He thought about that for a while, his eyelids beginning to droop.
“Are you ready for me to read you the story?” Emily asked.
“Sure.” He rested his head against her shoulder as she opened the book. She read for a few minutes before she noticed that Gabe had fallen asleep. And she hadn’t even gotten to the good part.
Chapter Fourteen
When you flee temptation, don’t leave a
forwarding address.
—Shirley, Goodness and Mercy,
friends of Mrs. Miracle
The Christmas party was well under way by the time Holly and Jake arrived. When they entered the gala event, the entire room seemed to go still. Holly kept her arm in Jake’s, self-conscious about being the center of attention.
“Why’s everyone looking at us?” she whispered.
Jake patted her hand reassuringly. “My father and I usually show up toward the end of the party, say a few words and then leave. No one expected me this early.”
He’d mentioned that before. Still, she hadn’t realized his arrival would cause such a stir. Jake immediately began to walk through the room, shaking hands and introducing Holly. At first she tried to keep track of the names, but soon gave up. She was deeply impressed by Jake’s familiarity with the staff.
“How do you remember all their names?” she asked when she had a chance.
“I’ve worked with them in each department,” he explained. “My father felt I needed to know the retail business from the mail room up.”
“You started in the mail room?”
“I did, but don’t for a minute consider the mail room unimportant. I made that mistake and quickly learned how vital it is.”
“Your father is a wise man.”
“He is,” Jake said. “And a generous one, too. But he’d describe himself as fair. He’s always recognized the value of hiring good people and keeping them happy. I believe it’s why we’ve managed to hold on to the company despite several attempts to buy us out.”
It went without saying that Jake intended to follow his father’s tradition of treating employees with respect and compensating them generously.
Ninety minutes later Holly’s head buzzed with names and faces. They sipped champagne and got supper from the buffet; the food was delicious. Numerous people commented happily on seeing Jake at the party.
His father appeared at about midnight and immediately sought out his son and Holly.
“So this is the young lady you’ve talked about,” J. R. Finley said, slapping Jake jovially on the back.
“Dad, meet Holly Larson.”
J.R. shook her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, young lady. You’ve made a big impression on my son.”
Holly glanced at Jake and smiled. “He’s made a big impression on me.”
J. R. Finley turned to his son. “When did you get here?”
“Before ten,” Jake said.
His father frowned, then moved toward the microphone. As was apparently his practice, he gave a short talk, handed out dozens of awards and bonuses and promptly left.
The party wound down after J.R.’s speech. People started to leave, but almost every employee, singly and in groups, approached Jake to thank him for attending the party. Holly couldn’t tell how their gratitude affected Jake, but it had a strong impact on her.
“They love you,” she said when they went to collect their coats.
“They’re family,” Jake said simply.
She noticed that he didn’t say Finley’s employees were like family but that they were family. The difference was subtle but significant. J.R. had lost his wife and daughter and had turned to his friends and employees to fill the huge hole left by the loss of his loved ones. Jake had, too.
As they stepped outside, Holly was thrilled by the falling snow. “Jake, look!” She held out her hand to catch the soft flakes that floated down from the night sky. “It’s just so beautiful!”
Jake wrapped his scarf more securely around his neck. “I can’t believe you’re so excited about a little snow.”
“I love it.... It’s so Christmassy.”
He grinned and clasped her hand. “Do you want to go for a short walk?”
“I’d love to.” It was cold, but even without boots or gloves or a hat, Holly felt warm, and more than that, happy.
“Where would you like to go?” Jake asked.
“Wherever you’d like to take me.” Late though it was, she didn’t want the night to end. Lindy Lee had never thrown a Christmas party for her staff. Maybe she’d talk to Lindy about planning one for next December; she could discuss the benefits—employee satisfaction and loyalty, which would lead to higher productivity. Those were the terms Lindy would respond to. Not appreciation or enjoyment or fun. Having worked with Lindy as