“My dears! It’s so lovely to see you again,” I greeted.
“Keegan was about to send out a search party for you,” Bianca joked and patted the seat of her chair.
I dropped into my seat and sighed at how wonderful it felt to be off of my feet for a few minutes. I opened my mouth to explain, but she shook her head and handed me a glass of champagne. “I’m just teasing. Keegan and Gabby have been telling us all about Tinsel Town. Did you really get it all set up within a week?”
For the next hour, we told the girls everything they could ever want to know about Tinsel Town while they worked. I did have to get changed into my outfit before Deanna styled my hair since I wasn’t wearing a formal gown I could step into. For the grand opening, I opted to wear a sparkly red sweater lined with white faux-fur and black leggings paired with knee-high boots.
“You look like a sexy Mrs. Claus,” Nadine exclaimed.
“Is it too much?” I gasped and ran my hands over my outfit.
Keegan grinned. “It’s perfect,” she emphasized, repeating the exact words I’d said to her once in a very similar situation.
I took in a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do it. Gabby, are you ready?”
“Yes!!” she squealed.
Ranger and Jacob were waiting for us by the front door. “Ronan had Cameron pull the car around front so you could make a grand entrance.”
I laughed. “I can’t make a grand entrance when it’s not even open yet.”
Jacob snorted. “Mom, the field for parking is almost full.”
“What?”
“It’s packed. And they’re waiting for you. So, let’s go.”
As we rode to the village, I had to fight back the tears trying to fill my eyes. Even though I refused to acknowledge it, I had been so worried that the entire project would be a complete flop.
The car came to a stop and Ronan opened the door. Jacob exited first, followed by Keegan, then Ranger. “This is it, sweetie,” I said to Gabby, who was beaming with pure happiness.
“Let’s do it, Gigi.”
She stepped out and Ranger quickly scooped her into his arms, causing me to frown. Ronan extended his hand but stepped in front of me the moment I was out of the car. “What’s going on?”
“Just more people than we expected. It’s a large crowd to get through and I didn’t want it to overwhelm Gabby. We’re clearing a path right now,” he said calmly.
“Jacob said the field was almost full, but that’s a good thing.”
“It is,” he agreed and touched his ear. “All clear.”
With that, we walked through the crowd lining the path to a podium in front of the ice-skating rink. Once we were closer, I took Gabby’s hand and stepped up to the microphone. “Good evening! Thank you all for coming to our opening night. I’m Jacquelyn Marks and this is my granddaughter Gabriella Marks. When I learned of Gabby’s ideas for Tinsel Town, I saw an opportunity to bring Christmas cheer to our community as well as raise funds for charity. One hundred percent of all Tinsel Town profits will be donated to our selected charities. Each Tinsel Town home has a dedicated activity or treat, so be sure to stop by each one. Show your admission ticket at the blue and white home to my left to check out a pair of ice skates. Now, my sweet Gabby is going to light the tree and Tinsel Town will officially be open!”
I nodded to Gabby as the crowd cheered and clapped. Gabby carefully climbed down from the podium and flipped the switch beside the rink to light the tree in the middle of the rink.
“Welcome to Tinsel Town!” I shouted and watched as the crowd dispersed.
Jacob stepped up beside me and put his arm around my shoulders. “You did good, Mom.”
“Thank you. I may have funded it, but it was a group effort,” I said as I continued to watch the crowd.
I caught sight of a familiar face, and then another, and another. I turned to my son. “You didn’t tell me your friends were coming!”
He laughed. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know until they got here. But I bet Ranger did.”
“Oh, that reminds me; I have something for Ranger. Where is that man?”
“Seriously, Mom? I’ll give you one good guess where he is.”
