Page 15 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

“Great. I’ll head out,” Stephanie said. “Max, are you going to the office?”

Max glanced at Billie, who raised her eyebrows at him, and shook his head. “No, I’ll stay and help.”

“Suit yourself.” Stephanie and the photographer said their goodbyes and headed out, leaving Max and Billie alone.

“Thanks for putting up with the photos,” Max said.

“Sure, no problem.” Billie put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “I think I’ll need to get a few more volunteers in here to help. Can you handle the tree?”

“Yep.”

“Great. I’ll be right back.” Billie left, presumably to find more volunteers, and Max was alone with the tree. He stared at it for a long moment.

Max had never decorated a tree before. He had no idea how to do it, but it couldn’t be that hard. There were already a few golden baubles on the tree’s wide branches, so he added a fewmore. Next, he draped a strand of white lights over the branches, placed a golden star on the topmost point, and stepped back to admire his handiwork. The tree wasn’t about to win any awards, but it was decorated, which meant that Max had fulfilled his promise to Billie and could get back to work now. He really had a lot to do.

When Billie came back in, with the two teenage girls from outside in tow, he motioned her over. The girls went to the table on the far side of the room and began setting up a Christmas village, while Billie strode over to him. Her curls were in a messy bun today and she wasn’t wearing any makeup, but she looked as lovely as always.

“I’m done.”

“You’re done?” Billie’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”

“Yeah. It’s decorated. And honestly, I have a lot to do today.”

“Right. Let me just ask you this. Do you put the same level of care and attention into your work that you put into this tree? Because most of the baubles are on the left side, the lights aren’t wrapped around the tree, and you didn’t even use any of the snowflakes.”

Max felt a surge of annoyance. “Obviously I put more thought into my work, because it matters more. If I mess up at the office, the company could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars and a lot of people could lose their jobs. If the tree isn’t up to your standards, nothing bad will happen.”

Billie crossed her arms. “Max, you said you’d actually help. I know this doesn’t matter to you, but it matters to me. Can’t you try a little harder?”

“Fine.” Max turned back to the tree. “I just can’t imagine that anyone other than you will care if the tree doesn’t look perfect.”

“You know what? Never mind.” To Max’s surprise, Billie looked suddenly on the verge of tears. “If you really don’t want to be here, then don’t be. And take off that shirt.” She gestured to the Sweetest Surprise T-shirt that Stephanie had given Max.

“Billie.” Max reached for her hand, but she stepped away. “Why are you so upset?”

“Because thisdoesmatter. Don’t you remember what it was like to wake up as a child on Christmas morning and run downstairs to find your presents? Can’t you make a little effort to create that kind of Christmas magic for someone else?”

“Honestly,” Max said, his voice low, “my Christmases were never that magical. Sorry about the tree, Billie, but I agree that it’s best if I go.”

“Yeah.” Billie let out a breath. “Go back to your work, if it’s so much more important.”

Max wanted to say something else, but he knew that whatever he said would fall short. So, instead, he just nodded to Billie and left the outreach center. Once he was outside, he got in his car and drove straight to the office. He needed to lose himself in his work — because his work reallywasmore important than a Christmas tree. Wasn’t it?

Yet, as Max turned on his laptop and got to work, he couldn’t help feeling guilty about how he’d left things with Billie. She’d been too much of a perfectionist about the tree, but she’d been right, too. Maybe he should make more of an effort to help others. He could give someone else a magical Christmas, even if he’d never experienced one himself.

Though Max knew that such thinking was silly. His father would be incredibly disappointed in him if he heard him talking like that. A magical Christmas couldn’t be quantified into revenue or stock prices or a new storefront. If Max let himself get distracted by intangible goals, he’d never be able to ensure Bluebell Diner continued to be the success his father had made it.

So, Max put all thoughts of Billie, Sweetest Surprise, and Christmas out of his mind and focused only on the task at hand: final approval of the new Bluebell Diner space in Colorado Springs. Nothing was more important than making sure his company succeeded. Even if it meant disappointing a beautiful woman whom Max cared about more than he wanted to admit.

CHAPTER 9

BILLIE

To say that Billie was hesitant to work with Max again would have been an understatement.

Maybe she’d been a little hard on him. She could acknowledge that. When her volunteers made mistakes, she was always constructive and kind, which she hadn’t been with Max. Billie had expected him not to take the decorating seriously, and when she’d been faced with proof that he didn’t, she hadn’t reacted well. Maybe, if she’d been a little more understanding, he would have tried again with the tree.

But this wasn’t all on Billie. Max had been a jerk, too. Sure, he wasn’t that into Christmas, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make an effort to help out instead of rushing so that he could get back to work. And he’d been wrong. Itdidmatter how the tree was decorated. Billie had spent an extra hour making sure it looked perfect and, when the kids had arrived the next afternoon, they’d been awestruck and excited to see the beautiful tree.

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