“Merry Christmas,” he said cheerfully.
Riley noticed instantly that he only had eyes for Caylee.
“Paul, what are you doing here?” Caylee asked sharply. “Are you the local florist now?”
The way Caylee said florist made it sound like a bad thing.
Riley was surprised by Caylee’s tone, but it didn’t faze Paul at all. In fact, he was grinning as he walked over to Caylee and handed her the poinsettia.
“It’s great to see you, too, Caylee,” Paul said. “I saw the florist when I pulled up and thought I’d help bring something in.”
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Caylee said, her expression was impossible to read as she put the plant down on the table.
Paul held out his hand to Riley. “Hello, I’m Paul Harrison. You must be Riley Reynolds, the author everyone’s talking about.”
Riley nodded. “I am,” she answered, but she was still much more interested in why Caylee was acting so strange. “And if you’re not the florist—”
Paul answered her question before she could finish by holding up a camera that was slung over his shoulder.
“I’m the photographer your publicist hired to cover the Christmas Camp.”
“No!” Caylee blurted out.
Riley gave Caylee a confused look.
Paul just smiled. “Small world, right?”
Caylee, hands on her hips, stared back at him and didn’t blink. “Clearly, not small enough.”
Riley looked from Caylee to Paul. “So I’m guessing you two already know each other?”
“We do,” Paul said. “Caylee and I go way back. We both grew up here in Christmas Lake. Caylee was my first girlfriend.”
“When we were six years old,” Caylee shot back.
“Still counts,” Paul said as he smiled at her.
Caylee rolled her eyes. “Don’t listen to him, Riley.”
“So you still live here?” Riley asked.
Paul laughed. “No, I moved to Denver. I’ve been freelancing there for the past five years. I do photography and a lot of different social media, so I’ll basically just be here to follow you around and document everything you’re doing.”
Riley raised her eyebrows. “Follow me around? I know Mike said someone was coming to take some photographs, but—”
“Exactly,” Paul cut in. “That’s what I meant.”
“But you’re not staying here,” Caylee said. It was a statement, not a question. “We don’t have any room.”
Riley gave Caylee a curious look because she knew the lodge was far from full.
“Don’t worry, I’m staying with my parents in town,” Paul said. “They love having me here for Christmas.”
Caylee stood there staring at Paul and then finally turned to leave. “I need to go check with Maryanne to make sure everything’s good with the . . . cookies.”
Paul laughed. “You’re making cookies now? When did you start cooking?”
Caylee clearly didn’t appreciate his question. When she smiled a sweet smile, Riley could tell it was forced.
“First of all, it’s baking,” Caylee corrected him. “And a lot of things have changed since I saw you last.”
“I look forward to catching up, then,” Paul said with a confident smile.
“Can’t wait,” Caylee said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, as she left the room.
Paul laughed as Caylee disappeared. “Same ole Caylee,” he said, smiling.
“I’m guessing there’s some history there?” Riley asked.
Paul nodded. “Oh yeah, we’ve got history, but I’ll let her tell you about it. I don’t want to get on her bad side since I’m going to be here all weekend.”
Riley couldn’t help but laugh. “Smart man.”
“I saw Luke down by the lake. I’m going to head down and talk to him,” Paul said. “I’ll get the lay of the land and see where some of my best shots will be. What’s your schedule like? I’d like to get some pictures before the party tonight, after you’re all dressed up. Mike told me to make sure you were wearing a red dress.”
“Seriously?” Riley said, shaking her head. “That guy is out of control.”
“Or just being a good publicist,” Paul offered.
When Riley gave him a warning look, he rushed on. “I mean, the guy hired me so what else am I going to say,” he said. “Don’t worry. We’re going to have a great time this weekend. You’ll barely know I’m here.”
Riley wasn’t sure she believed him. “I’ll be upstairs in my room before our guests arrive. Luke and everyone want me to make my first appearance at the party tonight.”
“A grand entrance,” Paul said. “Smart. Adds to the drama.”
Riley laughed. “I don’t know about the drama part, but that’s the plan.”
“Is it okay if I get some shots of you in your room once you’re ready? Mike told me you have a very Christmassy room.”
Riley rolled her eyes. “Of course he did.”
“So is that a yes?” Paul asked hopefully.
Riley took a deep breath. “Sure, whatever you need.”
“Great!” Paul said as he headed back out the front door. “I think it will be cool to see the room that Miss Christmas is staying in. See ya later.”
“See ya,” Riley responded while wondering how many ways she could hit Mike with a snowball.
Paul passed the real florist who was coming in holding two more poinsettias.
“Where do you want these?” the florist asked. “I have two dozen coming in.”
Riley looked around. “You know, I’m not sure, but I’ll find someone who knows. Hold on.”
When she got into the kitchen, she found Caylee telling Maryanne about Paul’s arrival.
Riley was surprised to see the usually chipper Caylee frowning with her arms crossed defensively in front of her chest.
Riley walked over to her. “Okay, you have to tell me what’s going on. What’s the story with you and Paul?” She was dying to know. The sparks flying between those two had been Fourth of July–worthy.
“It’s nothing,” Caylee said, then viciously bit the head off a gingerbread boy cookie.
Riley raised an eyebrow. “Well, it doesn’t look like nothing by the way you’re attacking that cookie.”
Caylee, annoyed, broke the gingerbread leg off next. “Did Paul say something?”
“No,” Riley said. “He didn’t tell me anything, but come on, I write romance novels for a living. The sparks between you two would fit perfectly in one of my books. What happened?”
“Caylee broke his heart,” Maryanne offered.
Caylee shot Maryanne a frustrated look. “It wasn’t that simple.”
“Yet, you still broke his heart,” Maryanne said.
“And that wasn’t my fault,” Caylee said stubbornly. “Can we not talk about my personal life, please?”
“Really?” Maryanne looked at Caylee. “Because you’re always talking about mine and everyone else’s.”
Caylee was saved from answering anymore questions when an alert went off on her phone.
Riley stared at it. “Cell service is working?”
“It is today,” Caylee said and checked her text. “Some of the Christmas Campers are heading this way. They’ll be here an hour.”
Riley felt a rush of nerves. She grabbed a gingerbread cookie and bit off its arm.
“Okay, no more talk about Paul,” Caylee said, finding a smile. “I’m not going to let anything ruin our first day of Christmas Camp. We have work to do, including finishing up the lobby.”
“And we need to make sure Riley’s in her room before anyone shows up and sees her,” Maryanne said.
“Exactly,” Caylee agreed.
Riley tried to jump in. “I really don’t think we need to do
that . . .” But she was quickly shut down by look on Caylee and Maryanne’s faces.
Maryanne looked almost giddy. “I can’t believe this is about to happen.”
Riley swallowed her cookie. “Me neither.”
When they walked back into the lobby, the two dozen poinsettias were lined up on the floor.
“Oops,” Riley said, looking guilty. “I meant to tell you guys the florist was bringing these in. I wasn’t sure where you wanted them?”
“Luke thought it would be nice to have one in each guestroom,” Caylee said.
Riley nodded. “I can do that.”
“Are you sure?” Caylee asked.
“Of course,” Riley said. “It will give me a chance to check out all the rooms now that the final decorations are up.”
“And then you’ll go to your room and get ready,” Caylee said.
Riley laughed. “Whatever you say, Mom.”
They all shared a laugh.
Caylee picked up a poinsettia and gave it to Riley. “Perfect! Then here you go. Thanks.”
Riley picked up another poinsettia. You could barely see her face. “You’re welcome,” she said through the red leaves.
When Riley got to the first guestroom, she turned on the light and looked around. Not only was the room beautifully decorated in a style similar to the downstairs area with wreaths and garland over the fireplace and some nutcrackers and snow globes on the mantel but strung all across the ceiling were white twinkle lights.
Riley put the poinsettias down and looked up. “Wow,” she said. “So cool.”
When she looked up, she felt like she was looking up at the stars in the sky.
When she finished delivering all the poinsettias and got to her own room, she saw that Luke had somehow found the time to even add the white twinkle lights to her ceiling. She had to admit, it was a happy surprise, and that was saying a lot coming from the I don’t do Christmas girl who never liked surprises.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After shoveling the snow off the entrance one more time, Luke stood in front of the lodge making sure all the Christmas lights were working. He wanted everything to be perfect. He’d already been down to the lake and the Christmas Lake Christmas tree was shining bright. The lights on all the other Christmas trees along the lake were also on and twinkling.
It was one of Luke’s favorite times of day, golden hour, just before sunset, when the clouds could change colors quickly and dramatically before darkness falls.
He looked down at Comet, who was by his side. “Well, Comet, we’re as ready as we’re ever going to be. Are you nervous?”
When Comet barked and wagged his tail, Luke bent down to affectionately scratch the top of his head. “Yeah, I feel the same way.”
But as Luke looked back at his family’s lodge, he felt a sense of pride knowing he’d done everything he could to get ready for this Christmas Camp. He was glad he’d decided not to cancel it. He trusted that Riley wouldn’t let him or the Christmas Campers down. He knew she had just as much riding on this event being a success as he did.
As he looked up at Riley’s window, he couldn’t help but think that even though he’d spent a lot of time with her the last two days, she was still a mystery to him.
At times she could be funny, smart, and playful, and at other times she was no-nonsense, serious, and driven. These were all traits he admired and understood. But it was when she became very quiet, distant, and guarded that he couldn’t figure her out.
The only thing he knew for sure was that somehow talking about her Christmas past triggered her to withdraw, and that didn’t make any sense for someone who was known as Miss Christmas.
He wanted to get to know her better, but he was afraid she wouldn’t let him in. The few times he’d tried to get closer, she’d put up her walls so fast he knew he didn’t have a chance. The last thing he had planned was to have any kind of feelings for her, but there was something about her that made him want to know more. At times he’d felt that maybe she was feeling something, too, but then as quickly as the moment came, it disappeared.
Maybe he was imagining all of it. Or maybe he was just interested in her because he couldn’t figure her out. Whatever it was, it made him nervous. He couldn’t afford to let himself get emotionally involved with someone who might not be emotionally available. He had to remind himself that there were three different guys coming to see Riley, and he needed to get back to Europe soon. He didn’t need any complications, and he had a gut feeling that Riley could, if he let her, be one very big complication.
He was heading back toward the lodge when he saw an SUV making its way up the long, winding driveway to the front entrance.
“Here we go,” he said to Comet.
Comet barked and wagged his tail again.
Luke met the SUV where it stopped. There was only one man inside—the driver.
The driver got out and looked around, taking it all in. “Hi, I’m Colin,” the man said, walking right up to Luke and offering his hand.
“Welcome to Christmas Camp,” Luke said as they shook hands. “Can I help you with your bags?”
“Thanks, but I’m good. I travel light.” Colin grabbed a small suitcase out of the back. “I know I’m early, but I was hoping to see Riley before the reception tonight.”
Luke had already recognized Colin’s name, knowing he was one of Riley’s friends. “Actually, she’s doing some work and won’t be coming down until the party tonight,” Luke said.
Colin looked disappointed as they both made their way to the front door.
“But you’ll have lots of time to see her tonight and this whole weekend,” Luke offered, opening the front door.
Colin nodded. “I hope so. That’s why I’m here. You didn’t tell her I was coming, did you?”
Luke shook his head. “Nope, you said to keep it surprise.”
Colin looked relieved. “Thank you. I appreciate that. It’s not every day you get a second chance with the one who got away.”
“The one who got away?” Luke asked.
Colin smiled back at him as he put down his luggage. “You heard Riley in her TV interview, right?
“Oh, yeah, I heard her,” Luke answered.
Colin proudly pointed to himself. “I was the one she was talking about. The one that got away . . .”
Luke gave Colin a curious look. “Really?”
Colin nodded. “What was it she said exactly? Her one true love?”
Luke was thankful Colin had walked over to the nutcracker collection to get a closer look. It gave him a moment to collect himself. Now he knew why Riley didn’t seem emotionally available. Her emotions and her heart already belonged to someone else. They belonged to Colin.
“So you and Riley . . .” Luke started to ask before he could help himself.
Colin turned to face him. “We were in love for years, and I’m hoping, if this weekend goes as I plan, we will be again. I’m counting on you to help me with that.”
Luke fought to keep a smile on his face. “Me?”
“Yeah,” Colin said. “I was hoping you could help me plan some of the most romantic Christmas dates you’ve ever seen. I have some ideas for tonight.” Colin walked back over and picked up his suitcase. “But right now, if I could get to my room, I have a few calls to make.”
“Of course,” Luke said and was relieved when Caylee came into the room.
“I thought I heard someone,” Caylee said cheerfully. “Are you our first Christmas Camper?”
Colin smiled at her. “I am.”
“He’s a . . . friend of Riley’s,” Luke said. “This is Colin. He’s here to surprise her.”
“So please don’t tell her I’m here,” Colin said.
Caylee gave Luke a questioning look but quickly covered. “Of course not. Your secret is safe with us.”
“Thank you,” Colin said as he continued to look around. “Your place here is really something. All the Christmas decorations are great. It looks like a movie set. I’d know because I work in the industry.”
“Thank you,” Luke said. “We appreciate that. Some of these decorations we’ve had for generations, and every year my mom keeps adding more. We’re glad you like it.”
Colin looked back at Luke. “It’s great, but . . . Are you’re sure there’s no way to see Riley before the party tonight?”
Luke shook his head. “It’s what she asked for, so we want to respect that.”
Colin held up his hands. “Right, of course. I don’t mean to push. It’s just when you finally find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want that time to start right now.”
Caylee tilted her head to one side as she studied Colin. “Isn’t that a line from a famous rom-com?”
Colin nodded, excited. “That’s right. One of Riley’s favorites, When Harry Met Sally. It’s a classic.”
Luke had heard enough. “Caylee, why don’t you show Colin to his room? I think I see someone else driving up.”
“You got it,” Caylee said. “Colin, if you just want to follow me.”
As Luke watched them go, he was still trying to wrap his head around Colin being Riley’s “one true love” when the front door open and another handsome guy entered.
“Welcome to Christmas Camp,” Luke said.
“Thanks. Hi, I’m Brendan.” He held out his hand and shook Luke’s hand. “I’m here for Riley.”
Now this is getting more interesting by the second, Luke thought.
“Welcome to Christmas Lake Lodge,” Luke offered.
Brendan looked around, impressed. “This place is so cool. It reminds me of somewhere we stayed when Riley and I took a ski trip to Zermatt, Switzerland. We went spring skiing, though, so we didn’t have all these great Christmas decorations.”
“You and Riley traveled together?” Luke asked.
Brendan smiled. “All the time. When we lived together, we traveled the world. Did she tell you about it?”
“No,” Luke said, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice as he walked over to the fireplace. He put another log on the fire as his brain struggled to process this latest information.
Christmas Ever After Page 19
