Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Sunny
Okay. Fine. Decorating a ballroom for Christmas Eve. Not as glamorous as it sounds.
In fact, the garlands are practically strangling me, the lights are fighting back because they’re on a mission, and I just spent five minutes with a tinsel garland wrapped around my head like a sparkly boa.
Tinsel is living up to her name by taking full advantage of the madness, while I’m over here trying to appear as if I have it together.
Right now, I’m standing on a ladder, attempting to untangle some lights that apparently have a grudge against me. These little bulbs are conspiring to make me trip and fall into a pile of Christmas cheer, and they’re doing a pretty good job of it.
“Sunny, can you—” Marjorie starts to shout across the room, but before she can finish, I hear a thud, followed by a yowl.
“No!” I scream, dropping the garland and rushing to the source of the noise.
There, on the floor, is Tinsel, looking entirely too pleased with herself. She’s knocked over a whole stack of Christmas-themed candles and is now batting them off the table like it’s a sport.
“Tinsel!” I rush over to her, hands up in a protective stance, but it’s no use. She looks at me as if she’s the one who’s been wronged here. “You’re going to break them.”
I pick her up, but she squirms, clearly unimpressed with my sudden maternal instincts. “You’re supposed to be the best cat ever. Not the Grinch of The Garland Rose!”
Marjorie walks by with an eyebrow arched. “She’s definitely the Grinch. A Grinch with claws.”
“Ugh. I swear, the holiday gods sent this cat to ruin my life,” I mutter. “How are we going to finish this whole place with Tinsel being destructive?”
“We’re probably not,” Marjorie grins, “but at least we’ve got snacks. And help… although I can’t help but notice that Ryder is nowhere to be seen.”
My heart sinks. “Yeah… Ryder has been… distant. I think he’s working on the hotel finances, and I don’t want to add on stress if he’s onto something.”
Marjorie immediately stops what she’s doing and looks at me with full attention. “You think he’s got something?”
I rub the back of my neck, trying to keep my tone light, but I know it’s not working. “I don’t know. I think so. But I haven’t had much time to talk to him. It’s stressing me out.”
Marjorie crosses her arms, eyes narrowing. “Sunny, I’m going to say this, and I know you’re not going to like it, but maybe you are closing yourself off. Maybe you’re trying to avoid talking to him about something…”
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “I want to tell him, but the timing is all wrong.”
But Marjorie isn’t fazed by my sarcasm. “I don’t know if there’s ever a good time to drop a pregnancy bombshell.”
I wince at the mention of the pregnancy. My stomach does this weird flip. It’s trying to escape my body in the most dramatic fashion possible.
“Can we not? Can we just focus on… I don’t know… Christmas chaos for a second?”
Marjorie raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t the pregnancy part of the chaos?”
“Okay, fine. Yes. But I’m still not sure how to even bring it up to him.
” I glance over at Tinsel, who’s now pretending to be a sphinx, thoroughly unimpressed with the fact that she almost caused a minor candle-related disaster.
“But shh, I don’t want anyone else to hear before I even get the chance. ”
Marjorie leans in, about to spill some top-secret wisdom.
“Look, I get it. You’re worried about timing.
But you can’t let him keep drifting off into his own little world, especially if you’ve got a major secret to drop.
You owe it to both of you to be real with him.
Otherwise, it’ll just make everything weirder when it finally comes out. ”
I fold my arms, staring at the tangle of fairy lights like they’re going to untwist themselves if I stare long enough magically.
“I know. It’s just… what if it’s too much for him? I mean, this is Ryder Hale we’re talking about. He’s probably got a thousand things on his mind, and I don’t want to be one more complication. I don’t want to be that girl.”
“You mean the girl who’s carrying his twins?” Marjorie smirks. “I’m sure he can handle it. Trust me, men love feeling needed. It’s in their DNA.”
I snort, shaking my head. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“Nope. It’s true.” She shrugs, unconcerned. “Look, I know Ryder can be a little… intense sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you have to pull back. You have to figure out how to meet him halfway.”
I sigh, not sure what I’m looking for—validation or permission to ignore the whole thing.
“I just… I don’t want to be a burden. You know? This whole hotel situation and the pregnancy —it’s one giant weight. I don’t know how to juggle it all.”
Marjorie’s expression softens as she steps closer, dropping to a gentler tone.
“You don’t have to juggle it alone, Sunny. You’ve got people who care about you. Not just me, but Ryder, too. You don’t have to figure everything out all at once. But you do have to talk to him. You won’t know what he’s thinking unless you let him in.”
I nod, feeling a little lighter, but also a whole lot heavier. “Yeah. You’re right. It’s just… hard. I’m used to handling things on my own, you know?”
She pats my shoulder, giving me that wise look she always pulls off so effortlessly. “I get it. But you don’t have to handle everything yourself. Sometimes, you need to let the people around you be your support.”
I open my mouth to respond, but before I can, Tinsel makes her move. She bolts past me, knocks over a stack of glittery baubles like they’re bowling pins, and starts chasing the string of lights I’ve yet to untangle.
“Seriously, Tinsel?” I groan. “This is not your playtime. We are trying to decorate here.”
Marjorie laughs, watching the tiny furball tear through the room with abandon. “That cat is a demon wrapped in fur. But I love it.”
I laugh despite myself, shaking my head. “Yeah, I bet. She’s got a flair for dramatic entrances.”
“Looks like you two are working hard.”
I jump at the unexpected voice, turning around so fast I nearly trip over a stray strand of tinsel. Claire is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with her arms casually crossed.
Her lips curl up into a half-amused, half-knowing smile, as if she’s been watching the circus unfold for a while now and is thoroughly entertained by it.
“Are you watching us?” I ask, trying and failing to sound outraged.
I must look like I’m one step away from losing it, with the garlands threatening to strangle me, Tinsel wreaking havoc, and the ever-growing sense of panic in my chest. But Claire just raises an eyebrow, clearly unfazed.
“Not exactly.” She pushes herself off the doorframe and strolls into the room as if she’s entering a war zone. “Just happened to be walking by and thought I’d check out what all the noise was about. Looks like Christmas threw up in here.”
I glance around at everything. Glitter-covered baubles, tangled lights, garlands strewn about, and I can’t help but let out a small laugh.
“It’s… it’s a bit much, isn’t it?” I sigh.
Claire walks around the room, taking in the mess with a smirk, looking like she’s about to solve a Rubik’s Cube. Her eyes twinkle as they scan the space, and then she turns to look at us, an idea clearly forming in her mind.
“You need help.”
I can’t help but raise an eyebrow. “I’m sure you don’t want to get involved with this madness.”
Claire’s smile widens to the point where I swear she’s enjoying this more than she should.
“Oh, I can do more than just help. I’ve got ideas.
Big ones. And, from what I’m seeing here,” she gestures around, “they might just save you a lot of time, frustration, and potential mental breakdowns. I decorated my wellness center myself, and I’ve also held my fair share of festive parties for my clients. ”
I exchange a look with Marjorie, who shrugs and smiles.
“I’m all ears,” she says.
Claire steps further into the room, her gaze sweeping the disarray with a sense of purpose. She stands there for a moment, taking it all in.
Her shoulders are relaxed, her posture confident. She’s not fazed by the scale of the task at hand.
“Alright,” she says, rolling up her sleeves with a determined nod, “first things first, those garlands? They’re too much. It’s like someone walked through here and just threw them everywhere. Let’s trim them back. Less is more, trust me.”
I glance at the garlands hanging from the chandeliers, trying to suffocate us, and I can’t help but agree. “Okay, fair point.”
“And those lights?” Claire gestures to the mess of cords I’ve been wrestling with for what feels like hours. “Have you considered using a smart timer? You know, the ones that automatically turn on and off at specific times? They work magic, trust me.”
I blink, processing the idea for a second. “Wait, really?”
Claire puts a hand on her hip. “You’ve got all the ingredients here. Now let me help you cook.”
“Ooh, sounds exciting.” Dex winks at Claire as he sidles into the conversation. “What’s going on? Count me in.”
“Dex, you’re just here for the snacks, aren’t you?” I tease, raising an eyebrow, already knowing where this is going.
He throws his hands up in mock offense, the corner of his mouth twitching in a way that says he’s been caught.
“Guilty as charged. But you know I’ve got a knack for fixing things.” He glances around the room and then at Claire, sizing her up with an exaggerated, theatrical expression. “And I’m curious to see how you plan to do this. I mean, this is a Christmas catastrophe we’re talking about here.”
Claire arches an eyebrow, unbothered by his teasing. “You just wait and see. If anyone can do it, it’s me.”