Page 12 of A Very Titan Christmas (Titan #14)
Colby and Mia Winters’s Home, Virginia
Gathered around Mia’s kitchen table again, the women were using the time to iron out the kinks in their quick-and-dirty assignment to move Titan’s Christmas extravaganza to Vermont.
Mia held a spatula as if it were a scepter.
“Okay, ladies, good news. Jared finally accepted that Vermont is the new plan.”
“Hallelujah.” Nicola repositioned herself on the chair and lazily rubbed her protruding belly.
“The resort has been great to work with, and they have enough cabins to handle everyone. Most have two to three bedrooms and bunk beds with trundles, if anyone needs more room.” Mia held up a hand to Sugar. “And before anyone asks—yes, the dogs are allowed to come too.”
“Roman said the resort is adorable,” Beth offered.
“I’m sure that’s exactly what he said.” Sugar adjusted the bandana around Sarge’s neck, which the dog was pretending to ignore. “But to be fair, I checked out the pictures, and he’s not wrong.”
“Don’t be testy during our planning committee meeting,” Mia chided and placed a tray of peanut butter cookies on the table.
“Just sayin’. I didn’t realize we were a committee.” Sugar snorted and signaled Sarge to lay down.
“Anything with snacks is a committee.” Mia shoved the cookie tray toward Sugar. “Eat.”
Sugar chose one and took a bite. “Oh, you goddess of a woman. These are still warm.” She rolled her eyes back and closed them. “So good.”
Nicola snagged a cookie as well. “How have I known you this long and was unaware of the committee parameters?”
“I just made it up,” Mia admitted.
Beth reached for a cookie. “At least she’s honest.”
“What do you need from us?” Nicola asked.
Mia opened the folder before her and passed packets to Sugar, Nicola, and Beth. “Here are the cabins. Since you’re here, you can call dibs on any that catch your eye.”
“Hot tub.” Sugar held up the paper. “I call the hot tub.”
“It’s outside and like negative twenty degrees up there,” Nicola pointed out.
“That’s half the fun.”
Mia made a note on her master list. “All right. The cabin on Sunrise Lock goes to the Westins.”
Nicola shuffled through the papers. “I don’t want stairs. I’m tired of waddling up and down when I don’t have to.”
“You don’t waddle.”
“Beth, don’t lie to me.”
Beth shrugged. “I mean, mostly you don’t.”
“The Garrisons will be in the one on Red Clover Drive.” Mia made another note. “Parker said they won’t be able to bring the family in from Boston until Lexi is done teaching for the semester at MIT, but then they’ll stay through New Year’s. So we can put them in the cabin on Alpine Escape.”
“Can we see if the resort has toddler beds or cribs to help them out?” Beth asked.
Mia made another note. “I’ll do the same for Caterina and crew.
We can put them in the one with the little backyard for the boys.
” She tried one of the cookies. It melted in her mouth.
After another bite, she told Sugar, “We can put Jax in the cabin next to yours. That way, the older teens can do whatever they want together.”
Sugar nodded. “Make videos to put online.” She half laughed. “Well, Asal and Bianca will. Nolan won’t care. If Brock’s crew is coming, Jessica and Kelly love making videos too.”
“They are coming.” Mia hummed, paged through her papers, and pulled out the map.
“Hermit Thrush Lane backs to Sunrise Lock. We can put them there, and then maybe put Rocco and Caterina in the one not far from there. That way, Nolan won’t go crazy if he has some boys to hang around with. Even if they’re younger.”
Sugar nodded. “He gets on well with that whole crew.”
Beth rolled her coffee mug between her hands. “All right, who do we have left? Locke and Cassidy and Bishop and Ella.”
“Bishop and Ella don’t need much room, so they can go in the Winterberry Run cabin.
” Mia studied the map. “If Locke and Cassidy are there”—she pointed to the map—“then Bryce can just stay in the cabin the guys are in now.” She looked up, eyebrows arching.
“That’s everyone who said they can make it? ”
“Think so.”
“This is the easiest committee meeting I’ve ever been to.” Beth dunked one of the peanut butter cookies in her coffee. “I hear there’s a new guy. Who’s met him?”
“Bryce Richmond.” Sugar raised her hand. “Good lookin’. Quiet.” She focused on Beth and Nicola. “Not to put a damper on the committee meeting, but you know who his brother was?”
“No,” Nicola said as Beth shook her head.
“Do you remember Montana Richmond? The guy who partnered with Titan several years ago.”
Beth slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh.”
Nicola put her hand on Beth’s shoulder. “Has Roman said anything?”
She shook her head. “No, but he keeps that bottled up.”
“Is there going to be an issue?” Mia asked.
“No,” Beth said. “Just some memories that will hit hard.”
Two boys bustled into the kitchen and beelined for their mothers. “Mom,” Dylan said to Nicola, elbowing Isaac, who called out, “Mom,” as he tried to get in front of Beth.
Nicola shared a knowing look with Beth. “What’s up?”
“We have a joke for you,” Dylan explained.
“But I get to tell it,” Isaac said.
“No, you don’t.” Dylan elbowed Isaac again. “I made it up.”
“No, you didn’t.” Isaac jabbed Dylan. “I heard it last week at school.”
“But I said it—”
“Dylan, say the joke.” Beth sighed. “Isaac, tell the punch line.”
Dylan bounced on his toes, clearly pleased he got to tell the joke. “What do you call a snowman with a six-pack?”
“A Titan man who lives in the snow?” Sugar muttered under her breath.
“No.” Isaac bounced up and down. “The abdominal snowman.”
Sugar snorted. Mia laughed.
“We have another one,” Isaac announced. “But we have to wait until Ace gets home from basketball practice because he made it up.”
“Let us finish up our meeting.” Nicola grabbed the cookie tray. “Take these. Give some to Clara and Violet.”
Mia settled back in her chair. The room pulsed with laughter and loud voices as the kids ran out of her kitchen. She could imagine the same sounds filling cabins in Vermont and couldn’t wait to pack their bags and head north. “Anything else we need to cover?”
Sugar shook her head. “If the snacks are gone, then business is officially done.” She lifted her coffee mug. “Let the countdown to Vermont begin.”