Darcy was in the foyer with his sisters and mother, doing a final check—phone, boarding pass, rental car key. “This has been such a fantastic stay,” she was saying. “Thank you so much for having me.”
“Wish you could have stayed longer,” said India, who then turned to Logan. “Right, Logan?”
“Of course.” He grinned at his sister, wondering if she’d guessed her matchmaking had worked, even just a little. Then he moved past her. “Glad you were here for the holidays,” he told Darcy.
“Me, too.” She held him with that direct look of hers. “Thanks again for including me at the children’s center. Oh, and the surfing. And the dolphins.”
“I can’t take credit for the dolphins,” he said.
“You saw dolphins?” India asked.
“Yep, while surfing,” Logan said. “Let’s go back with the kids this afternoon, see if we can spot them again.”
“It was unforgettable,” Darcy said softly, and he noticed a touch of color in her cheeks. Then she said her goodbyes to everyone else.
After she’d gone, Logan decided to bring up the topic of Christmas with his parents and sisters. He hadn’t intended to drop two bombs at once, but circumstances made it necessary.
“We’re having Christmas here,” his mother said. “Just like we always do.”
“I’ve got a different idea,” he told her. “Avalon. Everyone’s coming to Avalon this year.”
“Where will we stay?” his mother asked, uncertainty shadowing her eyes. “There’s no way you have room for us all.”
“The lodge at Saddle Mountain,” he said. “I live there now.”
“What?” His mother stared at him. “I don’t understand.”
“I sold my house and moved up to the mountain.”
“And when were you going to tell us about this?”
“It all happened fast. I got a full-price offer as soon as I listed my house—a couple from the city who want a place near Willow Lake. I moved up to the mountain week before last. The residence there is old, but huge. It’s been operating as a B and B.” He’d sunk his profits from the house sale into the resort, where nearly all his resources went these days.
“What about your insurance business?” his mother asked, her face pale with distress. “Logan, you worked so hard to build it up, and you were doing so well.”
“I’m keeping a stake in it as a silent partner, but someone else is running it,” Logan said. “I’m putting all my energy into the resort now.”
“What?” His mother regarded him, aghast. “You did what?” She turned to her husband. “I thought you said you talked him out of it.”
“I believed I had,” Logan’s father said.
“Look, could we talk about this another time?” Logan said. “How about we discuss Christmas plans?”
“We already have plans,” his mother said. “The Costellos are having their usual Christmas Eve party at the Paradise Cove Clubhouse, and I’m cochair of the church breakfast.”
“Plans are made to be changed,” Logan said. “So I’ve heard.”
“I invited Darcy to spend the holidays with us,” India said. “Do you just want to throw her in the mix, as well?”
Darcy of the smoking-hot body and razor-sharp wit? Hell yes, he did.
“I bet she likes snowboarding as much as surfing,” he pointed out.
“The kids might like it for a change,” said China. “I can’t remember the last time they had a white Christmas.”
“I can definitely promise you that,” Logan said, sending his sister a nod of gratitude. “It’s going to be awesome. A perfect Christmas.”
Two unbreakable rules:
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped.
There is nothing—repeat,
Nonstick baking spray
1 pound bacon
Maple sugar or brown sugar, to coat bacon slices
1? cups cream
? cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
6 eggs
8 slices brioche or challah bread
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Coat a 9-inch round or oval pan with baking spray.
Dredge bacon slices in maple or brown sugar. Bake the bacon on a sheet tray between two pieces of parchment paper until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Then crumble the bacon.
Mix the cream, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, salt and eggs. Line the pan with the bread and pour the egg mixture over it. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight. Then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until eggs are set. Serve with warm syrup.
[Source: adapted from
The week after Darcy finished the Lake Placid photo shoot and returned to the city, her sisters took her to lunch. It was their annual pre-Christmas planning-and-strategy lunch during which secret Santa names were drawn, menus and venues were planned and general excitement over the upcoming holiday reached a fever pitch.
Darcy dreaded it.
She used to look forward to the tradition as the kickoff to her favorite time of the year. The five sisters, knowing all their lives that they had more brains and creativity than money, used to delight in coming up with innovative ways to make the holidays merry, and planning things was half the fun. The Collinses, forever known as
