Page 29 of Festive Faking
“Sorry, man.” There wasn’t much else to say.
Tucker stood, leaving his cooling coffee and muffin untouched. “Hope you enjoy your visit.” With that, he turned and pushed through the glass door, the chime above it jingling to signal his departure.
His regret still hung heavy in the air, threatening to suffocate me.
I refused to look back on this time I was gifted with Aspen wishing I’d done more to make my position known. This was my one chance, and I was more determined than ever to make the most of it.
Chapter 11
Aspen
“Whoa,” I breathed out,taking in the mountain of brand-new toys inside the church’s meeting room.
Every year, the ornament donations went toward funding Christmas gifts for a handful of families in need, but I’d never seen this many. Usually, it was two or three toys per child, and any money left over was split between the families to help get them through their rough patch.
Rose was off to the side, sorting the massive haul into piles for wrapping before distribution.
I walked over to her, my curiosity getting the better of me. “Are there a lot of children to serve this year?”
She spun around, a wide smile splitting her face as she pulled me into a hug. When we broke apart, she replied, “Only ten.”
I gestured around. “This seems like too much for ten children. I’m sure their families would much rather have the financial support than a houseful of toys.”
“I agree, but we have your new beau to thank.”
My brows rose sky-high. “Excuse me?”
“His donation last night exceeded that of the rest of the town combined.”
I’d been coming to this event and wrapping gifts since I was a teen, so I had a ballpark figure in my head of the average annual donations total. If Mac had doubled it, that meant he’d handed over thousands last night. For the struggling families of Rust Canyon, that kind of money was life-changing.
Rose must not have noticed I was reeling at this discovery because she continued to blow my mind when she said, “I was set to go shopping this morning but got a call that there was a delivery for me at the post office that required a signature. Imagine my surprise when all of this was waiting when I arrived.”
My jaw hit the floor. “Mac gave you moneyandsent all these gifts?”
Head bobbing, she was unable to contain her excitement. “Can you believe it?”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure I could.
The Mac I knew in LA didn’t care about other people. At least, that’s how he played it off.
But he seemed different out here. Like last night, when he shared that he didn’t want anything to do with a corporate job or continuing his family’s legacy.
My throat closed up when I recalled how adamant he’d been that my design skills were superior to his. It had meant a lot coming from him, especially after the intensity of our head-to-head competition at school these past few years.
I didn’t know how to handle the kind, thoughtful version of Mac, which was apparently who I’d unknowingly brought to Rust Canyon.
And that’s exactly why I was running on so little sleep that it felt like my eyes were full of sand. I’d laid awake for hours afterhe said those words, running them over in my head a million times, trying to figure out a hidden motive. When I couldn’t pin one down, I gave up, rolling out of bed and tiptoeing out of the cabin.
Rose placed a finger to her lips as if to signalshh. “The note with the delivery mentioned he wished for his donation to remain anonymous. The only reason I mentioned it was because I assumed you already knew.”
What in the world? Why wouldn’t he want credit for such an incredible gesture?
Why did I get a feeling I didn’t know Macallan Blaze at all?
The wrapping took much longer than expected due to the surprise truckload of toys Mac had sent. My stomach rumbled since it was well past lunchtime.
Mama gave me a knowing grin on our way out to the parking lot. “Why don’t we stop off at The Range and grab some sandwiches to go.”
