Lisa paused.
“And?” Riley pressed. She was totally invested in the story.
Lisa smiled an all-knowing smile. “And when Thomas went to pick up the pieces, one of the pieces was in the shape of an angel.”
Riley’s gaze flew to the angel figurines, then back to Lisa. “What happened next?”
Chapter Seventeen
Lisa smiled a knowing smile. “Some say what happened next was a Christmas miracle. The broken piece of pottery gave Thomas an idea. He decided he would try to make his first angel and give it to Cynthia for a Christmas present. Even if they couldn’t be together, he wanted her to know that he would never stop loving her. So he worked night and day for the next two days, putting his whole heart and soul into making that angel. He finally finishing it just as the sun was coming up on Christmas morning. He quickly wrapped it in the only thing he could find, an old gunny sack, and he persuaded one of housekeepers that worked for Cynthia’s family to hide his gift underneath the family’s Christmas tree.”
Riley, barely able to stand the suspense, reached out and took Lisa’s hand. “Please tell me Cynthia got the angel and that her parents didn’t find it first and throw it away,”
Lisa gave Riley’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “The housekeeper was apparently thinking the same way you are. So she tucked the burlap sack way behind all the family’s beautifully wrapped presents.”
“So Cynthia found it?” Riley asked.
Lisa smiled and nodded. “She did, but only because once she was done opening all her extravagant gifts, a ray of light beamed through the window, illuminating the hidden present. When Cynthia opened the sack and took out the angel, it glowed in the light, and there was also a note from Thomas.”
“What did it say?” Riley asked breathlessly.
Lisa’s smile grew. “It said, ‘Cynthia, you will always be my angel. You will always have my heart. I love you now and always. Merry Christmas, Thomas.’”
Riley didn’t realize her eyes had filled with tears until she felt one tear slowly slide down her cheek. Embarrassed, she quickly brushed it away. Then she noticed Lisa also had tears in her eyes.
“I always cry when I tell this story because it’s so beautiful,” Lisa said as she gently wiped a tear away.
“What did Cynthia do?” Riley asked.
“Cynthia took her angel and went to find Thomas,” Lisa answered. “She told her parents that she didn’t care if they cut her off from the family fortune like they had threatened to. She said she didn’t need their money, that she and Thomas would be just fine on their own because they had what really mattered. She had love.”
“Wow,” Riley said softly.
Lisa nodded. “You see, she had faith in Thomas and faith in their love. When she went to the pottery shop to find Thomas, she took out the beautiful angel he had made for her and set it on the table by the window. She told Thomas how much she loved the angel and how much she loved him. She told him she wasn’t going back to her family, that he was her family now.”
“What happened?” Riley asked.
“Thomas, of course, was overjoyed,” Lisa said. “They were just about to kiss when someone came into the shop.”
“On Christmas Day?” Riley asked.
Lisa smiled. “Yes, it was someone who was passing through Christmas Lake on their way to visit family, and they stopped when they saw the angel in the window. They thought it would make a wonderful Christmas gift.”
“No!” Riley exclaimed. “Tell me they didn’t sell it?”
Lisa laughed. “Of course not, but it did give them the idea that maybe Thomas could make more angels and try to sell them.”
Riley nodded. “And of course the angels became a big hit.”
“More than anyone could have imagined, especially after the story of how the first angel was made got around. I think everyone really connected with how out of something broken, Thomas’s relationship and that piece of pottery, came something beautiful. After the story was covered in the local newspaper, people came from all over the region to buy Thomas’s special angels. He called them the Christmas Lake Angels, and he would only sell them right here in Christmas Lake. He wanted people to come and see how special it is here. These angels have become a symbol of true love and always having faith in love.”
“What an amazing story,” Riley said.
Lisa nodded. “For decades now, it has been a tradition for people to buy them and give them to the people they love most at Christmas, just like Thomas gave his first angel to Cynthia. They are only sold at around the holidays, starting on December first and ending on Christmas Eve.”
Riley walked over to the display of angels. She picked up a little framed saying that said, Give the gift of love to your one true love.
“They sell out fast. This is all I have left. If you’d like to get one, I would do it now,” Lisa offered as she joined her.
Riley shook her head. “Thanks, that’s okay. I don’t need one.”
Lisa gave her a curious look. “But in the TV interview you talked about your one true love. I thought maybe—”
“No,” Riley said. “That whole interview was taken out of context. Trust me, I have no one to give an angel like this to.”
Lisa put her arm around Riley. “Don’t worry, dear. You still have lots of time to meet ‘the one.’”
Riley laughed. “Oh, trust me, that’s the last thing I need. The only ‘one’ I care about right now is my next novel. That’s what I need to focus on and give all my love to.”
“But a book can’t love you back,” Lisa said.
Riley laughed. “I don’t know about that. I’ve felt a lot of love from some of the books I’ve read.”
They shared a smile.
“Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing,” Lisa added. “I mean, after all, you’re the one writing best-selling love stories.”
Riley smiled, but she couldn’t help thinking that she hadn’t been writing best-selling love stories lately. She’d never thought she had to be in love to write about love. She’d always just used all the inspiration from her past relationships. But had that all finally dried up? Was she out of material? If that was the case, she was in big, big trouble.
Lisa had started walking away. “I will leave you to look around,” she said. “Enjoy yourself, and hopefully you’ll find something that speaks to you.”
As Lisa left her to browse, all Riley could think was that if anything in this store started speaking to her, she was going to run—fast.
She was just passing a wall of wreaths when one of her shopping bags hit the shelf of Christmas Lake Angels. One angel teetered back and forth, looking as if it was about to topple over. Riley quickly reached out to steady it.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not going anywhere,” she said to the little angel. After making sure it was safe, she continued around the corner.
That’s when she heard Luke call out her name. “Riley? Are you still in here?”
“I’m over here,” she answered. “By the angels.”
Luke appeared quickly. “I should have known I’d find you by a good story,” he said, picking up one of the angels. “Did Lisa tell you about our Christmas Lake Angels?”
“Oh, yes, she did,” Riley said. “I heard the whole story.”
“And what did you think?”
“That it’s a brilliant marketing plan,” Riley answered.
Luke laughed as he gently set the angel back down. “And I thought you were a romance author. That’s not a very romantic way to look at it.”
Riley shrugged. “What do you think of the story?”
“I grew up hearing it,” Luke said. “It’s part of my Christmas tradition.”
Riley gave him a thoughtful look. “So, you believe in . . .”
“Love,” Luke finished for her, looking i
nto her eyes. “I do. Don’t you? I mean, you have to, right? It’s all you write about.”
“First, it’s not all I write about,” Riley corrected.
“So your answer is?” Luke asked.
When Riley realized he wasn’t going to let her off the hook, she knew the only answer she could give him was that yes, she believed in love. What kind of romance writer would she be if she didn’t believe in love? As all these thoughts raced through her head, she couldn’t help wondering who she was trying to convince—him or herself.
She met his stare. “Yes, of course, I believe in love,” Riley said. “Happy?”
Luke kept staring at her. “Yes. Are you?”
She laughed to hide her discomfort. The way he was looking at her made her feel as if he could see right through her.
“I guess what I mean is . . . you must believe in love for other people because you write love stories about other people,” Luke said. “But what about you? Do you believe in love for you?”
Riley hadn’t seen that question coming, and because she wasn’t sure how she felt, she covered her confusion with annoyance. “Now you sound like Tom.”
“Tom?” Luke asked. “Who’s Tom?”
“The talk show host who asked me how I could write romance novels when I still haven’t found ‘the one.’”
Luke held up his hands. “Slow down. I wasn’t asking you why you didn’t have someone. I was just asking if you believe in love for yourself—that’s all.”
Riley locked eyes with him. “How do you know I don’t have someone?” Riley demanded.
Luke opened his mouth to say something but then apparently changed his mind and shut it. “You know what,” he said. “Forget I asked the question. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” Riley shot back, but her tone told a different story. She picked up a snow globe off the shelf and shook it hard. She was done talking about her love life or lack thereof.
“So how’s the weather out there?” she asked, changing the topic. She held the snow globe up to him. “Better or worse than this?”
When Luke took the snow globe from her, their hands touched and their eyes met. Riley looked away quickly. The way Luke was looking at her, like he was trying to figure her out, made her feel even more antsy.
“I’m ready to go,” she said and headed for the door.
“Thank you, Lisa,” Luke called out as they passed the register.
“You’re welcome, Luke.” Lisa smiled at them both. “Great to meet you, Riley. Come back soon. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” Luke replied.
“Thanks again,” Riley chimed in.
As they walked back to the truck, Riley studied Luke. He seemed happy. He was humming “Deck the Halls.” It was the first time she’d heard him hum a Christmas song.
“How did your meeting go?” she asked, unable to help herself, remembering how she’d seen him with the pretty girl in the window.
Luke’s eyes lit up. “It was a great meeting. Couldn’t have been better.”
Riley couldn’t help wondering if Luke had ever bought a Christmas Lake Angel for someone he cared about. She shook herself mentally. She was annoyed that she’d let her mind even go there. What Luke did or didn’t do was no concern of hers. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. Her emotions were all over the place, and she blamed one thing . . . Christmas.
Chapter Eighteen
When they pulled up to the Christmas Lake Lodge, Riley saw a gray SUV parked out front.
“Were you expecting company?” Riley asked.
“That’s not company. That’s Maryanne,” Luke answered.
Riley didn’t have time to ask who Maryanne before he rolled down his window and hollered a hello to a woman who was unloading boxes of groceries from the SUV’s trunk.
“Maryanne, don’t worry about that. I got it,” Luke said as he pulled up to the SUV.
The truck had barely stopped when he got out and swept Maryanne up into a big hug. “Merry Christmas! I’m so glad you’re here.”
Riley frowned. Here was another pretty woman that Luke seemed enamored with. When she hovered in the background, Luke called her over. “Riley, come meet Maryanne, our chef extraordinaire.”
Riley barely noticed Maryanne because she was too busy watching Luke put his arm around her. “Nice to meet you,” Riley said.
“Great to meet you,” Maryanne said in the sincerest of voices.
When a gust of wind whipped by them, Luke took a box of groceries out of the SUV. “You girls get inside. I’ll get this.”
“Are you sure?” Maryanne asked, already heading for the door.
Luke laughed. “Yes. Go. Both of you.”
When Luke smiled at Riley, she smiled back, and then she quickly grabbed a box of groceries before she headed for the door, sidestepping the bear as Maryanne had just done. She was relieved to see it worked and no “We Wish You a BEARy Christmas” had begun.
Just as Riley got to the door, another gust of wind almost took her box of groceries with it. She flew through the front door, almost running over Comet, who was eagerly waiting for her.
“Sorry, boy,” she said, practically leaping over him.
She heard Maryanne laugh before she saw her. “Oh, he loves to wait right by the door. No one is coming or going without him knowing it, right, Comet?”
Comet went running over to Maryanne, who happily petted him.
As Riley brushed the snow off herself, she smiled at Maryanne. “So you’re the chef?” Riley asked. “I’m impressed and very jealous of anyone who can cook.”
Maryanne came over and held out her hand to shake. “And you’re Riley Reynolds, one of my favorite authors.”
Riley was flattered. “Thank you. That’s high praise, indeed.”
“And well deserved,” Maryanne said.
After talking to Maryanne for just a few minutes, Riley could tell she was passionate about her cooking. She guessed Maryanne was around the same age as she was. Even in her jeans and oversized fleece, wearing no makeup and her hair in messy ponytail, Maryanne was beautiful. She had the kind of classic features—high cheekbones, flawless skin, large almond-shaped eyes with long, dark, natural eyelashes—that any model would die for.
The best part was that it seemed like Maryanne didn’t even know how pretty she was. Either that or she just didn’t care. That made Riley like her even more.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that besides just bringing groceries, Maryanne had also brought a new Wi-Fi router. That had sealed the deal for Riley. If they could get the Wi-Fi working, Maryanne would be her new BFF.
Maryanne started telling Riley about all the different holiday dishes she was planning and some of the culinary classes she was going to teach during Christmas Camp. Her enthusiasm was contagious. Riley’s idea of cooking was warming up something in the microwave, but she was open to learning a few tricks from Maryanne.
Riley still wasn’t sure what the relationship was between Maryanne and Luke, but Maryanne clearly adored him. Apparently, Luke was one popular guy. First the realtor and now Maryanne.
When Riley looked out the window, she frowned seeing how fast the snow was still coming down.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he came up next to her.
“I’m just hoping all this snow doesn’t hurt the travel plans for our Christmas Campers.”
“Don’t worry,” Luke said. “They’ll get here. Even if I have to go get them from the airport myself. Okay?”
Riley gave a soldier’s salute. “Yes, sir.”
She still had her hand up to her forehead when the front door flung open, and a pretty girl in her twenties rushed inside. When the girl saw the end of Riley’s salute, she laughed a little. Riley instantly put her hand down, feeling foolish because the girl standing in front of her was
wearing an Army combat uniform.
But the girl quickly forgot about Riley when she saw Luke and went rushing toward him. “Luke!” the girl exclaimed with the kind of smile that would light up any room.
As soon as Luke saw her his eyes lit up. “Caylee!”
As Caylee threw herself into Luke’s arms, he exuberantly picked her up and spun her around. There was laughter and tears of joy. Riley felt like she was intruding on a special moment.
By the time Luke put Caylee down they were both breathless.
Comet, who had joined them, was equally excited, barking and wagging his tail.
“You made it!” Luke said, holding both her hands and looking into her eyes.
“Barely,” Caylee said, looking up at Luke.
He instantly looked concerned. “Trouble getting out of Afghanistan?”
Caylee laughed as she slung her duffel bag off her shoulder. “No, trouble trying to get into the Denver airport. Flights are being canceled all over the place because of some snowstorm. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it.”
Luke gave her a heartfelt hug. “But you’re here now, and you’re safe, thank God.”
“I had to come, right?” Caylee laughed. “There was no way I’d ever miss you doing a Christmas Camp at the lodge. I love this idea. It’s brilliant. I don’t know why we haven’t done something like this before.”
“My mom was saying the same thing,” Luke said. “She sends her love from Florida.”
“I’ve missed her so much,” Caylee said.
When Maryanne entered the room, Caylee rushed over and gave her a hug, too. “And I’ve missed you, too, Maryanne. All those cookies you sent me in Afghanistan, I swear you made me the most popular soldier at the base. Every time I got a package everyone would gather around and hope it was from you.”
Christmas Ever After Page 13
