16. Billie
CHAPTER 16
BILLIE
B illie 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. The chatter 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 heard him 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.
In that moment, Billie understood a little more about why Max was the way he was. Of course he cared about profits and didn’t believe in charity — because his father held those beliefs as well. Yet, while Max clearly wanted the best for his employees, Jim seemed to prioritize the bottom line over anything else.
Slowly, the room filled with quiet chatter again, but there was an anxious undertone behind the murmur of voices. A few people looked thrilled to see Jim Grayson, but most seemed on edge around him. Billie could understand why.
“Sorry about that,” Max said in a low voice.
“Don’t worry.” Billie smiled at him. “It was nice to meet your father.”
“That’s kind of you to say, but we both know it wasn’t. He insulted you!”
“A few weeks ago, you might have said the same thing,” Billie pointed out. Max froze, then nodded slowly.
“I guess you’re right. Sorry, Billie.”
“Stop apologizing.” She got to her feet and held out a hand. “I see a balcony over that way. Let’s go get a bit of fresh air.”
Max let her lead him across the room, nodding to a few people as they went, and onto the balcony. No one else was out in the chill December air. Billie strode to the railing that overlooked the city below. Christmas lights and streetlights illuminated the dark night and, far overhead, Billie could make out a few stars. It was quiet out here, away from the Christmas music and the murmur of conversation, and Billie breathed in the peace and the beautiful view.
Max came to join her by the railing, his hand resting only inches from hers.
“Are you cold?”
“A little, but I’m okay. We just can’t stay out too long.”
“I really am sorry about my father.” Max let out a puff of air that formed a cloud in front of his mouth before dissipating. “I care about business doing well, but I’d never suggest that people go back to work instead of celebrating. Or say that they feel like they need a party just for doing their jobs.” He shook his head. “My father’s always been like that. Anything apart from work was seen as not good enough. I spent my childhood studying and learning about Bluebell’s business model and even working as a waiter once I was older, but it was never good enough, either.”
“I’m sorry.” Billie put her hand on Max’s. “That sounds so difficult.”
“It was.” Max glanced at her, his blue eyes unreadable. “I don’t mean to complain.”
“Please, complain away.” Billie swept a hand across the cityscape in front of them. “No one can hear but us, so vent all you want to.”
“Thank you. It’s just… I love my father. Of course I do. And in many ways, he raised me to be a hard worker with a strong business sense. But he also raised me to feel like I was never doing enough. When I brought home an A on a test, he’d ask about extra credit. When I started working for Bluebell, he expected me to come in on weekends and evenings and give up my whole life apart from work. When I have record high profits and great stock prices, he asks me how I’m planning to improve next quarter. And whenever I do something like throw a Christmas party for my staff, he seems disappointed.”
“Hey.” Billie nudged Max with her shoulder. “Even from this very short interaction, I can see that your father has unreasonable expectations. But that doesn’t mean that you have to meet them — or that you even have to try. I’ve seen how good your heart really is. I’ve seen how considerate you are. Maybe, instead of trying to follow in your father’s footsteps and always feeling like you’re falling short, it’s time to pave your own path.”
“Maybe.” Max stared out over the sleeping city. “You make a good point about creating my own path, but all I’ve ever wanted is to make my father proud.”
“He should be proud of you now.” Billie squeezed his hand. “Look at everything you’ve done here. You’re a fantastic CEO. You clearly care about the company, about your employees, and about your customers. And now, you’re even giving back to the community. If your father can’t see how amazing you are already, I doubt there’s anything you can do to change how he feels about you.”
“I just always hope that if I’m impressive enough, he’ll finally believe in me.” Max wrinkled his nose as he said it, but Billie admired him even more for admitting all this.
“And I think it’s far more impressive to create your own way. Getting what you want without treading on other people is much harder, and much better.” Billie turned to Max. “At first, I didn’t see how amazing you really are. We seemed to disagree on everything. But the better I know you, the more I see how similar we really are. We both just want the best for the people and organizations we care about.” She took both his hands in hers. “And that’s something to be proud of.”
“You’re right.” Max looked down at Billie. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”
“Anytime.” Billie tilted her head back until she could meet Max’s eyes. Suddenly, she realized how close they were. They were close enough that Billie could smell Max’s shaving-cream scent and see the curve of his eyelashes. Heat radiated from him, protecting her against the cold night. Their hands were entwined as they looked at each other, wordlessly acknowledging the power of this moment.
Everything else seemed to fall away. There was no more Christmas party, no more Jim Grayson, no more city of Denver, no more charity, no more anything. There was only the two of them.
“It’s snowing,” Max said, his voice low. He was right. Broad, white flakes drifted from the sky above, landing on Max’s shoulders and catching on the top of his hair.
“It’s beautiful,” Billie said.
“You’re beautiful.”
And then they were kissing. Billie didn’t remember making a conscious decision to rise onto her tiptoes and put her arms around Max’s shoulders, but she must have. Max’s lips were warm and soft and tasted slightly of the hot apple cider they’d both been drinking over dinner. His strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.
This kiss was different from the kisses they’d shared the first night they’d met. Then, everything had been fueled by attraction and the giddy feeling of seizing a moment in time. Now, the attraction was magnified by the real affection Billie felt for Max and the connection they’d built over the last month. Billie never wanted this moment to end.
After what felt like a few minutes, but could easily have been seconds or hours, they drew apart. Max’s arms were still wrapped around Billie’s waist and her hands were still on his shoulders. They grinned at each other. Billie felt dizzy from the magic of the kiss.
“I didn’t expect that,” she said.
“You didn’t? I’ve barely thought of anything else since the first moment we met.”
“Really?” Billie melted against him, her dizziness increasing. “I may have imagined this a few times myself. I just didn’t think we’d actually kiss again.”
“I wasn’t sure, either. But now that we have, I think we should keep kissing.”
“I like that idea.” Billie glanced around the deserted balcony. “On the other hand, it is a little chilly out here, and people might be wondering where you went.”
“Good point. But perhaps later…”
“Yes. Later.” Billie smiled at him. She wanted nothing more than to kiss Max again, preferably as often as possible. And hopefully, those kisses would lead to another night together… maybe even more than that.
With a regretful expression, Max released Billie. She stepped back — and stumbled, her dizziness hitting again. Max steadied her with a hand on her elbow. His eyes narrowed with concern.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. I just feel a bit lightheaded.” Billie made a face. Perhaps the dizziness hadn’t been from the magic of the kiss at all, but rather from an oncoming cold. She often got a bit sick around the holiday season because of the cold weather and the stress of her work. Still, this was terrible timing.
“Do you want to sit down? Should I get you some water?”
“I’m really fine.” Billie waved off his concern. “But maybe I should head home and lie down for a bit.”
“Of course. I can drive you.”
“No, please stay. This is your party, and you should enjoy it. Plus, your employees will want to see you. I can just take a cab.”
“All right.” Max looked a little concerned, but he nodded his assent. “I’ll call you one. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m sure.” Hopefully, a nice rest and some hot tea would nip any possible illness in the bud.
“Okay.”