“For your Christmas wish to come true, here is what you need to do.
For your journey to begin . . . follow the path behind the inn.”
Her face lit up as she looked back at Dasher. “Grant’s here! This must be my surprise he was talking about.”
Emmie, excited, quickly threw on some clothes. Grabbing her hat, scarf, and mittens, she ran down the stairs.
Dasher wasn’t about to be left behind. He was right on her heels.
When she opened the front door, Dasher zipped out in front of her.
“Okay, Dasher, show me where to go. Where’s the trail behind the inn?” she asked.
When Dasher took off running, she followed him behind the inn, down a path, and through the woods. After a few minutes they reached a clearing, and she was just catching her breath when she saw it. There was a beautiful gazebo covered with white twinkle lights.
Her eyes grew wide. Her heart filled with joy.
The gazebo’s two-tiered domed octagonal roof was covered with a blanket of fresh snow, and snow also covered the few steps leading up to the gazebo. The entire gazebo was decorated with wonderful wreaths and seemingly endless strands of garland covered with red velvet bows. In the center of the gazebo was the real showstopper, a charming Christmas tree sparkling with white lights, bright red ornaments, and candy canes. Emmie couldn’t believe it. The gazebo was like a Christmas wish she hadn’t even wished for yet. It was all the many things she loved about Christmas in one place. It was perfect.
That’s when she caught a glimpse of Grant putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree.
“Grant!” she called out excitedly as she plowed through the snow and up the gazebo’s steps.
But when the figure turned around, it wasn’t Grant.
Emmie stopped dead in her tracks. “Sam?”
Sam’s smile faded. “Grant’s here?”
“Isn’t he with you?” Emmie asked, totally confused.
Sam looked down at the ornament he was holding. Emmie saw it was a lovely red glass heart. When he looked back up at her, it was impossible to read his expression.
“No,” Sam said in a flat voice, “I haven’t seen him.”
Emmie held up the scroll Dasher had brought her. “I got this from Dasher. I thought it was from Grant. He said he’d be up here early and had a surprise for me.”
Sam just kept looking at her, and it all finally clicked. She held up the scroll. “This is from you?”
Sam nodded. “Sorry to disappoint you . . . again.” Sam looked at the heart ornament he was holding and finally put it on the tree.
Emmie looked around and saw there was a picnic set up, with blankets and food and flowers. She felt terrible. “You did all this for me?” she asked in amazement.
Sam shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I just thought it would be something fun. Another Christmas activity, since you took me on two of yours yesterday.”
Emmie didn’t know how to respond. She was touched but confused and still trying to process what was happening.
“Look, if Grant’s here, you should go. I’ll clean all this up,” Sam said and started picking up one of the blankets.
Emmie reached out and touched his arm. “This is amazing. Everything you’ve done here. I really can’t believe it. I don’t know what to say.”
Sam looked into her eyes. “I thought you’d like your own scavenger hunt and a chance to make a Christmas wish.” Sam took one of her hands and stepped closer. “You gave me so much yesterday. The pep talk about my writing. I just wanted to do something for you. So make a wish. What do you want more than anything?”
Emmie looked down at the hand that was holding hers. She could feel the warmth of his fingers through her gloves. Her whole body was tingling, and she knew it wasn’t just from the cold. When she looked back up into Sam’s eyes, she felt so much she couldn’t explain.
Just as Sam took a step closer to her, the referee whistle alert on her phone went off, shattering the moment. Emmie let go of Sam’s hand, and they both quickly took a step back.
When Emmie looked at her phone and saw a text from Grant, she felt a chill. She couldn’t even look at Sam. “Grant’s here,” she said quietly. “I have to go.”
As Emmie rushed back to the inn, Sam and Dasher followed a few hundred feet behind her. When she finally saw Grant on his cell phone, leaning against his car, she ran toward him.
“You made it,” she said and waved.
When Grant saw her, he smiled, waved, and kept talking on the phone.
When Emmie finally joined him, he hung up and pulled her into his arms for a big kiss.
“I’ve missed you,” Grant said, looking into her eyes.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Emmie said.
As they hugged, Emmie saw Sam and Dasher walking toward them and felt a rush of guilt. Trying to make sense of her jumbled feelings, she told herself that everything was going to be okay now that Grant was here. She attributed her sentimental feelings toward Sam as being connected with all the Christmas activities they had done together and the nostalgia it had brought up. But now Grant had finally arrived, and they could start making their own new Christmas memories together, and everything could get back to normal.
When Dasher came running over and barked at Grant, Emmie was surprised to hear it wasn’t Dasher’s usual friendly bark. Dasher was giving Grant the suspicious side-eye.
Emmie leaned down to pet him. “It’s okay, Dasher. This is Grant. This is who we’ve been waiting for.”
Dasher still didn’t look convinced. He barked again.
Grant took a nervous step back. “What’s wrong with the dog?”
“This is Dasher,” Emmie explained, smiling. “He lives at the inn. He pretty much runs the place. He’s great. He just doesn’t know you yet.”
Dasher barked again at Grant.
Grant waved his hands at him. “Go away. Leave us alone.”
Emmie gave Grant a sharp look. “Don’t do that. You’re scaring him.”
“Really?” Grant laughed. “Because right now he’s scaring me. Can you see the look he’s giving me?”
Emmie laughed. “Paranoid much? Grant, seriously, Dasher’s the friendliest dog I’ve ever seen.”
When Dasher continued to stare Grant down, Grant took another step back.
Sam stepped up. “Dasher, come here, boy.”
Dasher immediately ran over to Sam, sat down next to him, and gave Sam an adoring look.
“See,” Emmie said as she pointed to Dasher. “Look how cute he is.”
“Are you talking about Dasher or me?” Sam questioned. He was laughing.
Grant wasn’t.
Emmie gave Sam an annoyed look. “Grant, this is Sam. He’s also staying at the inn. He’s the guy—”
Grant interrupted her. “Wait, you’re—”
Sam finished for him. “Yeah, I’m the guy who lives in your building. I saw you a few nights ago when I helped you with the fruit basket that was supposed to be mine.”
Grant shook his head. “You’re Sam Riley, the mystery writer. I thought you looked familiar that night I saw you, and later realized who you were.”
Sam looked surprised. “Well, yes, I’m that, too.” He held out his hand.
Emmie looked surprised as she watched them shake hands. She turned to Grant. “You know him?”
Grant gave her a surprised look. “Of course I know his books. Everyone does. He’s one of the top mystery writers in the country. He’s always on the bestseller list.”
Emmie looked stunned. She turned to face Sam. “What? You never told me you were . . . famous?”
Sam laughed. “Famous is a big word.”
“And it’s true,” Grant said. “Em, this guy has written like a dozen books.”
“Actually, fifteen,” Sam said. “If you’re counting.”
Emmie’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
“Oh yeah,” Grant said, answering for him. “His books even sell internationally.
I think I saw one of your books in the airport in Frankfurt, Germany.”
Sam nodded. “That was probably my last book. It was pretty popular there.”
Emmie looked back and forth between Grant and Sam and struggled to process the news.
“So, Sam, what are you doing up here in the middle of nowhere?” Grant asked.
Sam looked over at Emmie. “Getting some inspiration for my next book.”
Emmie looked back at him, totally confused. Her mind was going a million miles a minute. She had so many questions.
“Well, join us for breakfast,” Grant said. “I want to hear all about it.” When he opened the trunk and took out his suitcase, Emmie immediately noticed it was twice as big as hers.
Sam seemed uncomfortable with Grant’s invite. “I know you two have a lot scheduled. I don’t want to get in the way.”
Grant went over and joined Sam, leaving Emmie standing alone.
“We’d love it,” Grant said, smiling. “Wouldn’t we, Em?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “It’s not every day we get to talk to a famous author.”
When Sam looked over at Emmie and Grant turned to look at her, too, she felt like she had no choice but to nod her head in agreement. As Grant and Sam walked into the inn together, Emmie looked over at Dasher, who was watching and looked confused.
“I’m with you, Dasher,” she said. “I have no idea what’s going on.”
AFTER EMMIE FOLLOWED Grant and Sam into the dining room, she rushed ahead to the kitchen to find Ruby. She needed a second to catch her breath and try to process all that was going on.
She knew she should have been excited that Grant was finally here, but right now she just felt overwhelmed and confused.
All she could think about was that moment in the gazebo with Sam. She knew he had been about to kiss her and she’d been about to let him. Just the thought made her tingle all over before a wave of guilt washed away any happiness she felt.
I have a boyfriend, she told herself. Get a grip. You just got caught up in the moment. That’s all it was—a moment.
She had been so excited when she had first seen the gazebo, thinking that Grant had gone to that much trouble to surprise her with something so special. But the problem was, it hadn’t been Grant. It had been Sam who had planned everything. She shook herself mentally. She needed to pull herself together, because her boyfriend, Grant, was out in the dining room with Sam, the wrong guy, who had shown up for the scavenger hunt. But even if Sam was the wrong guy, she had to admit that the time they’d spent together was special. She’d had a lot of fun with Sam, despite his being the wrong guy.
Wrong guy, right guy, she thought, it was all starting to get very jumbled and complicated.
Chapter Twenty-Six
When she saw Ruby in the kitchen making a fresh pot of coffee, she hurried over to help. “Grant is here,” she said, sounding more upset than excited.
Ruby gave her an inquisitive look. “I saw him drive up. You must be excited that he’s finally here?”
Emmie forced a smile. “I am. Of course I am.” Looking for something to do so she didn’t have to meet Ruby’s questioning look, Emmie opened the refrigerator. When she couldn’t remember what she was looking for, she closed it again. “Grant just surprised me, that’s all.” She started pacing around the kitchen. “Well, actually it was Sam who surprised me at the gazebo. I thought Grant had done all that.”
“Nope,” Ruby said. “It was Sam. I helped him get everything ready. That gazebo was my husband’s favorite place. When things got too hectic at the inn, we’d sneak away for a few minutes of alone time. We used to have picnics there, too, just like Sam was setting up for you.”
Now Emmie felt even more guilty. She helped Ruby get out some coffee mugs. “It’s truly a magical place. It’s like a little Christmas oasis in the woods. I was just surprised to see Sam.”
“You wanted it to be Grant?” Ruby asked.
“No,” Emmie answered before thinking about it. When she realized what she’d said, she quickly backpedaled. “I mean, yes. I thought it was Grant.” Emmie, distressed, put down a coffee mug and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what I wanted.”
Ruby put her arm around her. “Just take a deep breath. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Emmie looked up into Ruby’s eyes. “Is it?”
Grant walked in, interrupting the moment. “Emmie, honey, are you joining us?”
Emmie forced a smile. “I am. I just wanted to help Ruby. I’ll be right in. Oh, and this is Ruby, the amazing woman who runs the inn.”
Grant smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ruby smiled back at him. “And we’re so glad to finally have you here. Emmie has been so excited about it.”
“Well, I’m here now, and I’m starving. I can’t wait for breakfast.” Grant turned and left the kitchen.
Ruby looked at Emmie. “He seems . . . nice.”
Emmie nodded. “He really is. He has been so generous helping with the community center where I work, getting donations for us. He’s just a little wound up, because he’s working on a big legal case, but I’m sure he’ll relax once he has a chance to see how wonderful it is up here.”
“I’m sure he will,” Ruby said with a smile. She handed her two mugs of coffee. “So you better get in there. How about I make some blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup?”
Emmie gave Ruby a grateful smile. “You remembered, I told you those were Grant’s favorite.”
“Of course I did,” Ruby said. “And I know you have a big day planned for you two, so let’s start it off right.”
“Thank you, Ruby,” Emmie said. “You’re the best. I already feel better.”
When Emmie walked into the dining room where Sam and Grant were sitting, Sam got up and helped her with the coffee. He gave one of the mugs to Grant and offered her the other.
“No, it’s for you,” Emmie said to Sam.
“Thanks,” Grant said, holding up his coffee. “I had to get up practically in the middle of the night to get here this morning. But I didn’t want to miss any more time with my girl.” Grant lifted his cup to salute Emmie before he drank. He then patted the chair next to him.
Emmie smiled as she sat down. Grant looked as handsome as always, even if he was a little overdressed for Christmas Point. She had told him to pack his casual winter mountain clothes, but for Grant, that apparently meant a nice pair of slacks, a designer belt, and a button-down Brooks Brothers shirt. When she looked at his feet, she couldn’t help but smile. He was wearing his favorite pair of Gucci loafers with argyle socks. They were completely impractical for the snow, but that was so typical of Grant. He always told her it was important to dress up for any occasion, but apparently he’d forgotten that this occasion was more up in the woods, back to nature, than back to the boardroom.
Grant caught her staring at his shoes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Emmie said. “It’s just that you’re not going to get very far wearing those in the snow.”
Grant gave her a confident smile. “That’s why we have a car. We can just drive to wherever we need to be.”
Emmie gave him a look. “Remember, I told you that we’re doing a lot of things outside. You did bring some snow boots, right? Or your hiking shoes?”
Grant frowned. “I don’t have any snow boots, and I didn’t think we were going to be doing any hiking in the snow.”
“I have some extra boots if you need some,” Sam offered.
Emmie shook her head. “No, that’s okay.”
“What size?” Grant asked.
“Eleven and a half,” Sam said.
Grant smiled. “That should work. If you don’t mind, that would be great.”
Emmie didn’t even know what to say.
When Grant took Emmie’s hand, she looked up and saw Sam watching them before quickly looking away.
Ruby came out and handed Emmie her coffee. “
Here you go.”
“Thank you, Ruby,” Emmie said. “Now that my missing boyfriend is finally here, we can finally start doing some of those activities you helped me plan.”
Before Ruby could reply, Grant jumped in. “I wasn’t missing. I was working.”
“Well, you weren’t here,” Emmie said. “So . . .”
Grant laughed. “I only missed a few days.”
Sam looked into Emmie’s eyes. “A lot can happen in a few days.”
Emmie quickly looked away and concentrated her attention on Grant. “We have so many great things still to do. I need to show you all around town. There’s a Christmas tree lighting and we need to go get our own Christmas tree and decorate. There’s also some Christmas caroling coming up.”
“I don’t sing,” Grant said.
“Oh, okay, but we can still go. It’s fun,” Emmie said.
“Let’s just skip that one,” Grant said.
Emmie looked disappointed. “But, Grant, you promised I could plan a Christmas-themed vacation with all the activities. I told you how much this meant to me and I thought you wanted it, too.”
Grant kissed her on the cheek. “Okay, okay. Sorry. Whatever you want to do, just drag me there, and I’ll do it.”
Emmie frowned. “I don’t want to have to drag you anywhere.”
When Ruby walked in carrying a big plate full of steaming hot blueberry pancakes, Grant turned his attention to her. His eyes lit up. “Now we’re talking! Blueberry. My favorite.”
“Me too,” Sam said. “What a coincidence.”
Emmie looked over at Sam as he helped himself to several pancakes. She couldn’t tell if he was serious or just kidding around.
When Grant, smiling, put a pancake on her plate, she smiled back.
“I’m really glad you’re finally here. We’re going to have a great time. You’ll see,” she said, and wondered who she was really trying to convince, Grant or herself.
Finding Christmas Page 19