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  “What happens if they didn’t get the license?”

  “Don’t jinx it, Maddie.” I covered my ears. “I have no freaking clue what I’ll do. The courthouse isn’t open on Saturdays. Let’s just think positive thoughts that the bride and groom did what they were supposed to do.” My stomach twisted with worry because I’ve never not had everything marked off the day before the wedding. Everything was accounted for, and the fact that I missed line number thirty-eight was already starting to eat at me.

  “You’re right. It will be fine. I’m sure they got everything they needed to.”

  “Yes.” Neither one of us sounded certain. In my mind, I was already hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

  Everything was ready for the Ridgeway wedding tomorrow. When I checked things off, matching up receipts with the ledger, it was all accounted for. Their wedding was going to be magical, a winter wonderland complete with indoor snow and twinkling lights. I loved the setup for their romantic winter inspired wedding. The bride had chosen well, and I couldn’t wait to see the happy couple’s reaction tomorrow afternoon when they saw the church and reception hall for the first time that I had set up, with the help of Maddie and my mom.

  “Hey,” I said, looking up from the paperwork, “I just want you to know I appreciate everything you’ve done to help with both weddings tomorrow. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “If you want to work with me full time, we can make that happen.”

  I broached the subject tentatively with Maddie, unsure how she would feel about it. She’d gone to cosmetology school right after graduating high school. When I first started planning weddings, I let the brides pick whoever they wanted to do hair and makeup for the bridal party, but after she graduated with her license, we drew up a contract that gave her, as well as the brides, a fair price to use her services. It worked out well for both of us. Maddie always ended up helping me with decorating as well, so I floated her money on the side. If she wanted to go all in with me, I’d make it happen.

  “I’m good where I’m at right now, Ev. I like working at the salon and helping out when you have weddings that use my services. Plus, you’d get sick of seeing me day in and day out if we both worked and lived together.”

  I laughed because it was true. While we were best friends, we were also sisters who have had our fair share of fights and arguments over the years. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know. We’ll make it work.”

  It was almost four o’clock when we picked up everything from the kitchen table and put it on my desk in the downstairs office that used to be a bedroom. Mom and Dad had given me the room to use as a work from home office a few years ago, and I loved it. If I didn’t have clients or meetings, I worked in my pajamas with my hair in a messy bun and a giant cup of coffee inevitably in my hand.

  “I’ve got four hours before I have to get up and get moving. Don’t forget to be at the church at eleven. You’ll start with hair and makeup as soon as the brunch is over.”

  “I know, Ev. Go get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be crazy busy.”

  We walked up the stairs together and went to our separate rooms. “Love ya, Sis,” I said as I opened my door. I heard her say love you too, before her door shut. I dragged myself to bed, exhaustion weighing my body down, but my mind was going crazy with details for the next day and what fires I’d have to put out come morning light. There were always fires to put out. Most were small and inconvenient, but sometimes you would get the ones that were a pain in the ass and seemed like they would never go away.

  I had a feeling that damn missing marriage license was going to cause me hell, come tomorrow morning.

  I was right. After a sleepless, stress-filled night, my worries were confirmed.

  “Fuck.”

  I hung up the phone and mentally kicked myself for not checking with them sooner about picking up the license. They’d completely forgotten about it, and the courthouse was closed on Saturdays. I tapped the phone to my chin and tried to think about who might be able to get me access in the clerk’s office.

  “Dammit.”

  I threw the phone on my bed, so I could start getting ready for the day. There was a lot to be done, and this was a clusterfuck I didn’t need on a day that I had two weddings to pull off. I grabbed my elf costume, since I’d be handing out presents with Santa at the Ridgeway wedding, and started dressing as fast as I could. Being an elf today was ironic since I was going to need a little Christmas magic to pull this off.

  With the courthouse being closed on the weekends, I could only come up with two people who might be able to help me with what I needed. One was Penelope Harris, my high school nemesis. Someone I still struggled to avoid all of these years later, if possible. I had no desire to call her, and even if I did, the chances of her helping me out were slim to none. Penelope and I had gone to school together from the time we were in kindergarten. She stole a toy from me and that sparked a deep conflict that just exploded over the years.

  I grabbed my phone and dialed the only person I could think of besides Penelope that might have been able to help. My brother Noah’s best friend, Kevin, who happened to be a bailiff at the county courthouse. I scrolled to his name and hit the call dial button, praying he could make this happen for me.

  “Hey Evie, what’s going on?”

  He sounded like he was still asleep, and I cringed, looking at the clock. It was only eight in the morning. “Sorry for calling you so early on a Saturday, but I need your help.”

  “Hold on.” I waited while I heard him talking to his wife, Charity, in the background, and then there was a rustling of what I assumed were covers as it sounded like he was getting up.

  “What can I do for you, Kiddo?”

  “I’ve got a wedding tonight at six, and the couple forgot to pick up their marriage license. I need someone to get me into the courthouse this morning. Who do you know that could possibly help me?”

  “Judge Marlow is out of town for the holidays. The only other person that can get you into the clerk’s office is your best friend, Penelope,” Kevin laughed, knowing my history with our town clerk.

  “Dammit. I was afraid of that.” I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Okay, I’ve got to go try to convince Penelope to help me out. Thank you, and sorry for waking you up early on a Saturday. Tell Charity hi for me, and we’ll see y’all soon.”

  “See ya, Evie.” I hung up with Kevin, took a deep breath, and then punched in a number I dreaded dialing.

  “Hello.” It was Mrs. Harris’ voice on the other end of the line. I was hoping she would give me Penelope’s number, since I didn’t have it for obvious reasons.

  “Hi, Mrs. Harris, this is Everly Chase. I need to get in touch with Penelope. Is there any way you can give me her number?” I suppose I could have gotten it from Kevin, but I didn’t want to link anything back to him. Who knew how Penelope would react when she heard it was me on the other end of the line?

  “Oh, hi, Everly. How are you?” Penelope’s mother was warm and caring, and she owned the salon in town where Maddie worked. She was so unlike her daughter that I wondered how someone as sweet and kind as she was could have given birth to Penelope. If they didn’t look exactly alike, I’d have thought that Penelope was adopted.

  “I’m all right, Mrs. Harris, but I really need to speak with Penelope. It’s an emergency.”

  “Oh no, Dear. Hold on a minute. She came over this morning for Saturday breakfast.”

  Yes! I thought to myself. My luck was changing. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be too bad with her mom around.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey Penelope, this is Everly.”

  “I know. Mom told me.” Short and to the point. So far, so good.

  “I hate to ask, but I need a huge favor.” She had no idea how much I hated to ask.

  “O—K—”

  “One of my clients forgot to pick up the marriage license for their weddin
g tonight, and I need someone in the clerk’s office to open the courthouse to get it for me. Would you help me out?”

  I was met with silence on the other end of the line. She wasn’t going to do it. My heart sank for my clients. I sighed. They could always do the ceremony now with their family and friends, then go back to the courthouse on Monday to get legally married, but that would postpone their honeymoon, and they were supposed to be heading to Aspen after the wedding tonight.

  “Hold on.” I sucked in a breath, hoping she was going to let me into the courthouse. Penelope paused for a moment, then said, “If I do this, I want something in return.”

  Inwardly, I groaned. “What’s that?” Please say money. I could handle a few hundred dollars—piece of cake, but I had a feeling she wanted something she knew I would say no to.

  “Your brother,” she said shortly. “I want a date with Noah. I can’t get him to give me the time of day, though. I’ve tried to get his attention, but he’s oblivious.”

  He wasn’t oblivious. He just made me a promise a long time ago and kept it. When we were in high school, Noah was two grades ahead of me, and all the girls in my grade were in love with him. He asked me about Penelope one day, and I begged him not to date her. I made him a promise. She and I hated each other, and I did not want him dating someone I couldn’t stand to be around. Noah made me that promise, and he kept it. In fact, he only dated women outside of Santa Claus, Indiana, now.

  “I’ll talk to him,” I gritted out as sweetly as possible.

  “No dice, Everly. I want a phone call from him confirming a date before I interrupt my Saturday to do you a favor.” She stressed the word you with a small sneer. Our distrust and dislike were definitely mutual.

  “Fine, I’ll call him now. Give me your number so I can give it to him.” She rattled off the number and I wrote it down before quickly saying goodbye and hanging up.

  One more call stood between me and getting the license for the Carters. I just had to get ahold of my brother and arrange a date between him and my high school nemesis. No big.

  3

  Xander

  My first thought when I woke the next morning, was that it had been a long time since I’d slept so well. My second, was that I had never been in a town that took Christmas so seriously before. Opening my eyes, I stared at the life-sized snowman that sat in the corner facing me. It went well with the flying reindeer hanging on the wall above where I’d slept. The entire room was decked out in the holiday theme, and while I thought they went a little overboard, a part of me kind of liked it. It had been a long time since I celebrated Christmas. I hadn’t even put up a tree since my adoptive parents passed away. It looked like the few days I would be spending in Santa Claus, Indiana were going to make up for that.

  Deciding it was time to get moving, I threw back the Mr. and Mrs. Claus comforter and slid from bed. After a quick shower, I headed downstairs to find something to eat before I went to meet up with Noah Chase to check on the bus.

  I followed the sounds of voices and laughter into a large dining room area, where several people were gathered around a long table that was covered with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and so much more. Several gazes swung my way when I pulled out a chair next to Tom, and I sent them a smile before I sat down.

  “Good morning!” Mrs. Roop sang out as she breezed into the room with a plate full of toast in one hand and a coffee pot in the other. Carefully setting the plate down in the middle of the table, she began filling mugs full of the dark brew that smelled freshly made. “Glad you both made it down for breakfast. It was so late when you arrived last night, I wasn’t sure if you would.”

  Glancing at my watch, I grinned when I noticed it was just before ten. “I wouldn’t have missed it, Ma’am. This looks amazing.”

  “Tastes amazing, too,” Tom said gruffly, his eyes on his plate, his cheeks reddening slightly.

  My gaze went from him to Mrs. Roop, then back again, my grin widening. It looked like my bus driver might have a little crush on our host. We’d learned last night that her husband had passed away over ten years ago, and Mrs. Roop ran the small bed-and-breakfast on her own.

  “Please, call me Glenna,” she said, leaning over Tom’s shoulder to fill his cup with coffee, before looking at me. “Would you like some, Alexander?”

  I stiffened but held the smile on my lips. My mother was the only one who had ever called me Alexander. Even my adoptive parents had shortened it to Alex. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me after all these years, but it did. “Actually, if there is any way I could get a cup to go, along with one of those amazing smelling cinnamon rolls, I would appreciate it.”

  “No bacon and eggs?” she asked with a frown.

  “I’m not that hungry,” I said, ignoring the way my stomach growled just then, calling me a liar. “I need to meet the mechanic at his shop this morning about our bus.”

  “Oh, of course!” Mrs. Roop took a step back from the table, giving it one more look, before turning to head toward the kitchen. “Give me just a minute, and I will have you on your way!”

  “Noah came by for the keys earlier this morning.” Tom leaned past me to grab a piece of toast. “He should have the bus towed to his shop by now.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That was fast.”

  Tom shrugged. “Showed up around seven. Said he has some Christmas gig thing he has to do today. You might want to hurry if you’re gonna catch him before he leaves.”

  Standing just moments later, I accepted the large, throwaway coffee mug Mrs. Roop handed me, along with a cinnamon roll that was bigger than my hand. It was warm, just out of the oven, and the frosting was still melting down the sides. I couldn’t resist sitting my coffee down to take a bite, and the table erupted in laughter as I smeared the frosting all over my chin. Chuckling, I grabbed a napkin and wiped it off quickly, then took another bite of the flavor-filled roll.

  “I’m sure that’s him, Sarah. It looks just like him.”

  The hushed whisper, spoken much more loudly than I was sure the young girl intended, caused the rest of the people sitting at the table to grow quiet. I saw the questioning stares pointed my way, and I grinned. Picking up my coffee, I winked at the twin teenage girls. “It’s our secret.”

  They both blushed, but before they could reply, I thanked Mrs. Roop and ran. I finished my breakfast on the way upstairs to grab my leather jacket, then left the bed and breakfast and headed down the street toward the shop Noah had pointed out. It was cold, but not nearly as bad as it was the night before. It had quit snowing, and someone had already been out to scoop the sidewalks and blade the roads. I stopped and took the time to look around and enjoy the small, picturesque town. Inhaling deeply, I let a small smile turn up the corners of my mouth. It was quiet, peaceful, so different from the larger cities I was used to.

  After a moment, I continued on to Noah’s shop, wondering what it would be like to live in a town like Santa Claus. To not have to hear the sound of horns honking and people yelling at all hours of the day or run into more than one person just walking down the sidewalk to the nearest coffee shop. Hell, most of the time I couldn’t even take a step outside my condominium complex without being bombarded with camera flashes. Here, there weren’t any cameras in sight. No one was vying for my attention or asking me for autographs. Not yet, anyway.

  I debated on knocking on the door when I reached Chase Automotive but ended up just pushing it open and walking inside. I was surprised to see my bus taking up the majority of the large shop area. I knew there wasn’t a chance Noah had the part we needed and was sure he had other things to work on.

  Hearing a muted voice toward the back of the building, I headed that way, stopping just outside the door of the small office Noah was in. My eyebrows rose at the sight of the Santa pants he sported, a pair of black suspenders holding them up, along with what looked like a pillow shoved down the front of them.

  Noah glanced my way, holding up a hand. His eyes narrowed, his gaze darkening
as he said, “You owe me, little sister. If I have to take that piranha out, then you are going to do something for me.” There was silence, and then he said, “Fine, you can wash my truck for a month. Every weekend. And wax it on the third weekend. And don’t forget to clean it out and vacuum the inside.”

  I couldn’t help but grin at the expression on his face as I listened to him talk to his sister. It was obvious how much he loved her, and would do anything for her, even take someone he had no interest in seeing out on a date. It made me think of my brother and all the things he’d done for me until he just up and left. Before that, though, we’d been really tight.

  “Fine. See you in an hour.” Noah hung up the phone and turned my way, shaking his head. “Damn little sister.” It was said with affection, and his brown eyes were shining with laughter.

  “Yeah?’

  “Woman needs a favor,” he grumbled, walking past me to make his way over to the bus. “She runs this wedding coordinator business, and I guess the bride and groom getting married tonight forgot to pick up their marriage license.”

  “Seriously? Isn’t that one of the most important things to have when getting married?”

  Noah chuckled. “You would think. But, since they forgot, Evie is running around like crazy trying to get it so they can still tie the knot tonight.”

  “And somehow you got dragged into the situation?”

  “Yep. The one person who can get her what she needs, just happens to be her rival from school. The two women have hated each other since they were five years old.”

  I looked at him closely, noticing there was no anger on his face, just amusement. “Somehow, I get the feeling that you don’t really think of this date being pushed on you as a hardship.”

  “Nope, but I’m not going to tell Evie that. Not when I’m finally getting what I really want but wasn’t allowed to have for years.”