Sophie stood huddled in her coat under the arbor overlooking Kismet Cove. Lights from the Christmas tree in the atrium danced in the snow. Everything was bright and beautiful and ready for the wedding that wouldn’t happen now. She looked up at the stars winking overhead, the moon peeking playfully above the wisps of clouds in the night sky. Somehow it reminded her of Colleen. How happy the older woman had been at the thought of her great-grandson being married at Greystone. “Sorry, Colleen,” Sophie whispered. “We did our best. We really did.”
At the crunch of footsteps in the snow, she turned. Liam walked toward her, a black dress coat over his dark suit, the light wind off the water ruffling his hair. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, beautiful, why are you looking so sad?” he asked, coming to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her. “Mrs. Adams paid the rooms in full, and Michael’s covering whatever the deposit doesn’t. You’re going to end up making money even with the wedding being canceled.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “I know, but we’re not going to get the positive publicity we were hoping for, or the referrals.”
“I don’t know about that. The senior Mrs. Adams is a fan. She was talking about booking the manor for an historical conference in March.”
“I like her. Colleen would have liked her too. She’s the real reason I feel bad.”
“Babe, you don’t have to feel bad. She told Michael he got off lucky and congratulated him.”
Sophie laughed. “Poor Michael. I don’t think he expected Bethany to dump him. But I wasn’t talking about Mrs. Adams. I was talking about Colleen. She was excited about the wedding. In a way, it feels like I let her down. Her and everyone else. They all worked so hard the past few weeks to get the manor ready and make sure everything was perfect.”
“No one worked harder than you. And Soph”—he stepped back and turned her to face him—“GG would probably be telling Michael he got off lucky too. She’d be as proud of what you’ve accomplished as I am. But if it makes you feel better, we could go ahead with the wedding just as planned.”
“Did something happen that I—” She broke off as he went down on bended knee.
“Marry me, Sophie DiRossi. And make our daughter’s Christmas wish come true.”
Mia bounded into Sophie’s bedroom at Greystone and jumped on the bed. “Merry Christmas Eve day, Mommy and Daddy. Santa’s coming tonight.” Her daughter’s bright smile faded as she searched the bed and room. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He stayed at Grandpa Colin’s last night.”
Mia’s bottom lip quivered. “How come?”
“Because it’s bad luck for him to see the bride before the wedding.” Sophie watched her daughter absorb what she’d said. She knew the moment Mia understood when her face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree.
“We’re getting married! We’re getting married!” She jumped up and down on the bed. “That’s the best Christmas present ever, isn’t it, Mommy?”
“It is. The very best. But we have lots to do to get ready, and I need your help with something. I need your advice.”
“Okay. I can do that,” she said, and sat cross-legged on the bed, an earnest expression on her sweet face.
“Well, I need to pick a maid of honor. It’s an important job, and it can only go to someone very special. It has to be someone who’s been with me through the good times and bad, someone I love most in the world and who loves me, too, someone who—”
“Is it okay if the maid made you cry sometimes and hurt your feelings?”
“Yes, because none of us are perfect, baby. Mommy probably did some things that made the maid angry and hurt her feelings too. But the most important thing is that the maid and Mommy always, always loved each other.”
“Then it’s me, silly. I’m your maid of honor,” she said, and threw herself into Sophie’s arms.
And Sophie’s maid of honor took her job very seriously. The first thing she did was announce to everyone in the manor at the top of her lungs that they had a wedding to get ready for. For the past six hours, Greystone and Sophie’s bedroom were a hub of activity. Dana, who was also one of Sophie’s bridesmaids, took care of the only detail that they hadn’t looked after for Michael and Bethany’s wedding. Tie the Knot sent over a romantic, ruffled gown with a red satin belt and fitted bodice that fit Sophie to perfection, as well as red satin bridesmaids’ dresses for Dana, Ava, and Mia. Her daughter’s was ankle length, Ava and Dana’s cocktail length with long sleeves.
Mia ran into the bedroom with Miller following behind her. “Mommy, Daddy’s here with Granddad, Uncle Griffin, Uncle Aidan, and Uncle Marco.” She grabbed a red basket filled with white rose petals off the dressing table. “Come here, Miller. You can be the flower girl. Miller?” The dog hightailed it out of the room, and Mia chased after him.
Ava, whom her grandmother had just forcibly sat in front of the dressing table to do her makeup, looked at Sophie in the mirror.
She winced. “Sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you that you’d be standing with Griffin. But we weren’t sure he was going to make it on such short notice.”
“I can’t…” Ava began then looked at Sophie and shrugged. “What are you going to do.”
Rosa paced behind Ava, tapping her lips. “Something is wrong. Ah, I know what it is. Your hair, cara. You look like an old lady because it’s too long. We cut it, sí?”
Ava put her hand to her head. “No, we don’t cut it. It’s fine.”
Rosa was right. Not that Ava looked old—it was just that her overlong hair dragged down her face and had no life, no bounce. “Maybe just a trim, Ava. You’re practically sitting on it.”
“I agree with Rosa and Sophie,” Dana said, and walked behind Ava to lift her hair, folding it to the middle of her back. “This would be the perfect length for you.”
It was exactly the length Ava used to wear her hair.
“Pain in the culo, that’s what the three of you are. Cut it then. I don’t care.”
It was going to be a difficult enough day for Ava, and Sophie didn’t want to make it worse. “Maybe another—” She was too late. Her grandmother had already grabbed a pair of scissors off the dressing table and was starting to cut Ava’s hair when Sophie realized they were the same scissors Dana had used for the ribbons. “Nonna, no! They’re pinking shears!”
“Oh, accidente. Don’t worry, I fix it.”
“Here, Rosa. I’ll do it,” Dana said, and grabbed another pair of scissors. Ten minutes later, she stood back.
“Sei bellissima tesoro. You are so beautiful, cara. Look, look at your hair, your curls have come back.” Rosa pressed her hands to her chest, staring at Ava with shiny eyes.
Ava waved her hand. “It’s just hair.”
But Sophie caught her cousin staring at herself in the mirror with what looked to be a small hint of pleasure and surprise in her eyes.
Kitty walked in and did a double take. “Ava?”
“Sí. Look.” Rosa held up the long hank of hair. “We’ll donate to charity. The one that makes wigs.”
Kitty smiled then said, “Poppy Harte has arrived to take pictures. I don’t imagine she has ever had a more beautiful bridal party. You all look absolutely stunning.” She walked over to Sophie. “I have something for you, my dear. It’s a small token of our appreciation for all you’ve done and to welcome you to the family. It was Colleen’s,” she said, holding up a gold charm bracelet. “I know she would have very much wanted you to have it. May I?”
“Yes, please.” Sophie held out her arm, the heavy gold bracelet covering the faded scar on her wrist. “It’s beautiful. Thank you, Kitty.”
Liam’s grandmother kissed her cheek. “Now what can I do? Do you need anything?”
“Oh,” Sophie gasped. “I need…I’ll be right back.” She lifted her skirts and ran from the room, racing down the hall in her red shoes. She ducked when she reached the landing and hid behind a potted plant. She heard Liam’s and his brothers’ voices near the bar. The man she was looking for was seeing to the guests. “Jasper,” Sophie called out, trying to keep her voice low. His head came up, and his gaze shot to the bar.
He hurried to the stairs. “Miss Sophie, what are you doing? It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride.” He bounded up the stairs to stand in front of her, blocking her from view.
She looked up and smiled at him. “My parents can’t be here to give me away, and my brother is standing, well, sitting for Liam, so I was hoping you would.”
He gave her a clipped nod. “I would be most honored, miss.”
Liam stood beside Sophie by the fireplace. He pulled a sprig of mistletoe from his pocket and held it over her head. His brother Griffin rolled his eyes. “You’ve kissed her at least twenty times already. Leave the poor girl alone.”
“Ten. I instigated the rest,” she admitted, and reached up to press her lips to the corner of Liam’s mouth.
He wrapped his arms around her and looked at their guests. “Shouldn’t everyone be leaving soon?” He’d been asking the question as often as he’d kissed her. “Maybe I should tell them that NORAD just announced Santa has been spotted flying this way.”
“It’s only five o’clock.”
“Can you blame a guy for wanting to be alone with his wife?”
“No, because your wife wants to alone with you. All we have left to do is draw the raffle winner, I’ll throw my bouquet, and then—”
He smiled down at her. “Make my Christmas wish come true. I love you, Mrs. Gallagher.”
“I love you, too, Mr. Gallagher.” She gave him a quick kiss. “Now let’s make someone else’s Christmas wish come true.”
Liam looked around as they walked toward the big plastic ball on the stand by the grand staircase. “Maybe a good thing Mia isn’t around. This is going to be tough on her.”
Sophie frowned. “Where is—” She broke off when Mia appeared at their sides with Miller, Zach, and Amanda. The four of them were covered in dirt. “Mia, what happened?”
Their daughter slipped her hand in her father’s. “We were hunting for treasure like Daddy used to when he was a little boy.”
“You were in the tunnels?” Liam asked, and she nodded. “Sweetheart, next time you want to play down there, you have to tell us. You need to have an adult—”
“But we did…” She looked beyond them as a cold draft caused Sophie to rub her arms; then Mia giggled and nodded, placing a finger on her lips.
Liam and Sophie shared a look. They had hoped now that they were married Mia wouldn’t need her imaginary friend. It looked like they were wrong. “Why don’t you guys go and get some cake in the dining room?” Sophie suggested, hoping to distract Mia while they picked the winner. Jasper had just made the announcement, and people were walking their way.
“Oh no, Mommy. I have to pick the winner. It’s my job.”
Before Sophie had a chance to gauge if doing so would, in the end, make the situation better or worse, Simon jumped onto the table, batting at the plastic ball. It started spinning on the stand, the tickets flying around inside. Mia pressed a hand to her mouth, giggling behind it.
Liam whispered in Sophie’s ear, “Is she hysterical or happy?”
“I’m not sure, but Simon’s going to flip over the ball if we don’t do this now.”
Liam grabbed Simon, and put out his hand to stop the ball. “All right, everyone. Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for. Mia, give us our winner, sweetheart.”
“Baby, you, um, can’t look through the tickets. You have to pick just one,” Sophie said as her daughter, a small furrow on her forehead, tossed one ticket after another aside.
“Got it,” Mia said then winked at her imaginary friend and held up a ticket with a paw print on it.
Liam took the ticket from her and smiled. “Our winner is…Julia Landon.” There were whistles and cheers for the beautiful brunette. She was obviously well liked in Harmony Harbor. “Come on up and get the key to your new home, Julia.”
Mia shifted nervously, looking expectantly at the woman when Liam handed her the gold key with a sprig of mistletoe attached to it. “Thank you.” Julia smiled and clutched the key to her chest.
Mia’s smile dimmed. Then she glanced to Sophie’s right and nodded, the smile reappearing on her face.
“Don’t doubt me now, child. I know what I’m about,” Colleen murmured, watching as Julia accepted everyone’s congratulations. Though some of her confidence faded when Julia slipped away and disappeared into the crowd. Colleen had picked her for a reason. She knew the young woman well. Her secrets too.
Simon gave Colleen a testy meow. “After all this, you’re doubting me now? Give the girl a chance. It’s a hard thing she’s dealing with. And don’t think you’re out of my bad book just because I’m talking to you. I haven’t completely forgiven you for eating Mr. Lancaster’s pet mice. You’ll have to earn my trust back after ruining my plan to get rid of Bethany. You’re lucky it all turned out in the end. Though I doubt Mr. Lancaster will be staying with us again. Oh well, he was a bit of an odd duck.”
Colleen looked at Mia and held up five fingers. The child nodded, nibbling on her bottom lip. Liam picked her up, and he and Sophie did their best to cheer Mia up.
Colleen smiled. “Now that’s a beautiful sight, isn’t it, Simon?” But she’d lost the cat’s attention. He was looking at something behind her. Colleen turned to see Paige and Hazel and growled low in her throat. Oh, but she’d love to give those two a fright.
“Faulty wiring, my eye. I know it was one of you who set fire to the carriage house,” she said. They wouldn’t have known Mia, Sophie, and Dana were there. Somehow Colleen would find a way to get the proof she needed, and when she did…
Julia reappeared wearing her red hat and coat, distracting Colleen from her thoughts.
“There’s been a mistake,” the young woman said as she approached Mia and her parents.
Colleen smiled. “You’re a fine girl, Julia. You are indeed. Paying for a sin that was not of your making. You’ll get your reward, of that you can be certain. I promise you that.”
Liam frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s a note attached to the key.” Julia held it up. “It’s from Santa to Mia. Mistletoe Cottage was meant to be hers.”
“Julia—” Liam and Sophie started to protest at almost the same time.
“I’m one of Santa’s helpers, remember? I’ve sworn an oath to do his bidding. If this is what Santa wants, who are we to say otherwise?”
Liam brought up the rules of the raffle, one being that the winner can’t sell the house. “No, but there’s nothing in the rules that says a winner can’t gift it to whomever she chooses.” She handed Mia the key. “Merry Christmas.”
Mia wriggled out of her father’s arms and went to Julia. She crooked her finger. When Julia bent down, Mia kissed her cheek and then whispered in her ear. They both turned to look up at the landing.
“Well, I’ll be,” Colleen murmured.
Julia muffled a sob with her hand, and Mia once again whispered in her ear. The woman nodded, touched a finger to her lips, and then to Mia’s cheek. Julia stood, wished everyone a Merry Christmas then hurried from the great room.
Colleen listened to everyone’s theories with a knowing smile. The majority believed that Julia was attempting to make up for the trouble Hazel Winters had caused the Gallaghers. But one day, the truth would come out. It always does. And when it was revealed…
Kitty and Rosa came to stand beside Colleen, interrupting her thoughts.
“She’s here, isn’t she?” Rosa said to Kitty.
“I believe so. She never did trust me to take care of the manor and the family on my own. I can see her standing at the pearly gates, telling them to kiss her behind. That she wasn’t ready yet and had things left to do.”
Colleen chuckled despite herself. However, she felt a twinge of guilt knowing there was some truth to what her daughter-in-law said. She had doubted Kitty’s ability to look after things without her. But she had to give credit where it was due. It had been Kitty’s idea to raffle off the cottage and look how well that had turned out. Given her ghostly circumstances, Colleen would need all the help she could get. Especially with Paige and Hazel upping their game. Too bad no one could hear her.
Rosa crossed herself and brought her crucifix to her lips. “Sí. I do too.” Rosa moved her head in something of a figure eight as though searching for Colleen’s whereabouts. “If you are here, my Ava and Griffin, they should be next.”
“I promised Ida that we’d match Brie with one of my grandsons. I thought maybe she and Griffin—” Kitty began.
“No, it must be Ava and Griffin.” Rosa did that odd thing with her head again. “You do this, and I will forgive you, sí?”
It was true. Colleen needed Rosa’s forgiveness to wipe another sin from her eternal soul. So she supposed it worked to her advantage that she’d already chosen Ava and Griffin. Though she had a feeling they wouldn’t be as easy as Sophie and Liam. Ava’s secrets were dark and deep. It would be painful for all involved when they came to light.
She looked up to see Liam, Sophie, and Mia at the top of the grand staircase. The single women of Harmony Harbor were gathered below them. Including a reluctant Ava, who’d been dragged to the front of the semicircle by Dana.
No time like the present, Colleen thought, and wove her way to the bottom of the stairs. Mia waved at Colleen, and all the women waved up at Mia. “Can I throw the bouquet, Mommy?” She smiled when Sophie complied and threw the bouquet at Colleen, who batted it directly at Ava. If it wasn’t for Dana, the woman would have let it drop at her feet.
And so it begins, Colleen thought as she walked to the chair by the fire and took a seat. Simon leaped onto her lap, and Jasper came to stand by the fire, clasping his hands behind his back. “It’s good to have you home, Madame. I take it you have plans for all of us here in Harmony Harbor.”
Colleen chuckled. “Right you are, dear boy. Right you are.”