Page 40 of The Billionaire's Christmas Baby Surprise

“Really?” The woman looked surprised. “Wow. I’m impressed.”

For the next half an hour or so, Max sat back in awe as Billie sang his praises. Whenever anyone asked about his work with her, she told them that he’d done a wonderful job, just as she’d told Bradley. Max was touched. Whether he’d done a good job or not, it was sweet that Billie wanted him to look good in front of his employees. Whenever possible, he put in a comment about how it was Billie’s organization that did the hard work, and that Billie was the one who’d been truly wonderful.

It was the best Christmas party Max had been to, perhaps in his life.

Until, towards the end of the evening, Jim Grayson, Max’s father and the former CEO, showed up.

CHAPTER 16

BILLIE

Billie was enjoying the Christmas party more than she’d expected to. Max’s employees and partners were, by and large, lovely. More than a few were curious about how the billionaire had held up while working for a charity, and Billie was pleased to report the truth: that Max had been an asset over the last month. A few were interested in Billie’s charity, so she shared a little about the work they did and slipped in the fact that there were always opportunities for volunteering or donating.

As well as the company, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was festive, and everything felt very merry. It was fun to see Max in his usual environment, too. Instead of being the harsh, profit-oriented boss she might have expected a month ago, he was friendly and seemed to care about his employees’ lives. He asked after children and spouses, commented on vacation pictures, and complimented a few people on particularly good work they’d done this quarter.

Around nine, though, another guest arrived. As soon as he stepped through the doors, the atmosphere changed. Thechatter died down to faint whispers and people seemed to grow stiffer.

Billie looked around for the person responsible for this change and spotted an older man in a neatly tailored suit. He had gray hair and a few wrinkles, and he looked familiar, somehow, though Billie couldn’t quite place him.

“Enjoying the party?” he asked one woman. She nodded. “Nowadays, everyone expects a party just for doing their jobs. Am I right?” He grinned at the woman and chuckled, but Billie got the feeling he was serious.

Billie turned to Max to ask who this man was, only to see that Max looked mortified. Realization dawned. With those blue eyes, that strong jaw, and the slope of the nose, the newcomer looked a lot like Max — which was why she’d thought he seemed familiar.

“Is that your father?” Billie asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

Just then, the man caught sight of Max and made a beeline towards their table.

“Son,” he boomed. “How are our profits looking this quarter?”

“Hi, Dad.” For a moment, Max sounded like a young boy who’d been caught stealing cookies from the kitchen. He quickly regained his usual composure, though. “How nice of you to drop by. This is Billie Stone, who I’ve been working with this month on a charity project. Billie, this is my father, Jim Grayson, the founder and former CEO of Bluebell Diner.”

“It’s lovely to meet you.” Billie stood and extended her hand to shake. Jim took it.

“So, charity?” he asked.

“Yes. We help underprivileged children in the Denver area with afterschool programs, food support, and gifts at Christmas, among other things.”

“And my son has been working with you,” Jim added.

“He’s been quite an asset,” Billie told him. “I’ve really appreciated his generosity.”

“Generosity.” Jim scoffed. “I can see why he’d be interested in throwing our profits down a black hole when a woman as pretty as you is involved.”

“Dad.” Max was on his feet in an instant. “I’m happy to have you join the party, but you won’t say anything like that about anyone’s work.”

“Understood.” Jim threw his hands up as though Max was asking something deeply unreasonable of him. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was only joking.”

“No offense taken,” Billie said, although she was stinging a little.

“Now, circling back to profits.” Jim pulled out a chair and sat beside Max. “How are we doing this quarter?”

“Very well,” Max said. He rattled off a few numbers that made Billie’s eyes widen, though Jim didn’t seem all that impressed. “But let’s not get too caught up in the profits. It’s supposed to be a festive time of the year.”

“Right. Well, I’ll go catch up with some old acquaintances. I saw Carter around here somewhere.” Jim headed off towards a group on the far side of the room. In the distance, Billie heardhim ask someone else about a particular revenue number. The man replied with a few specifics, and Jim chuckled.

“Well, maybe you should be working instead of partying, then!” He let out a “ha” at the end to mark the comment as a joke, but Billie was almost certain that he hadn’t been joking at all. She couldn’t help thinking that Jim Grayson was acting like a real Scrooge.

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