Happily This Christmas (Happily Inc #6) - Susan Mallery Page 0,30
a time when she and her father had joked around and she missed it.
Wynn quickly looked away, not sure what to make of the moment. She served herself some Kung Pao Chicken before asking, “Joylyn, have you had a chance to drive around town yet?”
“Not yet.”
“It’s not a big city but we have some interesting areas. Happily Inc is a destination wedding town. There are several venues that cater exclusively to people getting married. A couple of friends of mine own a place called Weddings Out of the Box. It’s an interesting building, with one entrance looking like a villa while another is a castle.”
“Why?”
“A lot of the people who come here to get married have theme weddings. A princess wedding, a Lord of the Rings wedding.”
“Remember a few years ago?” Hunter asked. “That wedding based on a computer game. That was so cool. They had a zip line and I got to use it.”
“Why not just have a regular wedding?” Joylyn asked.
“Sometimes the bride and groom want something else. Oh, we also have a game preserve on the edge of town.”
“There aren’t any predators,” Hunter told her. “Just grazing animals. There’s a herd of giraffes and a water buffalo and zebras and stuff. It’s pretty cool. We go there a lot on school trips. A baby giraffe was born a few months ago. He was nearly a hundred and fifty pounds when he was born.”
Joylyn’s eyes widened. “That big?”
“Uh-huh. Baby giraffes fall to the ground when they’re born. That’s a hard way to start your life.” Hunter sounded more impressed than upset. “They stand in about an hour. You never want twin giraffes, though.”
“Why not?”
“Because when a mother has twins, the two babies are small. A newborn giraffe has to be tall enough to nurse.” He grinned proudly. “Our class had to write a report. I got an A.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing a giraffe,” Joylyn admitted.
“I can check with Carol to see if she can give us a tour,” Wynn said casually, as she glanced at Garrick. “Want to join us?”
“You know I have a soft spot for the giraffes.”
Joylyn’s mouth tightened, but she didn’t speak. There was something, Wynn thought, with no idea what it was or how to fix it. But maybe, just maybe, Joylyn wasn’t as unreachable as she wanted everyone to think.
CHAPTER SIX
CONVERSATION FLOWED EASILY through the rest of dinner. Garrick allowed himself to relax, at least for the moment. Every now and then he caught glimpses of the daughter he used to know, and that gave him hope.
Having Hunter and Wynn around made a big difference. Too bad they couldn’t be there every night because Joylyn had changed in the past few years, and not for the better.
“I have a question,” Wynn said when even Hunter couldn’t eat anymore. “There’s a snowman wedding coming up before the holidays.” She glanced at Garrick. “Apparently it’s a thing.”
“Snowmen?”
She nodded, and turned back to Joylyn. “My friend Natalie has designed centerpieces using paper snowmen. The problem is she needs a thousand of them in a very short period of time.”
“She needs help making them,” Hunter said. “She’s paying a dollar fifty a snowman, and you can make like ten or twelve in an hour!” He sounded delighted. “I’m going to make some. You should do it, too, Joylyn. It’s not hard. Mom, did you bring a sample?”
“In my bag.”
Hunter raced into the other room and returned with a small paper snowman. He handed it to Joylyn.
“You’re not doing anything all day. You should make a lot of money.”
Joylyn flushed. “I’m pregnant.”
Hunter shrugged. “I know that, but you just sit around. Why not make these?”
Joylyn studied the small snowman. “I guess I could help.”
“Good,” Wynn said. “I’ll give her your contact info. I’ll be getting the paper in first thing tomorrow and I can drop it off.”
“Why will you get the paper?”
“I have a graphics and printing business in town. Natalie is ordering the supplies through me.”
Joylyn stared at her. “You own your own business?”
“I have for about ten years. Ever since Hunter and I moved here.”
“But you’re a single mom.”
“That’s true. I was never married.”
Hunter looked at his mom. “She does great, but if she wanted to get married, that would be good, too.” He grinned. “Maybe you’d like to date someone who lives by the golf course.” He turned to Joylyn. “Most of those houses have big swimming pools.”
She laughed. “So you don’t care about your mom’s happiness—just getting a pool?”