barely see.”

  Harry kept his eyes on the road and smiled. “I’ve driven Glacier Pass hundreds of times. I know every bend in this road. We’ll be fine.”

  But when their SUV hit a patch of ice and fishtailed, Riley shrieked and grabbed the front seat. “Holy crap!” She exclaimed. “This is getting worse.”

  Harry just chuckled as they continued on their way. “That’s just Shadow Corner. There’s always ice there because the sun never hits it. Don’t worry. We’re safe. Yo
u can sit back and relax. Enjoy the ride.”

  He turned up the Christmas music.

  As Riley sat back and checked her seat belt, making sure it was on as tight as it could go, she caught Harry watching her in his rearview mirror.

  “Everything is going to be okay, Miss Reynolds,” he said in the most confident of voices. “I will have you there in no time. You just have to believe.”

  Riley caught the twinkle in Harry’s eyes.

  Great, Riley thought, now this driver thinks he’s Santa Claus, too.

  “This is your first time to Christmas Lake?” Harry asked.

  Riley nodded. “It is. I’ve been to a few ski resorts here in Colorado but nothing in this area.”

  “That’s the beauty of Christmas Lake,” Harry said. “They keep things pretty quiet and laid back here.”

  “Are you from the area?” Riley asked. “Or are you based in Denver?”

  “I move around,” Harry answered. “I go wherever the work needs to be done.”

  Riley wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but before she could ask any more questions, her phone rang. It was Mike. She let out a deep breath before answering.

  Here we go, she thought as she braced for whatever drama Mike was about to bring.

  “This is Riley.”

  “Where are you?” Mike jumped right in.

  Riley could hardly hear him. “I’m in the SUV,” she said.

  “What?” he asked, shouting now.

  Riley checked the bars on the phone. She barely had a signal.

  “As soon as we go around this corner, you’re going to lose the signal all together,” Harry warned her.

  Riley nodded. “Mike, can you hear me? I’m about to lose you. I’ll call you when I get to the lodge.”

  “I need to tell you—” Mike started, but then the call dropped.

  “Mike? Are you there? Hello?” She held up her phone trying to get a signal back but didn’t have any luck.

  “Is everything okay?” Harry asked.

  Riley shrugged. “I hope so. He said he needed to tell me something, but then again, Mike always needs to tell me something. It will just have to wait until I get there.”