“John Lennon,” Riley said.
“Is that who said it?” Caylee asked, but she didn’t wait for an answer as she disappeared out the door.
Maryanne was right on her heels. “I need to go down and make sure the food and drinks and everything else are all set.” She was halfway out the door when an attack of nerves suddenly hit Riley.
“Maryanne?” Riley called out, her voice shaking.
Maryanne instantly turned back around. “What’s wrong?”
Riley rung her hands together. “I’m nervous.”
Maryanne smiled at her. “You have nothing to be nervous about. You’ve gone over the plan a dozen times. Everything is ready. Everyone downstairs is wonderful, and they’re all here because they’re excited to see you. Just be yourself because who you are is pretty great.”
Riley took a deep breath and gave Maryanne a grateful look. “Thank you. That’s very sweet of you to say.”
“And I mean it,” Maryanne said. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
As Riley watched Maryanne leave, Comet also head for the door. “You, too?” Riley asked. “You’re just going to leave me? What happened to you being my emotional support animal? You know that’s a real thing, right?”
Comet barked and wagged his tail, then trotted out the door.
Riley looked around her room at all the Santas staring at her. “I guess it’s just you and me, Santas.”
Paul laughed as he appeared in the doorway and snapped a candid photo of her.
Startled, she spun around and faced him. “I’m going to get photo approval of these pictures, right?”
Paul put the camera down. “Actually, Mike said he’d be doing that.”
Riley laughed, but it was the kind of laugh that held a warning. She smiled sweetly at Paul. It was too sweet. She walked over and locked eyes with him. “Paul, there’s one thing you need to do if I’m going to let you take my picture.”
Paul shifted his weight from one foot to another. “What’s that?” he asked, looking a little uncomfortable.
Riley didn’t blink. “You need to stop listening to Mike. He might have hired you, but I’m the one who hired him, so I have the final say on everything. That means photo approval of every photo before it’s posted anywhere. If you have a problem with that, then we can just shut this down right now.” She paused for a beat. “So what’s it going to be?”
Paul turned his camera around and showed her the picture he just took of her where she was talking to the Santas. She leaned in closer, saw how the picture make her look like a crazy person, and pushed “delete.”
Then she smiled back at Paul. “Glad we’re on the same page. Now tell me what you need and I’ll try to help you get some good pictures that are on brand for who I am as an author, as well as show off the lodge. This place is special, and Luke’s family and friends have worked really hard to get this ready for Christmas Camp so I want to make sure these pictures help them sell this place. Okay?”
Paul nodded “Okay. No problem. I get it.” He held up his camera. “And I’m ready if you are.”
Riley smiled. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Let’s get started because I have a party to get to.”
She was grateful that it didn’t take long for Paul to snap a few quick pictures of her in her Santa room. He’d just wanted to show her working on her Christmas novel, so she’d set her laptop on the desk that was lined with Santa figurines and sat down. He had told her she could write anything because he wouldn’t be showing it. He just wanted to see her working. So she started writing down the first things that came to her mind . . .
Christmas Lake Christmas tree
Christmas Lake Angel
Christmas Lake cookies
Christmas Lake famous hot chocolate
Luke
Her fingers froze after she had typed Luke. Embarrassed, she quickly erased it, not wanting Paul to see it, and typed Comet in its place.
A little flustered, she looked up at Paul. “Do you have what you need yet?”
Paul checked the pictures and nodded. “We’re good. Want to see?”
“Sure,” she said. When she’d looked at the pictures and saw all the Santas lined up like some kind of Santa army watching over her as she wrote, she had to laugh. “You don’t think that looks a little Christmas crazy? All those Santas staring at me?” she asked.
Paul shook his head as he looked at the pictures. “I think it’s perfect. Those Santas look like they’re inspiring you to write your Christmas book.”
“If you say so,” Riley said, even though she wasn’t so sure.
Paul headed for the door. “I’m going to head downstairs so I can set up for your big entrance.”
“Great,” Riley said. “No pressure.”
Paul laughed. “Don’t worry. Everyone’s really excited to see you. They’ve all come for you.”
Riley playfully swatted him. “Thanks a lot. Now I feel even more nervous.”
“You’re going to kill it,” Paul said as he left the room. “I’ll see you down there soon.”
After he was gone, Riley took a deep breath and started pacing around the room. When she rubbed her palms together, they were sweaty and damp. Her stomach was twisting into a knot. This was it. This was her moment of truth.
But when she thought about the phrase moment of truth, she felt her guilt grow even more, because truth wasn’t a word she could use right now. She was being so dishonest with everyone about being Miss Christmas.
She forced herself to smile. She only had to get through one weekend.
How hard could it be? she thought. Everything’s planned. I just need to focus on the future. No one needs to know about my past.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When Riley first opened her door to go downstairs, she heard the Christmas song “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
“On
