Chapter 21
Riley
“Riley! The party was absolutely enchanting!”
The woman in a red pencil skirt that is so tight her feet can hardly move enough to take a step coming trotting over to me with a wide smile and open arms. Her name is Cynthia Devrese and she’s the host of the annual Chateau Belle winery holiday party, a party I was thrilled to do this year.
Usually this kind of thing would have gone to Chloe but lucky for me, Chloe has walking pneumonia.
“I’m so glad you were happy with it,” I smile back.
“Happy?” she exclaims and I bite back a laugh.
Cynthia is known for being very put together, reserved and of tasteful and obnoxiously wealthy blood.
However, when that blood is saturated with cabernet sauvignon, she’s just loud.
“Look at this place! You’ve outdone yourself.
I feel like you just be Katherine’s best kept secret. ”
You don’t say…
“I’m just happy I was able to do it,” I tell her. “Event planning is my passion and you have such a lovely template to work with. The winery is stunning.”
“You are such a doll. But also, where did you find poinsettias? There must be over a hundred here! It’s not even December yet!” Cynthia pours over me, taking me by the hands.
“I have my ways,” I tell her.
Like the internet. And spending enough of Katherine’s money to get throttled tomorrow. Oh well.
“Well, I want to know more about your ways because everything was perfect. The food, the decor, the flowers, the music. Just fabulous. In fact! I am going to personally recommend you to all our friends. You’ll have every winery in the state of California calling you!”
My heart slingshots to the moon. “That would be wonderful!”
“I am going to ask for you personally the next time we have an event.”
“Thank you,” I beam with a very real smile. “Thank you very much.”
I leave the winery in a buzz, and not just because I partook in a glass or two of wine.
The idea of the Devrese family networking me would be unreal.
The people they consider close friends alone have enough money to pay my rent for months.
As I walk to my car, I look back at the winery, nestled in the heart of a cute mainstreet area of a town just outside the bustling city.
I love living in the city. I always have.
But I also love these little areas right outside of it all.
Along the northern California coast, they are the perfect mix of trees and ocean and a lovely getaway from the hustle and bustle of it all, even if it is only for a day.
And this time of year, they’re fresh and lovely and alive with the promise of holiday festivities.
Speaking of that, just two blocks away is another little street festival, with live music, food trucks and vendors. I can hear Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree wafting my direction, luring me in. Most people hate Christmas music. I am not one of them.
I head that direction in search of Brianna, Bailey and Noah. When I told her about the event I was doing for Belle, Brianna mentioned bringing the kids up here to go to the festival. The only thing she wanted in return was a bottle of wine, which I have in my hand.
I make my way through the closed off street, surprised but not at how busy it is. I find them in a kid area complete with bouncy houses, face painting and little craft booths.
“Mommy! Look!” Noah comes running up to me as soon as he spots me, nearly knocking me over. “I got my face painted!”
“I see that,” I laugh at the reindeer painted on his face. “How are you feeling?” I ask, rubbing his forehead. Noah shrugs away from me. He hates when I baby him.
“I’m fine.”
“I did tell the boys no bouncy houses though, just to be safe,” Brianna says as she hugs me.
I hand her the bottle of wine and she lights up. “Girl. You truly are one of my best friends.”
I laugh at that. “It was no problem at all. The party went…really well. There might be more jobs in line actually.”
“Well, that’s exciting! They may have their noses in the air but as long as their wallets are open, that’s all that matters right?”
“Right,” I laugh.
“Well, I think we are going to take off if that’s alright,” Brianna says. “Bailey has a tendency to turn into a pumpkin when the sun goes down.”
“I do not,” Bailey argues. I thank her for helping with Noah as usual and watch with an empathetic smile as she wrestles with a protesting Bailey all the way back to their car.
“Can we do ornament, mommy?” Noah asks, tugging on my sweater and pointing at a little stand. “You get to make your own.”
“Oh I love the sound of that. Just the two of us. It’ll be wonder–”
“Cameron!” Noah calls out his name and takes off into the crowd before I even have time to process.
“Noah? Noah!” I run after him, weaving in and out of a crowd of people in line for face painting then come to a screeching stop. Sure enough, Cameron is here with a huge smile on his face as Noah wraps his arms around him.
“Mommy look! It’s Cameron!”
“I see that,” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest to prevent my heart from popping out.
“You shouldn’t run away from your mom like that, buddy. I think you just about gave her a heart attack,” Cameron says.
“You’re a doctor. You could resuscitate her if she did!” Noah says, still clinging to him.
Cameron glances up at me and I swallow hard as his eyes meet mine. They’re bright and warm and send a little jolt of something electric through my veins.
“That I could,” he says.
Another jolt.
“What are you doing all the way up here?” I ask.
“There was a CPR class and chili cook off at the fire station,” he explains. “My buddy Ike is the chief and said they needed a hand.”
“With teaching CPR? I thought they were all certified.”
“No. With making chili,” he says.
“You make chili!?” Noah asks
“The best,” Cameron answers.
Of course he does.
“Is that so?” I ask.
“Yep. Old family recipe.”
“Well, I happen to have a pretty good recipe myself…”
Cameron steps in front of me and I realize just how fitted his Henley shirt is, putting his muscles fully on display. “Is that a challenge?” he asks.
“You bet it is,” I say with more bravery than I am feeling. Good lord. What has gotten into me? He’s never flustered me before. At least not like this.
Maybe it’s the fact that he smells like firewood and musk and something else. Something I remember from the other night at the hotel…something that I could smell on my own skin for days…
“You name the time and place,” he says, his voice low.
“Mommy! We should all make an ornament,” Noah says, pulling me back to earth again.
“Oh, I doubt Cameron wants to make ornaments. I am sure he has better things to do,” I shake my head.
“Better things to do than hang out with us?” Noah says sadly and my forced smile sinks.
“I can’t think of a single thing more important than making ornaments right now,” Cameron says and Noah laughs.
“Hooray!” he exclaims, picking out three little premade bags of popsicle sticks, green tissue paper, glue and glitter.
“You do realize the risk you’re taking,” I tell Cameron as we all open our bags at a table. “Once you get glitter on something, it never comes out. Ever.”
“Never ever,” Noah confirms.
“I like to think I’m a risk taker…” Cameron says.
Noah laughs.
I blush again.
Noah guides us through the instructions as we glue together the popsicle sticks in a star shape, then cut the paper out to create a stained glass look.
I add a touch of the gold glitter to the center of mine as well as around the edges.
Cameron dusts the whole thing with just a hint of glitter making his whole star sparkle and making Noah smile.
Noah pretty much dumps glitter on his star so only hints of the green paper shine through.
In the end, we all hold them up to the light in a line.
“They’re all so different,” I say.
“But they look good,” Cameron adds.
“A family of stars…” Noah says and my heart tightens in my chest.
I don’t have to look at Cameron to know that he has the same look on his face as I do. I can only imagine what he is thinking.
“They will look perfect on the tree,” Noah says. “And they’re perfect for my make-a-wish letter.
“Why is that bud?” I ask, my throat tight and my head swirling.
But Noah just smiles at both of us. “You’ll see…”