by Lisa Plumley
Betty said it so sweetly, so innocently, that Reid could hardly find it in his heart to be angry with her for doing it. In fact, he wasn’t angry with anyone. If there was one thing the Sullivans were good at, it was being loyal…and being loving.
Besides, given the way his grandparents had reacted to his one small confession, he couldn’t be anything except happy.
Grammy, Grandpa, he’d said after their multigenerational conspiracies were revealed, I fell in love. I fell in love at Christmastime, with a wonderful woman—and her three children.
Betty and Robert Sullivan hadn’t laughed themselves silly at the idea, the way Reid had feared. Instead, they’d stood there in the fluffy Kismet snowfall that had begun drifting down, and they’d listened raptly as he’d told them about meeting Karina. About falling for her. About getting to know Olivia, Josh, and Michael, and loving them a little too.
“So what are you waiting for?” His grandfather startled him by asking, his voice booming into the frosty air. “Get going!”
“Yes!” his grandmother urged. “Go get Karina! Hurry up!”
They both appeared more than eager to meet her. And Reid was definitely eager to get her. To find her. To apologize to her. To beg her, if necessary, to forgive him for making her leave—for not trusting her, most of all, to love him back.
“I’d love to,” Reid said. “But there are still a few obstacles here. The B&B’s transport vans are still gone. The Kismet taxis still aren’t running. The Riverfront Hotel is still a long way away. And we don’t have any transportation.”
“Bah. A Sullivan never quits, Dad!” Nicole said. “Not when climbing a mountain, and not when doing anything else either.”
“That’s right!” Alexis proclaimed. “Where do you think we learned to be so good at getting what we want, huh, Dad?”
Before Reid could guess, his grandfather answered that question himself. “They learned it from you, Reid. So go on—go get that girl of yours! Don’t let anything stop you!”
Newly fired up now, Reid scanned The Christmas House and its grounds. Surely there was some way he could get to Karina. If he had to, he’d walk every icy step of the way. He’d crawl. He’d put on snowshoes, ice skates, cross-country skis…. He’d do whatever it took. Because that’s how much she meant to him.
Suddenly, Alexis took out a GPS device from her pocket. She showed it to Reid. “Uh-oh, Dad. Look! Karina is on the move!”
That did it. With one last glance, Reid made up his mind. “I have an idea,” he said, motioning them onward. “Let’s go!”
Chapter Twenty-Two
December 24th
Riverfront Hotel
Kismet, Michigan
Wearing a coat, a scarf, two sweaters, a T-shirt, a silky camisole, two pairs of wooly socks, warm boots, gloves, thermal underwear, holiday-print pajama pants, and a hat, Karina led the way out of her room at the Riverfront Hotel. Everyone else thundered behind her down the hall. Her children took the forefront, scampering like eager puppies, elated by the prospect of having another mission.
Not a secret mission this time…just a mission. A mission Karina devoutly hoped they succeeded at. So much was counting on this. Her heart. Her soul. Her notion of a happy holiday for Olivia, Josh, and Michael. Even, if she was lucky, her future.
They rounded the corner and approached the elevator bank. One of the cars was out of order; the other appeared to be stuck on a lower floor. With a groan of urgency, Karina wheeled around, almost colliding with Vanessa, Rocky, and Neil, who’d been hard on her heels. Almost crashing into them were the maids, the two chefs, and Suzanne. Karina didn’t want to think about what a Benny Hill–style comedy routine this would have turned into had all the guests still waiting downstairs joined them already.
Filled with a sense of purpose, she raised her arm, signaling everyone to stop. She motioned to a door.
“Let’s take the stairs!” Karina said. “It’ll be faster.”
As she wrenched open the stairwell access door, the first sounds of the annual Kismet Christmas parade reached her. Strong enough to filter through the hotel’s walls, a flourish of joyous holiday music could be heard—a marching band, if she didn’t miss her guess. Parades always had marching bands—even, apparently, if they had to do their marching through snowdrifts.
Newly urgent, Karina hurried downstairs. Her footsteps (and the parade music) were almost immediately drowned out by all the other footsteps following behind her. Olivia laughed and went faster, racing with her brothers. Vanessa pursued Karina along with the staff and guests, probably still hoping her vaunted matchmaking skills would prove unassailable, once again.
“I’ll expect an invitation to the wedding,” Vanessa panted, as though reading Karina’s mind. “Be sure to tell Reid!”
“All I’m going to tell him,” Karina insisted, “is that trusting me didn’t wreck his grandparents’ dream retirement.” That’s why she’d left her room in such a rush. That’s why she intended to leave the hotel and get back to The Christmas House as fast as she could—whether by gift-wrapped transport van or some other means. “Reid needs to know that he did a good job at the B&B. That all the people he loves are going to be okay.”
“Seriously.” Vanessa still jogged along with her, neck and neck down the stairs, scarf flying. “My grandparents planned to be here by now. They’ve probably already told Reid everything. What you should be telling him is how you feel about him!”
“That’s sweet, Vanessa.” Karina read a sign as it flashed by in her peripheral vision. Two floors to go. Her retinue’s pounding footsteps still hammered the stairs. “But Reid made it pretty clear that we’re over with. I can’t hope for more.”
Even though, foolishly, I still do….
“But you could have more!” Urgently, Vanessa kept pace with her. “If you would only tell Reid how you feel, I know things would work out between you two. After all, it’s Christmas!”
“Christmas is magic, Mom!” Michael piped up from nearby.
Argh. Driven to distraction by all the events of the day—and yesterday—Karina shook her head. “How can you still believe that, Michael?” she demanded. “Does this really feel magical to you?” She gestured. “Racing down a dingy hotel stairwell?”
Her younger son only nodded. “Yep. It’s fun!”
“We’re all together, Mom,” Josh said. “That’s what counts.”
“I don’t know why you’re wasting time talking,” Olivia put in. “Run, why don’t you? Bella would run for Edward!”
Laughing, Karina felt spurred onward. She did descend the final few steps at a run, followed by everyone else. At the landing, the parade music grew louder, accompanied by cheering and the muted conversations of passersby. The parade must be happening just on the other side of the access door.
Vanessa grabbed her arm, her expression grave. “Just consider it, okay?” she begged. “Just consider telling Reid how you really feel. For me? No, wait. Do it for yourself. Okay?”
Struck by her new friend’s sincerity, Karina couldn’t turn her down just like that. But with no reason to believe things had truly changed between her and Reid, she couldn’t offer Vanessa much hope, either. Torn, she decided to hedge her bets.
“If Reid still has his ‘nookie beard,’ I’ll tell him how I really feel about him,” Karina promised. Because, after all, what were the odds he hadn’t already shaved it off, thereby proving to himself (and the world) he was over her? “And if he’s clean shaven, I’ll stick to the facts about Edgware. Deal?”
Feeling certain there was no risk involved—except to her poor beleaguered heart—Karina stuck out her hand.
Vanessa eyed it. She quirked her mouth. “You should know that my track record of fix-ups is unbeatable.”
“I’ll take my chances,” Karina deadpanned.
“Also, Reid was in the process of shaving when I left.”
At that, Karina quailed. “Do we have a deal or not?”
Firmly, Vanessa clasped her
hand. “We do. Let’s go!”
Then Karina pushed open the hotel’s access door, the frigid December air rushed in the stairwell, and their entire entourage stepped onto the sidewalk, nearly in the midst of the parade.
The first things Karina saw were the two gift-wrapped B&B transport vans, handily parked close by. At least she had transportation! She could put Reid’s mind at ease about his grandparents and their retirement without delay. Then she headed nearer, saw the throngs of fellow B&B guests standing by the vans to enjoy the parade, and realized she had a problem.
The parade flowed past on both sides. Jolly-looking Kismet residents and tourists were packed in tightly nearby, currently watching a red and green float drive past, gaily decorated with streamers. The transport vans were completely hemmed in.
Karina wasn’t going anywhere. Not until after the parade.
It took Reid much longer than he expected to reach the Kismet city limits. Skirting the frozen pathway between the lakeshore and riverfront, he watched his breath puff into the frosty air and wondered what would come first: frostbite or more heartbreak? Because there was every chance Karina didn’t want to see him—much less see him the way he was about to arrive.
After all, he had been extraordinarily mean to her. He’d demeaned her career expertise—that had to hurt. He’d laughed off her attempts to help him. And then he’d turned his back on her.
If their roles were reversed, Reid didn’t know if he’d have the strength to forgive. Forgiveness wasn’t like leading a pack of newbie adventure travelers. That mission was easily accomplished by anyone with the proper training and experience.
Forgiveness was more like scaling an icebound mountain. To do that, a person had to work hard at it. The person had to be careful and diligent. Sometimes the person had to drive in a pickaxe and just hang on, doing his or her best not to tempt failure by looking down.
A person trying to forgive had to look up. Up up up.
He hoped like hell Karina would look up.
As though sensing his trepidation, Nicole took his hand. She squeezed it in her smaller, mittened hand. “Don’t look so worried, Dad. Chances are, Karina probably still likes you.”
“Yeah,” Alexis agreed from his other side. “And even if you blow it and don’t get Karina back, we’ll still love you!”
“That’s…very reassuring, girls. Thanks.”
He kept going. Near downtown, though, Reid was forced to stop. As his grandparents had predicted—and reiterated just then from their positions near him—the streets were choked with parade traffic, pedestrians, or both. A light snow drifted down on all of it, partly obscuring Reid’s path—not to mention the town’s old-fashioned wrought iron street lamps, sparkling lights, and Christmas decorations. Far in the distance, the Riverside Hotel loomed, several stories high, taunting him with its inaccessibility.
“I’m afraid this is the end of the line,” Robert said.
“I don’t know how we can get through this,” Betty added.
But Reid knew. He’d get through it the same way he got through everything in his life. With grit. Determination. And a big, ass-kicking helping of just keep going. He set his jaw.
“I didn’t come this far to turn back now,” he said. “I’m going. But if you all want to stay here and wait…go ahead.”
For a heartbeat, Reid paused. No one moved a muscle.
“Okay.” For the first time that day, Reid grinned wholeheartedly, warmed by his family’s devotion. “Here we go!”
Standing on tiptoes, flanked by her children, Vanessa, and most of the guests and staff at The Christmas House, Karina peered over the heads of the paradegoers. Far down Main Street, more floats snaked their way forward, moving at a snail’s pace. Clowns in Santa hats meandered down the snow-covered street, reaching into their Santa bags for candy. They flung it to the eager children on the sidelines, who thronged to catch it.
In front of her, yet another marching band passed by, playing a rollicking rendition of “Jingle Bell Rock.” It sounded wonderful…but in this din, it wouldn’t even be possible to call Reid on her cell phone. Karina had no choice but to wait it out. The only trouble was…did Reid still want to see her? And if he did, would she still have the courage, twenty or thirty minutes from now, to face him?
If he gave her another stony I-don’t-know-you look, she didn’t know if she could endure it. But for now, Karina felt strong. Bolstered by her new friends, encouraged by her children, and heartened by the knowledge that she didn’t have to be endlessly helpful to everyone around her or risk being abandoned by them, Karina held her ground. Surely the parade couldn’t last too much longer. Could it?
Impatiently, she watched another float pass by. She stamped her feet for warmth, then traded a smile with Suzanne. But there were no two ways around it: This parade was killing her! Karina needed it to end. She needed to get to Reid, to make sure he didn’t blame himself for the crazy mess of this year’s holiday season at The Christmas House. Knowing Reid, he’d taken all the accidental mishaps to heart, when he wasn’t responsible at all.
Watching one of the Santa clowns, Karina realized she could use this delay to rehearse. That way, she’d know exactly what to say when she finally caught up with Reid at the B&B.
Reid, I love you, she practiced, then shook her head.
That wasn’t what she would say. She had to focus!
She had to concentrate on the issue at hand: Reid’s feelings. His feelings of failure, vulnerability, and (probable) culpability.
Karina wanted to ease those feelings…to make sure Reid was happy. Sure, a part of her still hoped he had room for forgiveness…and maybe a little room for something more. But she couldn’t count on that, Karina reminded herself—no matter how assured Vanessa had seemed. After all, according to Reid, his cousin’s matchmaking track record was notoriously awful—even if no one wanted to hurt Vanessa’s feelings by telling her so.
“Come on. Hurry up!” Karina muttered to herself as the next float passed by in a glittery spectacle of tinsel and lights. She craned her neck, trying to gauge how many more floats might remain in the lineup…and caught sight of something strange.
A horse-drawn sleigh. A very familiar horse-drawn sleigh. A horse-drawn sleigh pulled by two massive Clydesdales and emblazoned with the recognizable, holly-wreathed logo of one very popular, very beloved Kismet B&B: The Christmas House.
Vanessa saw it too. She blinked. “Is that…?”
“It is.” Karina nodded, hardly able to believe her eyes. As she watched, the sleigh’s determined-looking driver veered his rig into the parade traffic, sliding into position as though he’d been meant to be there all along. Reid, she recognized. Reid was driving the sleigh. Alexis and Nicole were with him, too, along with a pair of golf-visor-wearing, parade-waving seniors. “It’s The Christmas House’s sleigh!” Karina turned to Vanessa. “I didn’t know the B&B was part of the parade!”
“It’s not part of the parade.” Frowning in perplexity, her friend stared down Main Street. “I’m pretty sure Reid just party crashed the parade. And he’s coming this way, too. Look!”
Karina did look, her heart in her throat. So did the rest of her retinue: the B&B’s guests, the staff, Amanda and Rodrigo, and her children. Chattering excitedly, Olivia, Josh, and Michael pointed to the horse-drawn sleigh.
“Mom, look!” Michael shouted. “It’s them!”
“Go get Reid!” Olivia added. “Now’s your chance!”
Suddenly torn with indecision, Karina gazed down the street. Seeing Reid was like seeing her future coming nearer—a grim-faced, determined future that was moving at a snail’s pace.
“Why does he look so mad?” Karina asked Vanessa.
“Probably because he misses you,” Vanessa said with typical confidence and ridiculous optimism. She nudged her. “Go!”
“I—” Karina bit her lip. Wildly, she said, “I’m going!”
With her heart pounding madly, she ducked a couple of parade watchers, t
hen headed down the street. Was she really going to party crash the parade herself? she wondered. Was she really going to…to do what, exactly? Flag down the sleigh? Jump onto it, hobo style? Jog alongside, trying to talk to Reid?
Karina didn’t know. All she knew was that she was doing it.
For the first time in a long time, she was truly going for it. For herself and no one else.
Oddly enough, the realization was exhilarating. Feeling herself break into a smile, she ran faster. The crowds parted. Karina reached the edge of the street. But somehow, incredibly, she couldn’t see The Christmas House’s horse-drawn sleigh anymore. She turned in a circle, looking. Where had it gone?
“Quit it with the intimidation face, Dad!” Nicole gave him a ferocious poke. “You’re going to scare away Karina!”
“Yeah, Dad,” Alexis urged. “Try to look nice!”
“I do look nice!” Reid argued, frustrated with the floats and clowns and marchers that were keeping him from Karina. He scowled at them, fervently wishing they’d vanish. Still holding the reins, he worked at controlling Holly and Ivy while simultaneously keeping his eye on the Riverfront Hotel.
If he could only get there in time. Come on, parade!
“I don’t know. You probably shouldn’t have entered the Christmas parade by force, Reid,” his grandmother admonished from the backseat. “The city fathers are going to be very unhappy about this. You’re supposed to have a permit.”
Parade events and snow swirled crazily around them.
“He’s going to get his girl!” his grandfather piped up, giving Betty a reproachful look. “Don’t you have any romance in your soul, woman?” Impatiently, Robert slid across the front seat. He gestured at Reid. “Here. Give me the reins.”
“I’m almost there.” Reid kept driving. “Just a few blocks farther.”
“Dad!” Alexis eyed her GPS device, then waved her arm urgently. “Hurry up! Karina is on the move again.”
At that, Reid did surrender the reins. He didn’t have time to follow the prescribed parade route. He had to get to—
Karina. All at once, Reid saw her, wearing a pompom hat and a coat and a scarf and probably six sweaters, weaving her way through the crowd. At the sight of the woman he’d been looking for, Reid felt himself go still all over. As though time slowed, he glimpsed Karina’s insistent expression, her hasty movements, her curly blond hair. She turned her head, searching the crowd.