Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
Avery
I had to hand it to Jim; this was absolutely perfect and quite a way to kick off the Christmas party he and the girls had planned.
Still, I wasn’t the one judging the two parties, and this wouldn’t necessarily put him ahead in our planning rivalry.
Ultimately, it would be up to the company’s employees and business partners to decide which event reigned supreme, and whether Jim could redeem himself for trying to cut corners on the holiday festivities this year.
None of that mattered right now, though, because I planned to indulge myself in this exciting Christmas event fully.
The holiday was here, and I couldn’t believe we were actually celebrating it in the way we were.
Hell, maybe Jim and I should do this for his company every year to really bring the spirit of Christmas alive in everyone’s hearts.
The helicopter broke through a bank of clouds, and for one impossible second, it felt like we’d slipped through a portal in the sky.
Below us, the world had transformed. The mountains were gone, replaced by a glowing expanse of snow-covered wonder that stretched endlessly beneath a violet-gold twilight.
Strings of lights shimmered like twinkling stars, wrapping through pine forests and lining along rooftops in patterns that made my breath catch.
“Oh…my God,” I whispered.
Izzy pressed her hands to the glass, eyes huge. “Mom! Do you love it?” she asked as if she’d put the whole thing together herself. “We did it. It’s Santa’s village!”
“I’m in love with all of it,” I said with a smile of excitement that matched hers.
She wasn’t exaggerating. It was precisely that. Santa’s village. It felt like we’d flown straight into that movie, The Santa Clause, where the clouds opened and revealed the North Pole.
Towers of light spiraled up from the ground, forming candy-cane arches.
Rows of toy-shop cottages dazzled in soft gold and frosted white.
The snow—good God, the snow—fell in perfect, weightless flakes that caught the light like crystal dust. The music drifting through the helicopter cabin didn’t even sound like it came from the speakers anymore.
Instead, it sounded like it floated up from the ground, faint and melodic, as if the entire mountain were singing.
Beside me, Jim watched silently, one arm resting along the back of the leather couch, his thumb tracing idle circles against my shoulder. He didn’t say a word and didn’t have to. The look on his face said it all, that quiet satisfaction he wore when something went exactly the way he’d imagined it.
I turned toward him, voice barely above a breath. “Jim, you really nailed this,” I said as I rubbed my hand over his leg.
His mouth curved. “And that surprises you?”
“After your most recent company gift choices? Yes, I’ll admit, this surprises me more than you know.”
“In the name of my charcuterie redemption, I believe that after tonight, no one will call me Griswold’s boss or Scrooge again,” he said proudly.
I held back my laughter, knowing that tomorrow he would be thrown into those very roles at my Christmas party. But seeing what he’d done for his event made me start to wonder if my plan to have him escorted to his party might end up backfiring on me.
Perhaps my party should’ve been first. You know, before the man could actually redeem himself by recreating a visit to the North-fucking-Pole for Christmas cheer.
The helicopter banked slightly, giving us the full view.
“I’ve named it Evergreen Hollow,” he chuckled.
“Cute,” I said, smiling at how damn adorable he could be when he got into shit like this for me and the girls.
And something told me that’s who this was really for—me and his daughters. It proved he was always about putting smiles on our faces during festive events and bringing warmth into our home whenever a holiday or fun occasion called for it. It was just Jim—the big, bad CEO with a heart of gold.
From our viewpoint from the chopper, Evergreen Hollow looked alive.
The main lodge rose at the center. It was massive and warm, with every window spilling light like liquid gold.
Surrounding it was an entire snow-covered village with gingerbread-trimmed storefronts, reindeer sculptures, and lampposts wound with garland and mistletoe.
I could see tiny figures below that appeared to be people hired to dress as elves and toy soldiers.
I smiled as I saw them all waving as the chopper passed overhead.
Addy was videoing on her phone and laughing, “How cute! They’re all waving at us like we’re Santa coming home on the sleigh!”
Jim chuckled, “Well, I’m no Santa, but it’s close enough.”
“Will the real Santa be here?” Izzy—who still believed—questioned with wide eyes.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s planning a visit to make sure I didn’t miss a beat when comparing this village to the real one,” Jim winked at her.
Jim’s perfect village had sucked me into its magical realm, and I couldn’t look away.
Every inch of it felt impossible, too perfect to exist in the same world we’d left twenty minutes ago.
The air itself looked different here—thicker somehow, as if filled with magic instead of smog.
Shit, maybe I would even start believing in Santa again after tonight.
We descended lower, the snow swirling harder, glittering in the downwash of the rotors. The music grew louder, turning from faint bells into a full orchestral swell that vibrated in my chest.
“This isn’t just a party,” I murmured, the words barely forming around the lump in my throat. “It’s a perfect Christmas dream.”
Jim’s hand slipped into mine, his palm warm and grounding. “It’s our perfect Christmas dream.”
The landing pad came into view, glowing in circles of white and gold, rimmed with animated snowflakes that pulsed to the rhythm of the music. And at the center, written in lights so bright they looked carved from starlight, were the words:
Mitchell and Associates and Families: Welcome to Evergreen Hollow
My heart twisted. I’d spent weeks thinking this whole rivalry between our events was about who could out-plan the other, putting Jim in his place for being a cheapskate. But now, as I stared down at the living, breathing North Pole he’d built, I realized it had never been a competition for him.
It was always a gift for us to enjoy as a family and for the company he worked hard for to provide us with a comfortable life. Jim always went deeper, while I played on the feistier side of things, and that’s what I loved so much about this man.
The helicopter hovered for a moment before descending through a cloud of artificial snow. The sound softened, muffled by the flakes, until it felt like we were falling through a dream.
When the skids touched down, Addy and Izzy squealed, unbuckling before the blades had even slowed.
Jim rose first and turned toward me, his voice low and warm. “Ready to see what you inspired by ensuring I wasn’t a Scrooge this year?”
I swallowed hard, the world outside glowing like a fairytale through the tinted glass. “You never cease to amaze me with anything you put your mind and heart to, handsome.”
He smiled, offered his hand, and with that familiar, infuriatingly confident tone said, “Then I must’ve already won our war?”
“Let’s not take advantage of me being overwhelmed with your big heart just yet,” I smiled at him, “but I will say, you’re pretty damn close to kicking my ass with all of this.”
“So, we won?” Addy asked with a laugh.
“That will be for Dad’s employees to judge,” I said, “and they’re not coming in by helicopter.” I offered Jim a challenging smirk, “Hopefully, no one got car sick coming up on those buses,” I chuckled. “All right, we ladies need to change. Where’s the place they kept our dresses?”
“We have private rooms upstairs in the lodge,” Jim said. “All of our friends and family will be staying the night here with us and wake up for cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve morning in Mrs. Claus’s dining hall,” he proudly proclaimed.
“Well, well,” I said, “you are intent on being labeled Father Christmas.”
“I am what I am,” he shrugged, and with a tender kiss, the girls and I disappeared into the lodge to get into our dresses and brace for the night ahead.
Upstairs in our suite, the air smelled faintly of peppermint, pine, and the soft crackle of the fire burning in the sitting room hearth.
Snow still fell in thick, lazy flakes outside the windows, blanketing the world beyond in quiet white.
I could almost believe Jim wasn’t using snow machines to create this winter wonderland with how much it reminded me of our Christmas trip to Switzerland last year.
I finished putting my diamond earrings in, then turned to check on the girls.
I smiled when I watched Izzy twirling in her emerald velvet dress, curls bouncing as she twisted to look at her bow on the back.
And Addy sat like an angel, scrolling through her phone so as not to do anything to wrinkle her dress.
I was so thankful Jim fell for my no wrinkles shit. It was the only way I knew I could get away with having his wardrobe for my party delivered to Paramount without him asking why the girls and I were wearing Victorian-era costumes to a Christmas party.
I smoothed my hands down my gown, a stunning, long, winter-white gown with gold embroidery along the hem, when a knock came at the door.
Addy darted to open it before I could say a word.
“Whoa,” she breathed. “Dad, you look like you’re about to walk into a magazine.”
Jim leaned in the doorway, all tuxedo and confidence, snow dusting his dark overcoat. His tie was undone, collar slightly open, and he smiled when his gaze met mine. “You’re all stunning.”
Izzy grinned. “Are we going through the village now?”
“Not quite yet,” he said, stepping inside. “First, I have a surprise. For all of you.”
I folded my arms, suspicious. “You and your surprises.”