He took her arm, and walked her to the car door.
Time sped by as they made their way to the mountain ski resort lodge. Hailey tried to ask more questions about the Festival, talking strategy and numbers, just like Troy had been doing all day today, but at each question, Troy answered it and then asked personal questions.
Emily had made an early dinner reservation. It was almost too early to be considered dinner, but as they drove up the winding canyon to the lodge, Hailey realized why. The trees were covered in thick blankets of snow. The sun sparkled on it, turning the entire drive into a winter wonderland.
Troy parked the car in the lodge’s parking lot and helped her out of the car.
Hailey hugged her coat around her when the mountain breeze blew around them. “It’s beautiful up here,” she said.
Troy nodded, pulling her close, looping her arm through his. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
The air between them felt electrifying. Hailey pointed to a lookout point adjacent to the lodge. “We got here fast,” she said, knowing that Emily wouldn’t be here until the reservation time in twenty minutes. “Want to go look at the view?”
Troy smiled. “Do you think you’ll be warm enough?”
She controlled her chattering teeth as another gust of wind blew snow from the barren trees and the top of the lodge. “It will just be a few minutes.”
“Sounds good.” They walked to the lookout point, not far from where they’d started. “I don’t often get to the mountains,” he said.
“I imagine not in the middle of New York City.”
“I travel outside the city,” he said. “I just don’t always make it to the mountains. It’s beautiful up here.”
She agreed, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh, cool air. “Mountains in Seattle aren’t very close, but I’ve gone to Mount Rainier several times. It’s a steep hike in some places. Even in the middle of July there are still places in the shade that have a significant amount of snow. Poles line some of the steep areas, so it makes the climbing easier.”
They watched a few birds soaring through the air. A squirrel jumped from one tree to another breaking their focus on the birds.
“There’s something about winter that makes me want to sit by a fireplace and drink hot chocolate.”
“We used to watch Christmas movies that way,” he said.
She laughed. “I like that. It doesn’t quite feel like the Christmas season to me without a tree full of lights and ornaments.” She paused. “Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing at my aunt’s house. I should bring in a Christmas tree from the garage.”
He smiled. “I could help you with that. Once upon a time I moved a lot of Christmas trees and boxes of ornaments.”
She laughed, looking out at the mountain view, the snow covering up all of the dead and dormant trees with something beautiful. “I love this time of year, everything frosty and white. Christmas time is my favorite time of the year.” She laughed at herself. “That sounds cliché, doesn’t it?”
He squeezed her arm that was looped through his. “Not at all. I think it’s a great time of year.” His eyes held sincerity, and interest, like her thoughts really mattered to him.
She cleared her throat. “We should probably get in to dinner,” Hailey said. “I wouldn’t want Emily to think we didn’t show up. I have an idea about the Forest Festival I want to run by you—” She moved to walk back the way they’d come, but Troy stopped, their entwined arms preventing her from moving forward, so instead she looked at him, a question on her face.
“I don’t want to go talk business tonight,” he said, his eyes seeming to read every movement in her face.
Tingles ran through her fingertips where he was gently holding them, shooting up her nerves all the way to her neck. “You don’t?”
“I think we’ve had our fair share of business meetings over the last several days.”
“That’s true.” Her head swam, her senses more keenly aware of the way his thumb brushed over her knuckles.
A thought wormed its way to her consciousness. Emily thought that they were a couple, which is why Emily had suggested a double date. But she didn’t want to pretend that they were together for Emily’s sake. Getting rid of her ex had been one thing, but there was no need to fool Emily, a friend that she’d only had minor contact with since college. “I don’t want to pretend—”
“I don’t want to pretend either,” he said.
“I can’t keep up the appearance of anything while we’re working on the Festival. It wouldn’t be—”
He lowered his head, not allowing her to finish her thought when his lips touched hers. The thought fled from her memory and she couldn’t recall it back. She responded to his kiss, getting lost in the moment. He pulled her closer, his heat warming her as he circled his arms around her. The concerns she’d had earlier melted away. The kiss was gentle and sweet. Her fingers ran along the collar of his sports coat as she settled them around his neck, pulling him closer for an extra heartbeat. She pulled back from his kiss, their eyes locked on each other.
Her mind was muddled, mixing thoughts and feelings and emotions together into something she couldn’t explain or articulate. She couldn’t think of anything. Finally, she said, “That kiss certainly beats the first one.” Her words came out breathy and light. She bit her lip, unsure of her admission.
He laughed, and she joined in with him. “I agree,” he said. “Last time it was for show.”
“And this time?” she asked, working to regulate her breathing. Both of the kisses had caught her off guard.
He brushed his lips along hers again, leaving heat as it radiated through her, before he pulled away slowly. He kept his forehead close to hers, their eyes too close to each other to focus properly. “This time there is no one around. This time it’s real.” He kissed her one more time, lifting her chin slightly.
She wrapped her mind around the last thing his lips had audibly said to her. This time it’s real. His lips continued to weave beautiful words to her lips as they kissed. The moment felt magical in the midst of the winter wonderland. Her heart raced, but she barely had time to enjoy the contact of his lips when she heard her friend calling her name. They broke the kiss as Emily came toward them on the wooden walkway.
“There you two are,” Emily said. “We’ve been looking all over. Our reservation was just called.”
Hailey pressed her lips together, her pulse erratic, but matching Troy’s. Troy looked at her with wide eyes. Had he felt the same way about their kiss that she did? Her heart flipped. She was glad she’d been holding onto Troy so tightly, the kiss had knocked her off balance, and in very real danger of falling, and not just because she was in heels on a slippery path.
Emily introduced them to her date, and they all headed toward the lodge for dinner. Troy kept his hands threaded through Hailey’s, and she followed her friend inside. She squeezed his hand. They’d talk soon enough, but in the meantime, she couldn’t do anything but smile that she’d just had the best kiss of her life.
Chapter 14
Troy watched as Hailey caught up with her old friend. They chatted about what life had been like for each of them over the last five years, and Troy learned much more about Hailey than he would have otherwise. They laughed together at inside jokes, and Troy found Hailey’s laugh infectious.
“So when did you guys get together?” Emily asked, including Troy in the conversation for the first time since they’d decided on which appetizers to split.
Troy wasn’t sure how to answer, so he continued chewing the shrimp cocktail slower than he had before, hoping Hailey would fill in the information she wanted to share with her friend.
Hailey smiled. “This is more of a recent thing,” she said.
“And in all the time we spend together, it never seems to be enough,” Troy said, hoping it didn’t come out to forward. He liked Hailey. He wanted to spend more time with her, but he’d take any time he could with her. Right now their f
ocus was on the Forest Festival, and that was okay. Every day they spent on the event made a difference.
Emily nodded. “Well you two are sure cute together. Devon and I just got together over the summer. I guess it’s been a few months now, but with our alternating schedules at the hospital, it makes it a little more difficult. I feel like we spend every free minute we have together, and it’s nowhere close to enough.”
“Rotations will be better in a few weeks,” Devon said. “Hopefully our schedules will match up a little better.”
Emily smiled at Devon. “I hope so,” she said, giving him a kiss. When the kiss lingered longer than just a peck, Troy averted his eyes, focusing on Hailey and smiling. She smiled back at him, holding his hand underneath the table.
With the distance from their own kiss, Troy wondered about his own choice in kissing Hailey without it being for show around her ex. The concerns he’d had about why she’d broken up with her ex surfaced again. She’d had a problem with her ex’s wealth. So how would that be different for him? He had more wealth than her ex. Would it really keep them apart? He decided he’d ask her about it another time, when they weren’t in the middle of a double date.
They chatted through dinner, and Troy found he got along great with Emily and Devon.
“Thanks, Em, for volunteering for the Festival. It really means a lot to me that you’d want to help,” Hailey said. “In trying to get an idea of staffing, we’re pretty open at the moment. Is there something specific you want to help with? You’ve pretty much got all of the options open.”
Emily smiled. “Do you have a lot of volunteers yet?”
Hailey looked toward Troy, then back to Emily. “Our numbers are small at the moment, but they’re growing. We’ve only been at this for a little bit.”
Emily nodded. “How did you get Edna to approve the Forest Festival this year then? She’s usually such a stickler on having volunteers lined up before she’ll even say yes to an idea, even if it’s been a tradition.”
Hailey tilted her head toward Troy, and finally responded with, “I think she was impressed with the capital that we raised in such a short time, and she was hoping that we could repeat it.” Hailey sighed. “Truthfully, I’m not sure that we can repeat such a generous offer from any other donor to the project, but the amount was enough to get Edna interested in it.”
Emily looked at Devon. They smiled at each other. “I have good news for you. Last year I was in charge of all the hospital volunteers. I know lots of them will want to come and help with the Forest Festival, as soon as I tell them about it.”
Hailey stared at her friend. “Really? That would be great.”
“I’m happy to help. The Forest Festival is such a huge part of not just our community, but what we do all year long at the Children’s Hospital. In fact, let me take care of all the volunteers. There’s no reason you guys should do it all by yourselves.”
Hailey smiled, gratitude evident from her friend’s kind offer. “Thanks, Em.”
Emily nodded. “Just give me the contacts of the people who have already committed to volunteer, and I can help with the rest. I’m assuming Edna at least has a record of who volunteered last year and how many shifts were needed.”
“Yes,” Hailey said. “I think that is one of the few pieces of information that she tracked separately from my aunt. My aunt seemed to have a system down that included keeping most of the details in her head.”
* * *
Troy dropped Hailey off at the beautiful Victorian mansion. “This was fun,” he said.
She nodded. “Thanks for a great date.”
“It was just dinner.”
“It was great,” she said.
“We’ll have to do it again sometime,” he said.
She laughed. “We’ve been having dinner together every night.”
He leaned toward her as they stood on the wraparound porch outside the front door. Sure they’d had dinner together before now, and practically every other meal together since they’d met, but the kissing was new. “Then I guess we should keep that tradition going,” he said.
She stepped closer to him, her hands resting on his chest. “I’d like that,” she said.
He bent lower, his eyes never leaving hers. She didn’t move away, only lowered her lashes for a fraction of a second before his lips found hers. He cupped her cheeks with his hands, caressing her jaw and cheeks. He moved to pull back, and was surprised when she held on tighter to his jacket, not letting him leave yet. She broke the kiss, and he caught his breath. “Good night, Hailey,” he said, his breath visible between them in the cold night air.
“Good night, Troy.”
* * *
Troy’s head was still spinning from his date last night. Kissing Hailey in the mountains and again on the doorstep was still engrained in his memory. He wanted to kiss her again. Thoughts of forgetting the entire Forest Festival to court her had crossed his mind, but he doubted that that would go over well for her. He’d be patient, and in the meantime they could go on a few more dates and get to know each other outside of the Forest Festival preparations.
He took the stairs down to the first floor, almost laughing at the idea of using the elevator for four stories. He preferred the exercise, even when he was on the thirty-eighth floor in New York City, he still preferred the stairs when he had time.
He passed through by the main desk and was almost through the entire lobby on the way through the doors when he heard someone call his name from behind him. “Mr. Rasmussen?”
He turned to see the morning staff at the front desk. “Yes?”
“I have a delivery here for you, sir. It came early this morning, with instructions that it was to be delivered to you personally.”
Troy smiled. “Thanks. I can get it when I get back.”
The man, whose name tag said George shook his head. “The orders were specific—to you personally, as soon as you are seen.”
Troy nodded. “I’ll take the package now then. Thanks.” He held out his hands expecting a small package.
George lifted a large white cardboard box with red writing on it, from under the counter. “Here you go, Mr. Rasmussen.”
Troy took the box. “Thanks, George,” he said.
George waved back. “Looks like a fun early Christmas present,” he commented.
“Something like that,” Troy said, and made his way back to the elevator. The box wasn’t overly heavy but it was an awkward size to carry. Troy set it on the floor of the elevator as he went back to the fourth floor.
He opened up the box and pulled out a brand-new Santa suit. It looked like the best replica of a real Santa suit that he’d ever seen. He put the coat and the pants on his bed.
There was also a hat, gloves, red and white striped socks that looked like candy canes, and black leather boots with gold buckles. Inside a small red glasses case were half spectacles with gold trim for the metal. Another small package revealed a moleskin book with age-worn distressed paper. On the front was stamped the words: “The List.”
He unwrapped the next bundle in the box, putting the white tissue paper in a pile as he pulled out a present sack. His suit was a brilliant red, but the sack was a dark red that almost had hints of purple in it. A gold cord tied around the mouth of the velvet sack. A thick black belt with a gold buckle that matched the boots was next. A white cotton bag held a wig and a curly white beard. A string of large sleigh bells hung on a wide leather strap. He shook them tentatively, then with a little more force. It sounded like Christmas, and snow, and holiday memories all wrapped into one.
A small booklet gave instructions on how to “get into character,” with his new costume. It had phrases for talking with children, the proper way to create a jolly, “Ho ho ho!” that didn’t sound like a cough, and the trick to inflating the velvet sack with air to make the bag look full without adding extra weight to the bag. The coat came with a belly stuffer to add extra realness to the costume.
The entire thing was gen
ius. He had to hand it to Cara. She’d gone above and beyond in finding such high quality so quickly.
He glanced at his watch. He might be a little late to meet Hailey at the foundation this morning, but maybe he could catch her before she left for the foundation and have her meet him for breakfast at the hotel. He called Hailey. With any luck, this would be a fun surprise.
“Good morning,” Hailey said when she picked up his call.
“Good morning,” he said, not realizing just how much he’d missed her voice until he heard it again right now. “I was wondering if you’d like to live on the wild side and come have breakfast with me at the hotel. Meet you in the lobby in thirty minutes?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be waiting by the fireplace,” he said.
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
As soon as he hung up with her, he dressed in the Santa suit. Everything was self-explanatory, though putting on the fake gray and white eyebrows was more of a challenge than he’d anticipated. The curly white beard caught in his own short beard. He’d need to remember to shave before wearing it again, but other than that, everything seemed to be good. When he had his entire costume on he stood in front of the full-length mirror to inspect.
It didn’t look a thing like him. He looked like the real Santa. He’d inflated the present sack as suggested, and threw it over his shoulder. It bounced a little. He practiced swinging it over his shoulder, giving it just the right amount of force that it stayed next to his shoulders instead of bouncing away like an inflatable toy. He held “The List” book in one hand, and shook the bells in his other hand that held the present sack rope.
With the transformation complete, he called Cara.
She answered on the second ring. “Good morning, Mr. Rasmussen,” her perky voice came through the phone.
“You’ve really outdone yourself this time,” he said.
“So it fits perfectly?” she asked.
The Billionaire’s Christmas Miracle: The Billionaires’ Christmas Gifts Romance Page 11
