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

by Hale, Chelsea

  He shook his head. “I have an Uber that should be here any moment,” he said.

  Headlights drove toward them, stopping in front of where they stood. She waved. “I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she said. “Goodnight, Santa.”

  * * *

  Over the next few days, Hailey kept busy during the Forest Festival. Each time she drove past the hotel, she noticed Troy’s car. But every morning and evening it was in the same spot. It hadn’t moved. She wondered if he was just able to get the same spot every day or if he was just not leaving the hotel.

  Pain stabbed through her at the thought that she’d asked him to stay away. And he’d listened. She wished he would come and see the Forest Festival, at least to see what they’d created. He’d been instrumental in putting it on this year.

  The line for Santa dwindled for the last time on Saturday evening. The final bids for the rest of the trees not already bought swarmed in. Santa looked around. “Well, it looks like I’m done here,” he said. “I better get on my way.”

  “You can stay for the festivities,” Hailey said. “And you haven’t tried a North Pole cinnamon roll yet.”

  Santa patted his white beard against his chest. “It’s a little too messy to eat with the beard on,” he said.

  She nodded, sticking out her hand to shake his. “I’m sorry we can’t have you stay longer. We’re going to be finishing the auction with the last largest trees to be bid on.”

  “And your house? Or did you change your mind?”

  “It’s technically not my house, it’s my aunt’s,” she said, though she realized that it now actually was hers through the inheritance. She just didn’t think of it as hers.

  “But you’re selling it?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It will go to the highest bidder, as long as it’s a fair price for the house.”

  Santa nodded. “Merry Christmas, Hailey. Thank you for letting me be part of this.” He looked around. “I sincerely wish I could help you deliver all of these trees. I’ve heard from the other volunteers, it’s usually Santa who helps with that.”

  Hailey nodded. “It’s okay. The volunteers can wear Santa’s hat and be Santa’s helpers for the few days of deliveries. I heard from your Elf that you’re a very busy Santa Claus.”

  He laughed—that jolly Christmasy laugh. “She keeps me and the reindeer on track for where we need to be.”

  She shook his hand.

  “Can I ask you a question?” he asked.

  Hailey moved the small table off the stage so it could be ready for the auctioneer for the larger trees. They were featured toward the front of the room, and would soon have spotlights on them. “Sure,” she said.

  “What happened with the other Santa—I believe you called him your friend the first time we met.”

  “You have a good memory,” she said.

  “Have to be in this profession. I have a lot of names, and favorite toys to keep track of.” He paused. “So this friend, did he have an emergency come up or something?”

  Hailey shook her head. “You know, I wish you really were Santa and I wouldn’t have to explain it.”

  He nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  She sighed. “We kind of had a falling out.”

  Santa stroked his beard. “A long-time friend?”

  She shook her head. “I felt like I’d known him forever, but no, it’s just been a few months. I really liked him, but …” She let the sentence trail off.

  “More than just a friend then?”

  She nodded. “A lot more than just a friend. But he wasn’t being honest with me, and I can’t deal with that. It reminds me too much of …” She paused, and looked in Santa’s eyes. “Never mind. It doesn’t really matter. The past is in the past, and that’s that. I suppose Santas don’t have to worry about that sort of thing.”

  “I suppose the real one doesn’t,” he said.

  He helped move the chair he’d been sitting in, and soon the stage was completely clear of any of the North Pole decorations.

  “I’d better get ready to introduce the auctioneer,” she said.

  “I’m going to go and see the trees I haven’t looked at yet.”

  She brushed the frosty snow that stuck to her hands after moving the North Pole decorations and headed back on the stage.

  Chapter 24

  Troy used the back stairs to enter into the hallway, heading straight for the private dressing room. He dialed Cara. She picked up after the first ring.

  “Hey boss,” she said. “Nice job, Santa.”

  “Thanks, it’s surprisingly been a lot of fun,” he said.

  “Things seem to be going well between you and Hailey,” Cara said in her perky voice.

  Troy rubbed his hand across the white beard, pulling it down from his mouth and scratching his face for the first time in hours. “Only because she hasn’t recognized me.” He touched the deepened grooves that crinkled like real skin when he smiled. “You were right, the stage makeup up close for Santa did the trick.”

  “You’re still going to tell her who you are?” she asked.

  “Yes. Did you talk to Kyle?” he asked. He’d been waiting to hear back from Kyle since the beginning of the Forest Festival.

  “I did a few hours ago. Apparently, he was out of reception for a few days, whatever that means. Maybe he was in the mountains where there was no reception?”

  “It means he doesn’t want to be bothered for a few days.”

  “Huh. You should try that sometime.”

  “Sure. I’ll try it next year. Put it on my list of things to do.”

  She laughed. “He had a message for you he wanted me to say exactly before he would discuss your options with you.”

  Troy held a fist to his forehead, careful to not smear the makeup on his forehead that had added an age spot or two to his skin. “What’s the message?”

  “The entire message is, “Why play?” I’m not sure what it means. I can call him back and ask,” Cara said.

  Troy sighed. Of all the things that Kyle could have said, this was probably the only one that had Troy changing his mind. “You don’t need to call him back. I know what it means.”

  “What does it mean?” Cara asked.

  Troy sighed, looking at himself dressed as Santa, in the dressing room mirror. “It means I won’t quit. That’s what it means.”

  “So, you’re going to lose on purpose? Break the rules?” Cara clarified.

  He felt defeated. He may stay in the competition, but he’d already lost Hailey. “No, Cara. It means I’m going to finish what I’ve started.”

  “Okay boss, explain, please.”

  “It’s a quote we had in our dorm room in college. Kyle was a football star, even during his Freshman year. He had those two words next to his desk. Underneath them were all the reasons to play. And all the reasons why when you choose to play, that’s your choice. Once you’ve made the decision to play, you don’t quit, you don’t cheat, you don’t lose. You play and you win. And you win when you stick with the plan.”

  “Huh. Such power in two words.”

  Troy nodded, though his assistant couldn’t see the gesture through the phone. “Probably the most powerful thing he could have said,” Troy conceded. Such a small phrase, but so much meaning that stretched toward him from years ago. He’d seen those words in action all throughout college, especially with Kyle. They were powerful words after a victory, and they were even more meaningful after a defeat. He’d learned from Kyle that being defeated was not the same as losing. Victories could be achieved and recorded with a simple glance of a scoreboard, but losing was simply a state of mind. Winning could always occur if you answered the question, ‘Why play?’ correctly and followed through.

  “One more thing,” Cara said.

  “Go for it.”

  “They’re on the second tree for bidding. And people are bidding high on these ones. It’s a “bid to be seen” kind of place.”

  “Do you have my bid number?”


  “In my hand. I’m near the front on the right-hand side as you face the stage.”

  “And you registered the name as—” This had to be right or everything would go so wrong.

  “Santa Claus.”

  “And the LLC?”

  “It was set up as soon as you bought the suit and said you wanted to be Santa at the company Christmas party.”

  “I can’t have this tied back to me. Not yet.”

  “It won’t be, but you won’t want me holding your number when the bidding starts. Hailey probably saw us talking together the other day when …” She didn’t finish the sentence, but Troy had it clearly in his mind which day she referred to. The day Hailey had broken up with him.

  He adjusted the beard over his mouth again, smoothing it until it was perfectly in place. “I’m headed toward you right now,” he said. Turning out the light in the personal dressing room, he made his way into the hall and pocketed his phone.

  Bidding on the third tree had begun when Troy entered the Forest Festival as Santa. It felt like a wonderland in here, and he wished for the hundredth time that he’d been able to walk hand in hand with Hailey through the entire thing. He wanted to know her opinions on the different ornaments, and see what sparked a Christmas memory for her.

  Cara slipped by him, discreetly handing him a number attached to a wooden stick. The bid on the last tree continued higher and higher. His assistant was right. There were high rollers among the group. When the gavel banged against the wooden podium, the winner came up and said a few words. Apparently that was a tradition when one of the auctioned items were bought. As soon as the woman sat down, the auctioneer drew everyone’s attention.

  On the wall behind the auctioneer flashed a picture of Hailey’s aunt’s house. The Victorian mansion seemed to come to life through the still image. Stay calm. Originally he’d hoped to be able to mend things with Hailey before she’d been able to sell it publicly at the auction, but since that didn’t happen his next best strategy was to drive the price as high as he could without being too obvious about it. He didn’t want to be too eager in his bidding—being Santa would draw enough attention as it was.

  Paul’s bid was the first one up. Troy watched the crowd as more bids were added. Paul’s smile seemed smug as the bid approached $400,000 and competing bids slowed down. Troy didn’t turn completely around, but he sensed that the remaining bidders fell away. The auctioneer held the gavel up, ready to strike the wooden block, as his mouth moved a mile a second.

  “$400,000, going once …” The auctioneer started the countdown for Paul’s bid, but he didn’t get far.

  “$425,000,” Troy said. He couldn’t let Hailey’s house go for that cheap. It was worth so much more.

  The auctioneer continued to raise the price as Troy, dressed in his Santa suit, continued to bid each time Paul did. Troy was determined to let Hailey get a fair price for it. The price jumped $25,000 on each successive bid. Troy kept his hand raised high with his number, but watched Hailey, as the auctioneer continued. She looked between the bidders, surprised. Troy wasn’t bidding to win, only bidding so that Hailey didn’t lose. She’d had an amazing offer from him on the Victorian mansion, and she deserved to at least have that again.

  Silence filled the room as the auctioneer said, “Do I hear one million?” He smiled at the remaining two bidders.

  Troy kept his gloved Santa hand high. He glanced toward Paul, who seemed to be turning red in the face. Troy wondered how much of his profit was being eaten away for the condominium idea. The auctioneer jumped higher in number, going up by $100,000. Troy didn’t mind, he would force the price higher, and if Paul didn’t want to pay that it was fine with him.

  Gasps rolled across the crowd when the bidding passed two million. Was Paul only staying in it to prove something? Surely the idea of owning the property at over four times the cost had to seem less lucrative, but Paul was not backing down. Troy smiled under his Santa beard, enjoying the game of it all.

  Hailey’s eyes bounced between him and Paul through the process.

  “Do I hear three million dollars?” the auctioneer asked.

  Troy kept his hand raised.

  “Folks we may be close to the finish. Three million going once … Three million going twice …”

  Troy held his breath.

  “Sold, to … Santa.” The auctioneer looked down at this paper, likely matching the number Troy held with the list of bidder names he had in front of him. “Yes. Sold to Santa. Congratulations.”

  The crowd cheered, and Hailey visibly relaxed.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Paul’s disappointment, but he couldn’t worry about that. Hailey would be happy, both to have a better deal than he originally offered and because it wouldn’t be wrecked to the ground. He’d remembered when they first met at the Foundation’s old building, and while it was a health hazard, she’d been affected by the idea of taking a wrecking ball to the history of the building.

  “Santa, would you like to come up and say a few words,” the auctioneer beamed at him, stepping away from the microphone.

  Troy’s eyes widened, as he felt the crowd push around him, ushering him to make a quick speech, like all the other winners had done. He hadn’t thought about it before because he’d only planned to drive up the price.

  He made his way to the microphone and took a deep breath. Hailey was on the opposite side of the stage from where he entered, and he kept his eyes trained on the audience in front of him, though he could feel her stare on him.

  “Christmas is about giving,” he started. “That’s why I’m here. This donation is for a good cause. Everyone in this room has been generous with their time, their donations, and their money. Christmas is a time when we can focus on making life better for others. I have it on good authority that this Forest Festival wouldn’t have happened this year without one person in this room. Congratulations, Hailey Waters for a successful Forest Festival.” He looked at her directly for the first time since taking the stage to make his short speech. He clapped his gloved hands loudly in her direction, and soon there was a spotlight on her as the rest of the crowd cheered.

  When the clapping died down, Troy said, “Hailey, would you like to say a few words?”

  Hailey walked forward to the mic. “Thank you, Santa. I don’t really know what to say,” she said, her eyes glistening, her voice unsteady. “From the preliminary numbers this Forest Festival looks to be the most successful one we’ve had in years. I know the Children’s Hospital will be so thrilled by all of your generous donations. All of the proceeds tonight from your ticket, to your food purchases, and anything that you’ve bid on goes directly to the Children’s Hospital. Countless volunteers have worked tirelessly for the last several weeks to ensure that no overhead is taken. It’s all donated. I couldn’t have done this alone, and I didn’t. I had a lot of help from people who cared a lot about this project.”

  Troy couldn’t help but smile, wondering if she thought of him through any of it. It didn’t matter though. What mattered was it had worked. The Forest Festival was a success. Hailey’s house brought in more than she’d expected, and the glow on her face made all of it worth it.

  Hailey said a few more things, thanking everyone again, and letting them know that there would be a website with information about next year’s Forest Festival.

  The news surprised Troy. But before he could think about it, Hailey came up to him and shook his hand.

  “Thank you, Santa,” she said. “For everything.”

  He smiled. “It’s been my pleasure to be here. So, you’ve decided to continue with the Forest Festival?”

  Hailey nodded. “After this year, I’m not sure how I could do anything else.” She bit her lip. “If you’re available to book out this far in advance, we’d love to have you back,” she said.

  Troy nodded, but he couldn’t commit to it without her knowing who he really was. And right now, on the stage in front of hundreds of people who were walkin
g slowly to the exit was not the time to tell her who had really just purchased her house. “Perhaps we should let the dust settle from this year first. In a few months when you begin planning, if you really want me back, I’ll be here.”

  She tilted her head at him. “Okay,” she said. “Could I ask you another question?”

  He nodded, but he felt his guard rising. “Sure.”

  “Why bid on the house? Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but I thought you weren’t local.”

  He blew out the breath he’d been holding. It was such a complicated question, and he wasn’t sure he could even explain all of the reasons himself. He cared about her happiness. He had fallen for her and … but that didn’t matter. He couldn’t say any of that as Santa. Finally he settled on the easiest answer. “I wanted to make sure you got the best donation you could. It was about to sell for less than the market value.”

  “I’m grateful, but what are you going to do with it? I’m not unaware that it’s a big piece of land … in a prime location.” She rubbed her hands together in front of her, a sign she was actually nervous about the answer.

  He was glad that Paul hadn’t won, at least the whole thing wouldn’t be demolished. Condos wouldn’t be part of Troy’s plan. Troy knew exactly what he wanted to do with the Victorian mansion. But he couldn’t tell Hailey. Yet another thing he needed to keep from her. He shook his head. When it came right down to it, Troy and Santa were still two different people in Hailey’s mind.

  Troy cleared his throat. “I’d need to see the property, of course, but Santa buys lots of things this time of year for those who are wishing for them. Not everything can be made at the North Pole with elves.”

  Hailey laughed. “You’re really into this whole Santa thing, aren’t you?”

  Troy nodded. “It’s the safest thing to do when I’m dressed up as Santa.”

  Hailey looked like she’d say more, but then the auctioneer came to talk to Troy about signing for the house, and the paperwork that would legally bind him to the purchase price, with conditions allowing for inspections. He took the pen and signed in several places, then the auctioneer flipped another page over and had him do the same thing again.