Page 78 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“Love you, Mel.”

“Fuck you.” Melanie laughed, blinking furiously. “Right, I need to make sure nothing is on fire or burned, and even if it is, just tell everyone the food is amazing, okay?”

She kissed my cheek and hurried away out of the room. I chuckled, watching her leave, and then turned to Rook.

“Do you think she was happy?”

“I don’t know,” he teased. “It was kind of hard to tell.” Then he crooked his arm and offered me his elbow. “So, care to attend the ball with me?”

Grinning, I looped my hand around his elbow and cuddled close. “Certainly.”

32

ROOK

Stepping into the ballroom was like stepping into a different world. The lights were down low, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere around the ballroom. Projectors around the edge of the room created swirling decorations and fake snowfall across the ceiling and the walls, in between the glowing ‘Merry Christmas’ on one wall and the sparkling animation of Santa stuck in a chimney on the other.

Candles lit up the gorgeous tables, and each Christmas tree was just as beautiful as the next. Knowing Kitty had poured her heart into decorating them just made them all the more beautiful in my eyes. People milled around us holding little gold gift bags decorated with silver, green, and red ribbons. Peppermint candy canes hung on the back of every chair, and the sweetest smell filled the air from the multiple chocolate fountains that sat between each cluster of tables.

“Your mom really went all out,” I murmured, placing my hand over Kitty’s at my elbow. I looked at her, and her eyes sparkled like a thousand stars as they reflected all the glittering lights and decorations.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Kitty whispered, barely audible over the live band that played merry music at the bottom of the ballroom.“All these people. I haven’t seen the Yuletide Ball this full in years.” The addition of tears made her eyes sparkle even more, and my heart clenched at the sight.

Luckily, they were tears of joy.

“You did this,” I murmured. “You worked hard. You pushed against your father and that deal. You brought everyone together like this.”

Kitty shook her head. “It was your idea.”

“A single idea that was nothing without you,” I pointed out. “This is the fruit of your labor and your effort. You should be so proud because I know I am proud of you.”

“Don’t,” Kitty whined, and she dabbed her fingers just below her eyes. “You’ll make me cry.”

“Sorry.” I chuckled. I leaned down and pressed my lips to her temple. “But it’s the truth.”

“Goodness.” Kitty suddenly shuddered, and she clutched at my arm with both hands. “Don’t you just feel overwhelmed by how festive you feel?” She smiled up at me with such a wide smile that the corner of her eyes crinkled deeply and a few tears escaped.

I reached up and wiped them away quickly.

“This is the most festive I’ve felt in years,” I agreed.

“Amazing!” She bounced up onto her toes and then sniffled, adjusting her gorgeous dress. “Alright, time to show face and make sure everyone is having a good time!”

Kitty took that responsibility seriously, and it was a joy to watch her work. We moved from table to table and greeted every single person that we could. We saw people from the cafe and all the regulars from The Anchor—many of whom joked they were only here because they followed Melanie and the booze. We spoke to Hilda, who, thankfully, had no hard feelings about what occurred in her dressing room.

As she joked with Kitty, I got the feeling that she had entertained her own share of suitors in there. Maybe it was a small town thing I didn’t know about. Regardless, it was nice to know I wouldn’t have to avoid her eye each time we walked through town.

We spoke to people from the flower shop who showed off their bouquet work, we spoke to the carpenter who had fixed the eaves in record time, and we praised the ice maker who had come from the city at Mrs. Morgan’s request and was responsible for making sure the reindeer ice sculptures remained solid.

Every single person wore a smile on their face. Kitty was showered in thanks and praise for her efforts despite her best efforts to pretend that she did absolutely nothing. She even spent a few minutes with each person telling them to speak to her father. She assured them that the mayor was working hard to make amends and new plans were in the works. Most didn’t believe her, which was understandable, but almost all the townspeople were willing to talk to the mayor directly.

It was all we could ask for. Hearing promises from Samuel’s mouth themselves would mean more when he actually worked to commit to them next year. All those cabins would reinject tourism and money right back into this town. That was what we needed.

After our first circle of the ballroom, I brought Kitty to the drinks table and pressed a sparkling pink lemonade into her hands.

“Drink,” I coaxed. “It’s Christmas Eve and you’ve spent more time campaigning for your father than you have enjoying the party.”

“There’s a lot of fences to mend,” Kitty said, drinking deeply.

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