"Always selling the town." Logan kissed his wife's cheek.
The only people who stood out at the party were the cute old couple on the dance floor. Mrs. K was wearing a 1980s style dress with puffy sleeves and a full skirt that she probably bought when it was actually in style. Donnie was in head-to-toe brown corduroy. Both of them were oblivious to the world around them.
"Clara!" Everleigh sidled up next to me wearing a one-piece white jumpsuit with a gold belt. Her giant diamond ring glinted on her finger as she held the stem of her champagne glass and gestured to my dress. "The silk looks great on you."
"Thank you. Beck gave it to me." I smoothed the already pristine fabric with my free hand.
Everleigh grinned. "Oh, I know. I picked it out."
"Beck." I bunched my hands into fists and planted them on my hips.
Beck's cheeks turned the same shade of red as Everleigh's lipstick. He shrugged. "Guilty. What the hell do I know about dresses?"
I hugged Everleigh. "I should be mad, but I'm not. It's gorgeous."
"You're welcome." She kissed me on the cheek.
Charlotte joined us. "Everleigh, are you settling into your new home?"
"It's perfect." Everleigh clinked Charlotte's glass with hers. "Thank you for getting me in to see it before it hit the market."
Everleigh King had been so taken by the Christmas Carnival and the small-town charm of Chance Rapids that she'd bought not one, but two mountain homes here.
William King took the stage and tapped the microphone. "I should get up there." Everleigh excused herself and headed to the stage. The room went quiet. When William King spoke, people listened.
"Thank you for being here." He paused for effect and to wait for the last of the crowd to shut up. "One year ago, this town was a dot on a map. A nice place to ski. A nice place to retire." He paused again. "Now it's home to professional hockey's newest franchise. I've been trying to get my daughter out of retirement to manage the team, but I don't have deep enough pockets."
Polite laughter rippled through the crowd. Then everyone clapped as Everleigh joined him onstage. Gunnar held their daughter from the side of the stage and both of them looked transfixed by their Ice Queen.
Everleigh took the microphone and stood next to an easel draped with a gold sheet. "Thanks, Dad. And yes, you still can’t afford me.” More polite laughter rippled through the room. “On behalf of the King Corporation, we would like to present Chance Rapids with their new Northern Professional Hockey League team..."
There was an actual drumroll.
Everleigh pulled the shiny gold sheet from the easel, revealing a blue and gold logo. The letter "C" with a wave in the center. "The Chance Rapids Breakers."
A cheer erupted from the crowd. "That's actually a good name," Beck whispered in my ear.
"Let me guess, you thought of it."
He sipped his champagne with a wry smile. "I don't know dresses, but I do know hockey."
William raised his glass. A group of attractive young men who I'd never seen before whooped and cheered. Beck leaned in to whisper again. "The new Breakers. This town is in for some trouble."
"A toast." Everleigh raised her glass and tapped her father's. "To the right kind of change in Chance Rapids."
"Hear, hear!" Donnie shouted.
"Now that he's got that fancy new Zamboni, he's happy." Logan grinned. "Shhh. He's heading our way."
"Clara. You look beautiful." Donnie squeezed my hand. "Hey Beck. I hate to be a pest, but I forgot to kill the lights at Sugar Bay. Do you mind running over and flipping the switch for me? My date wants to have a few more spins around the dance floor."
To my surprise, Beck agreed.
I stared at him. "It's Christmas Eve."
"The power bill, Beck," Donnie said. "You know how William is about turning off the lights."
"Yeah, but he fires up his jet just to go to Windswan," I grumbled.
