The Billionaire’s Christmas Miracle: The Billionaires’ Christmas Gifts Romance

by Hale, Chelsea

  “Let’s find Lester and see what he thinks about either donating trees for decorations or for the ones that would be auctioned off. He works over there, in Lester’s Wood Shop.”

  Troy nodded. “I’m following your lead.”

  They went into the wood shop. A man behind the counter, old enough to be her grandpa looked up when they entered the store. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is that really little miss Hailey Waters?”

  Lester had always called her that since before she could see above the counter. “It’s really me.” She beamed up at him.

  He came around the counter and gave her a hug. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you. I was traveling when your aunt passed away, but I heard her funeral was beautiful.” His eyes reflected the sadness she’d felt over the last couple of months, and it was magnified with her being in Red Oaks without her aunt. Nothing felt the same. Every corner, every street, every store had memories of her with her aunt attached to them. “It was a beautiful funeral,” she finally managed to say.

  “What brings you back …?” he asked, letting the end of the question dangle, as if he didn’t want to fill in the words. She’d always come to spend time with her aunt. Without her here, Hailey had also wondered if and when she’d be back. But now she was here, and it was where she was supposed to be. “I came to clean out the storage she had at the foundation. It’s going to be knocked down next week.”

  “I heard that was happening. I suppose that’s the way of things sometimes,” he said, looking around the wood shop that probably hadn’t changed much in the last twenty-five years either.

  “Edna has gone a different direction with the foundation, but she’s given me and my … friend … a week to prove that we can pull the Forest Festival off this year.”

  Lester whistled. “You’re just like your aunt—always thinking much bigger than anyone else.”

  “You think it’s too big?”

  He shook his head. “Not for you.” He picked up the wood he’d been working on. Thin and thick parts balanced out the piece, likely the beginnings of a Christmas candlestick. “What can I help you with?” he asked.

  “We’re here to figure out the donation side of things this year,” Hailey said.

  Lester smiled at Troy, shaking his hand and introducing himself. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Helena the first year she asked me and my Pop to donate. We’re always happy to donate to worthy causes. Our trees are reasonably priced, and some will be straight up donations. The other ones I always gave her a discount on and she’d sell them for much higher when they were all decorated. I’m happy to do that for any of the volunteers who choose to donate a decorated live tree. I’m happy to get them a tree at my own cost.”

  “That’s very generous of you,” Hailey said.

  “I was sad to hear that the Forest Festival wouldn’t be held this year, so this is a pleasant surprise to find out that it’s still going to happen.”

  “That’s what I’m here for,” Hailey said, glancing at Troy. “Our aim is to make it the most memorable Forest Festival Red Oaks has ever seen.”

  Lester smiled widely. “You’re cut from the same cloth as your aunt, so I have no doubt you’ll be able to pull this off.”

  “Thanks for your confidence. You’re the first person we’ve talked to. So far we’re doing really well.”

  He laughed. “Your aunt has done several different things over the years, but I’m happy to help with the sound if there are any performances,” he said.

  “That would be great. Thanks, Lester.”

  He nodded. “Best of luck to you. If you’re around next week, I’ll have my famous caramel apples out.”

  “I wouldn’t miss them. They’re my absolute favorite caramel apples,” she said.

  Chapter 4

  On Tuesday afternoon, Troy and Hailey split up talking to businesses. They’d stuck together all yesterday and this morning as they’d talked to businesses and the hospital together. So far they’d received all of the pledges, and confirmed the donations from each of the businesses, but now they needed to move faster. The small town seemed generous for what it could give, but Troy knew it wasn’t nearly enough to put on something like they were planning to tackle in such a short amount of time.

  They wanted to make the most of their time, and splitting up had made sense when they made the decision, but Troy found himself missing Hailey’s company. The way she talked about life and memories of this small town, made him wish he could have grown up in a small town. Everyone seemed friendly and helpful. The time had flown by fast as they’d walked from one business to the next this morning together.

  Since lunch, the task hadn’t been nearly as fun. He missed hearing Hailey laugh. Two businesses ago, they’d both walked out of the businesses at the same time, directly across the street from each other. She’d waved and given him a thumbs up. He’d done the same, and then they’d both disappeared into the next business on their respective sides of the street.

  Troy glanced up from the desk where a woman scribbled on a small piece of paper. Rows of chocolate boxes and pictures of candies filled the entire space of the back wall. “Mr. Rasmussen, this is what the Red Oaks Sweets can donate.”

  He looked at the paper, expecting it to be a dollar figure. He was wrong. It was a list of candies and chocolates, with amounts, weights, and packaging. It looked very generous, but donations in-kind weren’t going to fund this project. This would come in handy, but would it be enough to convince Edna to help them with the advertising? He’d talked to seven businesses so far today, and all of them were in-kind donations.

  Troy smiled, hoping he conveyed his gratitude for the offer. “Thank you,” he said. “I know this will mean a lot.”

  She nodded, beaming back at him. “It’s my pleasure. We’ve loved this tradition, and this is the most we’ve ever been able to donate so we’re happy to help.”

  Troy shook her hand before leaving the woman’s office. When he was back in the front of the store, he noticed a display with special caramel apples. The bright tag on the cellophane read, “Lester’s World-Famous Caramel Apples.” Troy smiled, wondering which kind Hailey would like. She’d mentioned these were her favorite caramel apples, and here they were ready to be purchased. There were four different kinds. Troy didn’t know which one to pick, so he bought one of each.

  Troy and Hailey met halfway down Main Street, outside of the Red Oaks Library. Businesses were closing for the evening. He crossed the street toward her.

  Hailey began laughing. “I think I just got the most random donation yet,” she said.

  “More random than the forty-inch Styrofoam balls from yesterday?” he asked as they walked toward where his car had been parked since lunch.

  Hailey could barely contain her giggles. “Brace yourself. We are now the proud caretakers of 144 origami swans.”

  Troy joined in the laughter. “Swans?”

  Hailey sucked in both of her lips, trying to hold in her laughter, but it didn’t work. “Yes. The woman in the small paper shop was absolutely serious that this was her donation this year.”

  “I wonder how long those take to fold?”

  “No idea,” Hailey said. “I also have no idea what we’re supposed to do with them.”

  “I’m sure you’ll think of something—put them on a lake or something.” He grinned at her.

  She bumped into his arm. “Ha ha. I don’t think this has ever been donated before. What would my aunt do with this kind of donation?”

  “Maybe it’s a representation of one of the days of Christmas—Seven swans a swimming,” Troy suggested.

  Hailey nodded. “But that still doesn’t give us a clue as to what to do with them. Some things won’t be ready until the end of November for pick-up, but a lot of them are ready whenever we want to take possession of them.”

  Troy nodded. “From the sounds of it, most people expect pick-up relatively soon, so that’s exciting.”

  “Maybe we could decorat
e a tree with them,” Hailey said.

  “I like that.” They were almost to his car when Troy said, “So, would you like to go out for dinner?”

  She tilted her head at him, but before she could respond, he added, “To continue talking about the festival, of course.”

  She smiled. “Sure, that sounds good. We have a lot to discuss.”

  He opened her door, giving himself the extra moment as he walked back to the driver’s side door to compose himself, wishing he would have just asked her out on a date. Would that have been too forward? He didn’t want to make their time working together awkward. He swallowed, then got in the car, and started the ignition. Less than a mile away was a small cafe he’d looked up. The place had great reviews. “What about this place?” he asked her.

  She smiled. “It’s one of the favorites in the town. Good choice.”

  They were seated quickly, and Hailey ordered without looking at the menu. The waitress wrote down her order, then turned to Troy. Hailey knew everything about the town and ordered the complicated specials just the way she wanted them. He ordered his food, and then they both took turns sharing what each business planned to donate. Troy produced the Red Oaks Sweets paper with the delineated donation on it. Pick-up for that would be a day before the event, to ensure the freshest chocolates and candies.

  “You won on the most interesting donation with the origami swans,” Troy conceded.

  “Thank you,” Hailey said. “That’s exactly what I was going for. I definitely wanted to win today.” She laughed.

  “However, I got the sweetest deal today, with the candy company,” he said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Next time, I’m taking the side of the street with the sweets. Did they give you samples?”

  He nodded. “She wouldn’t let me out of the store without trying a couple.”

  “Figures,” she said. “You get edible donations, and I get paper.” She laughed. Then her eyes widened. “Wait, was that whole bag you were carrying all samples? You have to share.”

  Troy grinned. “They gave me a few samples for you. But the rest is for dessert tonight. I bought some of Lester’s Caramel Apples for us.”

  “For us? Thanks. You won’t be disappointed. They’re so good.”

  “That’s what you said when Lester was talking about it.”

  She smiled. “You remembered.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t know what kind you wanted, so I bought one of each.”

  “They’re the most delicious caramel apples I’ve ever had,” she said.

  Hailey looked at the list they’d compiled in her small notebook. “This is a great start, it really is, but there is still a lot more work ahead. It’s doable, of course, just a lot of work.”

  “Should we scale the festival back this year? I’m sure the town would understand. Maybe Edna would like the change.”

  She looked at him as if he were crazy, then shook her head. “That’s exactly what we can’t do.” She looked at the pieces of paper in front of them—a representation of everyone who’d helped. “My aunt was the glue to this entire project. But Edna was wrong. The Forest Festival can live on, even in my aunt isn’t here.” Her eyes glistened momentarily but after a blink it was gone. “The town cares about this. The letters are proof of that. So are these donations.”

  Their food came and they began eating. The small cafe was crowded. The red shaded light hanging directly over their table seemed to make the small cafe cozier. Troy’s heart swelled for this woman that he’d only come to know over the last couple of days. She was passionate about the Forest Festival, and perhaps it was exactly what she needed. He wanted to figure out a way to raise some capital, and quickly. “Maybe I should go into the City and talk to some people there. I know some investors, and they might be able to help.”

  Hope gleamed in her eyes. “I’m sure going into the City isn’t necessary. You’ve already done a lot to help this. Unless you need to head into the City for work?”

  He tipped his head, wondering if she was trying to figure something out about him with her comment. “I have a lot of vacation stored up. In fact, if needed, I could take the rest of the year off and still have more vacation than I know what to do with.”

  “How nice that you can take off from work so easily,” she said.

  He nodded, wanting to change the subject away from his work. He looked out the window of the small cafe, his gaze settling on a family. A small boy rode on the dad’s shoulders, and the mom pushed a stroller with two more children. Another taller boy walked next to them. Rarely was that a picture he’d see in the City. He looked back at the beautiful brunette in front of him. “What about you? You took off quickly from what I can tell. Won’t work miss you?”

  “I own my own company,” she said proudly. “I will have to fly back to Seattle in about two weeks to take care of a few events, but other than that, I have great assistants and employees that do an amazing job. I doubt I’ll be missed too much.”

  He covered her hand that rested on the table with his own. “You might be missed at work, but Red Oaks is happy you’re here.” And he was happy she was here.

  * * *

  Troy hadn’t thought about the logistics of eating caramel apples when he’d bought them, not really. He’d imagined that they could be eaten straight from the stick, but Hailey had vetoed that idea. Instead they went back to her aunt’s house to enjoy their dessert. Troy cut the apples away from the stick that went through the core, while Hailey made hot chocolate on the stove.

  “Hot chocolate is my favorite drink to go with caramel apples,” Hailey said. “It sounds like a sweetness overload, but I use a darker chocolate, and the flavors balance out nicely.” She poured hot chocolate into matching Santa Claus mugs and handed him one. He carried the plate of caramel apples and followed Hailey to where she sat on the couch in front of the picture window.

  “Drinking hot chocolate reminds me of sledding as a kid. My dad always brought a thermos full of hot chocolate. He’d leave it in the car, and we’d come back after being on the hill and warm up. That’s when it always tasted the best,” Troy said.

  “Where did you grow up?” she asked.

  “Colorado,” he said.

  Hailey smiled. “I’d always pick a Christmas book and sit as close as I could to the fireplace. Sometimes the hot chocolate would get cold before I remembered to drink it when I was in the middle of a good book.”

  They drank their hot chocolate swapping memories of Christmas and holiday traditions. When they were finished with their mugs, Hailey took them into the kitchen and rinsed them out. “Would you like a tour of the house?” she asked.

  He nodded, following her around the Victorian mansion. She told stories about each room, relating childhood memories, and sharing about the renovations the house had seen. She touched every surface and chair rail with such care and love. Everything seemed to mean more to her, and the way she talked about playing in the different rooms held something tangible that he couldn’t quite articulate. It was like she understood the house and its structure, but also its place in history. “You love this place, don’t you?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It holds a lot of memories for me. Memories that I don’t quite remember until a smell reminds me of a room, or the floorboard squeaks just like it did when I was hiding during a game of hide and seek.”

  “Is it … hard … to be back?”

  “I suppose in some ways it is. I’m trying to gain the closure I need. It’s good to have the Festival to focus on.”

  The more time he spent with Hailey, the more he agreed. It was nice to work together with her on the Festival. This week had gone by so fast, and he was looking forward to getting to know her better.

  Chapter 5

  On Friday morning, Hailey sat next to Troy in Edna’s new office. The small building on Center Street was clean and bright. Windows graced almost every wall, which gave a view to both the outside and the inside of the building. Hailey tried not to think how mu
ch money was used to create the building. Money that could have gone to the Forest Festival or another charitable event. Hailey shook the ungenerous thought away. The old building the foundation was in before did not meet the standard building code, and a leak in the roof had revealed just how much chemicals had been stored in the walls. It was a health hazard, so wrecking the old building and creating a new one made sense.

  Hailey had typed up the list of all the donations she and Troy had managed to secure over the last week. It was three pages long.

  Edna finished on her phone call and then looked up to both of them. “How did the week go?” she asked.

  Hailey forced her fingers to loosen the grip on the papers so that they wouldn’t wrinkle. “It went really well,” she said, placing the list on Edna’s desk, hoping she sounded confident, but not over-confident. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to put on the Forest Festival this year,” Hailey added.

  “We?” Edna asked. “The two of you then?”

  Hailey looked to Troy. Perhaps she shouldn’t have used the word “we” to Edna. She should have asked him first. There was a part of her that hoped he’d stay involved in this project. This past week had been … fun with him. But another piece of her knew that if he didn’t stay, she could do this herself. Her aunt had done it, so she could do it. She just needed Edna’s stamp of approval, and a promise that the foundation would take care of their usual advertising for the event.

  “I’ll be here,” Troy said, not breaking eye contact with Edna.

  Hailey released the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. Things were falling into place. Troy didn’t have to stay, and yet he chose to. This was her dream she wanted to fulfill, but Troy was offering to help. Giddiness ran through her, not realizing how much she’d hoped he would stay. The thought of not having his company during the rest of the preparations had weighed on her more than she realized. They’d grown close over the last week.