course, they want to see you in person and make sure you’re really OK. If it was me, that’s what I’d want to do too…”
He gave me the ghost of a smile. “I’m not leaving America, Clio. Not yet.”
Selfishly, I was over the moon he wasn’t leaving the country – Australia was so far away. “Well, you’ve taken the first step, and I know it wasn’t easy.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “Now you’ve spoken the first time, it will get easier going forward, trust me.”
Kai had to follow his own path. Our timing may not have been right – we were both dealing with messy fallouts from real life – but my world made more sense with Kai in it. Even if I only saw him once a year, it would be better than nothing. Maybe our paths would cross again in the future when he had worked things out, and was where he wanted to be…
“Thanks, Clio. For everything. Having someone to talk to, someone I could trust with all of this has made it so much easier.”
We clasped hands a little tighter. “I’m glad you trusted me.”
We stared into each other’s eyes as moonlight shone through the gauzy curtain, and for a moment everything was right with the world.
In my office, I added a log to the fire and watched it until it caught alight. Boxing Day was always a mixed bag for me. While the fairy lights still flashed on the tree, the fun itself was over for another year. Still, this Christmas had been a good one.
While the lodge inhabitants slumbered, I worked. I checked various tourism websites we used that helped connect guests to accommodation, and was happy to see a few enquiries about the special offers we’d introduced, and one booking for March. I replied to the queries: did we offer guided walks? (Yes! Micah had climbed those mountains since we were kids, he knew them backwards.) Were there enough things to do to keep a tech-obsessed ten-year-old busy and away from his phone? (Yes! Plenty of indoor and outdoor activities, enough that screen time would be forgotten.) Did we cater for gluten intolerance? (Yes!) And lastly, could dance lessons be booked ahead of arrival so they didn’t miss out? (Sure!)
I felt a real thrill replying because obviously our marketing campaigns were working, judging by the sorts of questions we were being asked. With that done, I went about the lodge taking photos, ready to share them across our social media accounts, knowing that, for most Americans, today would be a quiet day, and a lot of people would be lazing at home scrolling through their phones.
Outside, I took photos of the sleds by the bank of the ice rink, catching snowflakes drifting down, and uploaded the best one to Instagram with the hashtags #WinterWonderland at #CedarwoodLodge. I enjoyed the chatty aspect of social media, and liked to see our pages growing, knowing it was all about the numbers – the more followers we had, the more people were aware of the lodge, which always gave me a little buzz.
I tucked my phone into my back pocket, and headed to the eastern side of the property. I debated with myself whether to hunt for the maze again. I could have asked Isla to show me, but it didn’t feel right. So instead I turned back to the lodge, leaving it hidden for one more day.
Micah and Isla were standing together in the front garden, Isla gesticulating wildly as she directed Micah toward a hedge. “What are you two up to? I would have expected you to still be asleep or even spending the day lolling around on the sofa?” I said as I came up next to Isla and watched Micah trimming the top of the hedge.
“Clio,” Isla said, snaking an arm around me and giving me a squeeze. “We’re so sorry we missed seeing your mom and Aunt Bessie yesterday. We just got so caught up with Micah’s family, and then we watched Christmas movies, and before we knew it, pretty much everyone was snoring on a couch somewhere.”
Seeing them work together in the snowy landscape, their laughing and teasing, turned my wedding-planner mode back on. For some reason I couldn’t help picturing their nuptials, and they weren’t even engaged. A spring wedding… Flowers blooming, a bright bouquet of yellow tulips, a simple white sheath dress for Isla, Micah wearing a casual, cream-colored linen suit. A violinist in the corner playing a sweet song as Isla walked down the aisle…
“Hey,” Micah said, pulling me into a tight hug and out of my reverie. “How was Christmas? Get everything you asked for…?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively and I gave him a sisterly shove.
“Yes, I did actually!” I said, faux-haughtily. “Yesterday was great, even Mom was there and, well, it went pretty well. She stayed the whole time, and get this – she’s even started baking with Aunt Bessie.”
Micah’s mouth fell open. “Annabelle is baking? And had Christmas lunch with all of you?”
“Right? Wonders will never cease.”
“Maybe she just needed time, Clio. Or needed you back,” he said more softly.
I nodded.
We chatted more about their Christmas, laughing about the bawdy songs they’d taught the talking elf and exclaiming over Micah’s family traditions, which basically involved watching every Christmas movie ever made.
As we were walking back toward the house, Kai walked out from the woods, his presence making me jelly-legged. Damn it.
“Hey, guys,” he called out, “need some help?”
They waved him over, and wished each other well.
It reminded me… “What are you guys doing here? The garden could wait another day…”
Isla shook her head. “Not really. We wanted the front to look perfect for guests for the New Year’s Eve party, so we figured we’d make a start. Besides, I had to do something, I spent all day yesterday on my butt eating.”
We laughed. It felt good to be outside, moving around, the lethargy of the day before vanishing.
“Can I tempt you in for coffee?”
“We’ll get this hedge sorted and join you,” Isla said.
“Great.” I wandered back into the lodge, Kai beside me. We kept sneaking looks at each other, and eventually giggled as it got the best of us.
“Nice to see you’re treating your body well again,” I joked.
He waggled his brows. “Didn’t want to let you down, after what you said.”
I blushed, remembering. “My mouth doesn’t always link with my brain.”
“That’s what I love about you,” he said.
Love? Just a figure of speech, Clio.
After coffee Kai went for a shower and I went to the office to finalize my plans; Timothy was due and I didn’t want to be caught unprepared. Masquerade balls were such fun to organize, but they were lots of work and we were already on the back foot time-wise.
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