Page 54 of Grumpy Glitter Christmas
"What if she says no?" The vulnerability in his own voice surprised him.
Meena's expression softened. "Then at least you'll know you tried. But Grant? She fixed that tree with you today. She could have refused, could have stayed away, could have let you fail. But she came back. Shestayed. That means something."
Hope flickered in his chest, fragile but insistent.
"But first," Meena said, pointing at his phone, "you need to call Victoria. Be clear. Be kind, but be clear. No more ambiguity."
Grant looked at his phone, then at Meena. "Right now?"
"Right now. I'll give you privacy." She picked up her clipboard and headed for the door. At the threshold, she paused and looked back. "For what it's worth? I think you two are good together. You're the flour, she's the sugar. Separately, you're fine. Together? You're something worth tasting."
"Did you just compare my love life to a baking metaphor?"
"I've been spending too much time at Jade's bakery," Meena said with a laugh. "Now make the call. And Grant? When you talk to Felicity tonight—and youwilltalk to her tonight—tell her the truth. Not the careful, measured, risk-assessed version. The real, messy, terrifying truth. That's what she needs to hear."
She glanced at her watch and her eyes went wide. "Oh, yikes. It's almost time. I need to swing by Pine Ridge Manor to see my grandfather before the gala, then get to my Airbnb and change. I look like I've been in a war zone."
"You look like you've been planning a gala in three weeks with a skeleton crew and a defective cocoa fountain," Grant said.
"Same thing." She gave him one last, encouraging smile. "Four hours, Grant. Make them count. And for God's sake, wear a good tie. You're going to be making the most important speech of your life."
She disappeared, leaving Grant alone with his phone and the weight of the decision ahead.
He took a deep breath and dialed Victoria's number.
It was time to close one door so he could open another.
Time to stop hedging his bets and risk everything on the chaotic, glitter-covered, absolutely terrifying possibility of real happiness.
Time to choose Felicity.
Now he just had to convince her to choose him back.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Felicity stood in the ladies’ room of the First Bank of Frost Pine Ridge, staring at her reflection and trying to remember how to breathe.
The dress had been an impulsive purchase from a boutique in Burlington three weeks ago, back when she’d still believed this gala would be her triumph. Now it felt like armor. The deep cranberry velvet hugged her curves before flaring into a full skirt that swished when she moved. The neckline was modest but elegant, and she’d paired it with her grandmother’s vintage silver earrings—the ones that caught the light and threw tiny rainbows. Her hair was swept up in an intricate twist that had taken Jade forty minutes and approximately seven hundred bobby pins to achieve, with a few strategic curls left loose to frame her face.
She looked professional. Elegant. Put-together.
She did not look like someone who had spent the last two hours oscillating between heartbreak and fury.
“You can do this,” she whispered to her reflection. “Four hours. You can survive anything for four hours.”
The door burst open and Jade rushed in, a vision in forest green silk that made her dark hair and eyes luminous. Thedress had a delicate beaded overlay that sparkled with every movement—Felicity’s work, a thank-you gift from months ago that Jade had insisted on saving for a special occasion.
“Oh my God, Fee, you lookstunning,” Jade said, then immediately grabbed her hands. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” Felicity lied.
“You’re a terrible liar.” Jade squeezed her fingers. “But you’re abeautifulterrible liar, so at least you have that going for you.”
Despite everything, Felicity smiled. “You look amazing. Leo’s going to swallow his tongue when he sees you.”
A pretty blush colored Jade’s cheeks. “He already saw me. He actually stuttered. Leo Carter, the human sequoia,stuttered. I’m counting it as a personal victory.” Her expression turned serious. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because if Grant Whitaker so much as looks at you wrong tonight, I will personally?—“
“I’m fine,” Felicity said more firmly. “Tonight isn’t about him. It’s about proving I can do this job. That’s it.”
