Emily collected Bella and rushed out of Latte Da, making excuses to Jackie and promising to see her later in the week. She was certain her face would give away her feelings, and she didn’t want to talk about Nick. She wasn’t ready.
She dropped Bella at home, not trusting herself to remember her once at the lodge. Concentrating on the items on her list proved to be difficult. As Carol went through each point, Emily’s mind kept wandering. When she had been in Snow Valley last, ten years ago now, she had made a trip to Morgan’s Hardware, curious if she’d run into Nick. She wandered the aisles and accepted condolences on the loss of her mom from everyone she ran into, but Nick wasn’t among them. She remembered Nick’s dad had passed away less than a year after she left for college. She had assumed Nick stayed in Snow Valley and took over the store. She finally mustered up the courage to ask one of the men she recognized who had worked at the store forever. She learned Nick was in the military following in his father’s footsteps. She never imagined he’d be back in Snow Valley and now the mayor, of all things.
Sara had played a sneaky trick on her, knowing full well that she would have never agreed to coordinate a party for Nick. Nick had broken her heart all those years ago, and even now, she knew she wasn’t over him. She’d never had a serious relationship since their falling out the night before she left for college. The night he told her he couldn’t go with her. Comparing every guy she dated to Nick had left them all wanting. When she was eighteen, she was sure Nick was her soulmate. At thirty-three, she hadn’t found another.
What she had pictured as a happy day, starting a new adventure with Nick, turned into a nightmare. She had cried during the entire flight across the country. He failed to give her a good reason for his last minute change in plans, only told her he couldn’t go and he didn’t want to leave Snow Valley. After she learned he’d joined the military, it was obvious it wasn’t his attachment to Snow Valley, but his lack of one to her. She had longed to call him those first months she was at NYU. Emily missed him and needed to talk to him, but her wounded pride wouldn’t let her make the call.
Now, in a matter of days, she was going to have to face him. This had all the makings of a disaster.
Carol’s raised brows and expectant look forced Emily back to the present. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“Did you get a firm headcount from the mayor’s office yet?”
Emily looked at her notes. “Uh, not yet, but I’m speaking with the mayor’s assistant tomorrow morning, so I’ll let you know then.”
The lodge stored most of the decorations for the event, with the city contributing the rest. Carol provided Emily an updated list of all the decorations they stored for the event, and together, the two bundled up for a golf cart ride with Stan, the maintenance manager, who took them to a storage building for a first-hand look. He explained the staff would retrieve the mountain of decorations and stage them near each tree. Emily’s eyes widened at the organized and labeled stacks of crates and boxes. All Stan needed was a list of the color schemes or themes for each tree, and he’d make sure the appropriate boxes were placed in the right rooms.
Emily signaled her understanding and made a note. “I’ll work on it tonight and get it to you in the morning.”
Before dropping them back at the lodge, Stan gave her his card with his office and cell numbers. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.” She thanked him and made sure he had her number.
She and Carol discussed the party treats, and while the resort provided most of the food, a favorite local bakery was making gingerbread house pieces for the kids to assemble. Carol’s list of specialty treats the lodge was providing was endless. The selection of decorated cupcakes, cookies, lollipops, brownie trees, Christmas crunch popcorn, and reindeer chow were sure to please the youngsters. Along with all the sweet treats, they were making reindeer sliders, pigs-in-a-blanket, Christmas shaped sandwiches, fruit kabobs, veggie sticks and dip, cheese and fruit platters, and sliced strawberries and bananas put together and decorated to look like Santa hats.
Next on the list were the activities and games. The lodge and the city provided staff to run the games. Elves from the Mistletoe Lodge would handle the cookie decorating station, charades, and the outdoor snow art competition. Marcy and her staff would dispense hot chocolate with homemade snowmen marshmallows, along with Christmas punch.
Even with her preoccupation with Nick, Emily was getting excited as they discussed the details. Although irritated with Sara, she wanted to make sure the party was a huge success.
As soon as she and Carol finished, Emily wandered over to Latte Da and checked in with Marcy. With the weekend over, things were quieter. Only a handful of guests milled around the lobby, but they were all holding Latte Da cups. Marcy saw her and smiled. “How’s everything going for the party?”
“Moving right along. Do you have all the hot chocolate and punch supplies you need?”
Marcy nodded. “It’s all here. I’ve got the staff scheduled to help with anything I need Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. I added some extra cups to Thursday’s delivery, just in case, but I think we’re set. It’s always such a fun event, and this is Mayor Morgan’s first one, so it will be special for him.”
Emily smirked. “Yes, it will be.” Her stomach lurched when she thought of Nick. “Well, I’m off to get a list ready for the maintenance crew. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure.”
When she got home, Bella was waiting at the door, tail wagging, her leash in her mouth. Emily laughed and scratched the dog’s chin. “Subtlety isn’t one of your strengths, is it?” Emily clipped on the leash and accompanied Bella on a quick walk. With each step, she contemplated how she was going to face Nick. She complained to Bella, who proved to be a very good listener.
As they made their way home, she gasped. “I wonder if Sara told Nick I would be filling in for her or if he’ll be as surprised as I was.” Bella didn’t answer, but her gentle brown eyes comforted Emily.
“Speaking of Sara, I need to text her.” She dug out her phone, not bothering to do the math or caring what time it was in London. She texted one word, Nick!
She dried Bella’s feet with a towel they kept near the back door and slipped out of her boots with heels that were definitely not made for walking. The welcoming scent from the tree tickled her nose and made her smile. She usually made do with a tiny table top tree, if she even bothered, and the lovely smell made her think of her mom. The tree had always been her favorite thing.
She fixed Bella’s dinner and got to work on the themes for each tree at the lodge. Sara’s binder had lists from previous years, and she used all the traditional favorites, plus a few unique ones. Emily had used all the color combinations she could think of and added a coffee and tea themed tree for the one closest to Latte Da. As she watched Bella stretch out in front of the fire, she jotted down a pet-themed tree.
She used a pencil to sketch out the locations of the various activity and game stations. The lobby area, library, Latte Da, two meeting rooms, and the upstairs balcony area would be utilized for crafts and games.
Not feeling like eating much, she fixed some tea and toast. As she ate, she checked her messages and saw nothing from Sara yet. She studied her list for tomorrow, hoping she wouldn’t run into Nick when she met with his assistant in the morning. Emily tapped a reminder in her phone to ask her to meet at Latte Da instead of City Hall.
She added boots to her list for tomorrow and trudged upstairs with the click of Bella’s paws following her. Her intention of getting started on the tree downstairs had dissolved with the appearance of Nick and the energy she had wasted thinking about him.
She laid in bed, comforted by the weight and warmth of Bella against her, flipping through channels, looking for something to take her mind off meeting Nick. Even if she didn’t see him tomorrow, she was going to see him Friday at the Mistletoe Lodge. The more she thought, the more she remembered. The anger and hurt she had held onto for fifteen years bubbled to the surface. She planned to give him a piece of her mind and rehearsed what she’d say as she struggled to get to sleep.