Page 117 of Christmas with the Denton Billionaires

Chris headed to his rental alone and sat quietly on the leather couch for almost an hour. This didn’t feel right. None of it felt right. The only thing that did feel right was the new cooking show. But before that happened, something else needed to happen.

He just couldn’t figure out what it was.

In lieu of dinner that evening, he decided to head to the bar. Really, he wanted to go to Mara’s house, but what good would that do? One last intimate night before they never saw each other again? That was if she even let him inside the door. At this point,hewouldn’t let him inside the door.

So getting drunk was probably the best way to handle things right now. A hangover seemed like the perfect way to end his time here in Glenford.

Chris chose the closest and smallest bar in town. He didn’t want to deal with running into people he knew, much less any gawkers or overly drunk and friendly locals. He just wanted to wallow in peace.

Ironic that he’d be wallowing on the best day of his career. But it was better not to think too hard about that. At least not until the alcohol was flowing.

Rupp’swas the closest hole-in-the-wall he could find. Inside, about seven men lined the bar, perched on stools. And the first person he noticed when he went inside was Dan.

The guy was impossible to avoid. And at this point, it seemed more like a curse than anything else. What else was left but to face it head on? Chris sighed and headed straight for Dan, who lifted his beer as a greeting.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Chris muttered as he waved down the bartender.

“This was my dad’s favorite watering hole,” Dan said with a grimace.

“Did he pass?”

“Yeah. A few months ago.”

Chris tapped a knuckle against the wooden bar, frowning down at the grain. “Sorry to hear that. Let’s drink to him tonight.”

The bartender arrived, and Chris ordered two whiskys, neat. When Dan lifted a brow, Chris said, “One for your dad, remember?”

Chris clinked his tumbler to Dan’s beer bottle and downed the whole thing in one gulp. He slid the empty tumbler across the bar, grimacing.

“That’s the shit,” Chris said, then reached for the second tumbler and swirled the amber liquid around.

“I take it you’re out celebrating,” Dan said.

“Sure. Celebrating.” He hefted with a humorless laugh. “Or whatever.”

“You won the competition. What’s not to celebrate?”

The fact that winning the competition brought about losing Mara.“The future looks bright. I’m as happy as any miserable New Yorker could be, I guess. So at least there’s that. Oh, this is off the record, by the way.”

Dan cracked a grin. “Of course. Everything that happens in Rupp’s is off the record. So what do you plan on doing with that prize money? Be honest.”

“At the press conference, I announced that I was donating it to the Glenford Community Center in my parents’ name.”

Dan narrowed his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Why not?” Chris shrugged, taking a swig of his second whisky. “I don’t need it.”

Dan studied him for a moment, his expression growing unreadable. “You know, Mara had big plans for that money if she’d won.”

The tops of Chris’s shoulders went hot at the mention of Mara’s name. “I’m sure she did. Not that she was willing to share that with me.”

“My mom’s a real estate agent. She told me that Mara put down a deposit on a little place not far from here. She’s planning on opening a bakery. Orwas, at least. I think she was going to use the prize money to fund it.”

The news settled strangely inside Chris. He focused on his breaths for a few moments, trying to figure out the best response. “She never told me she was planning on opening a bakery.”

“She didn’t tell anyone, except my mom, but Mom has never been good at keeping secrets, and she told me. Mara swore me to secrecy, but I guess it’s okay to mention it now since it probably won’t happen.”

Chris studied his glass for a moment, thinking back on all the questions she’d dodged about what she’d been doing and why she didn’t want to tell him. He still didn’t understand why it was such a big deal to share the information with him, of all people. But the more he thought about it, he could guess why she might not want to.

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