Under the Christmas Star Read online

  “More than okay,” Victoria managed to sputter out. “All the single ladies will be grateful.”

  Looking relieved, Wendy made a large checkmark on her list.

  “Wendy, before I forget…” Victoria reached for her purse and removed a check, which she handed over her shoulder. “It’s the last installment of your fee.”

  Taking a step back, Wendy held up the hand with the pencil in it. “I can’t expect you to pay me after the way I messed up.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” The expression on Victoria’s face was remarkably serene. “We have a contract. And whatever happened to get us here, I love this place.” Her gaze traversed the cozy basement room that the girls had established as their getting-ready space. It, like the rest of the building, was made up mostly of exposed brick and hardwoods, with plenty of natural light and great features that invited candid photos.

  “In fact,” Victoria went on, “I think I’m happier here than I would have been at some stodgy old yacht club. A million people have gotten married there. But our wedding is unique. This wouldn’t have happened if everything had gone as planned. And besides…” Swiveling around, she practically shoved the check into Wendy’s hand. “…you can put it toward a good used car. You’re going to need one for your business.”

  Tears welled in Wendy’s eyes as she stuffed the check into her bag. “I’d better go see how the boys are doing.” Swiping at her cheeks, Wendy pivoted around and hurried from the room.

  Joy waited till the door closed. “Think she’ll make it as a wedding planner?”

  “She has her own system. I think she’ll get it figured out.”

  No sooner had Wendy made her exit than the door popped open again and she stuck her head back in. “Joy, there’s a man out here who’s asking for you.”

  Joy’s stomach jumped. It had to be Kyle. “Thanks, Wendy.”

  After getting the go-ahead from the makeup artist to get out of the chair, Joy gave herself a quick check in the full-length mirror. Thank goodness the deep cranberry color that Vic had chosen for the bridesmaids’ dresses flattered her coloring. With her makeup and hair professionally done, she actually looked more like a cover girl than an overworked single mom. What a refreshing change. She gave her image a little smile and stepped out of the room.

  To her disappointment, it wasn’t Kyle standing there, as she’d hoped, but Wes. He looked nice, dressed in a suit that he probably couldn’t wait to change out of. He rubbed his hands together and paced. When he saw her, a look of urgency washed over his face.

  “Joy. Have you seen Kyle?”

  “Not since yesterday. Haven’t you?”

  “No. I thought he’d be here by now.” He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the kitchen, where clanking and clattering sounds indicated that the caters were busy preparing for the reception. “I’m having a little problem.”

  “A problem?” Wendy appeared from around the corner. “Problems are my specialty.”

  Joy swallowed a laugh. That was so true, but probably not in the way she had meant it.

  Wes stopped rubbing his hands together and gazed at Wendy, the creases in his face melting away like he had forgotten all about whatever his problem was.

  Joy stepped in. “Wes, this is Wendy. She’s our wedding planner.” She turned to Wendy. “Wes co-owns the building.”

  Wes jutted out his hand in that slightly awkward way that seemed to be his style.

  Locking eyes with him, Wendy took his hand. “I…don’t remember meeting you yesterday.”

  He gripped her hand like he might be required to yank her to safety if the building flooded or caught fire. “I…I was repairing the roof.”

  A smile took over Wendy’s face, and Joy couldn’t help but notice that the frenzied quiver had all but stopped.

  “So, Wes.” Joy interceded. “You said you’re having a problem?”

  “Oh. Right. It’s in the kitchen. One of the pipes is dripping.”

  Wendy reached into her bag and produced a roll of duct tape. “Will this help?”

  He smiled and together they walked toward the kitchen.

  Joy let out a little chuckle at that unforeseen alliance.

  Since they had a few minutes before Victoria would need her help getting into her dress, Joy went up to the main floor to make sure everything was going as it should. The reception room was exactly as they’d envisioned—a perfect blend of shabby-elegance with a hint of Christmas cheer. Some of the guests were starting to arrive, and there was an excited buzz everywhere.

  Joy looked around, disappointed that she didn’t see Kyle anywhere.

  As nervous as she’d been that she’d created an awkward situation for both of them, Kyle had been great all day yesterday, supervising the crew and doing his part to get the place ready. He had even arranged for the guests to have free access to the parking lot across the street. When she had asked him about the cost, he had said to consider it to be a wedding gift, and that was all he would say about it.

  Something didn’t quite add up about this guy. He seemed so genuine. Except for the part about Nicole…

  She jumped as someone came up behind her and kissed her on the cheek, then whirled around to see Mike standing there. A strange feeling of melancholy washed over her.

  “I’m glad I’m here.” Looking around, he straightened his tie. “Where are the kids?”

  “Brian has a couple of teenage cousins who volunteered to be in charge of all the kids. They’re making a whole thing out of it.” Suddenly ultra-aware that she and Mike were standing in the room where she had shared a romantic dance with Kyle not so long ago, she made a shooing gesture toward the staircase. “Why don’t you go on up and find a seat. The wedding will be starting before too long.”

  As Mike walked away, Joy looked out the front window. Now that she thought about it, Kyle hadn’t actually said that he’d be here today. But he’d worked so hard yesterday helping them get the place ready. He should want to be here…shouldn’t he?

  Kyle glanced at the time on his TV. One forty-five. The wedding would be starting soon. And he wouldn’t be there.

  He had planned on going, just because that seemed like the right thing to do. He’d gotten as far as taking his suit and a clean shirt out of the closet. But the thought of seeing Joy there with Mike just made him feel like either an idiot or a coward. So, he’d done something he never did. He’d sidelined himself.

  Instead of changing from his jeans into his suit, he had thrown himself down on the couch several hours ago, and the only movement he’d made was to periodically lift the remote in the direction of the TV. Self-pity was an ugly thing, but he had to admit that it felt kind of good.

  Now, Henry sat up from where he’d been sleeping on the floor by the couch, stretched, and whimpered as he rested his muzzle next to Kyle.

  “Seriously?” Kyle ran a hand over his soft head. “You of all people should understand, Henry. You know how great Joy is. I just can’t face her, buddy. Not today.”

  Henry whimpered again.

  “Of course I want her to be happy. That’s not what this is about. This is about me taking a day to wallow in my misery and to avoid seeing her with that other guy. The one who reportedly wasn’t very nice to her. The one she divorced, for crying out loud. I don’t get it.”

  A knock sounded on his door, which he recognized as Nicole’s signature rap. Henry apparently recognized it too, because his ears perked up and he trotted to the door with his tail wagging, like he might be planning on opening it.

  Kyle barely even glanced up. “Come on in, Nic.”

  The door opened, and Nicole and Henry greeted each other. “Hi, buddy.” She looked over at Kyle and frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  “I live here.”

  “I know that.” She let out an impatient breath. “Why aren’t you at the wedding?”

  “I told you. I got uninvited.” He clicked the remote, not wanting to have to explain himself. “What are you doing here?”

/>   “I just came over to get Henry. Jerry wants to take him to the park with me before he has to leave for the airport. I tried to call you.”

  “Sorry.” He muted the TV, which was frankly getting on his nerves anyway. “I’ve had so many meetings lately, I guess I stopped turning the ringer back on.”

  Nicole marched up to him, with Henry by her side, and folded her arms. “The wedding is at your warehouse. You should be there.”

  “Wes is there.” Kyle ran his hands over his face, annoyed at the stubbly reminder that he hadn’t even taken the time to shave yet today. “They don’t need me.”

  “You don’t want to see Joy there with her ex.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  “No. But if you’re going to just lie there like a slug feeling sorry for yourself, you should at least have your phone as close by as the remote.” She crossed to his desk and picked up his phone. “And turn on your ringer, for goodness’ sakes. Look, you missed two other calls besides mine.” She crossed back to him, then gingerly removed the remote from his hand and replaced it with his phone.

  “Thanks.” He intentionally laced his tone with sarcasm, only because he knew he could get away with that with Nic. She understood him. “When does Jerry get back?”

  “This is just a one-day trip. He’ll be home tomorrow.” She picked up the “puppy parent” backpack that Kyle always left by the door and whistled for Henry to join her. “Thanks for the security guard.” She opened the door and gave him one last pathetic look. “See ya.” She started out then turned again. “Kyle?”

  “Yeah?” He stared at the screen, not really focusing.

  “I’m really sorry this didn’t work out. Ice cream always helps. I’ve got some in my freezer if you want it.”

  “Thanks.” He set the phone down on the coffee table.

  She gave him a sad smile and shut the door.

  A sense of loneliness filled him. He didn’t mind sharing Henry, but his absence caused a real void even though he knew he’d be just down the hall. That ice cream was starting to sound pretty good.

  The string quartet transitioned from a slow version of “All I Want for Christmas is You” into “When I Say I Do,” signaling the wedding party to start down the aisle. Waiting for her turn, Joy stole a look at her baby sister. Tears pressed at the backs of her eyes at the sight of her standing arm in arm with their dad, with the sunlight streaming in behind them through one of the tall, sparkling windows. Victoria had never been lacking for beauty, but today it reflected off of her. There was nothing more radiant than a bride on the day she married her one true love.

  “I think we’re up.” Jake, Brian’s best man, raised his left arm for Joy to take.

  Clutching her bouquet of white roses and deep red orchids, she blinked back the tears and started toward the altar at the far end of the room, which they had created from greenery, tiny white lights, and carefully-draped chiffon.

  As they walked, she exchanged a smile with her kids, then with Mike, who sat between them. Warmth filled her chest at the sight of her little family together on such an important day. Maybe Mike was right about this marking a new beginning for them. Could it be that God had answered her prayers for clarity by opening Mike’s eyes to his mistakes?

  When they reached the altar, she and Jake parted ways. She glanced over at Brian, who stood next to the pastor looking like he couldn’t wait to catch sight of Victoria. As Joy took her place next to Shelby and the other bridesmaids, the music changed again and everyone turned to witness the entrance of the bride.

  Joy couldn’t help but cast her gaze around the room. This place looked amazing. They had managed, in just a day and a half, to transform this gritty warehouse into a vintage-chic tribute to romance. That was nothing short of a miracle. And they never would have been able to do it if it hadn’t been for Kyle. Where would they even be right now if not for his generosity?

  And where, right now, was he?

  It made her incredibly sad that he hadn’t wanted to be a part of this. She’d been so busy yesterday—they all had—and the two of them had hardly spoken. Things had changed between them, which was only natural since she had caught him in a lie. Well, not so much a lie as an omission of the truth, but still.

  As the ceremony began, the feeling that she was being looked at drew Joy’s eyes to the groom’s side of the seating area. Lance slipped into one of the last empty seats in the back, his gaze fixed on Joy. He raised a suggestive eyebrow at her, then winked. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. Why hadn’t Wendy told him to stay at the yacht club in case there were any stragglers?

  Then her eyes landed on Mike, or rather, the top of Mike’s head. She frowned, leaning a little to the right to see if she could tell why he was looking down. Was he…seriously? He was sitting there texting?

  Her mouth dropped open and she swallowed the urge to yell at him. This was the most important moment in her sister’s life so far, making it important to her too. And he couldn’t even put his phone away and pay attention?

  A couple of people in his row glanced his way, and Joy cringed. Not only was he being disrespectful to the bride and groom, but also rude to their guests.

  She glared at him, willing him to look up so she could give him some kind of sign to knock it off. For goodness’ sakes, the kids were being more attentive than he was.

  A movement in the front row hooked her eye and she glanced down at her mom, who was giving a small wave of her hand in her lap, clearly intended for Joy. Mom frowned, then subtly pointed at Victoria and Brian. Joy felt herself blush. Great. Mike had been an inconsiderate jerk and she was the one who had gotten in trouble.

  Not the first time that had happened.

  As the episode of whatever he’d been mindlessly watching came to an end, Kyle hit the Mute button and looked at his phone. Might as well rejoin the living and listen to his messages. Maybe he could get a little work done from home today.

  He dragged himself up to a sitting position and tapped the buttons to put his messages on speaker. The first one started to play.

  “Kyle…”

  Wait…Joy? He grabbed the phone.

  “I just wanted to tell you that I won’t need you to go to the wedding with me.”

  He sat forward. When had she left this message? And why did she sound so angry?

  “I found out about Nicole. I didn’t realize that you were already involved with someone.”

  What? What was she talking about?

  She went on to utter a few incoherent half sentences that seemed to imply that he was a dog for accepting her invitation to the wedding even though he was already either living with someone or married. Where had she gotten that idea? The second the message ended, he tapped on the button to find out when that call had come through.

  Wednesday?

  He sat there, feeling numb. That explained why she’d been acting so strange when she showed up at his building on Thursday. Obviously, she had assumed that he’d already heard this. Oh…and that was what she meant when she said she’d expected him to call her. Of course he would have called her if he’d bothered to listen to his messages. He would have called her immediately to tell her that she was wrong. That he was not only single and available but that he hadn’t even dated in a while because he was, as Wes liked to remind him, too picky for his own good.

  Wait…did this misunderstanding have anything to do with her decision to give that creep Mike another chance? Maybe not, but he had to talk to her. If there was a chance for them, he had to act fast. Talk to her as soon as possible and clear this up.

  Then the next message started. Not surprisingly, it was from Wes.

  “Where are you? I thought you’d be here. The pipe in the kitchen is starting to drip again. I don’t know what I should do.”

  He grabbed his keys and his coat. He had to get to the warehouse before everything that mattered to him fell apart.

  Seated at the reception with her mom on one side of her and Mike on the other
, Joy battled a pervasive feeling of gloominess. It didn’t help that Mike had spent more time texting than talking to her. Not that she was in any mood for dancing, but it would have been nice for him to at least ask her.

  Mom let out a sigh. “Will you look at him.”

  Joy looked first at her mom, then across the room to see which “him” she was referring to. She lifted a little smile at the sight of her dad out on the dance floor twirling Charlie and Ty.

  “Sad, isn’t it?” her mom asked.

  “What’s sad?” Joy protested. “They all look like they’re having fun.”

  “What’s sad is that he gave up everything he had with us and wound up living alone.” She made a tsking sound. “The poor man.”

  “The ‘poor man’? Mom, I thought you hated him.”

  “I don’t hate him. I feel sorry for him. Look at everything he missed out on with you girls.”

  “And with you. You’re quite a catch, you know.”

  Mom gave her a slight smile, then squinted at something over Joy’s shoulder. “Who’s that attractive man over there?”

  Joy turned and spotted a very distinguished Sean Connery lookalike perusing the cupcake table. “That’s one of Brian’s favorite college professors. He retired to Seattle.” She nudged her mom’s knee. “And he’s recently widowed.”

  “Hmmm.” After a moment, her mom gave a decisive nod, then stood.

  “Mom, where are you going?”

  “I just realized something.” Mom bent down, placing a hand over Joy’s. “It’s never too late to ask someone to dance.”

  Joy wasn’t sure how to take that. Ever since Dad had left them years ago, Mom had held a grudge against the entire male half of the human race. Now, she seemed to have turned a corner. That was heartening. And strange.

  As her mom left to go strut her stuff on the dance floor, Joy turned to Mike. She was about to take another stab at conversation when his phone vibrated and he flipped it over to check his new message. Again.

  He read, chuckled, and started typing.