When Haley got back to her room, she saw someone was waiting for her. Max. He was sitting patiently with his leash in his mouth and wagging his tail. Haley couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, you win. We’ll go for a quick walk.” When she bent down to pet him and put on his leash, he caught her off guard and happily licked her face. She jumped back. “Eww, come on, not the face!” As she wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, she kept her eye on Max. “That was sneaky! Don’t be trying it again. We don’t have that kind of relationship.”
Max barked, wagged his tail, and started to trot down the hall, dragging his leash behind him.
“Hold on, I’m coming.” Haley hurried to catch up to him.
As soon as they walked outside, the icy, cold night air took Haley’s breath away. She bundled up even more, wrapping Jeff’s scarf around her neck. She was going to hate giving it back to him. It was always so cozy and warm and had become the favorite part of her borrowed winter wear. As Max pulled her around to the back of the inn, she was surprised to find Gail standing alone looking up at the sky.
“Hi there,” Haley called out. “I thought we were the only crazy ones to be out here tonight. The temperature has really dropped.”
Gail smiled when she saw her. “It really has. I think they said it’s going to get down to around five degrees tonight.”
“I guess that means it’s too cold to snow. I hope it stays that way so we don’t have any trouble driving home in two nights when Christmas Camp is done.”
Gail gave Haley a sad look. “I can’t believe the week has gone by so fast.”
Haley nodded. “I know. My work deadline keeps reminding me of how fast it’s really going.”
“How are you doing on that?” Gail asked.
Haley smiled a little. “I think I’ve come up with my pitch. I’m sending it in to my friend Kathy tonight. She’s our graphic designer, and she’ll help pull everything together in time, I hope.”
“Do you think your time here at Christmas Camp has helped?”
“Definitely,” Haley answered without thinking about it, surprising herself. She looked back at the inn. “I’m actually going to miss it here. I would have never thought that barely a week ago when I arrived.”
Gail laughed and looked down at Max. “I think Max is really going to miss you when you go, too.”
Haley bent down to pet Max, but when he tried to lick her face again, she gave him a stern look. “We talked about this, Max. Don’t even think about it.”
Gail laughed. “See how much he likes you.”
“He only likes me because I keep taking him on his walks.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Gail said. “Dogs know a good person when they see one.”
Haley covered both of Max’s ears with her hands. “Don’t tell him. I don’t want it going to his head, but the truth is, I think I’m actually going to miss him.” She took her hands away from Max’s ears and gave him a quick hug. “You’re a good dog, aren’t you, Max?” Max licked her face before Haley could stop him. “Seriously?” She threw up her hands. “I take back everything I just said, especially the part about you being a good dog.”
When Max just wagged his tail more, Gail laughed. “Thanks, you two, for cheering me up.”
Haley was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong?”
Gail waved off Haley’s worry and tried to smile, but Haley noticed that her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I just haven’t heard from my son, Ryan. I know I shouldn’t worry. He has a pretty high security clearance in the military, and he’s always traveling somewhere on some mission, so I know he can’t always call or email, but still . . .”
Haley put her arm around her. “It’s hard. I can’t even imagine.” She looked up into the sky. “But he has a lot of people watching out for him, right?”
Gail smiled a little as she followed Haley’s gaze up into the sky. “He does. You’re right. Thank you for reminding me.”
Haley shivered. “It is really getting cold out here. Should we head in?”
Gail zipped her coat up even higher. “I think I’m going to stay a few more minutes.”
Haley took off Jeff’s scarf and wrapped it snuggly around Gail’s neck. “Then you’re going to need this until you finish the scarf you were knitting.”
“Oh, thank you,” Gail said, snuggling up in the scarf. “But that scarf is going to be a Christmas gift.”
“Nice gift,” Haley said.
“I hope so.” Gail admired the scarf Haley just gave her. “This is a lovely scarf.”
“It’s not mine. Jeff let me borrow it.”
When Gail smiled a knowing smile, Haley raised her eyebrows. “There’s that look again,” she said. “I know what you’re thinking, about Jeff and me.”
“There’s a Jeff and you?” Gail’s smile grew.
“What? No.” Haley rushed to correct herself. “I just meant . . . Oh, forget it. My brain is frozen. I’m heading in. Why don’t I leave Max with you to keep you company.” She handed Gail the leash.
“Great idea. Thank you,” Gail said as she looked down at Max. “And you can lick my face all you want.”
Haley shook her head. “Max, you are the most spoiled dog I’ve ever known. I’ll see you guys inside.” As she headed back to the inn, the night air seemed even more biting. Out of habit, she went to cover up with Jeff’s scarf. When she remembered she’d given it to Gail, she missed it, just like she knew she was going to miss a lot of things at Christmas Camp.
When she got inside she went looking for Ben. She had a few quick follow-up questions for him about the franchise. She was about to head into the library when she heard Ben and Jeff inside, having what sounded like a heated conversation. She didn’t want to interrupt, so she turned to go, but when she heard Jeff say her name, she stopped. She knew she should just keep walking, that this was none of her business, but when she heard him say her name again, she couldn’t help herself. She went around the corner so they couldn’t see her but she could still hear them.
“Haley told me you took her up to Star Peak,” Ben said.
“I did. We just took a quick trip. She needed some inspiration for work.”
“I think it must’ve helped. She brought me her Christmas wish pinecone and said her wish was for me to have my wish.”
Haley peeked around the corner to see Jeff’s reaction and was pleased to see that he looked impressed.
“Wow, that was nice of her,” he said.
“It was very thoughtful,” Ben said. “And we all know what I’m wishing for this year . . . a way to save the inn.”
Jeff looked frustrated. “Dad, you know that’s not possible, but what is possible is to sell this place for a good price and start a new chapter with me in Boston. I know we said we weren’t going to talk about this until after Christmas Camp, but we only have one more day, and we’re running out of time. Just let me show you something.”
Haley watched as Jeff walked over to the desk, picked up a manila envelope, and handed it to his dad.
“What’s this?” Ben looked like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to really know.
“Open it up and see,” Jeff said.
Ben pulled out some photographs, and Jeff quickly came around so they could look at them together. “We just took the pictures for our waterfront condos. They’re going up on the website now. Aren’t they great?”
Ben looked impressed. “They are. You did a wonderful job of preserving the old wharf but still creating something modern that people will want to live in.”
“People like you, I’m hoping.”
When Haley saw Ben’s smile fade, she felt bad for him and for Jeff.
But Jeff just kept talking excitedly. “The corner condo is available. I thought after the Christmas Camp is over we could go and look at it together. There’s a great swimming pool and a gym, and it’s only about a mile from me, so you could even walk to my place. We can spend a lot more time together.”
Haley leaned back against the wall. She couldn’t watch any more. It was too hard for her to see Jeff looking so excited about having his dad move to Boson when she knew that wasn’t what Ben planned to do at all and that she was now part of that plan.
In bed that night, she tossed and turned. She kept thinking about how tomorrow would be her last day at Christmas Camp and her last day with Jeff. Before she closed her eyes the last thing she saw was the angel on her dresser glowing in a stream of moonlight coming through the window.
THE WEATHER COOPERATED for the last day of Christmas Camp at the Holly Peak Inn. The sun was sparkling, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
Unable to sleep, Haley had gotten up with the sunrise. She had already showered and dressed and was putting the final touches on her Tyler Toys campaign pitch. Sitting next to her on the bed was Max. He was sprawled out watching her work. She had let him jump up on the bed because he had looked so sad when he came into her room. It was like he knew she was leaving. Haley glanced over her Tyler Toys pitch idea one more time and then looked at Max. “I did it! And it’s good! Really good.” She attached the proposal to her email to Kathy, and with a flourish, she pressed send.
“Done,” she said as she petted Max. “I did it. It might have taken me until the very last minute, but I finally came up with a campaign that I know Tyler Toys will love, and now I can just spend this last day relaxing and enjoying whatever happens at Christmas Camp.”
She picked up her phone and texted Kathy: Sorry it’s late. See if you can work a Christmas miracle.
The only response she got back was the shocked emoji.
Haley laughed. She knew Ben would be proud of her. She was finally able to give one hundred percent to her last day at Christmas Camp.
“Max, let’s go get some breakfast,” she said. Max jumped up and ran to her door. He waited for her, and when she was ready, they walked down the hall together.
When they entered the kitchen the first thing Haley noticed was the chalkboard. The Christmas countdown now said nine days to Christmas, and the word for the day was “inspiration.”
“Well, I’m inspired to find something to eat. What about you?” she asked Max.
He barked his approval.
She looked around and finally found his treats inside—what else?—a cookie jar that looked just like Max, only this dog was wearing a Santa hat. She was just giving Max his treat when Laura walked in.
“Good morning, Haley and Max,” Laura said in her most cheerful voice. “Have you two come in to volunteer to help me make breakfast?”
Haley looked at Max, and they both looked at Laura. “I don’t know about making breakfast, but we’re both hungry, so I thought we’d get a little snack.”
Laura went to the refrigerator, took out a carton of eggs, and handed them to Haley. “The sooner we make breakfast, the sooner you two can eat. How does that sound?”
Max answered with a bark.
“Max has spoken,” Laura said. She gave him another treat. “So, let’s get going.”
A few minutes later, when Jeff walked in, Haley was whipping up eggs like a pro. When she looked up at him she had a proud look on her face.
Jeff looked impressed. “Wow, first Christmas cookies, then soup, and now breakfast. Who knew you were such a whiz in the kitchen.”
“Certainly not me.” Haley laughed. “But when you have an excellent teacher like Laura, it’s hard not to learn something. Still, you might want to hold off on the compliments until after you taste it.”
Jeff walked over and peeked into Haley’s bowl to see how she was doing. “I have faith in you. I’m sure it will be great.”
Instead of making one of her usual jokes, Haley decided to just take the compliment with a smile.
When Jeff went to grab a cinnamon roll that Laura had just frosted, she batted his hand away and gave him an apple.
Instead of arguing with her, he took a big bite. “So, Haley, I heard from the contractor I recommended for your parents, and he said things are going really well.”
Haley smiled back at him. “Yes, thank you so much. They emailed me the same thing this morning. We’re all truly grateful.”
“I’m really glad it’s working out,” Jeff said.
“It actually might be working out too well.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, taking another bite of his apple.
“Well, now that my parents have found a contractor they can trust, they want to do even more renovations.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“That’s an expensive thing,” Haley answered. “And I haven’t gotten my promotion yet. It’s also a lot of time and work.”
“The best things usually are,” Jeff said as he met and held her gaze.
For a moment Haley forgot what she was doing and whipped her eggs too hard, sending some of the mixture flying out of the bowl. “Whoa!” She snapped back to attention and scrambled to clean up the mess. “Sorry about that. Obviously, I’m still a rookie here. I don’t think the Cooking Channel will be calling me anytime soon.”
“Lucky you have a job you love, right?” Jeff asked.
“Right,” Haley agreed. “And I finally finished my Christmas toy campaign pitch. I can’t wait to get back to Boston and show my boss. He’s going to love it.”
“Then this should get you your promotion, which I’m guessing is your Christmas wish.”
Since it was a statement not a question, Haley decided not to answer. Then she remembered she’d never written down a Christmas wish to put in her stocking. It had been their first activity at Christmas Camp, and she hadn’t done it. Now she knew she needed to.
She walked over to Jeff and handed him the bowl of whipped eggs. “I’m deputizing you to be Laura’s new assistant. I think we’ll have a much better chance of actually getting breakfast made before dinner if you help her.”
“Wait, what?” Jeff looked from Haley to Laura.
“Oh, wait, and you’ll need this.” Haley took off her apron and put it around his neck. When their eyes met she smiled and he smiled back. It was a moment that gave her heart hope. She put both of her hands on his chest to smooth the apron out and fought hard not to show the jolt of attraction that went through her when she touched him. As she stepped back, she saw Laura was watching them. She had the same smile on her face that Gail always had, that all-knowing smile, and seeing it made Haley even more self-conscious.
“So just like that you’re outta here? Leaving me with this?” Jeff looked down at his apron.
Haley laughed. “Yup, just like that.” She snagged a cinnamon roll.
“Hey!” he called out. “How come she can have one?”
Laura laughed. “Because she’s our guest.”
Jeff held up his hands. “And what am I?”
Laura went over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re family. Now help me get breakfast ready.”
Haley laughed as she left the kitchen. She was heading up to her room when she heard the teenagers outside. When she opened the door to see what was going on, she saw Madison, Blake, and John making a snowman. John waved her over. “Haley, come help us.”
Grinning, Haley grabbed her coat, hat, mittens, and boots and joined them a minute later.
“So, what do you think of our snowman, Haley?” Madison asked proudly. “Isn’t he the coolest snowman you’ve ever seen?”
“Well, I don’t know about that . . .” Haley said, pretending to be serious. “I’m going to have to check it out.” As she started to walk slowly around the snowman, she caught John’s eye and winked. What she saw was pretty impressive, but she wasn’t about to admit it to the kids yet.
The snowman stood about five feet tall. He had four sections to his body instead of the traditional three. The head was perfectly shaped and had two round eyes made out of rocks and a mouth made out of smaller rocks. He was grinning ear to ear, literally, as they had also added ears, making them out of leaves. For his arms, there were tree branches—one pointing up and one pointing down—making him look like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. Haley kept a poker face as she completed her circle around the snowman. “Hmm . . .” she said as she looked closer at the eyes.
“We’re not done with it yet,” Blake said. “We’re still going to do eyebrows.”
Haley fought to keep from laughing. “I think eyebrows would definitely add something.”
John walked over to Blake. “And you know what else it needs?”
“What?” Blake asked.
John took Blake’s hands and pulled off his gloves.
“Hey! I need those!” Blake tried to grab them back from his dad but it was too late. John was already putting them on the snowman’s branch arms.
Madison was cracking up until John came over and stole her scarf.
“Wait, not my scarf!”
“Yup,” John said, and then put the scarf on the snowman. He was looking pretty pleased with himself until Haley snuck up behind him and stole his hat.
“Wait, what!” John tried to stop her but it was too late. I need that!”
Haley laughed as she twirled the hat around her finger.
“Hey, it’s important to wear a hat when you’re out in the cold,” John said in his very doctorlike voice.
“Is that so, Dr. John?” Haley asked in a voice that had both teenagers cracking up. “That’s really good to know, because it’s even more reason why our snowman needs a hat.”
Haley tossed the hat to Blake, who quickly put it on the snowman.
“It’s perfect,” Madison said.
“So cool,” Blake agreed.
Everyone was laughing when Laura opened the front door. “Who’s ready for waffles?”
Both teenagers took off like a shot and were inside before Haley could even answer. She looked over at John. “Wow, they must really love waffles!”
John laughed. “Oh, they do, and they’ve already told me how much they’re going to miss all of Laura’s great cooking.” He gave Laura an appreciative look. “It really has been great, Laura. Thank you. My idea for breakfast is usually cereal or frozen waffles. You have definitely spoiled them.”
Laura smiled back at him. “I’m glad they like my cooking, but I think what they really like the most about being here is spending time with you.”
“I agree,” Haley said. “When they first got here, remember how upset they were about getting their phones and computers taken away, and now here you all are making a snowman. Not many teenagers do that anymore, and it looked like they were really having fun.”
John nodded. “I think they have been having fun. They’ve even made their own activities list, like the one we have here, that they want to do at home. This trip has really showed me how fast they’re growing up and how we need to spend as much time together as a family as we can. I feel like the time has just gone by so fast, and I’ve already missed so much.”
“I’ve been starting to feel that way, too,” Haley said.
“Well, it’s never too late to make a change,” Laura said.
“Actually, about that,” John said, looking at Laura. “I was going to ask you if you could maybe give me a few quick cooking lessons?”
Laura smiled warmly at him. “So you can make waffles?”
“That and mashed potatoes so I can make the kids their favorite things on Christmas, or at least a few of the things.”
“I would love to help you,” Laura said.