The Mills & Boon Ultimate Christmas Collection. Kate HardyЧитать онлайн книгу.
coffee and marveled at both Amory and myself being out of bed and organized so early. Outside, Micah and Isla laughed as they finished festooning trees with fairy lights. They really were so in love, it was hard to look away. If only I could get Amory and Cruz to see past their differences too. I hadn’t seen Cruz as yet this morning, but his car was still parked out front with a thick layer of snow atop it so he was rattling around the lodge somewhere.
“We will,” Amory said, pulling me out of the thought. “The lodge looks stunning, and with the fires crackling and the ambient music drifting down the halls, what’s not to love?”
She was right, it did look amazing, but seeing as I’d invested the rest of my funds into the expo, I couldn’t shake the feeling this had been a bit risky. But if we could get even one booking it would all be worth it. Gambling was my new thing, it seemed.
A gaggle of suited men and women walked in. “It’s the orchestra!” I motioned for help from Aunt Bessie. She gave me a nod, and ushered them into the ballroom. Wearing a long red dress and fitted blazer, she looked every inch the glamourpuss she was. “Follow me, friends,” she said, “I’ll show you where to set up. Now, are any of you hungry? I make artisan donuts, you see, and I’ve squirreled some away just in case…”
I hid a smile. That woman could make friends with the abominable snowman, and not blink. It was inbuilt in Bessie to care about people, and most importantly feed them up.
Next to me, Amory was immaculately dressed in a chic pant suit, her hair and makeup flawless, but I detected shadows under her eyes not even Max Factor could disguise.
With the chapel issue sorted for the moment, I could breathe easier, so I took Amory by the arm and led her to the corner for privacy. “Are you OK?”
She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Sure, sure. Just a little tired.”
“Don’t lie, Amory. You don’t always have to be the girl who is together all the time, you know.” It was one thing pretending to be someone else at work, slipping on a different persona, but another to do it to your best friend.
She widened her eyes. “Well, you know me. Game face on. Big day and all.”
“No one is here to see your game face except me, so don’t worry about it for now. Just tell me what’s going on.”
She thrust her hands into her pockets, and slid her gaze away. “We stayed up late, too late, and went around in circles until words were just sounds, and had no meaning. Not my best idea when we’ve got such a busy day ahead of us.”
“So where did you leave it?”
“At a crossroads. What would you do, Clio, if you were me? To ask him to stay with me and sacrifice actual living, breathing, blue-faced, screaming babies would be the epitome of selfish on my part. And he doesn’t understand that my letting him go is being selfless. Sure, I could say, ‘Great, you’re giving in to me, perfect,’ but that’s not fair. And what if ten years down the track he hates me for it?”
What a mess. I suppose I hadn’t thought of the future, and whether he would feel robbed by not having the family he’d dreamed of. “There must be a compromise. There must be!”
She lifted a brow. “Can you tell me what that might be and then we’ll both know.”
I bit down on my lip. “I… umm… I’ll have to think on it.”
“Darling, don’t worry. Let’s get to work, yeah?” With a quick peck on my cheek, she turned on her heel, and met more musicians clutching instruments and standing wide-eyed by the entrance of the ballroom.
Click-clacking her way to them in her heels, she smiled – ever the professional. “Welcome, I’ll show you where to set up.”
I waved them off, clipboard pressed tight against my chest. Bridal expo day had well and truly arrived and with it a cast of people at the lodge, all vying to get their wares set up to display to our brides.
Through the window, snow drifted down as the orchestra started warming up, playing hauntingly beautiful Christmas carols. The wedding-dress designer caught my eye and pulled out a stunning white sheer satin gown and dressed a mannequin. The gown fell to the floor in delicate drapes, and I let out a gasp of delight as the small diamond beads twinkled under the lights. It was the kind of dress fairy tales were made of.
The florist was preparing the display of luscious bouquets and arranging them on tables. Some were seasonally themed, with white roses, pine cones and red cranberries, tied off with thick golden ribbon. My favorite was a posy of periwinkle, violet and lilac flowers, lilies, and something else I didn’t recognize. The different hues of purple were spellbinding and drew the eye.
The florist, a robust, spectacle-wearing man walked to me. “Clio, these are for you.” He handed me a bouquet of pale pink peonies.
“For me?”
He smiled and pointed to a card attached. “From a friend.”
I thanked him and he went back to arranging the centerpieces. I took the card, wondering who had sent me flowers. I tried to remember the last time anyone had, and came up blank.
Clio,
I hope the bridal expo goes off without a hitch. Have I told you yet that I’m glad you came home? Life was never really the same after you left. Looking forward to that dinner whenever you’re free.
Timothy x
Life was never really the same? But he got married and had a family about three minutes after I was out of sight! I’m sure I wasn’t on his mind one little bit. I didn’t hold any grudge or strong feeling about it – we’d been so young, really. But still, he had moved on fairly quickly and it wasn’t something I was likely to forget. Would something bloom between us if I just let go and lived for the moment? The same niggle bothered me. Kai. Even if nothing happened with him, would it be fair to date Timothy when secretly my heart beat a double rhythm when I thought of my Australian surfer yogi?
Taking my cell, I hastily sent Timothy a thank you text back, avoiding any talk about the dinner invitation.
This was why I loved work. Being busy gave me the ability to shelve any man dilemmas and focus on the task at hand. I found a crystal vase and took the bouquet to my office. That done, I went back to the ballroom and checked off my list.
Every vendor was accounted for, set up and ready to go. Isla and Micah had the activities organized. Aunt Bessie was getting her donuts out of the van and ready to serve… so what was I missing? I’d forgotten something, I could feel it.
I wandered around the tables we’d set up in different themes, lifting champagne flutes, checking for smudges. The cutlery was lined up perfectly, reflecting prisms of light from the chandeliers. Georges would serve canapés as soon as the guests…
Georges! Normally he’d be singing and bellowing in the kitchen, foodie scents wafting down the hallway making my mouth water, but I hadn’t seen him arrive yet. I dashed down the hall to check. The kitchen was empty, not a pot on the stove and, more worryingly, not a sign of Georges. Snatching up the phone I called him, picturing the worst – a car crash, the roads were slippery this time of year. My heart was in my throat by the time he answered on the third ring.
“Hi, Clio, did you get my message? I’m sorry to let you down like this, but I couldn’t say no. You understand, don’t you?”
Blood drained from my face as I checked my watch. Three hours until our brides were due and my chef was telling me he wasn’t coming. Trying to halt the erratic beat of my heart I said, “What message, Georges? Where are you?”
He groaned. “I left a message on your cell late last night.”
“Saying what, Georges? You’re supposed to be here!” I couldn’t keep the desperation from my voice.
“I was offered head chef position aboard a private cruise ship. I had to say