Chapter 25
Lizzie watched Della step onto the small stage in the lobby of Self Evident Records with pride and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Her baby sister’s face glowed when the music started, and when she sang, the audience glowed with her. Her new song was just as much of a hit here as it had been at the concert.
Renic wrapped his arms around her from behind. They stood there as a couple, just part of the crowd. It felt right, like coming home after a long time away.
She pressed against him while they listened, swaying slightly to the melody. “I’m so proud of her. Della doesn’t usually have the patience to write a song. She’s the songbird that brings them to life. Mattie writes the songs. Piper gives them soul.”
Renic gave her a squeeze. “What does that make you?”
She leaned her head back against him. “I’m the backstage shadow.”
He kissed her hair. “You’re the safe harbor. It’s easy to take on the world when you have someone to come home to. Someone to tell you how special you are, and really mean it. You do that.”
When the song ended, Jacob joined Della, and soon they had the entire party belting out Billy Joel songs at the top of their lungs. Lizzie meant to sneak out once Della was done to head back to the inn, but her sister kept flashing her huge smiles and winks. Della looked so happy that Lizzie couldn’t tear herself away.
Then Renic took her hand and led her onto the dance floor, and she no longer wanted to leave. She wound up staying the night at his place, which lead to a long morning in bed, followed by three more days spent shopping with Della, laughing with Morgan and Jordanna, and a fun afternoon listening in on Jacob’s first studio session.
The nights had been filled with Renic.
Guilt about being gone from the inn took little nibbles from her here and there, growing more insistent by the day, but her desire to spend time with Renic outweighed it. So she pushed off the trip home in favor of spending just a little more time with him. She put herself first, if only for a couple of days, and it felt foreign, like she was in a new country and didn’t speak the language, but she could get used to it.
The drive home was very different from her worried, desperate trip to the city. She wasn’t a miserable ball of nerves, for one thing. She was blissfully happy and excited. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this sure of herself or her situation, and the reason for it was sitting in the truck next to her.
Lizzie glanced at Renic as they passed by one of the few good places to stop for food along the way from the city to upstate New York. “Hungry? ”
He rested his hand on her thigh and squeezed, which sent a little thrill through her body that made her smile. “I’d rather wait for Carrie’s family dinner.”
“You don’t even know what she’s making,” she pointed out.
“Anything Carrie makes is fine by me. Besides, I know you’re anxious to get there.”
He rubbed her thigh, making the little thrill blossom into a wave of heat. She tried to distract herself by focusing on the work ahead instead of her lustful thoughts. “I keep picturing worst-case scenarios, like the barn has burned down with all the decorations in it, or the butcher went out of business and there’s no meat, or maybe all the poinsettias on the East Coast have a fungus and died.”
Renic laughed. “None of that’s happened. You know that, right?”
“Yes, but if I work through all the problems in my head now, then I’ll be ready for whatever does happen. I’ll have a plan, and it won’t take me by surprise.”
“The nonexistent problem won’t take you by surprise? I can see how that would ease your anxiety to a manageable level.”
She could tell by his teasing tone that he didn’t get her point at all. “Since I bought into the place I’ve never missed the prep work for a big event like this. Ever. It’s perfectly natural to feel a little worried about it.”
“It’s been over three years, hasn’t it? You haven’t ever taken a vacation?”
She shook her head. “I wanted to make the inn someplace really special. That takes a lot of work. And it’s nowhere near done. There’s this ancient addition that needs to be either renovated or torn down, and I’d really like to put in a permanent gazebo so we can stop using the arch. ”
“You don’t have to do it all at once, and it won’t fall apart if you take a break. You have good people. Trust that they have your back.”
“I do. I trust them. It’s just…”
“You’re a control freak.”
She gasped in pretend indignation. “I am not.”
He gave her an are-you-serious stare. “You really are. In the dictionary under control freak there’s a picture of that woman in The Devil Wears Prada— ”
“Anna Wintour or Meryl Streep?”
“The first one. Her, Steve Jobs, Martha Stewart, pre-prison, and you.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a little bit extreme, don’t you think?”
“I think extreme only comes into play when the description outstrips reality. In this case I think I’ve nailed reality.”
“Oh, shush, you,” she said. “I’d think you’d be a little more concerned too, because if it’s not done when we get there you’ll be recruited for decorating detail. It could take all night.”
“We have better things to do than decorate.” He moved his hand a little higher on her thigh.
She waved a finger at him. “Oh no, we aren’t doing anything until the inn is ready for the wedding.”
“So we’ll stick some flowers in a vase and call for pizza. Done.”
She laughed. “No way. The bride wants a Christmas wedding and that’s exactly what we’re going to give her, even if it takes the elves all night to make it happen.”
“Should we stop for more twinkle lights?” He glanced sideways at her. His half smile, half smirk suggested all kinds of things that had nothing to do with lights.
“I think we have more than enough. ”
“Damn. I was really hoping we could hang out in a dark parking lot.”
She shook her head, laughing. “You’re a shameless troublemaker.”
They walked through the front door of the inn three hours later into a winter holiday wonderland that was so perfect it took her breath away.
Christmas trees were fully decorated for the holidays with warm white twinkle lights, red bows, brilliant white doves filled every corner, and greenery twined around the stair rails to light the way upstairs. Candles adorned the tables in the dining room, wreaths were hung over the fireplace and the doors, and an enormous gingerbread village display that would make a fantastic backdrop for family photos was near the back door. She had no idea where they’d found it or how much it had cost, but she fell instantly in love with it. Whatever it was, she’d pay it, because the entire first floor looked like a fantasy.
“Oh…” She breathed in the atmosphere, overwhelmed.
“See? Nothing to worry about,” Renic said.
The room went a little blurry as happy tears welled up. “Dad would have loved this. He always overdid Christmas. This is perfect.”
The back door opened, and Mark came in pulling a small red wagon filled with brilliant red poinsettias. He caught sight of them and raised his chin in greeting. “Hey, you two. You made good time.”
“We didn’t stop,” Renic said. “Pretty sure the truck needs gas.”
Carter followed Mark through the door pulling an identical wagon filled with white poinsettias. His face brightened when he saw her. Then he glanced down at their intertwined fingers and scowled.
“You did this?” Lizzie gestured at the entry. “It looks absolutely stunning.”
The scowl on Carter’s face softened. “Some of the girls helped. Debbie has a real eye for this kind of thing. She’s a graphic design major.”
“Debbie, huh?” Lizzie grinned. “Wasn’t she the cute blonde who helped with the flowers last time?”
“Yeah.” Carter’s smile was fleeting, but it was there. “She’s a cheerleader.”
Carrie came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. “Lizzie! Welcome back. I see the trip went well. Hey, Renic.”
“Carrie.” Renic smiled. “Seriously impressed with what you’ve all done here.”
“If you think this looks good, wait ’til you see the ballroom,” Carrie said. “The kids were up all night.”
“Where’s the ceremony this time?” Renic asked. “Seems too cold to sit outside.”
“It’s a small wedding, so we’re hosting the ceremony in the ballroom,” Lizzie explained. “Then the guests can move out here and the lounge for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while we switch the room over to reception mode. It’ll be a little hectic, but doable. That’s why it needed so much decoration out here. I didn’t expect it to look like this, though. This is truly spectacular.”
She noticed Carter holding his head a little higher as she spoke. Debbie might have an eye for graphics, but she had a feeling the actual designer of this Christmas fairy tale was Carter. Maybe Debbie would help him realize his true talents, along with easing him past his crush on Lizzie. She made a mental note to be sure Debbie was on the serving crew for tomorrow.
Mark gestured toward the ballroom door. “Go on in. We just need to finish up the walkway and the porch, then it’s all good to go.”
She walked hand in hand with Renic into the ballroom and stopped just inside the door to stare at the transformation. It was always a beautiful space, with old-world charm and rich architectural details that made it feel like a proper castle. But now it was so much more than that. It was a Christmas fairy tale, a romantic bower, and a childhood dream all rolled into one.
“Oh…my…goodness.” She breathed.
“My mother would die of jealousy right now,” Renic said. “She pays a lot of money for people to decorate her house, and it never looks as good as this.”
The fireplace on the far wall served as the backdrop for the ceremony, and it was the perfect picture of Christmas. Lush greenery wrapped with twinkle lights stretched across the mantle, and a large wreath covered in red ribbons and lights hung above it.
The fireplace was flanked by seven-foot trees fully decorated with winter white and red ribbons, balls, and bows. Elegant candles waited to be lit by the bride and groom after they made their vows.
A small stage for the violin quartet had been erected in the corner directly in front of the formerly damaged wall. It had been repaired while she was gone, and now nobody would know there’d ever been a water issue in this room.
The rest of the space was shaped with trees, foliage, poinsettias, and ribbons into a wonderland that belonged on a postcard, or maybe at the North Pole.
“The bride is going to be so thrilled.” Lizzie spun around to beam at the people waiting for her reaction.
The relief she felt at knowing they all had her back—that she hadn’t ruined anything by taking a little time for herself—couldn’t be contained. She dropped Renic’s hand to pull Mark, Carter, and Carrie into a group hug. “Thank you all so much. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Why would you want to?” Carrie asked.
“And we wouldn’t be here without you,” Mark said. “We’re a team.”
Later that night, after all the last-minute touch-ups were done and family dinner was finished, Lizzie led Renic upstairs to the Rose Room to show him the repairs he’d paid for.
Carrie watched them go with a knowing smirk, which made her blush, but didn’t stop her determination. She’d been picturing Renic naked in that room for weeks, and she wasn’t about to let a little embarrassment stop her.
She opened the door and stepped inside.
“You’re leaving me here all by myself?” He followed her into the room, caressing her back as he passed.
She shut the door behind them. “It’s just for tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows. “One night? Planning on sending me to the Budget Inn tomorrow?”
A flash of guilt tickled her. “Not this time.”
“Good, because if you kick me out again, I’d rather sleep in the truck.”
She closed her eyes against the embarrassment. She still couldn’t believe she’d actually done that. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t very nice.”
“For a Southern girl, it was unspeakably rude. I’m pretty sure it qualifies you for honorary New York City citizenship. Still, it all worked out in the end.” Renic grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. His smile was teasingly playful, with a hint of hunger that made her pulse quicken.
She didn’t want to get distracted. Not yet. But it was hard to keep her mind on what she wanted to say when he caressed the back of her hand with his thumb like that. She looked down so that she wouldn’t get lost in his gaze and pushed the words out. “Della told me breaking up the group was all her decision, and that she let me blame you so I wouldn’t be mad at her. I’m sorry I stormed into your office that day, and I’m sorry for what I said. You didn’t deserve that. You didn’t deserve any of it.”
“Look at me.” He gently lifted her chin until she did. “It doesn’t matter. That’s in the past. What matters is today and tomorrow.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She’d been wanting to ask that for a long time but hadn’t been ready to risk the consequences. She’d treated him so badly, so often, he had every right to hold a grudge even though he clearly didn’t.
His lips quirked. “It was the right move, at the time. You were married. You being mad at me was the only thing that kept my hands off you.”
“I’ve been divorced over three years now.” She tilted her head to wait for an explanation.
“You moved to upstate New York. I couldn’t just casually stop by like I was in the neighborhood. Although now that I’ve seen what kind of talent lurks in these places, I’m thinking maybe we should make a habit of touring off-the-beaten-path spots.”
“We?” She gazed at him, letting herself sink into the love she saw in his eyes.
He kissed her, a light brush of his lips that was a promise of more. “Oh yeah, didn’t I tell you? It’s part of the deal that we talent scout as a team. It’s a paid position, with benefits. You should be getting the contract to sign in a couple of days.”
“Paid?” She blinked at him, stunned. “You want to pay me to go to bars with you?”
“Well, Omega does. I was hoping you’d accept the position so we could spend time together. It’ll be like reliving our first date over and over.”
“You think that was our first date? I tricked you to get you out of the house, and then the tire blew. It was pure luck it happened in front of a bar.”
He shrugged. “Luck, fate, whatever. You can’t tell me the idea of christening another parking lot hasn’t crossed your mind.”
She had to admit she had pictured that exact scenario many times now. It was getting a little too warm in this room. She unbuttoned the top button on her shirt with her free hand. “And Nate agreed to that, did he? He’s been making ripples in my life ever since I was seventeen. My own personal fairy godfather.”
Renic watched her with interest. “Well, he agreed to the salary. The fringe benefits come from me.”
She undid the second button. “What benefits?”
Renic pushed the top of her shirt aside. “That’s up for negotiation. So if I only get one night in the inn’s best room, where am I spending tomorrow night?”
She shivered and undid the third button on her shirt. “Tomorrow you check into the Carriage House.”
His gaze traced a path down and lingered on the exposed lace of her bra. “Why not tonight?”
“You know how you said I should do more of what I want?” She only had one more button to go. She fumbled a little to make it take longer, then finally released it .
Renic pushed the shirt aside and gripped her waist. “I remember.”
She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. “Tonight I want to sleep in the Rose Room with you. Tomorrow, we’ll work on building a life together.”
He pulled her close. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”