Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
CHLOE
As I enter the ballroom where the Merry Mynt Ball is being held tonight, my breath catches.
There are dozens of shimmering lights suspended from the ceiling.
Round tables with gold and silver tablecloths are scattered throughout the room.
I approach the nearest one. It has a snow globe as its centerpiece, surrounded by a ring of flickering tealight candles.
At the far end of the room, a live band plays jazzy renditions of holiday classics from an elevated stage above the dance floor.
I breathe in the signature Mynt Peak mulled wine scent and glance at the trees tucked into corners and alcoves of the room.
There are at least half a dozen. Their branches are strung with fairy lights and velvet ribbons.
None of them are the one Drew and I picked out together, but I still find myself looking for it anyway.
I should be swept away by it all. But there’s a dull ache pressing behind my ribs. I never heard back from Drew. I have no idea if he got my message, or if he’s even coming tonight. I’m angry with him. There’s no excuse to ghost me. I obviously don’t mean that much to him after all.
When I talked to Emma, she was confident he’d be here. But she wouldn’t tell me how she knew. The best she could do was a vague, “Trust me.” But now, standing here in my dark-blue dress, watching couples sway beneath the soft glow of the icicle chandelier, the silence feels heavier than ever.
I make my way to the refreshment table and pour myself a cup of hot cider. The steam curls around my face as I take a sip and let the spices warm my insides. Up until now, I’ve been enjoying myself this week. It was magical.
But I can’t help but wish I’d never crossed paths with Drew in the first place if this was the ending I was going to get. Then I would’ve at least been able to enjoy the ball. I take another sip of cider. I wish Emma wasn’t working. She’d be the perfect wingman and partner in crime right about now.
I sigh and look for one of the other athletes I’ve made friends with. At least that way I won’t feel so alone. My gaze sweeps the room. That’s when the bright giant aquarium catches my eye near the dessert station.
I stare at it, and suddenly I’m back in the hotel hallway with a dripping-wet Drew. He’s got that dark-green algae clinging to his shirt and looks like he’d just lost a fight with a fish. I remember the embarrassment. How certain I was that he’d be furious after I’d crashed into him.
But he wasn’t.
It’s funny—that one moment unraveled years of distance between us and turned into something more. Was it really only four days ago? It feels like we crammed an entire season into a single snow-dusted week.
I take another sip of cider, then cross the room for a closer look.
The aquarium truly looks like something out of a storybook.
There’s a snowy mountain range rising in the background, complete with frosted peaks and a tiny ski lift inching up the slope.
A forest of evergreens, each no taller than a matchstick, frames a cozy lodge built from stacked stone and faux wood, twinkling with lights.
My eyes find the small ice rink, its surface shimmering under tiny overhead lights.
A figure is in mid-glide across it in a red dress.
I lean in. Huh. It almost looks like me.
The dress looks a lot like the one I wore at the Christmas tree event.
My heart begins to beat faster. Emma mentioned something about a fish tank and the ball. Is this the one Drew was working on?
A nearby guest murmurs to her partner, “Can you believe one of the floral assistants designed this? Mr. Mynt said he’s a local guy. I wonder if he’d do one for my house.”
“Drew did design this,” I whisper.
“I did,” a voice says from behind me.
My breath catches. I turn, and there he is. Drew is dressed in a perfectly tailored gray suit, a crisp white shirt, and a silk blue tie that perfectly matches my dress. He stops just a few steps from me, looking slightly winded. His hair is a little mussed, like he got ready in a rush.
“I’m sorry a million times over,” he says quickly.
“For falling asleep last night. For not calling you back. For making you wonder if I was even going to show.” He takes a step closer.
“I should’ve checked my phone earlier. I thought about it at least a dozen times today.
But it was one thing after another with the tank.
First the fish were late. Then the biological filter stopped cycling properly, so I had to do an emergency water change and reset the whole tank filtration setup and—well never mind.
It doesn’t matter. The point is, I lost track of time.
Again. The whole day slipped away before I noticed I’d ghosted you.
If you want to kill me, I give you full permission to. That’s twice I’ve screwed up now.”
He lowers his chin and stares at the floor.
“I hate that I probably made you feel like you weren’t important.
” Then he takes a deep breath and looks directly at me.
“My words sound hollow, but I want you to know that you are important to me. More than any project. Any job. Sleep. Food. And well . . . anything.”
“Drew, it’s okay.” My throat tightens. “It may take me a while to get over being frustrated and annoyed with you. But I do forgive you. I understand that you were working on a tight deadline. And that you didn’t mean to ignore me on purpose.
But in the future, you need to promise me you’ll take breaks and not throw yourself into the deep end working on something to the point of exhaustion. Or at the very least, send me a text.”
He takes hold of my hand and squeezes it tightly. “I promise.”
For the first time tonight, I smile. Drew didn’t disappear because he didn’t care.
He was absent because he was trying too hard with the tank.
That’s who he is. He throws his whole heart into whatever he’s focused on.
And the truth is that I’d rather have a man in my life who cares too much about something than not at all.
“How did you even manage to get dressed? You said you barely made it here.”
“Emma brought it from home.” His lips twitch into a sheepish smile. “She even had her coworker Robert follow me to the employee locker rooms to make sure I didn’t take any detours while I showered, shaved, and dressed.”
I blink. “I’m glad she’s on it.”
“Me too.”
I let out a breath, the tension in my shoulders finally easing. “You’re late.”
“I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it if you’ll let me.”
“I don’t want to hear about it,” I say softly, throat thick with emotion. “I want you to show me.”
He takes a step closer. “Gladly.” He lifts his hand to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing just beneath my eye. My breath catches. “You’re so beautiful, Chloe. My own Christmas fantasy.”
And then he kisses me. His lips are warm and sure. I lean into him. My hand drifts up and rests lightly against his chest. Beneath my palm, I can feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It’s like sleigh bells in the distance.
His hands slip around my waist, pulling me just a little closer.
He smells faintly of peppermint and something else that’s clean and light.
I’ll have to tease him about that later.
My fingers curl into the lapels of his jacket as I rise up onto the tips of my toes.
The music fades, the chatter disappears, and all I can hear is the sound of our breathing. It’s just the two of us.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathless. Drew glances past me, toward the edge of the ballroom. “Come here. There’s something else I want to show you.”
We slip outside onto the ballroom terrace just as Mr. Mynt steps onto the stage to announce the start of a dancing competition called the Peppermynt Twist Showdown.
The air is crisp and still, the kind of cold that makes everything feel quiet and magical.
Snowflakes drift lazily from the sky, catching in my hair and on Drew’s jacket. And then I see it. Our tree.
Twinkle lights spiral up from the base to the top, glowing soft gold. Glass ornaments catch the light. There’s one with snow-covered mountains, one with a horse and carriage, and even a fish ornament nestled near the center.
Strung along the lower branches is a garland made of white ribbon and silver paper stars. I lean closer and realize that each star has something handwritten on it. Tiny words. Little phrases. First cocoa. Carriage ride. Accidental fish spill. It’s the story of this week told on the tree.
“Merry Christmas, Chloe,” Drew says softly.
I glance at him, wide-eyed. “You did all this?”
He nods. “Emma helped me with the finishing touches. The rest was me.”
“It’s beautiful.”
His hand finds mine, his palm warm against the cold. “I know I missed a few things this week. But I didn’t want to miss this.”
Under the falling snow, we kiss.
At first, it’s feather-light, as if he’s afraid to cross the line between friendship and something more. My breath catches, and I curl my fingers into his, answering without words that I want this.
He tilts his head, deepening the kiss, and the hesitation melts away. His mouth moves against mine with growing certainty. Each press is more deliberate than the last. His breath hot on my skin. Heat sparks through me, chasing away the cold until the only thing I feel is him.
The world slips out of focus, and suddenly it’s as if we’re standing inside a snow globe.
Flakes swirl around us in a glittering storm, spinning through the glow of the holiday lights until they look like thousands of tiny stars.
It’s just the two of us. Here. Now. I close my eyes never wanting to forget this moment.
When he finally eases back, it’s only an inch. His forehead rests against mine, and his gaze holds mine. In his eyes I see joy, passion, and the quiet promise that this isn’t just a moment. It’s the beginning.
Back inside, Drew and I stay long enough to watch the final few couples of the Peppermynt Twist Showdown.
The ballroom-style dance-off is one of the few charity events I’m glad I steered clear of.
The level of talent the athletes and their professional partners have is unreal.
There’s no way I could’ve pulled something like that off in just a few days.
“I can’t believe Ledger Bishop pulled off that lift,” I whisper to Drew as the well-known Kaisa Halberg dances past us with her professional football partner.
He chuckles. “I didn’t know he could be so light on his feet. I’ve seen him on the football field, but wow.”
When they’re announced as the winners, the crowd erupts in applause. Kaisa curtsies. Ledger bows.
Drew leans in. “Now that’s holiday magic.”
A few hours later, I tug on Drew’s hand as we slip out the back entrance of the ballroom. “Come on.” The sky is dark, dotted with thousands of stars as if it’s been sprinkled with fairy dust.
He’s still in his suit, his tie hanging loose around his neck. “Where are we going?” he asks, but there’s a smile tugging at his lips. “Please tell me there’s coffee involved.”
“No coffee. But I promise it’s worth it.”
We walk in comfortable silence until the resort’s outdoor rink comes into view. The lights are still glowing, casting a soft shimmer across the smooth surface. No one else is around. Just us and the ice.
“Stay here,” I say, stopping him with a grin. “I’ll be right back.”
“What’s going on, Jingle Blades?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see.”
I disappear into the skate rental kiosk, where I had Emma stash my things earlier.
It takes me less than three minutes to change into my red skating dress and my skates.
As I come out, I hit the play button on the remote to the rink’s sound system.
The familiar notes of “Santa Baby” play out.
I dart onto the center of the ice as Drew turns toward the sound, and I start to skate.
It’s far from the best exhibition skate I’ve ever done.
But it’s probably one of the most meaningful performances I’ve ever given.
This skate is a gift for Drew. Just him.
I thought long and hard about what I could give him to show how much he means to me.
And at the end of the day, I decided to show him the story of us through my skating.
Every movement is a page from our story. A donut spin for the night we had cocoa and enjoyed the story hour. A spiral for our meet-cute at the fish tank. A twizzle for that first kiss as a couple. This is my way of saying I love you, the way I know best.
When the music fades, I come to a stop in front of him. My chest is heaving from the effort and the nerves. I skate over to the boards. “Merry Christmas,” I say.
Drew just stares, stunned, then hops the boards and nearly wipes out on the ice in his dress shoes. He laughs, catches himself, and wraps his arms around me. “You didn’t have to give me anything,” he murmurs. “But that might be the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
We kiss. And in that quiet moment, with the snow still falling and the world frozen around us, I know one thing for sure. Christmas has come early. I’ve received the best gift I could ask for—Drew.