decorated tables, all with centerpieces of evergreen and flickering candles. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, huge windows overlooked the snowy mountains outside, and beautiful people mingled drinking champagne. There was a fireplace and several cozy looking nooks with comfortable leather chairs along the back walls. A giant Christmas tree stood by one of the windows. The sparkling lights in the tree reflected on the dark windows like winter fireflies.
A man at the door took her ticket and gave her directions on how to find her table for dinner. She didn’t really need them. The table for the VIPs sat in the center of the room in full view of the other tables, and she could see the placard with her name on it from the entrance.
She was the “guest of honor” for tonight. It was framed as an awards ceremony, but it was more of a fundraiser. There were supposed to be lots of rich and famous people here tonight, all donating money to education initiatives. She was just the face of their work for the evening.
Holly picked up a glass of champagne from one of the servers and made her way to the table. There was to be dinner and speeches, and then a reception to follow. There was an open bar and she’d ordered the prime-rib for dinner, although she now felt it would be too much after lunch.
Still, she was excited.
“There you are,” Merryweather greeted her. “Come have a seat. We’re about to begin.” The woman now wore a dark blue business suit and had her silver hair pulled into a tight bun. Holly still couldn’t place her age. She was simultaneously twenty-six and seventy-three.
“Thank you,” Holly said as Merryweather walked her to the table. “Do you just do all the jobs around here?”
Merryweather laughed. “This snow has a lot of the staff home-bound. I live within walking distance, so I’m happy to come in so they can stay safe with their families. Besides, I love a good party.”
Merryweather pulled out a heavy wooden chair at the head table for Holly to sit in. Most of the other chairs were filled, except for the one in the middle. Holly couldn’t see the name placard, but whomever it was, obviously was the main host for the night. It was probably someone from one of the sponsoring companies.
Holly sipped on her champagne and watched as guests arrived. The ballroom seemed slightly empty, but she assumed it was probably due to the snow. Slowly people began to take their seats as servers notified everyone that the food would be arriving shortly.
That’s when Holly saw Nathan. She nearly dropped her glass of champagne.
He wore a stunning black tuxedo. He’d shaved and smoothed his dark hair back. He looked like something out of a movie. He was more suave than James Bond. More handsome than Prince Charming. Sexier than Christian Grey.
He paused at the edge of the tables, his brown eyes scanning the faces. A slight frown creased his brow as he looked. Merryweather tugged at his elbow, pointing to the edge of the room. Holly thought of calling to him, or at least waving, but this was a fancy party. Merryweather pulled him to the side of the room.
The lights dimmed, and Holly realized that there was a projection screen to her right. The words “Educators make the world bright” flashed across the screen. A video montage of stock-photo children with teachers in perfect classrooms scrolled across the screen. Luckily, they shifted into the various real teachers who had been nominated for the award and the images became less forced. Holly sipped on her champagne, and then nearly spit it out when her smiling face filled the screen.
Small clips of her laughing with her students danced across the screen. She heard herself saying words about education and the importance of treating children with respect and finding what made kids want to learn. She remembered giving an interview on camera upon winning the award.
She grimaced as she listened to herself. Her voice sounded too high and she wished she had said something more profound. She glanced around the room, but luckily all the guests seemed to be smiling at the screen and nodding their heads. Maybe she didn’t sound as dumb as she was afraid of being.
The lights rose and the room filled with applause. Holly felt her cheeks heat. She knew she’d won the Educator of the Year award, but she still wasn’t prepared for the public video or the fact that everyone was now staring at her.
Everyone, including Nathan. He stood at the edge of the tables, a microphone in one hand and the award trophy in the other. Their eyes met and he grinned at her.
“Thank you all for coming,” he said into the microphone, his eyes still on Holly. The room stilled and turned to look at him.
“My name is Nathan Reed. I’m the CEO of Paradigm Technologies and will be presenting the award to this year’s Educator of the Year award.” He paused, giving a small smile to Holly.
Her stomach tightened and went ice cold while her cheeks turned to fire.
Nathan was the CEO of Paradigm Technologies? This was the man buying out her town’s company. This was the man who was ruining the lives of everyone she cared about.
And yet, she didn’t hate him. Not when he smiled at her like that.
Her mind began to race. Maybe he doesn’t know about Elements Computers’ move to California, she thought to herself. Maybe it’s one of his underlings. Maybe this is fate’s way of fixing things. Maybe this is the Christmas miracle Devonsville needs.
“I was lucky enough to meet Ms. Jones earlier today,” Nathan continued. “I can see why her students adore her. She’s smart and funny, and a pro at dodge-ball. She’ll make you feel like the most important person in the world with just a smile.”
The crowd chuckled and Nathan made his way toward the main table. Holly couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. Every step closer made her heart pound just a little bit harder.
“This year, I am honored and proud to give Ms. Holly Jones the Educator of the Year award.” He now stood next to her. The spotlight centered on the two of them as she rose to her feet and he handed her the trophy. He shook her hand, posing for a photographer. Applause filled the room.
Holly hoped the picture came out okay. She only knew she was smiling because her cheeks hurt. Otherwise, her entire body was numb with shock.
And then Nathan handed her the microphone.
She fumbled with the award and the microphone, nearly dropping both but managing to keep them both in her hands.