Christmas in Bayberry

Jason Heart tugged on the door of I Do Cakes and stepped into the bakery. A sea of voices rolled over him like a wave, drowning the merry tinkle of the bell that announced his arrival. He brushed an unseen fleck from his starched white shirt while he took a second to regroup. The noisy crowd had thrown him off-stride. Even though he was right on time, owners and managers of the town’s businesses already crowded the dining area. Chairs at the small tables were filled. Along the back wall, people had already laid claim to the best spots for leaning against the pink-and-white striped wallpaper. No matter. Unlike previous meetings that had gone on for hours, this one was just a formality—a final review of the agenda in preparation for the arrival of the Executive Editor for Weddings Today. He headed for the closest empty space.

“Jason. Here. Sit by me.” Mildred Morrey beckoned with an age-spotted hand. “It’s about time you got here,” she groused, though the lines in her face softened into a smile. The owner of Forget Me Knot Flowers removed a gargantuan purse from the chair beside her. “I’ve had to fight off three people who wanted this seat. One more, and you were out of luck.”

“Sorry. I meant to get here earlier. I was waylaid by an anxious bride on my way out the door.” Jason bent his long frame into a pretzel and squeezed in between the woman who’d taken him under her wings ages ago and Cheri Clark, the owner of the area’s premier bridal salon.

“Are you ready for all the chaos?” Mildred asked once he’d gotten settled.

“You don’t really expect it to be as bad as everyone says, do you? After all these months of preparation, I’d expect everything to go pretty smoothly.” For a town that put on more than two hundred weddings each year without a hitch, playing host to one woman ought to be a snap, even if she was one of the most influential people in the industry.

“I keep forgetting that you’ve never been through one of these.”

Jason’s throat tightened with a familiar ache. He coughed dryly. During the last review, his dad had still been in charge of the Captain’s Cottage. At fifty-five and otherwise healthy, David Thaddeus Heart had complained of indigestion in the weeks leading up to the editor’s visit. The diagnosis—pancreatic cancer—had been handed down at a doctor’s appointment shortly after Heart’s Landing had once again been named American’s Top Wedding Destination. Over the course of the last two years, Jason had learned a lot about running one of the country’s busiest wedding venues, but every once in a while, something came up that he’d never handled, like the magazine’s biannual competition.

“We all miss your dad.” Mildred played with an earring that dangled among her silvery curls and cleared her throat.

“He was a good man,” added Cheri.

“Thanks. He was always sprucing up something. I bet he’d have enjoyed all the changes we made this spring.” Jason glanced out the bakery’s front window. With the magazine’s evaluation looming, practically every storefront in town had been treated to a facelift. But the heart of Heart’s Landing was, as always, the Captain’s Cottage.

Jason’s mouth tugged to the side in a wry grin. “Cottage” was hardly the word for a house the size of the one his great-great-great-grandfather and the town’s founder, Captain Thaddeus Heart, had built. Fourteen bedrooms and two enormous ballrooms took up only a small portion of the home a scant hour southeast of Newport, where wealthy families like the Astors and Vanderbilts had once vacationed on their own enormous estates. Many of those mansions had fallen into disrepair, but the Captain’s Cottage looked better than it ever had. Working around a schedule crowded with weddings and celebrations, the housekeeping staff had polished the one hundred twenty-five-year-old hardwood floors, carefully dusted every globe in chandeliers the size of small cars, vigorously shaken out rugs, and repaired even the tiniest nicks and smudges. Outside, white masonry walls gleamed in stark contrast to black shutters and trim. The season’s roses had been trellised along the veranda, and every plant on the acres surrounding his family’s ancestral home had been carefully manicured.

Mildred nudged his shoulder. “The pressure to retain our number one ranking is intense. Then, there’s the fact that Regina Charm is handling the evaluation herself this year. She isn’t the most pleasant person to deal with.”

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“Humph. You can say that again. A cold fish, that’s what she is.”

Jason smiled at Cheri. “Don’t hold back, now. Tell me what you really feel.”

The woman’s face colored. “Oh, I shouldn’t talk about our clients like that. But Regina pushed all my buttons.”

“Mine, too.” Mildred’s voice dropped to a whisper. “She has that whole New York vibe working for her—aloof, snooty. Nothing was good enough for her when she was planning to get married here. And once her dreams of having a Heart’s Landing wedding hit a snag—”

“When did that happen?” And why was he just hearing about it now? Jason threaded his fingers through hair that brushed his collar. It sounded like Regina Charm was a real piece of work. No wonder everyone in town was on edge.

“A year ago this spring. Remember the leak at your place?”

How could he forget? He’d taken a rare weekend away from his responsibilities at the Captain’s Cottage last April. While he was in Boston, a bad storm had taken out one of the estate’s massive oaks. To make matters worse, the uprooted tree had broken a pipe. Water had backed up into the Blue Room, causing severe damage. Among the many phone calls he’d swapped with Alicia, the venue’s event coordinator, he seemed to recall a vague reference to a bride who’d been less than pleased that her ceremony had been shifted to the larger, more beautiful Green Room. But by the time he’d arrived back in town, Alicia had worked everything out. Or at least, he’d thought she had. “You’re saying that was Regina’s wedding?”

“It would have been. She and her fiancé called the whole thing off.” Mildred sighed heavily. Though the breakup had nothing to do with Heart’s Landing, the town prided itself on delivering a perfect wedding to every bride. On those rare occasions when they weren’t able to meet that goal, it hurt. Even a year later. “Let’s just say, I don’t think she’ll be looking at us through rose-colored glasses.”

Jason stifled a groan. “I hope we’re up to this.”

Thank goodness repairs to the Blue Room had finally been completed. He’d hired Ryan Court, the best restoration contractor in the business, and had personally overseen every detail. Not that he’d needed to. Ryan had done an excellent job of painstakingly restoring the wainscoting to its original beauty. Refurbished with new drapes and paint, the second-largest ballroom had once again become a popular spot with the brides who chose the Cottage for their ceremonies and receptions.

“You’ll do fine.” Mildred patted his hand. “I’m sure you dealt with your fair share of CEOs and celebrities in Boston.”

She had a point. He’d started out as the booking agent for a small comedy club and moved up to manager of one of the area’s largest convention centers. Over a span of ten years, he’d worked with the most popular bands and artists on the music scene. But all of that paled in comparison to the importance of the next ten days. Placing second or third in the Weddings Today competition was not an option. Maintaining their spot as the first choice for brides from one end of the country to the other was critical to the success of every business in town.

At the front of the room, Mayor Greg Thomas rapped firmly on the hostess stand. The low buzz of conversation died down.

“If I can have everyone’s attention.” Greg hitched a pair of khakis higher on his round belly. “We’ll run through the agenda, item by item, and get this over with. I know you all want to get home to your families, and I don’t want to keep you a minute longer than necessary. Let’s dive right in, shall we?” He glanced at the notes he’d spread across the makeshift podium. “Regina Charm is due to arrive at three PM on Friday afternoon. She’ll go straight to the Captain’s Cottage. Jason, why don’t you take it from there?”

“Yes, sir.” Jason unfolded his legs and stood. Around him, the familiar faces of people he’d known his entire life nodded their encouragement. Everyone in the room shared one thing in common. Their livelihoods depended on a perfect score from Weddings Today. Determined to do his part, he cleared his throat.

“Much like it was done in the Captain’s day, the entire household will turn out to greet Ms. Charm. I’ll assume Thaddeus’s role, as usual, but I’ve asked my girlfriend Clarissa to fill in for Evelyn.” Well, not exactly. He and his cousin Evelyn had appeared at quite a few weddings and receptions dressed as the Captain and his wife, Mary. But when Clarissa had heard that the Executive Editor for Weddings Today would be in town, she’d begged to play a leading role. Which reminded him, he needed to confirm Clarissa’s travel plans. He jotted a mental note and continued. “We’ve set aside the Azalea Suite for Ms. Charm’s use while she’s in town. It’s the largest of our bridal apartments and has been recently updated. Once she’s settled in, we’ll turn her over to you, Mr. Mayor, and get ready for the meet-and-greet at six that evening. It’ll be in the Green Room. You’re all invited, of course.”

He took his seat as the mayor nodded. “That’s good. My only concern is in the timing. Since Ms. Charm opted to drive up from New York, rather than take the train, I’d be watching for her to arrive any time after noon. She’s known to throw things off schedule a bit. Shows up early for interviews. That sort of thing. She likes to test people’s reactions.”