Page 15 of A Cheesecake Christmas

Chapter 6

Aria

I shoot out of my chair at Liz’s announcement, except I don’t need the lever to propel me. The shock is enough to get me going. They wantmeto host the festival?

Well, co-host, technically. With Theo.

“You okay?” Liz asks. She’s smiling and her voice is gentle, but there’s a slight crack in her façade, a wobble to her perky exterior.

“Yeah, are you okay, Aria?” Theo asks.

I turn to Theo. He’s smiling playfully, amused at my surprise. He’s unfairly handsome, with his casual, plaid button-down shirt and fitted khakis. His sneakers are nice, and on anyone else, they’d seem juvenile, like he’s a punk teen. But somehow, it works for him. The outfit and shoes fit his young-professional vibe.

I only shake my head at Liz and Marjorie. Which turns into a nod. “Yeah. Yes. That sounds . . . fantastic. I can do that.”

The blazer. The Christmas blazer with the candy canes and holly and those weird little jacks-in-the-box. I lick my lips. I want this. Can I actually do this? Doubt floods my entire being, nearly causing me to stumble.

“Except, are you sure?” I ask. “I mean, I’m not a journalist like Carl and Amanda.” I give a sideways glance a Theo, unsure of what he’s thinking. “We’re not journalists at all.”

Liz makes atut-tutsound. “We don’t want journalists. We need to freshen things up. We need a younger vibe now. Aria and Theo, you’re perfect for the job.”

Theo chuckles, running his fingertips over his barely-there beard. “And what exactly does this entail?”

Marjorie gives a satisfied nod, as if to say,now we’re getting somewhere. “Glad you asked. We need to do a photo shoot ASAP. We’re in the process of removing everything that has Carl and Amanda’s likenesses on it and so we’ll be working to replace those. You’ll host events. We’ll do all the planning and prep. You get to show up and greet everyone and make announcements. We can send you film from previous years to give you an idea.”

“Film?” It’s a reminder that I’ll be the center of attention. I’m not an extreme extrovert like Camilla, but I might be able to handle this. I can swallow my pride for this gig. Plus, it could help my career. Any publicity I would get as the face of the festival could help me find potential branding clients.

“And we’ll need to fit you for your Christmas blazers and your Dickensian costumes,” Liz says.

“Blazers,” I breathe.

At the same time, Theo says, “Costumes?”

Being co-host of the most well-known festival around would look killer on a resume. But more than that, if I can get people to understand that the festival is not Carl and Amanda and their fake charity, then it will be worth the time commitment. I can stand being in the spotlight if it means saving the festival.

And, come on. I’ll get a blazer.

Liz chuckles. “This is the Charles Dickens Christmas Festival, Theo. It’s an historic treasure. And as the face of the festival, when you’re not wearing the blazer, you’ll be wearing your fair share of period clothing to look the part.”

Theo’s jaw is set tight.

Who’s all easy breezy now, huh?

“We don’t mind the costume part.” I glance at Theo, an attempt to encourage him along. “And I’ll be thrilled to wear the blazer.”

Theo shoots out a breath and scratches at the back of his neck.

“I’ll email over a schedule of everything that’s going on. Everything that we’ll need you to come to,” Marjorie says. Her voice is calm and soft. “Just fittings, the photo shoot, and a few events. Oh, and there’s the dinner.”

“Dinner?” Theo is pacing now, his arms crossed severely over his chest, his hands balled in fists.

Darrel clears his throat. “The beginning of December, Carl and Amanda host a big dinner for us and all the VIPs in the area. Sort of a thank you to the sponsors and what not. That’s the only thing you’ll have to plan ahead. Carl and Amanda had it catered. The rest of us are pretty busy the week before the festival starts, so we can’t do it. I guess it’s your way of saying thanks to all involved.”

“Let me get this straight,” Theo says. He’s stopped pacing and his face has gone a little pale. “We plan and host a dinner to thank you for everything you’ve done?”

I reach out a hand to Theo. “It’s tradition. It’s to show gratitude to everyone, not just the committee. We’ll get it all figured out. And maybe we can reach out to Carl and Amanda to see what they’ve gotten done on it so far.” I shrug. “Maybe we won’t need to do much.”

“They—” Liz frowns. “I think it would be best if we severed all ties with them now. We have their electronic files. We’ll send them to you. No need to contact them.” Her voice is rushed, panicked.

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