Holiday Wedding by Robyn Neeley

time to concentrate on our Happily Ever After situation.”
    His heart sped up, even though he knew she was referring to the dolls, not them.
    If she only knew that the very existence of the toy was a dedication to their love story. He wasn’t ready to reveal that secret just yet. No, they had to sell first. “Okay. Fine. We’ll Skype with Miles. Every morning. Super …”
    After a couple of quick turns, he headed down the one winding road that dumped them into the middle of town. To say it was quaint might just be the understatement of the year. Charming Victorian houses cluttered the streets, all decorated for Christmas with lights and wreaths.
    “Wow. The good people of Snow Frost certainly embrace the holidays.” His gaze fell on a huge tree in the center of town. It had to be over thirty feet tall. “Wonder how long it took for them to string up those lights.”
    Lauren followed his gaze to the tree. “I love New York City, but something about a small town at Christmas is …”
    “What?”
    She offered a small smile, and her lashes fluttered for the briefest of seconds. “Magical.”
    Minutes later, they found a restaurant just off of the town’s square, and Drew pulled into the one empty spot.
    “Appears this is a town favorite.” He laughed, reading its name. “Dasher’s Diner. What do reindeer like to eat?”
    She giggled. “Grass. Mushrooms …”
    “Mushrooms? This place is perfect for you then.” He parked the car and hopped out.
    She followed suit, pausing for a second. “You know. You could accept Luke’s challenge and enjoy the next two weeks.” Her hands waved around her. “When are you ever going to be in a place again that embodies Christmas?”
    “Bah humbug,” he said with a wicked grin and opened the diner’s glass door for her.
    “Merry Christmas.” A middle-aged waitress with flaming red hair brought them over to an empty window booth, dropping down menus, napkins, and silverware. “You two here to ski?”
    “No.” Drew eased out of his coat, inhaling the delicious scent of pancakes and bacon. A yummy warm breakfast was definitely in order. “We’re planning my brother’s wedding.”
    Her face lit up. “You must be Drew and Lauren.”
    Lauren smiled up at the lady. “We are. How did you know?”
    “Oh, the whole town’s talking about your arrival.”
    Drew raised a curious eyebrow. “Really? It’s just a wedding. Does that not happen here?”
    “Oh, lots of special weddings take place in this town,” she said and tossed an exaggerated wink in Drew’s direction. “We’re so glad you’ll be with us this holiday season.” She poured them coffee and scooted away.
    “How strange,” Lauren remarked, opening her menu.
    Drew shrugged. “The gossip probably spread about the rich CEO wedding here. I’m sure Luke will be dropping a lot of cash for us to get this done the way he wants it. They’ll probably unveil a statue of him in the village square.”
    Leaning forward, he motioned for her to do the same. Her familiar vanilla scent intoxicated him. “Do you get the feeling we’ve been dropped into a Charles Dickens story?”
    She raised her eyebrow, playing along. “Would you like to see the ghost of your Christmas past or present?”
    “Future,” he said, not missing a beat.
    She straightened and for some reason, her mood went serious. “I’m sure you’ll see your future soon. We should get to work.” She pulled her laptop out of its black vinyl case and powered it on.
    Why was she changing the subject? He looked out the window.
Because she doesn’t want a future with you, you idiot.
    The waitress returned to take their orders, while Lauren contacted Miles. Within minutes, Drew could hear the wedding planner’s annoying voice from the other side.
    It wasn’t that he hated the guy. He just hated that Lauren’s friendship with Miles had taken off the same time his and Lauren’s relationship had flatlined. Even after the misunderstanding with Kate and