“Please tell me this isn’t going to be outside,” Ettie said with a wrinkle of her nose.
Neve shook her head. “Absolutely not. I’ve got some ideas for the building, but I’ve been waiting to hear everything River had planned.”
“Thank goodness for magic,” Jordyn said with a laugh.
River nodded and checked something off on her notepad. “We’re going to need a table large enough to hold all of us, along with chairs. Yes, I’m counting Aisling because I really hope she makes it back for this.”
Sadness tinged the atmosphere for Erith at the thought of Aisling being gone, but also for Balladyn. The two of them were the only ones who weren’t mated.
“I’d like to do the table and chairs,” Maeve offered.
River smiled and checked off something else. “Perfect. Thanks. Next, I’m going to need side tables for all the food. I’m thinking one for desserts, one for drinks, one for hors d’oeuvres, three for food.”
Breda raised her hand. “I’ve got that.”
Another checkmark. River looked up. “Lights. Inside and out.”
“Oh, me,” Fianna said excitedly.
River laughed with the others and made another mark on the paper. “That brings me to the paths. Obviously, we’ll be teleporting there, but I’d still like some outside places where we can perhaps have a firepit and a cozy seating area.”
“That’s right up my alley,” Kyra replied. “I’d like to do that.”
River looked directly at Erith again. “I was hoping you might do the flowers.”
To say that Erith was delighted, was an understatement. “Of course.”
“Wonderful,” River said with a bright smile. “We’ll be using our Fae sisters for the rest, but…” She drew out the word as she looked at the other five Halflings. “There’s a huge list here of things that need to be done.”
Sorcha said, “I’d love to put together the menu.”
“Oh! Can I do the desserts?” Cat asked.
“Check and check,” River said as she marked the pad.
Erith’s heart warmed as everyone joined in to put their touches on every part of the dinner. With each minute that passed, her excitement for the party grew because she knew it would be a spectacular event.
“Well?” River asked the others after they had teleported to the top of the mountain.
Everyone was huddled in thick jackets with scarves, mittens, and beanies. She imagined she had worn a similar expression of amazement and shock when Neve had brought her here earlier. She exchanged a look with Neve, a smile on each of their lips. The location was breathtaking.
“Told you,” she whispered.
River nodded. “This will definitely feel like the holidays.”
“Right here,” Kyra said as she walked to a spot about thirty feet from the edge of the cliff and held her arms about a few inches from her hips, turning in a slow circle. “This is where the firepit needs to be. Have seating surrounding it so this view can be enjoyed from every angle.”
A shiver ran through River that had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with the anticipation. “Yes.”
Neve had taken several steps back, her gaze trained on the area adjacent to Kyra’s. “There’s plenty of room for whatever size building we want. I’d like it to blend in with the surroundings. A cabin look of wood and stone. Lots of big windows to enjoy the spectacular views, and a vaulted ceiling.”
There were words of agreement.
Neve looked at River, who nodded. In a blink, the building was there, just as Neve described. Everyone hurried inside. River gasped at the rustic beauty that surrounded them. The walls were wood, painted white with bronze patina that matched the stain on the wood floors and the ceiling beams and trim. The ceiling was high above them with one large, oval chandelier in the center of the room, bearing dozens of small lights. Smaller, matching sconces adorned the walls.
River could’ve looked at it forever. But Neve’s creation spurred the others. In moments, Kyra had used her magic to construct a large outdoor area using flagstones as the base. The design followed the natural edge of the mountain. A massive bowl-shaped copper firepit sat in the middle with bronze and gold glass rocks. Around the pit, she’d placed two semi-circular sofas that gave off a Nordic vibe, each piled with pillows and fur blankets.
Just as River took all of that in, she heard more gasps. She rushed back into the building and saw the dining room. Her mouth dropped at the dark stain of the rustic yet elegant table with the live edge. It was as unique as it was beautiful. The tall-backed cream chairs were tufted, giving the room a formal look.
“Kyra, the outside is breathtaking. Maeve, the table and chairs are stunning,” River said, her eyes watering with emotion.
Breda flashed a smile and waggled her brows. “My turn.”
With a snap of her fingers, the side tables River had requested appeared along the walls. They were the same shade as the dining table and had white runners with festive designs along the edges in gold thread.
River clapped in her excitement. “Yes, yes!”
Then, everyone looked at Fianna for the lights. She shook her head. “Not yet. I’ve got a surprise for all of you.”
“Same,” Erith said with a wink.
River tried to hide her disappointment, but she also realized that everyone was excited about the dinner and wanted to put their own spin on it. The dinner was tomorrow night. That was enough time to put the finishing touches on everything.
“We haven’t talked about what to wear,” Neve said.
Jordyn laughed. “Cocktail attire, of course.”
“Don’t forget, we need to buy the guys presents,” Ettie stated.
Maeve shrugged, grinning. “That’s what we’re for.”
“What about a tree?” Sorcha asked. “Are we going to have a decorated tree?”
River clutched her pad of paper against her chest as everyone turned to her. “Absolutely. Right there,” she said and pointed to the corner to her left between two windows.
Without hesitation, Erith asked, “Flocked? Green? Or another color?”
“Green,” River replied.
In the next heartbeat, a twenty-foot fir tree stood in the corner. Boxes of white, gold, and red ornaments of various sizes and shapes appeared all over the place. Lengths of lighted garland waited to be hung.
River pointed to the wall where it met the ceiling. “Drape the garland all the way around.”
Before the words had left her mouth, it was up and lit.
“How about these?” Kyra asked as she held up clear glass beads that would reflect the lights.
River nodded.
Once the beads were on the garland, clusters of white and gold ornaments were added, nearly weighing the garland down. Four matching wreaths hung on the inside of the two sets of double doors. And then everyone turned to the tree.
River didn’t know which of the Fae was producing the ornaments, and it didn’t matter. They were having fun putting everything on the tree. They had suffered so much in such a short time. And while they had bonded through danger, they were now connecting in a different way.
All too soon, the tree was finished. River was shocked to find Neve handing her a gold tree skirt trimmed in white fur. She carefully wrapped the tree’s base and then stepped back to look at the lit beauty. Only then did she realize that something was missing.