Page 7 of Just Add Mistletoe

Lori had driven through a couple of the cabin community neighborhoods when they were first being built a couple of years ago. But she hadn’t been up this far since. Now, the sight blew her away.

“Wow. This is amazing.” She peered out the window at the impeccably landscaped properties and the elegant cabins. “Who owns these places? They must cost millions of dollars.”

“From what I hear, they’re owned by corporations,” Brandy said. “Used for retreats and conferences.”

When Ian turned into one of the properties, Lori was still staring. “Is that a pond? And a . . . zipline?”

Brandy laughed. “You still haven’t looked at the link I sent, have you?”

“No.” It was too late now. She’d just see everything in person.

Two cars were already in the massive circular driveaway.

“Looks like we’re the last ones here. Everly and Austin drove with Steph and Cal. Julie and Dave brought their own car in case they have to get back for anything with the kids.”

Lori’s heart lifted as she climbed out of the car and was greeted with fresh air that smelled of pine and rich earth. She’d forgotten how invigorating it could be in the canyon.

She decided that she’d love being around everyone, even if she was the only one going solo. She was glad she’d come after all.

The front door opened, and Everly and Steph came outside. Everly’s dark blonde hair was a mass of curls, barely containedwith an oversized clip. She wore off-white jeans with decorative patches and a long-sleeved orange shirt. Steph’s auburn hair had been curled and styled—different than her usual messy bun or ponytail she wore to her job as a hairdresser. She, of course, wore a dress—her signature style. This dress was loose knit and a deep green color.

“You made it!” Everly said. Everyone hugged, even though they saw each other plenty.

“Come on,” Steph said. “I’ll give you the grand tour. Ian, you’ll find the guys in the great room trying to figure out how to work the fireplace. It’s supposed to get pretty cold tonight.”

Julie came out of the cabin just then and hugged Lori. “I feel so free,” she gushed. “No kids. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Lori laughed. “You’ll get used to it soon enough and not want to go back.”

Julie grinned. “Maybe. Except I’ve already texted my mom-in-law for any updates.”

They walked with Steph around the cabin, assigning bedrooms, and then looking through the food items Steph had said she’d be in charge of. “I don’t want us to have to go into town for any meals. We’ll prepare everything here, and it will all be easy.”

“How long did this take you to put together?” Lori asked, looking in the well-stocked fridge.

“Oh, I ordered it all online and then Cal and I loaded it up on our way.” Steph opened a bag of chocolate candy and poured it into a huge bowl. “Couldn’t forget the chocolate though.”

As Lori snagged a couple of pieces, she heard, “The hot tub’s not warming up,” coming from one of the men.

Everyone headed out on the back deck, which was huge and looked out on a gorgeous vista of pine trees intermingled with aspens.

Austin was crouched before the hot tub controllers, but nothing was happening. The water jets wouldn’t even turn on. When he stood, Brandy said, “I’ll call the owner. This was part of the package, and it should work.”

She headed into the cabin while Lori and Julie dragged a couple of chairs toward the edge of the deck. They sat in the shade as the sound of aspen leaves rustled in the wind.

“Someone will be here in an hour or two,” Brandy announced from the sliding door. “So we’ll hot tub after dinner.”

After that, everyone kind of scattered. Brandy and Ian went on a nature hike. Everly and Austin were on dinner duty and began preparations.

Dave came out to sit with Julie and Lori, and they ended up talking about the condominium project. “It’s just a slippery slope,” he said. “This gets approved, and what’s next? An amusement park? A zoo? Another condo project? Pretty soon Everly Falls will be crawling with people, and we’ll have to expand the roads.”

Lori listened absently, wondering if it would be rude to escape to her room and read until dinner.

Steph and Cal came outside, and he fiddled with the hot tub settings again, but no luck.

Finally, Lori went inside to help with dinner, and by the time Brandy and Ian returned, the chicken tortilla soup was ready, along with several sides. Darkness fell outside, and still no maintenance person showed up.

Brandy made another phone call, then hung up, her expression worried. “I guess there’s a new company that’s handling things, and they just started yesterday. So there’s been a delay on some of the jobs.”

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