Page 83 of Snowed In with Four Firemen
I let out a bitter laugh. “You have no idea.”
I eventually let go of that, as Collie collects a few of her staff to help me with the setup. I follow them as they start carrying everything to the Hall. It has been completely emptied out since last night. Collie was right. It is an empty canvas.
The workers are moving around me, setting up tables and draping fabrics, and I’m giving directions here and there, trying to keep everything organized. But there’s still a nagging worry in the back of my mind. Mostly because I have no idea how we’re going to make this place look like the wedding of Hailey’s dreams with so little to work with.
“Hey,” Axel’s voice rumbles behind me
I give him a small smile. “You’re here.”
“I told you I’d help,” he replies, a hint of amusement in his voice as he surveys the room. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“That’s an understatement,” I mutter, standing up and dusting off my knees. “But we’re getting there. Slowly. Hailey has a very specific vision, and I’m doing my best not to let her down.”
Axel leans in a little closer, his eyes scanning the page where I’ve roughly sketched out the layout. “Looks good. But, uh…” His brow furrows as he points to the flowers I’ve drawn in the corners. “Where exactly are we getting those? I thought all the flowers froze over?”
I grimace, chewing on my lower lip. “Yeah, about that…the florist situation is a disaster. We don’t have flowers.”
Axel raises an eyebrow. “So you’re just going to magic them out of thin air?”
I can’t help but laugh, though it’s a bit strained. “I wish.”
“Well,” Axel says, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. “What about decorations? Christmas stuff?”
I blink, surprised. “Christmas decorations?”
He nods. “It’s not exactly traditional for a wedding, but this is a mountain lodge, right? You’ve got snow, trees, a cozy vibe. You could probably make it work.”
I think about it for a second, my mind racing through the possibilities. “You know…that could actually work.”
Collie walks by before I can say anything else, overhearing our conversation. “Christmas decorations, you say? We’ve got plenty of those in storage.”
I perk up immediately. “Really?”
Collie nods. “Up on the fourth floor. We keep the Christmas decorations from previous years up there. You might find something useful.”
Axel grins. “Worth a shot.”
“Definitely,” I agree, closing my notebook. “Let’s go check it out.”
A few minutes later, we’re riding the elevator up to the fourth floor, the hum of the lodge’s activity fading as we ascend.
As Axel and I step out of the elevator, we nearly bump into Jace who’s standing right outside.
“Hey,” he goes. “I was actually coming to look for you. What are you guys doing here?”
Before I can answer, Axel does.
“We’re about to raid the Christmas decorations for wedding supplies. You game?”
Jace smirks, tilting his head. “Guess I’ve got nothing better to do.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “You make it sound so fun.”
Jace raises an eyebrow. “Oh, it’s a blast. Can’t wait to sort through dusty wreaths.”
Despite the sarcasm, I’m relieved to have another set of hands, and maybe…maybe it’ll help diffuse some of the tension that’s been brewing between the guys.
“Come on,” I say, leading the way toward the storage closet at the end of the hall. “It’s just up here.”
