Page 2 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

Too much to do such as, apparently, attending a charity ball to reform his image. Max took his cup of coffee from the machine and took a long drink. He was going to need the energy.

CHAPTER 2

BILLIE

Across town, in an outreach center housed in an old building far from the towering skyscrapers of downtown Denver, Billie Stone was humming along to a Christmas song on her headphones. Sure, it was only mid-November and too early to be getting into the Christmas spirit, but this was Billie’s favorite time of the year, and she needed the pick-me-up.

Today was not going well. She’d had a meeting with her finance team (which consisted of just one person, Barbara, a slightly frazzled middle-aged woman) in which Billie had learned that Sweetest Surprise, her charity, had fallen short of the mark for holiday donations. Very short.

“We can still give some gifts,” Barbara had told her dubiously. “But it won’t be anything like last year.”

“There’s still time to get a few more donors,” Billie had told her hopefully.

“Sure.” But Barbara hadn’t seemed convinced, and Billie wasn’t sure she’d even convinced herself. After the meeting, Billie hadreached out to a few past donors on Sweetest’s mailing list, but she wasn’t optimistic. Times were tight for everyone this year.

Billie just hated the thought of failing the children Sweetest Surprise usually helped. Last year, they’d delivered a record number of gifts to children whose families couldn’t afford them, including children in hospitals or in foster care. Although Sweetest worked year-round with numerous outreach programs, the Christmas gift delivery was always the highlight of Billie’s year.

Except, maybe, this year.

Billie looked down at the spreadsheet she’d printed from Barbara’s bookkeeping. The woman had been right. Their funding this year was less than half what it had been the year before. Suddenly, the Christmas song playing through Billie’s headphones didn’t feel nearly as festive anymore, and she pressed pause. If she didn’t raise a huge amount of money, and fast, families who’d come to rely on Billie’s Christmastime deliveries of festive food and gifts would go without.

There was still one opportunity for her to fundraise enough money to cover the gift-giving program. In a few days, the city of Denver was holding its annual Grateful Gala. Last year, Billie had attended the event and had received a generous donation from one of the benefactors who’d been there.

Still, she had been hoping not to go this year. Most of Sweetest’s donors were ordinary people — teachers and doctors and firefighters who worked with kids in need, families who wanted to do something good around the holidays, or empty-nesters who remembered how special it was to wake up on Christmas morning to presents under the tree and who wanted to make the same thing happen for other families.

The benefactors at the Grateful Gala weren’t ordinary people, though. Most of them were extremely wealthy people who mostly donated to charity to improve their image. Billie didn’t turn her nose up at such donations, but she did find it hard to charm and flatter people who didn’t know anything about what the kids she worked with were going through. They tended to be out of touch and, sometimes, rude.

Still, this was about more than just Billie. She opened her old laptop, which took nearly five minutes to creakily start up, and replied to the invitation she’d received to the Grateful Gala. She would attend, with all her promotional materials in hand and her best charming smile. The kids she worked with deserved that.

Just then, Billie heard a shout of happy laughter coming from somewhere else in the building. She gently closed her laptop and followed the sound.

The outreach center consisted of several rooms: a large meeting hall, three classrooms, a kitchen, and a small dining area. Kids had just begun arriving in the large meeting hall for Sweetest’s afterschool program. The project worked with kids who didn’t have somewhere to go after school, often because their parents worked long hours. The kids received help with their homework, participated in games and art activities, and received a nutritious snack.

“Billie!” Chloe, a young woman who was one of Sweetest’s afterschool volunteers and who had previously benefited from Sweetest’s programs, hurried through the gathering crowd of kids. She had her phone in her hand. “Guess what?”

“What?” Billie asked, already grinning.

“I got accepted to Colorado College!” Chloe waved her phone enthusiastically, much too fast for Billie to read anything on the screen. “Early decision! Can you believe it?”

“Of course, I can.” Billie opened her arms to give Chloe a hug. “I’m so proud of you. You worked so hard for this, and you deserve it more than anyone.”

“Thanks.” Chloe pulled back with a grin, then did a little happy dance. “Okay, I better go. Fractions aren’t going to solve themselves!” Still dancing, Chloe made her way over to a small group of elementary schoolers in huge winter jackets and hats. They waved her over excitedly.

Billie leaned against a wall and watched as the kids got their coats off and headed towards the kitchen for their snacks. Despite the cold weather outside, everyone was in good spirits. Billie took a deep breath and headed back to her office. She owed it to kids like Chloe, and to everyone she worked with, to get the money she needed for the Christmas program. No matter what it took, she was going to make sure these kids got their gifts.

Several days later, Billie was in her modest studio apartment, staring at her closet. As the head of a charity, she didn’t have a lot of opportunities to wear fancy clothes. Last year, she’d worn a designer dress she’d borrowed from a friend, but she’d felt uncomfortable all evening. This year, Billie was determined to feel comfortable — but she also didn’t want to look completely out of place.

Finally, she settled on a long red skirt and a fitted black sweater. It might not be as fashionable as what the benefactors werewearing, but it was comfortable and Christmassy. Billie wove her brown curls into a loose braid over her shoulder, put on a pair of snowflake earrings, and added a little makeup.

“I’m ready,” she told her reflection. The only thing that mattered tonight was getting enough money to fund the gift-giving program. She couldn’t let herself get distracted by anything else.

Just as she was heading out the door, her cellphone rang. It was her mother.

“Billie!” Gloria sounded as cheerful as always. “Can you bring green beans to Thanksgiving dinner next week?”

Billie chuckled as she slid her feet into a pair of low heels and grabbed her jacket. “Is this your way of making sure I’m coming?”

“Maybe.” Gloria chuckled warmly. “You still haven’t responded to my e-invite.”

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