Page 18 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

“I don’t think I believe that. You said you were just a kid when your parents opened their first restaurant.”

“I was, but I still named it. And not after the flower, like you might think. When I was little, I went to stay with my aunt and uncle on their farm for a few weeks and they had a cow with a blue bell around her neck. She was my favorite cow, and when I got home, I missed her so much that I persuaded my parents to name the diner after her.”

“This is so much new information.” Billie gently set the baby doll back on the shelf. “You stayed on a farm?”

“Sure. My parents were putting their finishing touches on the diner, which they wanted to call Homestyle Diner, by the way.”

“Terrible.” Billie rolled her eyes in jest, but Max nodded seriously, then undermined himself with a wink.

“So, they packed me off to the countryside to get a taste of farm life. I was probably five or so.”

“Do you remember any farm skills?”

“Not at all.” Max chuckled. “I don’t think I could milk a cow if it hit me in the face.”

“Let’s see.” Billie grabbed a stuffed cow from the shelf behind her. “Think fast!” She tossed the cow at Max, who expertly caught it out of the air.

“I feel like catching a cow is a bit different from milking one, but I like where your head was.” Max tossed the cow back to her. “We can call her Mrs. Cowper.”

Billie looked down at the cow’s embroidered face, including a happy smile and thoughtful eyes. “She does look like a Mrs. Cowper. Okay, I’ll admit that you’re good at naming things.”

“But now that we’ve named her, I feel bad leaving Mrs. Cowper here. Do you think one of the kids will want her?”

Billie scanned her list of toys. “Let’s see. Eloise, aged eleven, says that she loves animals and wants us to donate money to a charity that helps them. Maybe we can give her Mrs. Cowper as well as a donation.”

“Really?” Max circled the cart to look at the list with Billie. “I have trouble believing that an eleven-year-old would rather donate money than get a Christmas present.”

“Right here.” Billie pointed to the entry in question. “And I believe it. I know Eloise, at least a little. She comes to our afterschool program. She’s always helping younger kids with their homework and sharing her snacks with them. And I once saw her spend twenty minutes befriending a ladybug.”

“She sounds like a special kid.”

“She is. And I think she’ll love Mrs. Cowper, as long as we make a donation in Eloise’s name, too.”

“Excellent. We can make a name tag for Mrs. Cowper,” Max suggested. His blue eyes were lit in a way Billie hadn’t seenbefore. “And maybe we can write a little story about how Mrs. Cowper needs a family to take care of her.”

“Max Grayson.” Billie put her hands on her hips. “Do youcare?”

“Maybe just a little.” Max took the plush cow from Billie’s hands and put her into the cart. “What’s next?”

Over the next hour, Billie and Max were able to cross almost everything off the list. They found matchbox cars and chemistry sets, miniature telescopes and princess costumes, hairstyle dolls and turtle bath toys. Billie also added a stack of chocolate boxes and a few self-care gift baskets for the parents to the cart.

“Is that it?” Max asked.

“For now. I usually get another batch of wish lists in mid-December, so I’ll probably have one more trip, but we should be okay for now. Except…” Billie ran her finger down the list. “We didn’t find the Sunshine Sparkle Alpaca.”

“What exactly is a Sunshine Sparkle Alpaca?”

“It’s the dearest wish of Josefina, aged six. Apparently, it’s one of those really exciting toys that all the kids want this year. I’m surprised we only have one on the list.”

“And this store doesn’t have a Sunshine Sparkle Alpaca?”

“No.” Billie bit her lip thoughtfully. “But I should be able to get one on another shopping trip.”

“No way. What if all the stores have sold out by then? Let’s try somewhere else.”

“Don’t you need to get back to work?”

Max glanced at his watch. “It’s fine. It’s a Sunday afternoon and I don’t have that much to do.”

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