The Mills & Boon Christmas Wishes Collection. Maisey Yates
improvements were all there, sorted into alphabetical order.
The phone rang, starling me. “Cedarwood Lodge, Clio speaking.”
“How’d the bridal expo go?” Kai’s Australian drawl provoked a smile.
Kai… just the person I needed to hear from. Even talking over the phone with him calmed me. “Well, despite Georges being a no-show the morning of, we got through it well, and secured a definite and one maybe. I just need that approval before I can put my wedding planner cap back on.”
“Georges didn’t show?” I explained to Kai what happened. “Lucky you had a stand-in then.”
“Very. Thank you for the magic you worked with Ned! I was iffy showing the brides the chapel without permission so that one-day pass was a godsend.”
“No worries. Sorry I didn’t get there – things have been hectic.”
“Did you manage to see about getting any time off?” It was a week until Christmas, and if he didn’t come soon we’d have to wait until the New Year, because Ned’s office was closed from Christmas Eve onwards.
“My boss wouldn’t budge, no surprises there, but I managed to move some projects up, and got some extra help in, so I can get there in two days’ time and stay for the week, because things shut down at Christmas. I know this leaves us tight for time with Ned, but I’m hoping I can convince him to visit Cedarwood while I’m there and explain the improvements and safety measures.”
“Oh, Kai, that would be amazing. I hope you’ll stay with us.”
“If you’re sure?”
“It’s not like we don’t have the room.” I laughed.
“True. Get your walking shoes on, Clio. Rain, hail, or shine we’re climbing that mountain.”
I wrinkled my nose, and gazed out the window to the slushy, ice-covered ground. “It’s snowing, Kai. And not just a little bit. Can’t I convince you to take a leaf out of my book?”
“Yeah, sure, what will we do?”
“First we’ll drink a bottle of wine, then we’ll eat our body weight in candy canes, and then…”
He laughed, “And then we’ll ice skate on the lake. Deal.”
“Maybe we’d better do that before the wine then.”
“See you soon.”
We said our goodbyes and I couldn’t ignore the little flutter in my belly that he’d be back soon. Back at Cedarwood…
The next day Cruz wandered into the kitchen, a sheepish expression on his face. “I’ve been ordered to take breakfast upstairs…”
I let out a laugh. “Yeah? Those princess instincts are really kicking in.”
“They’ve never really been that well-hidden to be honest,” he said, and smiled. “Do you mind?” He pointed to the fridge.
“Go for it. I probably should go and do a big grocery shop before Christmas. I was going to host a little party, but now Georges has gone…” I let the words hang in the air.
“I can help, no problems,” he said. “I forgot how much I love it. The sizzling of pans, getting the timing just right. While it seems more manic than number-crunching, it’s actually a helluva lot more enjoyable.”
“Why don’t you cook again then, Cruz?”
“I had these dreams of owning a cute little café, somewhere where there are open spaces, no traffic, quiet…”
I raised a brow. “Sounds like Evergreen, doesn’t it?”
He took bacon and eggs from the fridge, and turned to me grinning. “I guess it does.” He ran a hand over his face. “It’s funny. If you’d have asked me a year ago did I want kids, marriage, a different job, I would have laughed in your face. But something changed, like a switch was flicked, and I didn’t recognize the person I’d become. It was so sudden, and I just felt like I’d been living a lie. The job, the work culture in NYC just seemed so meaningless. The only thing that mattered to me still was Amory, and I realized how much I loved her. When everything else fell away, all I wanted was her, and a different life.”
I took a frying pan from the hook and put it on the stove, lighting the gas for him. “I did wonder why things moved so quickly between you and Amory all of a sudden. I thought it was because I was out of the way.” Amory had made it her mission to get me out and about in New York, and often I felt guilty that I was encroaching on time they could spend together, but at that stage Cruz worked long hours, and Amory always reassured me it was fine.
He dropped a dollop of butter in the pan, which sizzled, liquefying. “I probably scared her with my sudden intensity. In fact, I know I did. But it was just so clear to me, you know, like a complex math problem solved in the blink of an eye. Now though, how do I make things right? How do I show her I’m still the same guy, but with different goals?”
I flicked on the coffee machine and folded my arms, contemplating it all. “I guess you just lay your cards out – that’s all anyone can do – and say, this is me, this is what I am and… see?”
He placed bacon in the pan, which shriveled and shrank back in the heat. “I know Amory thinks it’s unfair to stay together if I want children. She thinks it’s like shopping and I can walk down the supermarket aisle and pick one, oh look she’ll make a great mom, but you know, I love her enough, too much actually, to let that one thing end us. So she doesn’t want kids now, and maybe she never will, but I’d choose her over that any day. Sure, I’d love to have a family, but not at the cost of losing her.”
“Have you told her all of this, Cruz?” I knew they’d gone back and forth over most of it a number of times, but he was really ready to change his life, and all he wanted was her. She wanted to stay here, and he wanted open spaces and a quiet life. Couldn’t they both stay and at least explore a new start in Evergreen? Had Amory told Cruz she, too, was tired of New York and the demands of big-city living?
“Yeah, but I think she only hears what she wants to hear.”
“Cruz, I need a chef, and you need a new challenge. Think about staying, will you?” I didn’t care that I hadn’t checked with Amory. These two needed a shove, and maybe if they stepped away from their old lives, they’d find some harmony here. Cedarwood had worked its magic so far…
Later that day I went online, and was surprised to find my email full of queries about the lodge. There were messages about weddings, bridal showers, and even a bar mitzvah. While I was thrilled, I wondered where they’d all come from. How had they heard about Cedarwood?
I went through them all, answering their questions, attaching pictures, sample menus, price lists.
“If you squint any harder you’ll fall asleep,” Amory said. “What’s so fascinating?”
I laughed. “Well, for reasons unknown, we have an inbox full of potential clients. Come see.”
She leaned over my shoulder, and I scrolled down, showing her the emails.
“I bet we’ve been written up somewhere! Give me that.” She grabbed the laptop and hit the keys frantically, mumbling to herself, as she tried various word combinations before saying, “Boom! Found it! Only the New York Observer!”
“No!”
“Yes!”
“NO!”
“YES-S-S!” She let out a squeal.
“Let me see!” She turned the screen to me and I shrieked, clapping a hand to my mouth as I read the headline: Clio Winters rises again,