“This is your rodeo.I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Me too.
“How much did we raise for the ticket sales?”
“The numbers are still coming in, but we’re well past a million. I just hope we don’t break the servers trying to stream this.”
“Holy crap.”
“Are you sure you want to give all this money away?”
I gave her a steady stare.
“Yeah, yeah. Christmas, I get it.”
“Whatever we make tonight will go to the artists here tonight, but anything else we make on future purchases we’ll collect for the food banks. They definitely need it this time of year.”
I stood up and smoothed my hand over the fluffy sweater. The sky-high heels activated the competence I’d spent yearscultivating. I knew how to work a crowd, how to sing, and how to give them my heart.
Now, I just needed to give it to Tate, too.
I borrowed the golf cart again. This time it was Christmas-fied in the best way with all the lights and sparkles that would show up on camera. Full dark had fallen, and the new and improved Haven Winter Wonderland was lit to perfection.
I stood at the entrance for a full beat while Louis did all the readings he needed to calibrate his camera with the white sweater I was wearing.
“You glow, Ambrose.”
I smiled at my favorite cameraman. “Thanks. You ready to do this?”
He held up three fingers and did our usual countdown.
Showtime.
epilogue
Tate
I stoodat the top of my creation. I could see the entire Wonderland from my vantage point.
Tonight, the walkway was lined with people from town. All the ones I’d helped over the last nearly two years, the people I’d known all my life, the artists who helped make this village into the magic I’d always hoped for, and Ambrose’s fans.
The nerve inducing fear from the week before was corralled thanks to an amazing security team that kept the crowd in check. Noah Jordan had sent more than a dozen men and women in to help who were startlingly adept at controlling a situation.
A sudden wave of cheers had me craning my neck.
Damn. She was a vision.
Her shorter hair was a curled around her face, showing off her stunning face. She wore a simple snow colored sweater that dipped off her shoulder, making my mouth dry.
Her long legs were encased in denim and the strut adding a swing to her step showed Amber in her element. Her smile was wide and engaging. I could hear what she was saying into the microphone thanks to an earpiece from her manager.
She was showcasing the Wonderland with such grace and class. Talking about what happened with the fans and how she wanted to make it right.
“My time in Haven reminded me about what I love about Christmas. For a long time, Christmas meant glitter bombs and fake cheer. The Haven Winter Wonderland reminded me that it actually means community and art, of making memories, and gathering my friends close.” She climbed up to the food level, then crouched down to tap a child’s nose from those who were lined up on the path. “For Rudolph and Santa.” She stood and did a little twirl as she ran up to the Hot Cocoa Bus, which was open with Rachel and her husband, Clay in the window.
She took a sip from the cup and sagged against the bus dramatically. “For hot chocolate and Christmas trees.” She ran over to the forest of trees the Brothers Three Orchard had provided.
Then turned and faced the camera dead on. “For the artists that Tate Reynolds thought to showcase here in the town we grew up in. He’s also why I found the joy in Haven again.”
