“What’s going on?” Haley asked.
Kathy interrupted the awkward moment by entering the room. “Hey, no fair having a party without me.” She came over and hooked arms with Haley. “Introduce me to everyone.”
Trisha held out her hand to Kathy. “Hi, I’m Trisha. I’m . . .”
“Jeff’s girlfriend.” Haley finished for her.
Kathy looked shocked. “Wait . . . What?”
Jeff jumped in. “My ex-girlfriend. She’s my old girlfriend.”
“And longtime friend of the family,” Trisha said and smiled sweetly, too sweetly for Haley’s liking.
Haley put her hands on her hips. She locked eyes with Jeff. “So, which is it? Old girlfriend or old family friend?”
Trisha walked over and stood next to Jeff and looked up at him. “It’s both,” she said. She was still smiling. Haley was not.
Haley turned to Kathy, who looked equally confused. “And she’s my wedding planner.”
Kathy’s mouth dropped open. She quickly recovered, but you could still see the shock in her eyes.
Steve looked as uncomfortable as everyone else. “So, I was going to head into the kitchen. I think I smell Laura’s cookies . . .”
Kathy immediately took the hint. “I’ll go with you. I’m dying to try these cookies.”
Steve looked over at Trisha. Trisha wasn’t taking the hint. “Trisha, why don’t you come with us? We can catch up. It’s been a while.”
As everyone stared at Trisha, it was clear she didn’t want to leave.
Steve came over and put his arm around her. “Let’s get caught up.” As Steve started guiding Trisha away, she looked back at Jeff and smiled.
“But we need to catch up, too, Jeff,” Trisha said. She then looked at Haley. “I can’t wait to hear all about how you met. It was a big surprise hearing about the wedding.”
Steve walked faster. “Okay, let’s go. Those cookies are waiting.”
As soon as they were alone in the room, Haley turned to Jeff. She just looked at him. She didn’t even know where to start. She had never heard about Trisha before.
“I can explain,” Jeff said.
“Okay,” Haley said. She walked over to the Christmas tree and pretended to study some ornaments when actually her mind was whirling a million miles a minute. She had questions, lots of questions. She turned back around and faced Jeff. “But first, just answer one thing. Is our wedding planner really your ex-girlfriend, because that just seems a little crazy . . .” When Haley saw Jeff take a deep breath, her eyes widened. “Okay. So it’s true.”
Jeff joined her over at the tree. He took her hand and looked into her eyes. “I swear I didn’t know anything about this.”
Haley let go of his hand and picked up a snow globe off the mantel and started shaking it, hard. “How long ago did you date? She clearly still has a thing for you.”
Jeff, looking apologetic, gently took the snow globe out of her hand. He took a deep breath. “I’ve known Trisha a long time. I’m sure my dad was just trying to help and find someone fast. He’s always treated her like family.”
Haley stared at him. Hearing that Ben thought of Trisha as family only made Haley feel worse. “So when did you date? In college? Is that where you met?”
Jeff looked over at Max lying by the fireplace. Max put his head down on his paws. Jeff looked back at Haley. “No, we didn’t meet in college.”
Haley gave him an impatient look.
“We met here at the inn,” Jeff said. He hesitated a moment. “When her family came for Christmas Camp.”
Haley’s eyes grew huge. She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “So, you met her at Christmas Camp, just like you met me? Okay, wow.” Haley shook her head, trying to take it all in. “How long did you date?”
“Five years.”
Haley’s jaw dropped open. She didn’t even try to pretend she was cool with that. “Five years. That’s a long time, and you’ve never once mentioned her . . .”
“We haven’t talked that much about exes.”
Haley laughed. “That’s because I didn’t really have any serious old boyfriends. You know I’ve been concentrating on my career, but you apparently have had this serious relationship that I’ve known nothing about . . .”
“I didn’t bring it up because Trisha’s my past, and I want to concentrate on my future with you,” Jeff said.
Haley started pacing around the room. “But yet here she is, your past, and she’s about to become part of our future.” Haley picked up a Santa figurine, stared at it, but didn’t really see it.
“When did you break up?” Haley asked.
“About three years ago.” Jeff answered.
Haley shook her head. “What I don’t understand is, why would your dad ask your old girlfriend to be our wedding planner?”
“Because he has always liked Trisha,” Jeff said. “When we were dating, we’d come up here all the time, and it wasn’t a bad breakup. We parted as friends.”
This made Haley feel even worse. “Then why did you break up?”
Jeff stared into the fire. “I broke things off after my mom passed away. I wanted to spend more time with my dad. He needed to be my number one focus. I didn’t have time for a girlfriend.”
Haley’s heart was beating so fast, she had to take a breath. She was waiting for him to say they’d broken up because they weren’t a good fit, because he didn’t love her, not because his mom had passed away and he needed to take care of his dad.
Not wanting Jeff to see how upset and worried she was, she walked over to the window and looked out. As she watched the snow start to fall, she fought to stay calm. She couldn’t help wondering now if Jeff had ever really gotten over Trisha. Five years was a long time to be with anyone. She’d only known Jeff a year and still couldn’t believe how much she loved him.For the first time, she felt insecure about Jeff’s love for her, and it was the worst feeling in the world. She felt sick to her stomach. Her mind was whirling. Doubt clawed at her heart. What if Jeff had only broken up with Trisha because he was heartbroken about his mom, and now, now that he was better, now that he’d had some time to heal, his old feelings for Trisha could resurface. She took several deep breaths and willed herself to try to be rational and not jump to any conclusions, but she was scared, really scared. The thought of losing Jeff was unbearable.
When Jeff joined her at the window and put his arm around her, she didn’t resist. Instead, she put her head on his shoulder; seeking the comfort he always gave her. He always made her feel loved. Not just by saying the words—and he did that a lot—but by the actions he did every day, the little things that showed her how much he cared. She had seen the way Trisha looked at him. It was clear she still had feelings for him, and now, Haley worried that Jeff, after seeing Trisha again, would also start to have feelings for her again, now that he had healed emotionally and was able to move on with his life.
“Haley, talk to me. What is it? Ask me anything, and you know I’ll answer you.”
Haley turned around. “Do you still have feelings for her?”
Jeff looked surprised. “What? For Trisha? No, of course not. You know I love you. We’re getting married in two days.”
“But you two only broke up because of what happened with your mom.”
Jeff took Haley’s hand and led her over to the couch and sat down. “Honestly, I don’t even remember everything that happened back then except how upset I was about losing my mom.”
Haley looked worried. “That’s what I mean. If that’s the only reason you two broke up . . .”
Jeff looked into her eyes. “Here’s what I do know. I love you. She’s my past. You’re my future. I know what I want, and I want to marry you on Christmas Eve . . .”
“With your old girlfriend being our wedding planner?” Haley said. She couldn’t believe the words even as she said them.
When Jeff laughed a little, it only made Haley more upset.
“You better not be laughing at m
e. This isn’t funny,” she insisted.
Jeff took both her hands and pulled her toward him. He smiled as he looked into her eyes. “You’re cute when you’re jealous. I’ve never seen you jealous before.”
Haley looked up at him. She didn’t even try to deny it. “Because I’ve never had a reason to be before.”
“And you don’t have a reason now. I promise,” Jeff said. “I’m not sure how all this went down. I’ll talk to my dad, but I’m sure Trisha is just trying to help my dad and us and she’s really good at what she does.”
This didn’t make Haley feel any better. She saw the way Trisha had looked at Jeff and even if Jeff was clueless, she knew Trisha still had feelings for him. Her spiraling thoughts were interrupted when Jeff gently lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes.
“You’re the only one I love,” Jeff said. “You’re stuck with me, this Christmas and every Christmas for the rest of our lives.”
When he kissed her, Haley forgot about everything but the love she felt in that kiss. It was the perfect kiss—until they were interrupted.
“So who’s ready to plan a wedding?” Trisha asked. She walked into the room holding up her tablet. “I have some great ideas here I know you’ll like, Jeff.” Trisha sat down on the couch, looked at Jeff and patted the space next to her, urging him to sit.
When Haley gave Jeff an incredulous look, he kissed her quickly, got up, and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll like whatever Haley likes, so you two plan away. I’m going to go find Steve and Kathy and those cookies. Have fun.”
The look Haley gave him said she’d rather eat broken glass, but when she turned back to Trisha, she forced herself to smile. No matter how insane she thought this whole situation was, she knew right now she was stuck, and she had to make the best of it. She sat down next to Trish and looked at her tablet. “Okay, let’s see what you have.”
Trisha stood up. “Maybe we should wait for Jeff.”
“No, I’m good,” Haley said. “Like you said, we don’t have a lot of time, so let’s do this.”
Trisha reluctantly sat down. “Okay. Here’s what I’m thinking.” She brought up some pictures on her tablet. “Here are some ideas I have for the cake, for the flowers, for the menu. I know Jeff doesn’t like white cake, and he likes prime rib better than turkey, and Laura makes a great prime rib. For flowers, we’re a bit limited, but I know Jeff likes red roses—he used to always get them for me. They’re his favorite.”
Haley gave Trisha a look like she had sprouted two heads, but Trisha didn’t see it. She was too busy pulling up more pictures. Speechless, Haley looked over to Max lounging by the fire. He got up and trotted over to them.
At first it looked like he was going to sit by Trisha again, but then he changed his mind and sat down at Haley’s feet instead. She instantly felt a rush of victory. She knew it was ridiculous to be jealous of Max also liking Trisha. As she petted him, she decided she could share Max, but there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in the desert she was going to share Jeff, and the sooner Trisha knew that, the better.
“So what do you think?” Trisha asked, finally looking up from her tablet.
Haley locked eyes with her. “I think you’re still in love with my fiancé.”
Trisha didn’t even pretend to be shocked. She simply smiled and stared back at Haley. “I’ve always been in love with Jeff, and he was in love with me for many years. Jeff, Ben, Jeff’s mom, this place, has been a big part of my life and always will be.”
Haley just stared back at her. Trisha wasn’t pulling any punches. She almost admired her for not trying to deny how she obviously still felt about Jeff. But this was a problem, a big problem. So Haley chose her words carefully, using the same words Jeff had said to her. “I understand Jeff was your past, but he’s my future. We’re together now, and we love each other very much.” She paused a moment and waited for Trisha to say something, but when Trisha just kept flipping through pictures on her tablet, she continued. “I just want you to understand and respect that we’re together now. We’re getting married . . .”
Trisha looked up from the tablet. “Obviously, or Ben wouldn’t have asked me to help plan your wedding. I don’t want to let him down—he’s done a lot for me over the years—so let me show you what I’m thinking for a menu, so we can get Laura started.”
Haley couldn’t tell if Trisha was being genuine or sarcastic. She didn’t know what to say, so instead, confused, she looked down at the menu Trisha had pulled up on her tablet. The more Trisha talked about what appetizers they should have, the more surreal the whole thing felt to Haley. She was more than a little relieved when Kathy and Steve walked back in.
“So, how’s the wedding planning going?” Kathy asked cheerfully.
“Great.” Both Haley and Trisha answered at the same time. But the tones of their voices suggested differently.
Steve held up a platter of Christmas cookies. “Who needs a sugar break?”
Haley grabbed one and took a big bite.
Trisha waved them away. “I don’t eat carbs.”
Haley took another big bite of her cookie.
Steve put the cookies down. “I was going to head outside. Ben wanted me to check out some new Christmas lights he just put up before it gets dark. Trisha, you always had a great eye for decorations. Why don’t you come with me? I could use your help.”
Trisha’s smile seemed forced. “Sure.” She gave Haley her tablet. “Why don’t you look over my ideas and let me know what you like, and we’ll get this thing done.”
As Trisha walked out of the room with Steve, Kathy turned to Haley. “We’ll get this thing done? That doesn’t sound very romantic or weddinglike to me. I’m sensing a little tension here.”
“You think?” Haley shook her head, frustrated.
“If you don’t want her here, just tell Jeff we can plan this wedding. It’s not brain surgery.”
“Oh sure, and then I look like the insecure jealous girlfriend who sent Trisha home after she came all the way up here, at Christmas, to help with the wedding. Ben apparently loves her. That’s why he asked her to come. Even Max loves her. As long as Jeff doesn’t love her, I can handle it.”
Kathy gave her a sharp look. “You sure?”
Haley nodded, forced a smile. “Yes, I can be the bigger person, for Jeff and for Ben. But don’t you think it’s strange he never told me about her? They dated for five years.”
Kathy looked surprised. “I really don’t know. I don’t know the whole story.”
“That’s the problem,” Haley said. She looked worried. “Neither do I.”
“If you have any doubts, just talk to Jeff. I know he’s crazy about you.”
Haley nodded, but still didn’t look convinced.
Kathy sat down next to her. “Okay, then let’s see what Trisha’s thinking for the wedding. Does she have good ideas?”
Haley sighed. “Yeah, she’s put together everything Jeff would want.”
“But what do you want?”
Haley shook her head sadly. “I just want to marry Jeff, but honestly, I was really looking forward to wearing the dress, all the flowers, the cake. I know at first that didn’t matter to me, but then I got all caught up in doing the pictures for my parents’ B&B, and I guess I drank the wedding Kool-Aid. Now that it’s gone, I want it back. I sound like Bridezilla, right?”
“No, of course not,” Kathy said. “You have every right to be disappointed after everything that’s happened. You’re worried about your parents and the B&B, and now you come up here and you have to deal with Jeff’s old girlfriend and start over planning a wedding when you have less than two days to do it. No, you’re entitled to freak out a little. Bridezilla away. You’ve earned it.”
Haley laughed. Kathy always had a way of making her feel better. “You’re the best.”
Kathy got up and walked over and picked up a Santa figurine. “I know.”
They shared a laugh.
“But seriously,” Kathy said,
“we’re up here at Christmas Camp, and this place is so magical. This is where you fell in love. Sure, your wedding is going to be different, but it can still be special.”
“I agree,” Jeff said as he entered the room.
When Haley stood up, Kathy gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to go catch up with Steve and Trisha and see if there’s anything I can help with.” Kathy turned to Jeff. “By the way, your friend Steve . . . what’s his story? Is he single?”
“Kathy!” Haley playfully swatted her.
“What? He’s hot. It’s a fair question.”
Jeff laughed. “He is single, but he’s a tough one to pin down. He’s always traveling with work.”
“Well, he’s here now,” Kathy said as she headed out the door. “Let’s see if I can catch him.”
“Seriously?” Haley threw up her hands.
“I meant, catch up to him outside,” Kathy said with a wink, before she left the room.
Jeff took the tablet from Haley. “So, let’s plan our wedding.”
Haley watched him flip through a couple of pages. “Wow, it looks like she has all my favorite things here.”
“Uh-huh,” Haley said. She sounded less than thrilled.
Jeff looked up immediately. “You’re sure you’re going to be okay with this?”
Ben entered the room. “Okay with what? Is there a problem?”
“Trisha,” Jeff said. “Haley’s a little uncomfortable with her planning our wedding.”
Haley gave Jeff a look. She didn’t want to look like the bad guy. “I was just thinking, there’s not a lot to do since we’re just having a simple ceremony. It doesn’t make sense to have Trisha here when she should be home with her family at Christmas.”
“That’s the thing,” Ben said. “Trisha doesn’t have any family close by and usually spends Christmas up here with us, so she doesn’t have to be alone.”
Haley gave Jeff a surprised look. “So, even after you broke up, she still came up here for Christmas?”
Ben answered for him. “Yes. It’s a tradition for her, except last year when she was traveling—that’s why you didn’t meet her. I thought this was a good thing. We have a last-minute wedding to plan and she’s a wedding planner and was happy to help.”
Christmas Camp Wedding Page 4