Snow is Falling, Cocoa is Calling! (The Coffee Loft Series: Fall Collection)

14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

CAITEY

C aitey rolled over in bed and then sat up with a start. The room was cold. Noticeably colder than yesterday. She grabbed the extra blanket from the end of her bed, wrapped it around her shoulders, and checked the thermometer on the wall next to the bathroom.

It was only sixty-one degrees in the bedroom. No wonder she was freezing!

She pressed a few buttons to turn up the heat and stood under one of the overhead vents, but she couldn’t stand there indefinitely while the room slowly warmed. A hot shower would do the trick much faster.

Rummaging through the closet where she’d hung up her clothes, she grabbed a pair of jeans, socks, and sneakers. This morning was furniture moving day in the drawing room for the ceremony and food prep .

Guests would begin arriving in just a few hours! The blue dress she’d worn yesterday wouldn’t do for all the physical labor.

Before she arrived, Jenna had hung up the bridesmaid dress Caitey would wear in the guest room’s wardrobe. She ran a hand down the satin bodice, admiring the deep burgundy color and lovely bodice lace.

It was floor-length and absolutely beautiful—princess-like, in fact. It reminded her of all those “dress-up” days she and Jenna had enjoyed as little girls, complete with crowns and cheap jewelry—and lots of giggling and delight. Of course, there was no crown today! But a set of burgundy and fake diamond jewelry—earrings and a necklace—fit perfectly with the dress.

It was so weird to remember their childhood. More than two decades had passed since those idyllic and distant days, but there were many fond memories. And now Jenna was getting married! It didn’t seem possible.

Caitey turned on the shower to heat the water and jumped in to get cleaned up quickly. After finishing in the warm water, she wrapped the towel around her and hunted for a blow dryer in the bathroom vanity drawers. The bedroom was still chilly, causing her to shiver slightly.

And then Caitey remembered those tiny pricks of icy raindrops she had felt on her face last night.

Striding across the room, she yanked back the curtains from the picture window. The sight in front of her eyes revealed a cold, cloudy, foggy day without a speck of sunlight . . . above a world of blinding white—a literal blanket of pure white snow.

Snow. Snow?! How did that happen? Yesterday was so lovely. Jenna was supposed to have the perfect autumn wedding, not a winter one!

Caitey pressed her nose against the cold glass. That was not a dusting of snow, but literally PILES OF SNOW. A blizzard had swooped in while they slept!

Noooo! She had to get a move-on, find Jenna, and figure out this wedding! Three feet of snow changed everything.

Hopefully her parents had retrieved their rental car and were on their way up. She hoped they saw the weather forecast last night and had made it an early morning, checked out of their hotel right away, and were already downstairs. Not taking any chances of being late due to the snow and road conditions.

Caitey tried to breathe. All would be well. It had to be.

Her phone buzzed repeatedly as she ran from the window to snatch up her phone still sitting on the night table by the bed.

Text messages were pouring in.

The first came at dawn from Jenna: A snowstorm assaulted my wedding day! How did we miss this? Did we ever come up with a contingency plan? I’m so discombobulated, I can’t remember!

Caitey typed back: Yes, the plan is just to move the dinner reception inside instead of the rose garden. It will all work out. Promise! she added with all the enthusiasm and optimism she could muster. Jenna must be going out of her mind with stress and worry. Meet you downstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes!

The following three messages were from her mother. She had missed the one sent about midnight.

Dad arrived in LAX late, late, late tonight. Flight was delayed. Too tired to drive up to the Hearst Estate. We got a hotel room. See you in the morning, sweetheart.

Then came the sad news:

We picked up our rental car first thing this morning and heard from the Hertz agent that there was snow in the mountains. What’s it like up there? Is it very much? Do we need to rent chains for the tires? I’m sure Jenna is highly disappointed.

The last message from her mother beeped as Caitey was reading.

We drove up the mountain road and are now stuck. All vehicles have officially been closed to the mountain—Sheriff’s orders. He cited dangerous, slick, and treacherous roads. Sadly, there was an accident, too, and it will take hours to clear it all up. That’s why the local officials closed it until the snowplows arrived. There are law enforcement, official vehicles, and tow trucks everywhere.

Caitey wrote back: Can you sneak past—and drive really carefully?! Her text was written to be more of a joke. She certainly didn’t want her parents to get hurt or their vehicle to slide off the mountain .

Mom wrote back: No, sweetheart. And I’m quite sure your father isn’t up to dragging our vehicle off-road and shoveling snow while wearing his best suit.

She added a smiley emoji, and Caitey knew they were both being playful. But it was so disappointing. Despite video chats every week, she hadn’t seen her parents in months.

Hopefully, we can get up there tomorrow, sweetheart! We’ll spend the night in Santa Barbara and keep in touch.

Caitey sat down on her bed with a thud. They weren’t going to make the wedding. Not. At. All.

She jumped when a final message from her mother came through.

Please give Jenna and Logan our best. We are so happy for them. Take lots of pictures!

Caitey’s phone clattered to the carpet. She wanted to cry. The perfect wedding day was turning into ruins. Jenna must be beside herself. She needed to get downstairs pronto.

Quickly, she dressed in jeans and a warm sweater top, then blew out her damp hair with the hair dryer she found in one of the drawers, and then applied her makeup. She was not appearing downstairs in the public rooms without blush and lipstick. Not when Jenna’s and Logan’s mothers were so gorgeous every minute of the day.

Even her own mother, as an ambassador’s wife, wore classic dresses and heels, along with getting her hair done every few weeks. There was always some meeting, luncheon, or function to attend.

When a certain Mr. Marcus Stirling roamed the house with those devastating looks and macho chiseled jaw, she had to look as good as possible.

Caitey gave a little shiver just thinking about the guy’s shoulders and muscular chest, along with deep brown eyes like melting chocolate. The shivers she always felt when they passed each other were clearly nerves, along with a powerful attraction to such a fine male specimen occupying the same residence as she was.

Marcus often gave her a mysterious smile or caught her eyes across the room or dinner table. Instantly, she was self-conscious and stupidly tongue-tied.

At first, he’d intimidated the heck out of her . . . Well, what girl wouldn’t be when some tall, massive man in a dark suit magically appeared out of the woods?

But after learning his tragic story last night, she gazed at Marcus with new eyes. He’d been a Navy SEAL in a combat zone; he’d been dumped by a woman who lied and stole his life savings and inheritance; and he was a devoted friend to Logan and the Hearst family.

Maybe she needed to give him a second chance and stop avoiding him.

Fifteen minutes later, she grabbed the binder with all the wedding plans and ventured downstairs, searching for Jenna.

But she didn’t need to go far. Jenna appeared at the foot of the curved staircase and launched herself into Caitey’s arms .

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” she said in a quivery voice.

Caitey hugged her hard. “It’s a shock we never expected, but we’ll sit down and figure this out. However, can I get breakfast first? For some reason, I’m starving.”

“It’s the wintry weather. Come with me,” Jenna said, pulling her arm toward the kitchen. “Gus has breakfast on the dining room sideboard. Just like in Downton Abbey .”

Caitey laughed at the eggs, bacon, toasted bagels, fruit, and three different kinds of juice. “Wow, this is amazing. How does the man have time? Especially with the wedding dinner to prep for.”

Gus appeared through the swinging double doors, a big smile on his cheerful face. He tapped the side of his head, and the smile turned into a big grin. “The secret is detailed planning. I’ve been getting ready for this week for two months. Sit down and eat to have energy for the rest of the day. It’s going to be a big one!”

“I still have to fit into my wedding dress later today, Mr. Gus,” Jenna chided.

“My food is magical. Everything will fit, I promise.”

Jenna gave him a saucy look, lifting one eyebrow. “I’m going to hold you to it.”

She and Jenna had just finished eating the delicious breakfast when Jenna suddenly let out a soft shriek and ducked under the heavy mahogany table.

Caitey lifted the tablecloth. “ What are you doing?”

“I hear Logan’s voice coming in the back door. He can’t see me until the ceremony! It’s bad luck.”

“Oh, right, yes! The groom can’t see the bride! Terrible luck!” As if the snow wasn’t bad luck enough! But Caitey didn’t say that part out loud. She didn’t want Jenna to go full-throttle hysterical.

Jenna hissed, “Think I can crawl out of here and back upstairs without being seen?”

“No,” Caitey said matter-of-factly. “They might head down the main hallway while you run up the staircase.”

“What do I—”

Caitey cut her off. “Stay under there, and I’ll head the guys off.”

“Good idea!”

“Now, ssh!”

Caitey jumped and swung back through the kitchen door just as Logan and Marcus entered the mud room to hang up their jackets and take off their boots. Snow fell off every square inch of them.

“Sorry for the mess, Gus,” Logan called out.

Gus appeared at the door and waved a meaty hand in dismissal. He was a rotund man with the happiest face Caitey had ever seen, but how did he dice onions and tomatoes with such finesse with those fingers? It was a mystery.

“Snow will melt,” the cook said. “And then I will mop. We will soon have lots of muddy shoes once guests begin arriving. ”

Caitey leaned against the doorjamb between the kitchen and the mud room.

Marcus jerked his head up to look at her while he stepped out of his boots. He gave her a slow, warm smile, and Caitey felt her heart flip-flop inside her chest.

The tingles of fascination roared back while she tried not to stare at the gorgeous man in his jeans and flannel lumberjack shirt.

The top buttons had come undone while he shook the last snow off, and the temptation to press her lips against the skin of his throat was almost more than she could bear.

Biting her lips instead, Caitey averted her eyes despite wanting to stare at his throat.

So far, she’d only seen him in button-down pressed shirts and ties. This was a new look, as if Marcus had become an entirely different man. No stiff security professional with his take-charge veneer any longer—just a sexy-as-heck man that Caitey found herself fantasizing about.

She shook her head to stop the crazy thoughts from torturing her. She was acting like a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl.

“Um,” she stammered. “Can I get you all anything? Towels? A heated blanket? You must be freezing.”

Logan laughed. “We’re sweating bullets from the shoveling. I’m heading upstairs to take a shower. Where’s Jenna? I need to talk to her. This blizzard coming out of nowhere is insane.”

“Sorry, no can do,” Caitey told him, bracing herself for an argument. “You don’t get to see Jenna until she walks down the aisle!” she sang gaily.

Marcus gave a low whistle, followed by a chuckle. “Logan, take it from me. We know the boss around here today is Miss Wedding Planner. In capital letters.”

Caitey gave him a sideways glare while trying not to laugh.

Then, her skin sizzled as he gazed at her most curiously. As if he was seeing her in a whole new light. She stared back, trying to sternly flash her eyes, but then she stifled a laugh because he merely grinned as if he knew what she was thinking.

Good grief, what was going on between them? Where had this chemistry come from? Or had it been there all this time while she tried to ignore it and push it away?

“Jenna and I will discuss the snow, any delays, and the change-up of plans. We have a lot to talk about. And I’ll let you know what you need to do later on .”

Stepping toward the door between the kitchen and the dining room, Caitey scanned the place for signs of Jenna. Their dirty breakfast plates still sat on the polished table. “Jenna?” she hissed.

Slowly, the draperies on the far wall next to the windows overlooking the rose garden shifted and rustled. Jenna’s head peeked out. “Is the coast clear?”

“Not yet, but I left you under the table, and now you’re behind the curtains. Stay there while the guys go upstairs and get showered. ”

Caitey clamped her mouth shut the moment Logan and Marcus came through the dining room on their way to the foyer and the staircases. “No!” she cried, worried Logan would spy Jenna behind the curtains. “Go through the other doors to the drawing room first—”

Marcus raised a finger to his lips and made a shushing noise. “Your secret is safe with me,” he said, his words low and sexy as his eyes darted toward the draperies.

The shivers his voice created raced down Caitey’s neck like a runaway freight train.

Logan paused at the exit doors that led to the marbled foyer, glancing back over his shoulder. “Will you tell Jenna that we need to talk?”

Jenna’s voice came from behind the drapes, muffled as she tried to squelch a giggle. “Caitey and I have it all figured out. Don’t worry, Logan. Leave it to the wedding planner.”

Her fiancé whipped around, trying to spy out where Jenna was hiding, and then he chuckled and shook his head when he saw the draperies rustling. “You are one silly, adorable woman, Jenna Thornton. I can’t recall the last time I hid behind any curtains. Guess there’s a first time for everything.”

“Caitey and Marcus will take care of everything,” Jenna replied, “while I spend the rest of the hours until the ceremony making myself beautiful.”

“You couldn’t be any more beautiful than you already are, my love,” Logan said. “Even when you’ re hiding behind the curtains. I have to admit that there are days it feels like we’re living inside a comedy.”

Caitey burst out laughing and then shooed Marcus with her hands, pushing him toward the door along with Logan.

“No peeking and no eavesdropping,” she admonished the two men. “It’s girl time now. But I do have to ask . . . Did you also shovel the front walks and porch and vestibule in front of the house?”

“Don’t worry. We know how to do the job right,” Marcus said with a wink of his delicious brown eyes.

Caitey widened her eyes at him, trying to hide the jump in her stomach, then firmly shut the doors behind the two men.

Blowing out breath, she turned to Jenna and lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, my dear cousin. Sit down and let’s talk, girl.”