by Elena Aitken
“About dating.” Finally, Julie turned away from the tree and looked at Shay with a smile. “You have a point. I think maybe I should date.”
“Ryan?”
A twinge of pain flashed in her chest at the mention of his name. “No.” She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Not Ryan.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, obviously thinking better of it. “Okay,” she finally said. “And Mom?”
Julie waited for her to continue.
“I’m sorry,” Shay said. “I just want you to be happy and I think…well, I was hoping maybe you would—”
“It’s okay.” She pulled Shay closer and kissed her on the forehead. She didn’t want to hear whatever else she was going to say, because she was pretty sure she knew what it was. Shay’d been thinking, and hoping, that maybe Ryan would be that guy to make her happy.
The thing was, so had she.
* * *
The last thing Ryan felt like doing was going to the Holly Berry Ball. It was a radical shift from only twenty-four hours ago when he’d been planning a romantic Christmas Eve with Julie. The woman he felt might just be the one.
The one.
What did that even mean?
Apparently nothing if she wouldn’t even talk to him or let him explain a tiny miscommunication. And that’s all it was, too. A miscommunication. Sure, Shay had originally had the ridiculous idea that he should spend time with them at the Lodge. But if Julie thought for a moment that her daughter’s harebrained scheme was the reason he’d been spending time with her, she was sorely mistaken.
Sure, he’d let Shay think that. And maybe it had even been the excuse he’d needed to play hooky from work and push himself out of his comfort zone. But the only reason he’d been with Julie was because of Julie.
It was that simple.
From the moment he saw her in the craft room, he’d known he wanted—no, needed—to get to know her better. There was something about her. The way she carried herself, the way she spoke, the way she handled the room. Not to say anything of the way she looked at him. The tender touch of her fingers on his cheek. The way her lips yielded to his. The electricity he felt in her kiss when they connected.
Yes. There was definitely something about the woman. Something about the two of them together. She had to feel it too. He knew it.
And he’d be damned if he was going to let her walk away from what could be. If only they’d get out of their own way.
With a new resolve, Ryan hopped into the shower and selected a dark wool sweater and a clean pair of jeans. Despite himself, and the way he thought it was going to play out, he was going to the Holly Berry Ball, and he was going to find Julie, pull her into his arms and make her see that she was wrong. Not only that, but what they had together, even if it was just a start, was so very right. He’d make her see it. The second he walked through the doors.
Ryan flung open the door to his apartment and ran almost square into Eva.
“Oh thank goodness, I found you.”
“Was I lost?”
She flashed her signature smile at him. “You’re in a good mood.”
“Not good so much as determined. What’s up?” He looked up and down the hall. “And why are you in the residence quarters?”
She shrugged, as if walking around the Castle Mountain grounds was no big deal. Which to Eva, it likely wasn’t. She’d always behaved as if she more or less owned the place. “I was looking for you. I told you.”
“You found me. And shouldn’t you be at the ball? Aren’t things starting right about now?”
“Exactly.” She put a hand on his arm and dragged him down the hall as she spoke. “Which is why I’m here. So stop asking so many questions and listen up. I need you.”
“I don’t think Jeff will appreciate that.” He was joking, obviously, but the punch she delivered to his left bicep was still unexpected. “Ow.”
“Suck it up. And behave yourself. Seriously.” The smile on his lips died when he saw she certainly didn’t seem to be joking. “I’m not in the mood for jokes right now. It’s Christmas Eve.”
For anyone else, Ryan would have a sharp comeback, but he knew exactly what Eva meant. The Holly Berry Ball was a big deal for her and her business, Party Hearty. Never mind what a big deal it was for the Lodge. It was serious business. “Sorry,” he said. “Is everything okay?”
“No.” She stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall and turned to face him. “It’s not okay. Jeff is sick.”
“Like, in the hospital sick? If you need to go, Eva, go. I’ll take care of whatever you—”
“No. Not in the hospital sick.” She waved away his platitudes. “Worse. He’s man-cold sick. In bed, whining, totally out of commission, sick. Which is worse. So much worse.”
Ryan failed to see how that could possibly be worse.
“He’s supposed to be Santa.”
And then all of a sudden it became clear. He tried to back up, with the hope that if he was quick enough he might be able to sneak away before she asked him what he knew she was waiting to ask. He shook his head long before she even opened her mouth to ask the question. “Oh, no.” He took two steps back.
“Ryan. Please.”
He shook his head harder. “No. No way. I can’t be—”
“You have to. I need you.”
“No you don’t.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Get someone else.”
“Who?”
“There has to be someone.”
“Not the right size. You’re the right height. If I get anyone shorter, the outfit will bunch strangely, and be all wrong. And I can’t get Jeff to do it. He’s all snotty and gross and if Santa makes all the kids sick on Christmas Eve, it will be a disaster.”
It would be a disaster. That much, Ryan could agree on. “Eva, I need to—”
“You were going to go to the ball, weren’t you?”
“Well, yes. I was. But that’s because I need to—”
“Good. Then you’ll be perfect. Think of all the kids you’d be disappointing if you say no. You can’t be the one responsible for ruining their Christmas. You just can’t, Ryan. Can you imagine?”
He looked at her, with her pouty lips and her pleading eyes, and shook his head, but this time in surrender. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll do it.”
She let out a squeal of joy.
“Has anyone ever told you that you can be a pain in the ass?”
She grinned. “Maybe so, but I’m a persuasive pain in the ass.” She tugged his arm and they walked out the front door into the cool night air. The snow had started to fall, but that didn’t seem to slow her down. “I really do appreciate it, Ryan. I know you probably wanted to spend your night with your new friend.”
He shot her a look, which she didn’t see because of the dim light. It was probably for the best. “I was hoping to see her, yes. But that’s only because she seems to have the wrong idea about me, and I intend to change that.”
“Because you like her.” It wasn’t a question.
“I do.”
Eva turned briefly. A light that illuminated the pathway caught the flash of mischief in her eyes. “Then I have no doubt you’ll figure out exactly what you need to do.”
8
By the time they got to the Lodge, the party was hopping. The room was packed with happy families dressed in their matching holiday sweaters, little girls in red and black dresses who spun to the music that filled the space, and little boys who darted in and out of the dance floor. It was an amazing sight, and Julie stood in the doorway for a moment, taking it all in. The hall had looked festive before, but now with full-sized gingerbread men walking around and beautiful sugar plum fairies up on small stages scattered about the room, it was completely perfect.
“It’s amazing.” Shay stood next to her, both of them mesmerized by what they were witnessing. “I knew it would be cool, but this is…”
“Magical,” Julie finished for her.
“Thanks, Mom.” She smiled and sniffed back her tears. “Let’s go check it out. I want to see everything.”
Julie laughed and let her daughter lead her into the room.
They made stops at the candy bar, a long buffet of every possible type of candy, before they selected a hot chocolate ball off Julie’s own wreaths and enjoyed a cup. They even danced together, swirling under the lights for three songs in a row. Finally, Julie had to beg off. She couldn’t keep up to her teenage daughter; besides, she’d noticed Shay’s new friend, Jeffery, had made his way to the dance floor and had been edging his way closer to them. He was either too shy to interrupt, or didn’t want to intrude on their mother/daughter moment.
Either way, Julie knew enough to make herself scarce for a bit. “I’m going to find a drink,” she shouted to Shay in order to be heard over the music. “Have fun. We’ll catch up later.”
Shay blew her a kiss and spun around, her silver dress shining magically in the lights. Julie saw the moment Shay noticed Jeffery, and the way her daughter’s face lit up.
Young love.
Or any love at all.
Happiness for her daughter bloomed through her, but there was something else, too. Awareness. That’s what she wanted.
That’s what she’d had with Ryan. Even if only for a short period. It didn’t matter how short it had been, it was real. She knew that deep down. Despite how upset she’d been with Ryan and Shay.
Maybe that’s why she’d been so upset?
No. She shook her head. That was exactly why she’d been so upset.
She hadn’t dated in years. Not really. But when she had, she’d had the same problem. Just when things started to get good, suddenly they were too good and she needed to put up a wall so she didn’t get hurt.
It wasn’t what she wanted to admit, but that’s exactly what the problem was. And deep down, she knew it. Ryan was the best guy who’d walked into her life in years. Maybe ever. She didn’t need months or years to know that. Sometimes you just knew. And she knew.
He also wasn’t the type of guy who would let a teenager dictate his feelings. Even if Shay did have the crazy idea to set her up, who cared?
“I have to fix it,” she said aloud.
“Fix what?” Bo, the mountain guide who’d led them snowshoeing a few days earlier, appeared by her side with a pretty brunette holding a wriggling baby dressed in the cutest Christmas sweater Julie had ever seen. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “I know those conversations with ourselves can be pretty intense.”
Julie laughed despite herself. “Hi.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Julie,” she said by way of introduction to the other woman.
“I’m Morgan, and this is Easton. Our son.” The woman squeezed her hand.
“He’s so sweet.”
“He’s a handful,” Morgan said. “Five months old and he’s already getting into everything.”
“Just like his father.” Bo puffed out his chest proudly and Morgan shook her head, but there was a smile on her face and a sparkle of love in her eyes.
“Bo told me you’re the woman responsible for the super cute tree ornament he gave me,” she said.
Julie raised her eyebrow in question. She hadn’t given him an ornament, and he certainly hadn’t been in the class with them. There’d only been one man in class, and she remembered every second of Ryan’s crafting experience.
“Oh, yeah.” Bo shrugged. “I may have been given the deer thing as a gift.”
“A gift?” Morgan turned and tilted her head. “From who?” There was laughter in her voice, as if she already knew the answer. “No, wait. Let me guess.” She pretended to think for a moment, tapping her finger against her temple. Julie tried not to laugh. Clearly, this was a scene that had played out once or twice before. “One of the ladies you took out snowshoeing was a little smitten with you?”
Julie almost did laugh at the look on Bo’s face and the bright shade of red the mountain man turned at being caught out. “No,” he said quickly.
“Really?”
“It was a cross-country skiing trip.”
Morgan shook her head and did start laughing, so Julie joined in. “This happens all the time,” she said to Julie when she got her laughter under control. “He’s always coming home with gifts or even marriage proposals.”
“No way!”
Morgan nodded. “It’s true.”
Bo wrapped an arm around her, pulled her close and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Maybe if you made an honest man of me, this wouldn’t happen.”
“And maybe if you could agree on a date, I would,” Morgan retaliated. She looked to Julie. “We kind of did things backward.” She gestured to the baby with her head and laughed. She gave Bo a gentle nudge in the ribs. “I keep thinking one day we’ll make it official.”
“Make what official?” A little blonde girl slid in next to Morgan and looked between all the adults in the group. Spotting Julie, she stuck out her hand and said, “I’m Ella.”
“My daughter.” Bo grinned. “And Morgan was just talking about getting married.”
Ella nodded in a mature way that belied her young age. “You probably should.”
“What should they do?”
The little group all turned toward the voice and Julie couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Gage Mitchell, the star of Tumbleweed, standing right there in front of her.
“Gage. It’s so good to see you.” Morgan accepted a hug from the handsome man before she turned her attention to the woman who stood with him while the men exchanged greetings. “I’m so glad you guys made it up for Christmas.”
“We only have a five-day break from filming,” Gage said. “Something about the weather being perfect right now. Thankfully Castle Mountain is so close by. It’s the perfect place to celebrate the holidays.”
“And see you both,” the woman said. “Can I hold him?” She took the baby from her arms. “He’s such a doll.”
Feeling more than a little like an outsider, Julie knew she should back away, but she was frozen to the spot. Star struck, she couldn’t make herself move. Fortunately, Morgan jumped in to introduce her and save her from her embarrassment. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Morgan gestured toward Julie. “Megan, Gage, this is Julie. She and her daughter have been doing some really cool crafting sessions at the Lodge this season.”
Gage extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Julie.”
“Hi,” she said. “I…I’m a…my daughter and I love your show.” She could have died. She was not the fan girl type, but then again, she’d never been standing next to a celebrity before. “I’m so sorry.”
Gage only laughed good-naturedly. “It’s fine. And if you and your daughter are fans, maybe I could see about you visiting the set sometime?”
“Really?”
“Of course. Any friend of the Lodge is a friend of mine.”
“And maybe you could show me some of those crafts,” Megan said. She was still bouncing the baby and looking quite comfortable with him. “I never thought I’d be interested in stuff like that. Or even…” She looked longingly at the baby, and Julie and Morgan exchanged a knowing glance. “Anyway, a lot of things have changed,” she finished. “It’s strange, but the Lodge has a way of doing that.”
“Doesn’t it ever?” Gage turned and gently took the baby out of Megan’s arms, handing him back to Morgan before he took her hands. Julie watched the woman’s face as it went from confusion to understanding to shock when Gage got down on one knee right there in front of everyone and pulled the biggest diamond ring Julie had ever see
n out of his pocket.
“Megan. You are the love of my life, and from the moment I met you, my life has been irrevocably and completely changed for the better. I can’t imagine my life without you, nor would I ever want to. Everything we have together is perfect, but more and more I find myself wanting more. With you. I want to build a life with you, baby. Start a family and build a future with you. Megan Powers, would you do me the great honor of being my wife?”
Megan clutched her chest and nodded. Tears slid down her cheeks and she just kept nodding. Finally, she formed the words, “Yes. Of course I will.”
Gage jumped to his feet, wrapped her in his arms and swung her around before he set her down. He took her in his arms and gave her the deepest, most passionate kiss Julie had ever seen. The love between them radiated in waves and Julie had to take a step back from the force of it.
Without saying a word, Julie excused herself to give herself a moment to process what she’d just seen. Maybe the Lodge did have some sort of love magic. It was a ridiculous thought, but then again…maybe it wasn’t.
Maybe it was time for her walls to come down for good so she could see whether that magic would work for her, too.
* * *
The Santa suit was hot. Very hot. But it was temporary. And Ryan could at least console himself in the fact that he was spreading Christmas joy. Someone might as well be happy if it couldn’t be him. Eva had given him strict instructions to smile and sound happy. Apparently, he hadn’t been doing a good job convincing Eva that he was fine. Probably because he wasn’t fine. He wouldn’t be fine until he could talk to Julie and convince her that he did have feelings for her.
But he had to push that out of his head. At least for a while. His focus had to be on the kids and he wasn’t about to let his own bad mood taint Christmas Eve for innocent children. He’d fake it until he could make it. Or more likely, until he finished his shift.
As it turned out, once Eva led him to his oversized velvet-lined chair in the center of the room, something came over him and not only did the Christmas spirit wash through him, he completely embodied the vision of Santa Claus and totally got swept up in his role. A line of children snaked around the room, but he made sure to listen to each one and respond appropriately before he gave them a candy cane and a jolly Ho, ho, ho.