CHAPTER 4

KYLE

21 Days 'til Christmas Eve

Working with Julia on this project, I thought we'd at least get to drive our separate respective cars, but here we are-her in the passenger seat, flicking through pictures of venues, while I chauffer her around like some kind of slave. Every now and then, I glance at the pictures of places we're supposed to see. They all look the same. Overpriced backdrops for people pretending like everything in life is fan-freaking-tastic.

"Hey, eyes on the road," she snaps, catching me. "I don't want to die before Penny and Chase tie the knot."

"Relax. I'm an excellent driver," I retort, swerving to miss a pothole.

"Yeah," she says sarcastically. "I can see that." A small snort noise emits from her nose.

"I don't think you're going to find a fairy princess castle in this neck of the woods," I reply, mirroring her sarcasm. "Besides, this isn't some over-the-top wedding from a Hallmark movie. This is real life."

"Tell that to Penny. She wants exactly that-the Christmas fairytale. And news flash genius, this is romantic. And we're going to give her what she wants-what she deserves-even if that means we buy up every string of fairy lights in the state."

"No glitter then?" I mutter under my breath.

Julia glares at me and lowers her voice. "What did you say?"

I sigh. "Nothing."

"Just drive, Scrooge," she snips, before returning to her phone.

Scrooge? And here I was thinking she'd named me after the grumpy green fellow. At least she had at Chase's during dinner. Now we have another nickname, it seems. Both, I recall, were on the wrong side of Christmas. I don't hate Christmas though, so I'm having a hard time seeing how she's come to this conclusion about me. I actually love the holidays. It's the thought of a wedding that irks me. Or more so, the 'L' word.

The remainder of the drive is quiet except for the radio playing in the background.

We arrive at the first venue. At first glance it appears to be a giant beige box. There's no charm, no flair, just a large empty space that looks like it could host a variety of corporate retreats, or perhaps, the world's most boring prom.

Julia steps out of the car, phone in hand, ready to record the space for Penny's approval - or I'm guessing, her disapproval. Ushering her in front of me, I trail behind up the path, to the large glass door.

"Can you get the door, please?" she asks, hands clearly full. I swing it open, half bowing as she enters. Her response is a huff but brushes me aside. Once inside, she stands in the centre of the space. Julia turns to face me, brows pulled together in a frown. "I'm telling Penny this was your idea."

Great. If Pen didn't hate me enough already, she will if we choose this place. Sure, it's got the high ceilings everyone adores, but the walls are an off-white colour, just a few shades lighter than the exterior, and there doesn't seem to be any sort of 'life'. No artwork, no design features, nothing. Watching Julia pace the perimeter, I ready myself for what I know is coming.

"It's functional," I say, trying to convince the both of us that this space could be useful.

"Functional?" she snickers, then her face falls flat. "This place is a glorified warehouse. It's quite literally the opposite of a magical winter wonderland."

"With some decorations-," I say, but Julia cuts me off mid-sentence.

"Some decorations? This place needs a freaking Christmas miracle." With her hands on her hips, she scowls. "Not going to happen."

"If we go see Santa, maybe you can take a seat on his knee and make a wish," I say with a crooked grin.

Her frown doesn't budge. "This isn't funny, Kyle. Penny deserves better than this." She gestures around the room. "And you know it as much as I do."

With a deep sigh, I know she's right, but I'll be damned if I let her have the satisfaction of hearing those words come out of my mouth. "Fine. What's next on your list?"

Her eyes widen, and a broad grin forms on her lips. "Thank goodness. Right, onto the next."

Back in the car, Julia turns the heater up, so it's warm and toasty.

"Where to next?" I ask.

She enters an address into the GPS and hits start. "A friend told me about this place. Apparently, it's all glass and looks out onto the mountains."

"Alright."

Fifteen minutes later we pull up outside of a multi-storey building that's made completely of glass windows. It's a little industrial, but also has a vastly different vibe to the last place. The mountains behind it peek around the sides, and I wonder what the view is from the back of the place.

But then I spot a sign centred in front of the building.

"Uh, Jules," I say, pointing to the sign.

She slumps her shoulders. "Damn it," she says with a haggard sigh. "Do you think there's still a chance they're doing functions?"

I shake my head. "Doubt it. Foreclosed generally means they've packed it all in. But we can see if there's anyone here if you like."

"No, that's fine. Let's get out of here. I've got one more place for us to check out."

"You'd better start praying for that miracle," I retort, but she just glares at me with narrowed eyes again.

Julia punches in the last address on the list.

"Are you sure?" I ask. "That's a bit of a drive."

She nods. "What have we got to lose?"

She's right-again, of course. My stomach churns, thinking we might have to settle for the beige and boring space.

Twenty minutes later, we pull up outside a large farm-or hobby farm. I'm really not too sure of the difference. There's a two-storey farmhouse at the front of the lot and to the side and back a bit, is a large barn. It looks like every other farm we passed on the way here, only this one has a sign out the front-'Home Away from Home Farm and Events'. I feel my lips draw into a straight line, cringing.

"Ready?" Julia asks.

"Uh yeah, sure." Getting out of the car, I button my jacket. There's a brisk cool breeze out here in the country. My breath hovers in the air as I speak. "This doesn't really scream wedding venue."

"Just wait," she says, smirking. "Let's check it out before we make any decisions."

A woman with silver hair greets us, ushering us inside. "Follow me," she says.

We trail behind her through a lounge room and hallway before exiting at the rear of the house. Glancing over at Julia, her face lights up at the scene before us. It's not at all what I'd anticipated, a hidden gem now shining in front of us.

"See?" Julia exclaims. "Now this is a venue." Her body language is practically screaming 'I win'.

"It's a tent," I say, shoving my hands in my pockets.

She swats my arm. "Stop it, Kyle. It's amazing."

The woman laughs fondly. "If you like the outside, you're going to love what's inside," she says to Julia. She grabs her arm, pulling it through her own as if they were old friends. There's a pebble walkway up to the tent, lined with potted poinsettias. At the entrance to the tent, the woman plugs in a cord, then beckons us both to enter.

Inside, a warm breeze wafts from an outdoor heater. The ceiling is high, draped in silks and lace, fairy lights scattered like stars amongst it all. In the centre of the space is a wooden floor which I suspect is the dancefloor.

"We have seating arrangements for up to two hundred guests," the woman says. "We can provide tables, chairs, table settings, and even chandeliers-if that's your style."

Julia swoons at the mention of chandeliers. "This is perfect."

"We can also assist with the bar and drinks, but we just lost our chef, so you would need to find a caterer. Although you're welcome to use the kitchen as well."

"That's fine. I'm sure we can find a caterer."

Crossing my arms, I lean against a centre post. I haven't seen Julia so swept up in a moment before, and I wonder if she was like this when she was helping Penny plan our wedding. The thought of our never-wedding tugs at me. My teeth grate together as I clench my jaw, trying to force it from my mind.

"Right, well, I'll leave you to take a closer look around. I'll be right inside the house when you're ready," the woman says, leaving us alone in the tent.

Julia pulls out her phone. A moment later Penny is on video chat with her. She moves about the tent, giving close ups of the place while she fills her in about what's provided and what we still need to organise.

"It's perfect." I hear Penny's voice echo through the phone's speaker. She calls out to Chase, who joins the call.

Once she hangs up, Julia heads over to me, smirking as she prowls. "Well Scrooge, looks like we have a venue."

"Don't get too smug there, princess," I grunt.

"Oh, I plan on being very smug, so you'd better get used to it," she retorts with a satisfied grin.

As we drive back, Julia hums along to "Jingle Bells" with a smug look on her face. The houses we pass are covered in lights, inflatables, and wreaths, each one making her coo like it's her first time seeing Christmas decorations. It's exhausting.

"You're a little too into Christmas," I mutter, trying not to sound like a complete killjoy.

She pauses her humming for a moment. "And you're a little too not into Christmas."

I don't bother finding a snarky comeback. She can hum all the Christmas carols in the world. I'm just here to get this wedding sorted and then get the hell out of here.

"You'll come around. By the end of this wedding, you'll be singing both 'Jingle Bells' and my praises."

I roll my eyes and lips twitch, holding back a smirk. "Keep dreaming, princess. You're going to need more than a few fairy lights and glitter for that miracle."

She glances over, still grinning from ear to ear. "Challenge accepted."