“Where did Luke go?” she asked Comet.
Comet picked up his pace and pulled on the leash so hard she almost had to run to keep up with him. By the time she got down to the lake, she was breathless and laughing. That’s when she finally saw Luke. He was actually on the lake, out in the middle where the one Christmas tree was lit up.
“Good boy,” she praised Comet. “You found him.”
She walked to the edge of the lake and stopped. The only time she’d been on a frozen lake was when she’d worked as a news reporter in Minnesota and was sent to cover a story of a car that had gone partially through the ice.
Her not-so-brilliant cameraman had decided to drive their super heavy live van out on the lake so they could get closer for the best video. Even though she’d told him it wasn’t a good idea, he’d insisted he’d grown up on frozen lakes and knew what he was doing. He hadn’t, and when the van’s front wheel had broken through a layer of ice and she had heard the cracking of ice all around her, she had never been more afraid in her life. They’d called for help, and luckily, a rescue crew had gotten them safely off the ice.
She shuddered just thinking about it.
When Comet trotted out onto the lake, Riley let his leash go taut. He turned around and gave her a look.
“Sorry, Comet,” she said, eyeing the lake. “I’m not going out there.”
When Comet barked his displeasure, Luke looked over and waved.
Riley shouted out to him. “Luke, I need to talk to you!”
Luke motioned for her to join him.
She shook her head. There was no way she was going out on that ice. Giving up, she turned around and started walking away from the lake. When she saw a wooden bench over by the Christmas trees, she headed that way and sat down.
Comet sat down next to her and barked.
“Sorry, Comet. No can do,” she said.
Soon, she saw Luke walking their way. “Here he comes,” she said happily to Comet. While she waited, she inhaled a deep cleansing breath, enjoying the scent of the evergreens. For a moment, she shut her eyes and let herself relax.
The only things she could hear were Comet panting and a few birds chirping. When she heard the crunch of boots on the fresh snow, she opened her eyes and saw Luke heading straight for them. He was smiling.
“It looks like you two found one of my favorite spots,” Luke said.
Riley stood up as he approached. “I can see why,” she said, smiling back. “It’s beautiful here. This is a million-dollar view.”
“Don’t say that too loud,” Luke said. “The developers who built the big Skyline Resort over in the next town have already been sniffing around.”
“But I thought you wanted to sell the place, so that should be good, right?” Riley asked.
Luke shook his head. “Not exactly. It’s complicated.”
She sat back down on the bench and motioned to the seat next to her. “Why?”
Luke laughed a little as he sat down. “If you’re looking for something for your Christmas story, this won’t be it. Unless you plan to have a Scrooge in your book.”
“And in this case the Scrooge would be . . . ?” Riley asked.
Luke looked out over the lake. “The big developers who just want to cut down all these trees and build huge buildings. There was even talk of filling in the lake.”
Riley’s jaw dropped. “They could do that?
Luke nodded. “It would be incredibly expensive, but if they bought the land, they could do whatever they wanted. So I need to make sure that doesn’t happen. I promised my dad I would make sure the property stays as it is. Christmas Lake is part of my family’s history, not to mention the town’s.”
Riley shook her head. “I can’t believe anyone would do that. I mean, the town is called Christmas Lake. What would Christmas Lake be without the lake?”
“They’d probably just try to rename the town,” Luke said.
Riley’s eyes grew wide. “They could do that, too?”
He nodded. “With enough money, you can do anything.” Luke stood up. “You know what, let’s not talk about it. Right now, I’m just taking it one day at a time and trying to concentrate on making this Christmas Camp special for our guests. So what are you two doing down here?”
“Actually, looking for you,” Riley answered.
Luke held out his hand to take Comet’s leash. “Here, I’ll take him.”
“Okay.” Riley handed over Comet.
“So what do you need?” he asked.
She gave him a hopeful look. “I was checking to see when you think we’ll have Wi-Fi. I need to send some stuff to my agent for some media that’s covering Christmas Camp, and she’s waiting for it . . .”
Luke nodded. “Got it. So you need it now.”
“That would be ideal,” Riley said. “When you have a chance.”
“Okay, then let’s go.”
When Luke held out his hand, Riley took it. They shared a smile before Riley looked back at the lake and the one lone Christmas tree in the middle of it.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how all those lights are working on that one tree. Battery operated?” Riley asked. “But I’d think in this snowy cold weather batteries would just go dead.
Luke followed her gaze to the Christmas tree.
“Actually, that’s what I was doing—making sure all the tree’s lights stay on,” he said. “You’re right about the lights being run by batteries. Only, to make it work out here we use a special battery pack that’s insulted against the cold. But I still like to check it a couple times a day to make sure it’s working.”
“I know you said you keep them on twenty-four-seven, but you didn’t say why,” Riley said.
“Because it’s our Christmas Lake Christmas tree,” Luke said with pride. “Back during World War I, some families in town had sons fighting in the war, including my family, and when Christmas came around it was hard on everyone having their loved ones in harm’s way. So, one Christmas, on December first, a Sunday, the town pastor and my great-grandfather invited everyone to come down to the lake after the service. The pastor had put up a Christmas tree right in the middle of the lake, like we have it now. Of course, back then, they didn’t have battery-operated lights so he handed out candles. Everyone circled the tree and prayed for their loved ones who were serving in the military and for their families. The pastor said the light from the candles represented everyone keeping the soldiers in their hearts at Christmas and always.”
“That’s really beautiful,” Riley said. She was genuinely touched by the story.
“There’s more,” Luke said. “After that Sunday, some people asked my great-grandfather if they could continue coming down on their own, during the day and at night, with candles to honor and pray for the soldiers. That started a tradition here at Christmas Lake that continued during World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, and now Iraq and Afghanistan. Eventually, with technology, we were able to use battery-powered lights to make sure the Christmas tree is always lit up, day and night, starting December first until the new year, to honor our military service members and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. So in December these lights are always on, a reminder of how we’re holding them in our hearts always, especially this time of year, at Christmas.”
When Riley looked at the Christmas Lake Christmas tree again, she now saw more than just the tree with lights. She saw a symbol of love, hope, and faith.
“That’s an amazing story,” she said softly, almost to herself. She was trying to think about how she could possibly work something like that into her Christmas book.
“Are you ready to go?” Luke asked as he started heading for the lodge. Comet was already leading the way.
“Yeah,” Riley said. She was still thinking about the Christmas tree. “You know, first the Christmas Lake Angel and
now the Christmas Lake Christmas tree . . . you have some really great stories here.”
“We do,” Luke agreed. “Christmas Lake is full of Christmas stories like this. I haven’t even told you about our famous Christmas Lake Ugly Sweater Pageant.”
Riley burst out laughing. “What? Now you’re giving me a hard time.”
Luke crisscrossed his hand over his heart. “Scout’s honor. The Ugly Sweater Pageant is a real thing.”
Riley narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you even a scout?”
Luke grinned. “It’s practically required when you grow up here. If you’re nice, I’ll even let you borrow one of my mom’s sweaters for the pageant.”
They shared a laugh. Then Riley gave him a thoughtful look. “You know, I bet the Christmas Campers would love to hear these stories. Maybe you could do a Christmas Lake tour and tell them about the angel and the special Christmas tree. We could even do a ceremony down by the lake with candles the way it was originally done.”
Luke nodded, looking impressed. “I think that’s a great idea. Let’s finalize the schedule when we get back to the lodge. I’ve filled in all the blanks, and I want to make sure you’re good with everything. Maryanne also wanted to meet with us about the menu she’s planning and what she’s looking to do for tomorrow’s welcome cocktail party.”
“Sounds great.” Riley grinned at him.
Luke arched his eyebrows.
“What?” she asked.
“I just thought you’d be harder to work with,” Luke said. “Mike said you had some very specific ideas on what kind of activities you’d want to do, but so far, you’ve let me plan everything. Honestly, I’m just surprised.”
Riley laughed. “I hope in a good way.”
Luke looked into her eyes when he smiled back at her. “In a very good way.”
Riley’s pulse quickened until she remembered that Luke probably had this same effect on the pretty realtor and even Maryanne. Clearly, he could be charming when he wanted to be. This made her even more determined to stay focused on why she’d come to Christmas Camp. She couldn’t afford to let anyone distract her. She was here to save her career. Period.
Chapter Twenty-Two
As soon as they got back to the lodge, Luke, as promised, set up the new Wi-Fi router, and the internet was back up and running.
Back in her room, Riley was sitting cross-legged on her Santa sleigh bed. She couldn’t wait to get back on her computer. But when she finally got online and found hundreds of new e-mails in her inbox, she almost wished the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.
Especially when she saw she had more than twenty urgent e-mails from Mike alone.
Margo was a close second in how many e-mails she’d sent.
Riley quickly fired off an e-mail to everyone on her publishing team to let them know she was back online and then e-mailed her mom letting her know it was okay to send the Christmas picture now.
Staring at her e-mail inbox, Riley’s head started to spin. There were so many e-mails she needed to read, but right now, she knew it was more important to finalize the Christmas Camp itinerary with Luke and Maryanne since their Christmas Campers would be showing up in less than twenty-four hours.
“I’ll deal with all you later,” she said to the e-mails as she closed her laptop and carried it downstairs.
Luke was standing by the fire waiting for her. “Ready?” he asked.
Riley held up her computer. “Ready. I’m waiting for my mom to send me a picture that Margo and Mike are waiting for, but we can still get started.”
“A picture of you?” Luke asked.
Riley rolled her eyes. “Yes, unfortunately. It’s of me when I was a kid with Santa.”
Luke smiled at her. “I bet that’s a cute picture.”
“I have no idea,” Riley said truthfully. “I’ve never seen it.”
Luke’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
Riley realized her mistake instantly and scrambled. “I just mean my mom has a zillion pictures, and she found some old ones that aren’t in the . . . album.”
“Well, I definitely want to see it,” Luke said.
Riley shook her head. “Trust me, you don’t.”
Luke laughed. “Well, mine will be on the Christmas Camp memory board with the rest of them.”
Riley was confused. “Memory board?”
“I’ll tell you all about it,” Luke said. “It’s actually one of the activities on our list. Should we get started? Maryanne and Caylee are waiting in the kitchen. We figured we could go over everything there. This way Maryanne can show you some of her ideas for the menu. She’s right in the middle of making the Christmas Camp Popcorn.”
Riley’s eyes lit up. “Christmas Camp Popcorn? What’s that?”
“You’ll see,” Luke said, leading the way to the kitchen. “It’s for Christmas movie night, of course.”
Riley laughed. “Of course. But I still get some even if I don’t watch Christmas movies, right?”
Luke turned and tilted his head. “What do you mean you don’t watch Christmas movies? Isn’t that a prerequisite of being Miss Christmas?”
Riley kept walking toward the kitchen. She didn’t want Luke to see how she cringed when he called her Miss Christmas. “I can’t wait to see this popcorn,” Riley said, sidestepping his Christmas-movie question.
By the end of the day, even though she’d OD’d on Christmas Camp Popcorn, Christmas Camp cookies, and all sorts of other Christmas Camp–themed food Maryanne had whipped up and insisted she try, Riley knew the Christmas Campers were going to be in great hands when it came to holiday treats.
The next thing Riley learned about was the Christmas Camp memory board that had actually been Caylee’s idea. The way it worked was everyone who had signed up for Christmas Camp was asked to bring their favorite Christmas picture from when they were growing up. Then they could put their pictures on the board so it could remind everyone of the joy and wonder they’d felt at Christmas when they were children. The memory board itself was very festive. It was lined in fresh garland and lit up with white twinkle lights.
When Riley saw that Luke, Caylee, and Maryanne had already put up their adorable Christmas pictures to get things started, she knew the memory board was going to be a huge hit. She caught herself smiling as she stared at Luke’s photo. He’d probably been around six years old when it was taken, and he was standing by a snowman looking as proud as he could be. The snowman was lopsided with a crooked hat and branches for arms, and Luke’s smile was ear to ear as he put his arm around the snowman.
“What do you think?” Luke asked, coming up behind her. “I make a pretty mean snowman, right?”
Embarrassed to be caught looking at his picture, Riley quickly turned around. “You definitely have some skills.”
“So are you going to add your picture up there with ours?” Luke asked. “I’m sure the Christmas Campers would love it.”
“I don’t know,” Riley said, because she honestly didn’t know how she felt about even seeing this picture her mom was sending, much less sharing it with the rest of the world. “But that reminds me, I need to see if my mom has sent my picture yet.”
Riley went over to where she’d left her laptop open on the table and checked her e-mail. She quickly found her mom’s e-mail with an attachment. “It’s here,” she said.
As she clicked on the attachment, she suddenly felt very nervous. She didn’t even realize Caylee had come over and was looking over her shoulder until the picture filled up her screen.
“Oh my gosh, this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” Caylee exclaimed.
But Riley barely heard her as she stared at herself as a little girl sitting on Santa’s lap. For a moment, it took her breath away. She looked so . . . happy.
It all came rushing back to her. She’d been eight years old. It was the last Christmas befo
re her dad had passed away. She was wearing a pretty, red velvet dress with a big, white satin bow with white tights and black patent leather shoes. She was smiling at Santa like he was her entire world.
She didn’t realize her eyes were filling with tears until Luke gently touched her arm.
“Riley, are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded. She couldn’t take her eyes off the picture. “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her tears away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Luke said. “Pictures always bring back so many memories, and this looks like it was a very happy one. It looks like you started being Miss Christmas at a very early age.”
“Clearly, you loved Santa,” Caylee said. “Just look at that smile on your face. You are so adorable.”
A rush of so many different emotions flooded Riley—joy and sadness all mixed together. By avoiding all her Christmas memories all these years, she had never really dealt with them, and now they were back to haunt her like the Ghost of Christmas Past.
“You need to send the picture to your agent, right?” Luke asked.
Riley nodded, thankful Luke had helped her refocus. “Yes, right away.” She needed to concentrate on work. Right now she couldn’t deal with any more Christmas memories.
She quickly e-mailed Margo and attached the photo and felt instant relief when she pushed send.
She turned back to Luke. “Okay, done. Now let’s finish finalizing the activities for Christmas Camp.”
“Sounds good to me,” Luke said. “But before we start, I want to run one thing by you.”
“Sure,” Riley said.
“What do you think about doing a Christmas Camp dance on our last night? We could play Christmas music, and everyone could get dressed up, and we could invite people from town. We used host a dance every year, but when money got tight after the economy crashed, my parents stopped. I thought it might be nice to do one more time before we sell the place.”
Christmas Ever After Page 16
