Page 45 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

“Uh, Jules?”

She startled, realizing he’d been talking to her. Feeling the heat on her cheeks flare, she stammered. “Sorry. What were you saying?”

He reached out to tug at the binder that she was clutching against her body like a pool float. “I’d like to see the changes you mapped out for the gala.”

“Oh! Of course. Here.” She opened up the binder and flipped to two different layouts. “Okay, here’s the seating layout you normally use.” Mitch slid his chair closer to hers and they ended up touching shoulders as he looked over her shoulder.

“And what’s wrong with it? It’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Jules was pleased he didn’t sound angry. “You’re right, you have. But I was looking at reviews and comments from previous galas and some of the complaints could be easily alleviated by adjusting the flow of traffic. And look, if you move these tables, you’ll open up the space better.” She spent the next thirty minutes going over her suggested changes and when she was finished, Mitch sat back.

“That’s amazing. And correct me if I’m wrong, but with the band set up over here, that will also help with the sound?”

Nodding hard, she reached out to squeeze his hand. “Exactly. And if you keep those doors shut, you won’t get hit with the added noise from the lobby.” When she realized what she was doing, she pulled her hand away, but he caught it and gave her a return squeeze.

“I was serious when I said I wanted you to handle all of the details.”

"But I’m only one person. Miranda at least had a staff to help with the setup and tear down. I can’t possibly do this all on my own. Maybe there’s still time to bring someone else in.” As much as Jules wanted the gig, she knew she had to be realistic. This was too big of an event for one person.

“Anyone who can be taken off their current duties will be reassigned to you when you need them.” Tapping her binder. “You have a great plan outlined and I’m prepared to do whatever it will take to make this happen.”

“I—” Jules bit her lip. This was the biggest event she’d ever participated in and now, she’d be leading it. Was she even ready for something like this?

“And Denton Hotels will compensate you for your time. We’ll pay you what we originally intended to pay Big Apple and there will be a bonus at the end, assuming everything goes well,” which surprised her and she had to shut her mouth. “I have to tell you. My father is planning to make a big announcement at the gala, but he hadn’t told anyone what it is, even me. I’m hoping he’ll be announcing his retirement and naming me the new CEO. So, I want the gala to be spectacular. What do you say, Ms. Cardwell. Will you do it?”

Jules sat back. Could she do it? He said she’d have help. She looked back at her binder. When she’d first found out about the gala, she’d set up two files. One mimicking what had been done before and one with suggested changes to improve the overall experience for everyone. But could she actually make it happen?

With a big smile, she stuck out her right hand. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mr. Denton.”

He smiled back as he shook her hand. “Excellent. Now, should we go see what we have to work with?”

3

JULES

Jules felt every click of her heels against the tile floor of the lobby as she walked with Mitch back to the ballroom. Since arriving at the hotel this morning, she hadn’t had a moment to herself and she desperately wanted to give herself a high five for holding it together this long because, holy shit! She wastheevent planner for one of the biggest parties of the season.

Her! Jules Cardwell.

While she’d learned the trade working for a fab wedding planner, she’d hoped to really dig into the industry and start gathering more contacts working for Big Apple Events. But working for Miranda had been problematic from the start. The woman was a Bitch with a capital B and while Jules wasn’t sorry to see her go, her head was still spinning over the turn of events.

“Walk me through your ideas for changes,” Mitch said before they reached the double doors.

Jules opened her binder and pulled out her proposed map for the event. “Since this event is open to all ages, my thinking is if we move the check-in and entry over here,” she indicated, pointing to another set of doors that was currently blocked by boxes, “then we can set up the kid zones away from the different food stations, to avoid potential accidents.”

“And I see you’ve separated out the food stations. Why?”

She was surprised at how interested Mitch seemed in everything that was going on. “Most people don’t want to walk through an entire line if they simply want to grab one type of food. Separating it out makes it easier for everyone to get through the different stations and it’ll be easier for the servers to refresh the food and keep the area clean.”

“What about the dessert station? Denton Hotels is known for our chocolate cake. My mom loved to bake, and our dessert menu takes pride of place in her memory.” Mitch smiled as if he was thinking about a different time.

“There will be two dessert stations. One will be geared toward the younger attendees, and for the other, I’d intended to provide miniature renditions of three or four of the more popular dessert items in two-bite size.” She flipped over to the menu page. “Your mom’s chocolate cake, a seasonal fruit tart, your vegan carrot cake, and your newest addition, the lavender cake.”

“That sounds perfect. Chef Chris will be delighted to find out we’ll be serving two of his creations.”

“Chef Chris?TheChef Chris? He created those desserts? The lavender is my favorite, but I could eat that carrot cake for breakfast any day of the week.”

Mitch laughed. “Chef Chris, or Chris Denton as we call him. He’s my cousin, and he revamped all our menus in the different hotels. He designs all our seasonal menus and works with the onsite chefs to make sure everything is perfect. We’re lucky to have him, and everyone benefits when he’s in the mood to experiment.”

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