Raquel felt like an idiot for having made such a fool of herself in front of Declan Jones. But at the time, she didn’t know or care that he was a celebrity. It was just that he was the best-looking man she had ever seen... and there he was, standing before her in the flesh. For a split second, she had wondered if her wish had come true.

“Excuse me.”

When Raquel’s head snapped up, it was Declan’s assistant. “Yes. May I help you?”

“Yes....” He slid his card across the desk. “My name is Reuben Carter, Declan Jones’s personal assistant.” He pointed to the card, but Raquel didn’t even look at it. If he wanted her respect, then he had to earn it. He was a client, so she would treat him well, but she wasn’t going to put up with his shenanigans either.

Raquel forced a smile. “Yes. And how may I help you?”

“Well...” He looked both ways to see if anyone was listening and Raquel waited patiently. “I need to schedule a Meet and Greet for Mr. Jones tomorrow. I’ll need a room, but I’ll take care of contacting the press. Can you arrange that?”

She looked on the computer and then replied, “The Crystal Ballroom is available tomorrow. Let me know what you would like, and I’ll speak with the Head of Maintenance to set it up. What time will you need it?”

“Noon,” he replied.

A crease formed between her eyes. “That’s a bit early. Are you sure you will be able to notify the media in time?”

“Honey....” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I once set up a venue in an hour. This is a piece of cake.”

She tilted her head to the left and sighed. “Well, if you say so.”

“I do,” he replied. “Now, this is what I want....” He spent the next half hour telling her everything that he wanted right down to the last detail.

Raquel sighed, raising an eyebrow. “So, will you be putting down the deposit for the venue, or will someone else?”

To her surprise, Reuben pulled out a credit card. “This is from Fox Studio. They’ll pick up the tab.” She quickly ran the card before he could change his mind. Raquel had gotten the impression that Declan paid for everything and Reuben was just along for the ride. But she hoped she was wrong.

Raquel quickly sent an e-mail to Charlie Dower, the Head of Maintenance. He hated hearing things at the last minute, but at least this would give him tonight to plan and organize before morning. She then sent an e-mail to the Head of Security, Mike Palmer, to ensure that everything went smoothly. From what she understood, he had been a bodyguard in Hollywood before moving to Christmas Cove.

“Okay, Mr. Carter,” Raquel said, handing back his credit card. “Everything has been booked and I just sent an e-mail to the Head of Maintenance and the Head of Security. So, once you contact the media, then everything will be set. Please let us know if there is anything else you require.”

“Thank you.” He started to walk away, but Raquel stopped him.

“Sir, I… well… I made a fool of myself when Mr. Jones came in today. Could you apologize for me?”

Reuben laughed as if it were the funniest thing that he had heard all day. “Honey, don’t worry about it! All the girls act that way around him!” Then he lowered his voice. “But I’ll let him know.” He turned and headed down the hallway back toward the elevator.

“Of course, they do,” she mumbled under her breath. Truth be told, Declan probably had a girlfriend in every town across America, as well as the rest of the world. But who was she kidding? She was a front desk clerk in Christmas Cove, not his girlfriend.

Raquel quickly packed up her things and left when the next shift came in, not feeling like staying late. In a way, she was glad Reuben had told her about the other girls. It put everything back into perspective. Tears filled her eyes as she hurried out the door with her coat thrown over her arm. Outside, the snow began to fall, already adorning the earth with a fresh blanket of white.

She quickly slid on her coat and climbed into her truck, turned on the windshield wipers, and cranked up the heater. Then she put it into gear and headed down the long drive, not waiting for it to heat up. Raquel wanted to put as much distance between her and Declan Jones as possible... and she had no idea why.

Raquel guessed it was because she had made a fool of herself when he came in, but she knew that wasn’t it. She was embarrassed for reacting that way, and for thinking that they would ever be in the same orbit, let alone in the same world. After all, he was a star, and she had her feet planted firmly on the ground. In what universe would a star even come close to the ground? Unless it fell to the earth, which she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

And what were the chances that he felt the same way? She huffed, quickly pushing the thought from her mind. Before today, she had never even heard of him. Now, she imagined her world revolving around him.

As she drove through the town square, she pulled in, unlike previous nights. She needed a pick me up and seeing her Christmas tree would do it. When she felt down about something, Raquel would come to the town square, walk around a little bit, and enjoy the sights, then her worries seemed to vanish. But tonight, she may have to splurge on a hot chocolate to feel better.

The snow had slowed to just a flurry when she parked her truck in front of the bakery and locked it up. Then she crossed the road to the town square and headed toward her Christmas tree, pulling her thin coat around her. She would have to buy another coat before the next year. There was no way that this one would make it through another winter.

She stood before the tree and looked up. Huge candy canes, ornaments, and lights all worked together to create the most beautiful Christmas tree she had ever seen.

“Well, fancy meeting you here,” a male voice said behind her.

She cringed internally. There was no way that his voice should sound so familiar to her. But when she turned around, there he was, her personal star, come down from the heavens. “Hello, Mr. Jones. I didn’t expect to see you here. What brings you out tonight?”

Declan shrugged. “It’s my first night back in town, so I thought I’d have a look.” He turned around, taking everything in, but made no effort to walk away. “In all these years, it still hasn’t changed.”

“Do you come to town often?” Raquel asked, wrapping her arms around herself in an effort to keep warm.

He shrugged. “Often enough. But I always try to come back at Christmas.” He looked into her eyes. “Would you mind if I walk with you?”

“No. Not at all,” she said. She started walking and he followed, careful not to stand too close.

“So, you moved here in September?” Declan asked.

Raquel nodded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. “Yes. I moved to America with my family from Mexico. After my parents passed away, I went from town to town, but only stayed a few days wherever I went. But when I came here, I saw the town square and knew I was home.”

Declan’s lips curled into a smile. “I feel the same way every time I come back.” Then he looked over at her and smiled. “Why don’t we go to Santa’s Cafe and warm up over a cup of hot chocolate?”

Raquel smiled. “That’s very kind of you, but I was just on my way home—”

“Better yet,” he said, cutting her off. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

She shook her head, knowing she would have to get out of the cold soon before she turned into a popsicle.

“Well, then, it’s settled!” Declan discretely took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Warmth and his scent immediately surrounded her as her heart pounded. “I haven’t eaten yet either and you would be doing me a favor to eat with me... my treat, of course.”

She laughed, finally relenting. “Okay. But I can’t stay out too late. I have to be in early. I have to work in the morning.”

Declan wrapped his arm around her, keeping her warm. “Let’s go. I don’t know about you, but it’s getting cold out here.”

It was nice that he had noticed that she was cold and made an effort to do something about it. It had been a while since anyone had cared for her. “Thank you.”

He looked over at her, smiling. “For what?”

She lifted her shoulders up and down, indicating his coat around her shoulders. “It was nice of you to loan me your coat.”

His perpetual grin broadened. “Well, I could hardly talk to you over your chattering teeth.”

“My teeth do not chatter!” She laughed, letting him lead her toward the cafe.

He nodded. “Yeah, they do. In fact, we’ll probably have to take you to the dentist to get your teeth checked after tonight.”

She burst out laughing, hitting him playfully on the stomach, enjoying his arm around her a bit too much. Of all the things she had expected him to say, that wasn’t it. “So, how long are you going to be in town?”

He shrugged. “I don’t have anything important going on until January, so I’ll probably stay until after New Year’s.”