They’d also talked about being single in the city that never sleeps, and Riley had been surprised to learn that despite what was written about him in the press, he rarely dated with his crazy busy work schedule. He’d told her he’d barely had time to make himself dinner, much less actually go out on a dinner date. He’d said that the women he’d dated sadly didn’t have much tolerance of the fact that he always put work first and that an eighty-hour work week was his norm.
Of course, this lack of work-life balance had been something Riley could totally relate to.
Before Riley even knew how it happened, she had found herself totally relaxed and enjoying her time with Tyler. Neither of them had believed it when two hours had flown by and they hadn’t even talked shop yet.
So when Tyler had asked her for a favor, to be his plus-one to a fancy cocktail party one of his clients was hosting, she’d agreed to go without a second thought. They’d even laughed about how they could help each other out and be each other’s plus-ones when they had to attend these kinds of functions. That way they could avoid all those awkward questions about being single when they showed up alone.
And that’s how it had all started. She had never intended to actually date Tyler, and she was fairly sure he’d say the same thing about her, but pretty soon they were being photographed together at all the most exclusive parties and being dubbed one of Manhattan’s newest power couples.
She still laughed thinking about being part of any high-society power couple. She had gone from moving back in with her mom because she was flat broke, to living an opulent life in New York City, where power lunches, swanky cocktail parties, and elegant dinners were her new normal.
After Tyler had gotten promoted to partner at his law firm and upgraded to a penthouse apartment, she’d moved in with him, giving up her tiny studio and frugal lifestyle. At the time, her books had been selling better than ever, and Tyler had negotiated two Hollywood movie options for her, so she was making great money and living the life she thought she wanted.
Until it wasn’t.
She honestly couldn’t remember when things had taken a turn in their relationship. It hadn’t been one big thing that happened. They had rarely argued, in large part because, in reality, they rarely saw each other. Tyler would leave for the gym at five in the morning and often not get home from work until almost midnight because he was always taking one client or another to dinner and drinks.
She hadn’t minded. She’d understood that as an entertainment attorney a huge part of his job, with the kind of showbiz clients he had, was to entertain. At first, she’d gone to a lot of the dinners and parties with him. She’d had a blast living the kind of glamourous life she’d seen on reality TV shows. But when it had turned out the reality of her life had become very empty and superficial, Riley realized her perfect-on-paper relationship with Tyler was more like a business merger than a romantic relationship.
She’d also found her lavish lifestyle was impacting her writing. All the late-night parties meant she was sleeping in later, and her best time to write had always been the mornings. When she did finally carve out some time to write, it had felt forced and she hadn’t been able to find her rhythm. She had tried to tell herself she was being too hard on herself and that what she was writing was fine. But deep down, she knew something had been missing. When she’d turned in her next first draft to her editor and her editor had questioned—for the first time—where the love was, where the passion was, Riley had known it was time she made some big changes and fast.
Her life with Tyler had run its course.
It had been an amazing ride. With Tyler, she had been accepted into the illusive and exclusive world of Manhattan’s elite. It had opened a whole new world up to her, but with that world came at a price she was no longer willing to pay.
So she’d broken up with Tyler and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, a place where she could reboot and refocus. She had gone there with Brendan once, on their way to a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon, and she had found Scottsdale to be incredibly peaceful. It was just what she’d needed at the time.
She’d actually been surprised by how much Tyler had resisted her decision at first. She’d figured he was already on the same page and that this breakup would be similar to the one with Brendan, but she’d been wrong. Tyler had argued, using all his lawyer skills, that they had a lifestyle most people would die for and that they were so compatible he couldn’t imagine finding anyone else who would be such a great fit.
When she’d told him they both deserved more than just a great fit he still didn’t get it. He’d been angry when she’d left for Arizona, and while he’d called several times trying to get her to reconsider, she’d known Tyler wasn’t what she needed.
Instead, she’d thrown herself into rewriting the novel her editor hadn’t been happy with at first and found new ways to add more heart into the story. Bu still, when Heart of Summer came out, it had bombed.
The readers who had written reviews were right. It was a love story that was missing the love, and for the first time she was scared, really scared, that she’d lost what had made her novels so special, and she didn’t know how to get it back.
Riley was really counting on this Christmas Camp being the beginning of her comeback. The last thing she needed was the complication and confusion of her three exes showing up.
“I can’t believe this is happening . . .” Riley didn’t realize she’d said the words out loud until Caylee quickly responded.
“Oh, it’s happening all right!” Caylee jumped in, not even trying to hide her enthusiasm. “So, of the three, there wasn’t one you loved the most?”
Riley walked over to the dresser and picked up one of the Santas, then put it back down to join the other two.
“I don’t know,” Riley answered honestly. “They were all so different. They all brought something unique to my life when I needed it. Colin made me feel safe and loved, and I really needed that back then. But then Brendan brought out the daring side of me and taught me how to live in the moment.”
“And with the last one? The lawyer?” Caylee asked.
Riley smiled and touched the neckline of her dress. “Tyler. He loved dressing up like this. He showed me what it would be like to live a life of luxury where I didn’t have to worry about money all the time. That gave me a different kind of freedom. With Tyler, I learned the power of success.”
Caylee studied her. “Did you love the power or Tyler more?”
Riley gave Caylee a thoughtful look. “Good question. I know I should say Tyler, but if I’m honest, I really don’t know.”
“Well, it looks like you’re going to have a chance to find out,” Caylee said. “You’re so lucky.”
Riley shook her head, confused. “Lucky? How?”
“Think about it,” Caylee said. “How many people get a second chance with someone they loved? You loved them all for a reason, but the timing wasn’t right. Maybe now, for one of them, the timing is finally right, and your one true love is here. You just have to figure out which one of those guys could be your happily-ever-after.”
Riley laughed a nervous laugh. “You make it all sound so easy.”
“It shouldn’t be that hard,” Caylee countered. “It’s Christmas. It’s the time of year when everyone falls in love, and the three loves of your life are all here. Don’t you think that’s a sign? Don’t you owe it to yourself to see if there’s anything still there? You don’t want to always wonder ‘what if.’”
Riley knew Caylee was right about one thing. She didn’t want to live with the dreaded “what if” hanging over her.
That meant she needed to talk to all three guys and see if there were still any sparks or if her ghosts of boyfriends past needed to stay right there—in the past.
Chapter Thirty
After Riley went back downstairs and rejoined the party, she spent about an hour makin
g sure she talked to all the Christmas Campers. The whole time she could feel the eyes of Colin, Brendan, and Tyler on her.
Clearly, they weren’t going anywhere.
When she spotted Luke talking with Brianna, laughing and having a great time, she looked away quickly. But apparently not fast enough because Luke caught her eye and walked over to her.
“Everything okay?” he asked. “Do you need anything?”
“No, everything’s fine,” Riley said. “I think everyone’s having a great time.”
“And what about your . . . friends?” Luke asked.
Riley looked over at Tyler, who was glued to his phone. “I think they’re entertaining themselves. And about that, I really owe you an apology . . .”
Luke held up his hand. “It’s okay.”
“No,” Riley said, “It’s not okay. I totally jumped to conclusions in blaming you. You didn’t deserve that. I was in shock and freaking out, but that’s still no excuse. You’ve done nothing but work hard to make this event a success. I had no right to treat you like that. I hope you can forgive me?”
“Apology accepted,” Luke said. “I would have freaked out, too, if all my old girlfriends had showed up.”
Riley arched one eyebrow. “Would they have filled the room?”
Luke laughed. “Maybe a corner or two.”
They shared a smile.
“But seriously, Riley,” Luke said, taking her hand and looking into her eyes. “It’s Christmastime, and there’s nothing I want more than this Christmas Camp to be a success for you.”
Riley was touched. “And I want the same for you and your mom. We’re in this together.”
Luke gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “We sure are.”
The moment was interrupted when Brianna came over holding two glasses of Champagne and handed one to Luke.
“I got you a new glass,” Brianna said, smiling up at Luke. “We have so much to celebrate.”
When Luke let go of Riley’s hand, it suddenly felt very cold.
“Thank you,” he said as he took the glass. “Riley, I haven’t had a chance to introduce you to Brianna yet. She’s—”
“The realtor,” Riley finished for him.
Brianna linked arms with Luke. “And a little more than that, but yes, I’m a realtor. Has Luke told you the good news?”
Riley fought to keep smiling. She didn’t like the possessive tone of Brianna’s voice.
“Not yet,” Luke said. “This is her big night. I want to focus on that.”
Riley looked from Brianna to Luke. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What’s the good news?”
“It looks like I found a buyer for the lodge,” Brianna jumped in, unable to contain her excitement. “Isn’t that amazing?”
Riley’s eyes flew to Luke’s but was surprised he didn’t look half as excited at Brianna did.
“That is amazing,” Riley agreed. “Isn’t it?” She directed her question to Luke.
But Brianna answered. “We’re getting full asking price, so yes, it’s a very good thing.” She clinked her Champagne glass to Luke’s.
“Nothing is set in stone,” he said. “I’m not going to jump the gun and start celebrating yet. There’s a long way to go from interest to signing final paperwork, and right now, this weekend, I need to focus on Christmas Camp.”
“It’s already a success,” Brianna said. “It’s trending on social media after that picture was posted of Riley with her three ex-boyfriends.”
“Wait, what?” Riley asked, almost choking on her words. “What picture?”
Brianna got out her phone and showed Riley a picture where Colin, Brendan, and Tyler were all standing in front of her and she had a look of pure shock on her face.
Riley felt blindsided. “Where did that picture come from?”
Then she knew. She whipped around, and her eyes zeroed in on Paul. He was drinking a glass of Champagne.
As she marched over to Paul, she didn’t even pretend everything was okay.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked as she approached, but his smile quickly faded when he saw her expression.
“Why don’t you tell me,” Riley said, locking eyes with him. She pointed at his camera. “Did you get some good pictures tonight?”
“Yes,” Paul said. His voice was hesitant.
“Good, because those are the only photos you’ll be getting. You’re fired,” Riley said.
Paul put down his Champagne. “Look, Riley, if it’s about the picture I sent Mike, I told him not to give it out to anyone until you approved it,” he said. “I know, I know. I heard it’s gone viral, but you need to talk to Mike about that.”
“No,” Riley said, stepping even closer to him until he took a step back. “I’m talking to you about it because we had an agreement that I would have photo approval, and you know I didn’t approve this.”
Paul held up his hand like he was trying to defend himself. “I know, but Mike texted and wanted to know how it was going, and I told him there was this huge surprise with your exes showing up and how it would be great for social media. But I also said we should all talk about how to handle the story. When he asked me to send a picture just to see the guys, I didn’t know he’d run with it.”
Riley laughed. “Really, Paul? You didn’t know Mike would run with it? This is Mike we’re talking about. Even if you’ve only worked with him for a second, you know how he is.”
“Okay, yes, I know,” Paul said. “But I also saw other Christmas Campers posting the same pictures, and I thought Mike was right that we should be the one to break the story before a news outlet saw one of the Christmas Campers’ posts.”
“You should have talked to me first,” Riley said.
“I tried to find you, but you had disappeared with Caylee,” Paul replied. “You know how fast this kind of thing blows up, so I thought by telling Mike I was doing my job and protecting you. Look, I was wrong. I get it. If you want me to leave, I will, but Mike will just send someone else who will do the exact same thing. Riley, I promise you, going forward, no matter what happens, I’ll make sure I show you everything before I sent it to Mike.”
Riley crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How do I know I can trust you?”
Caylee appeared. “Paul’s a lot of things, but he’s not a liar.”
Riley and Paul both looked surprised.
“How much did you overhear?” Riley asked her.
“Most of it,” Caylee answered.
“So you’re saying I can trust him?” Riley asked Caylee.
Caylee locked eyes with Paul. “Yes, I believe you can trust him.”
“Thank you, Caylee,” Paul said.
“Don’t thank me,” she said. “Just don’t let Riley down again, or I’ll make sure you never freelance for anyone in this state again. Understood?”
Paul opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then closed it. Instead, he answered Caylee with nod.
Caylee linked arms with Riley. “Now, you need to come with me. Some Christmas Campers are asking for you.”
As they walked off together, Riley gave Caylee a curious look. “Now, I really need to hear this story about you and Paul.”
Caylee just keep her eyes straight ahead. “No. What you need is time with our Christmas Campers.
As Riley spent the next hour with their guests, she was amazed at how friendly and genuine everyone was. The Christmas Campers’ excitement and enthusiasm was exactly what she needed to take her mind off her personal life being blasted all over the internet.
When everyone started calling it a night and going upstairs, Riley finally had the chance to gather her exes together over by the fireplace. Colin sat down on the couch, Brendan took a chair, and Tyler took another chair. When she remained standing, Comet came over and sat down next to her, looking up at he
r with his big brown eyes.
She took a deep breath. She everyone’s full attention. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she saw her three handsome exes all staring back at her.
“Well, this is awkward,” she said with a little laugh, hoping to break the ice.
When the guys didn’t laugh, she rushed on. “I’m guessing by now you all have gotten to know each other?”
Tyler frowned. He clearly wasn’t amused. “If you mean, do we all know we’re your ex-boyfriends, yes. We figured that out.”
Brendan laughed. “This is pretty crazy.”
“In the TV interview you said you had one great love of your life,” Colin said. “Apparently, we all thought you were talking about us.”
Brendan laughed again. “So crazy.”
No one else was laughing.
Tyler stood up. “So, Riley, we’re all busy. We know you’re busy with this publicity event, so just tell us which of us you were talking about, and the other two will leave. Right, guys?”
“We never meant to disrupt your Christmas Camp,” Colin said, also standing up.
“Or stress you out,” Brendan added as he stood, too.
“Just tell us,” Tyler said, never taking his eyes of Riley’s. “Who were you talking about?”
Riley sat down. “None of you,” she said.
All the guys looked confused.
She took another deep breath. “And all of you.”
All three guys sat back down.
“What do you mean?” Brendan asked.
Colin gave her a confused look. “How could you be talking about all three of us?”
Tyler locked eyes with Riley. “But you really were talking about all three of us, weren’t you?”
Riley nodded. “I was so frazzled when that guy put me on the spot during the live interview. What I’d meant to say was that my novels were inspired by all the great loves in my life. All, as in more than one, not just one person.”
Christmas Ever After Page 24
