Page 94 of The Holidays with Mr. Mitchell
Avery
I hadto hand it to Jim; this was absolutely perfect and quite a way to kick off the Christmas party he and the girls had planned. Still, I wasn’t the one judging the two parties, and this wouldn’t necessarily put him ahead in our planning rivalry. Ultimately, it would be up to the company’s employees and business partners to decide which event reigned supreme, and whether Jim could redeem himself for trying to cut corners on the holiday festivities this year.
None of that mattered right now, though, because I planned to indulge myself in this exciting Christmas event fully. The holiday was here, and I couldn’t believe we were actually celebrating it in the way we were. Hell, maybe Jim and I should do this for his company every year to really bring the spirit of Christmas alive in everyone’s hearts.
The helicopter broke through a bank of clouds, and for one impossible second, it felt like we’d slipped through a portal in the sky.
Below us, the world had transformed. The mountains were gone, replaced by a glowing expanse of snow-covered wonder that stretched endlessly beneath a violet-gold twilight. Strings of lights shimmered like twinkling stars, wrapping through pine forests and lining along rooftops in patterns that made my breath catch.
“Oh…my God,” I whispered.
Izzy pressed her hands to the glass, eyes huge. “Mom! Do you love it?” she asked as if she’d put the whole thing together herself. “We did it. It’s Santa’s village!”
“I’m in love with all of it,” I said with a smile of excitement that matched hers.
She wasn’t exaggerating. It was precisely that. Santa’s village. It felt like we’d flown straight into that movie,The Santa Clause, where the clouds opened and revealed the North Pole.
Towers of light spiraled up from the ground, forming candy-cane arches. Rows of toy-shop cottages dazzled in soft gold and frosted white. The snow—good God, the snow—fell in perfect, weightless flakes that caught the light like crystal dust. The music drifting through the helicopter cabin didn’t even sound like it came from the speakers anymore. Instead, it sounded like it floated up from the ground, faint and melodic, as if the entire mountain were singing.
Beside me, Jim watched silently, one arm resting along the back of the leather couch, his thumb tracing idle circles against my shoulder. He didn’t say a word and didn’t have to. The look on his face said it all, that quiet satisfaction he wore when something went exactly the way he’d imagined it.
I turned toward him, voice barely above a breath. “Jim, you really nailed this,” I said as I rubbed my hand over his leg.
His mouth curved. “And that surprises you?”
“After your most recent company gift choices? Yes, I’ll admit, this surprises me more than you know.”
“In the name of my charcuterie redemption, I believe that after tonight, no one will call me Griswold’s boss or Scrooge again,” he said proudly.
I held back my laughter, knowing that tomorrow he would be thrown into those very roles at my Christmas party. But seeing what he’d done for his event made me start to wonder if my plan to have himescortedto his party might end up backfiring on me.
Perhaps my party should’ve been first. You know, before the man could actually redeem himself by recreating a visit to the North-fucking-Pole for Christmas cheer.
The helicopter banked slightly, giving us the full view.
“I’ve named it Evergreen Hollow,” he chuckled.
“Cute,” I said, smiling at how damn adorable he could be when he got into shit like this for me and the girls.
And something told me that’s who this was really for—me and his daughters. It proved he was always about putting smiles on our faces during festive events and bringing warmth into our home whenever a holiday or fun occasion called for it. It was just Jim—the big, bad CEO with a heart of gold.
From our viewpoint from the chopper, Evergreen Hollow looked alive. The main lodge rose at the center. It was massive and warm, with every window spilling light like liquid gold. Surrounding it was an entire snow-covered village with gingerbread-trimmed storefronts, reindeer sculptures, and lampposts wound with garland and mistletoe. I could see tiny figures below that appeared to be people hired to dress as elves and toy soldiers. I smiled as I saw them all waving as the chopper passed overhead.
Addy was videoing on her phone and laughing, “How cute! They’re all waving at us like we’re Santa coming home on the sleigh!”
Jim chuckled, “Well, I’m no Santa, but it’s close enough.”
“Will therealSanta be here?” Izzy—who still believed—questioned with wide eyes.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s planning a visit to make sure I didn’t miss a beat when comparing this village to the real one,” Jim winked at her.
Jim’s perfect village had sucked me into its magical realm, and I couldn’t look away. Every inch of it felt impossible, too perfect to exist in the same world we’d left twenty minutes ago. The air itself looked different here—thicker somehow, as if filled with magic instead of smog. Shit, maybe I would even start believing in Santa again after tonight.
We descended lower, the snow swirling harder, glittering in the downwash of the rotors. The music grew louder, turning from faint bells into a full orchestral swell that vibrated in my chest.
“This isn’t just a party,” I murmured, the words barely forming around the lump in my throat. “It’s a perfect Christmas dream.”
Jim’s hand slipped into mine, his palm warm and grounding. “It’s our perfect Christmas dream.”
