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“You talk about it so nonchalantly”

“Well, what else can I do?”

Olivia grinned She was really enjoying his company

It seeel on the eve of her wedding after being jilted by her grooht noithout Dane’s wonderful, caring support? Her sister was a good friend, too, but Bria was younger and couldn’t possibly understand what she was going through Not to mention, she really didn’t want to burden her little sis with her heartbreak And Olivia didn’t feel co this with her fareat She knew she would get over it some day, but at this time, she needed to talk with someone like Dane, who’d been in a similar situation

What would she have done if Dane hadn’t stepped in when he did?

Dane and Olivia talked for hours at the restaurant getting to know each other as if they were on some reality show date They talked about relationships, fahed at each other’s jokes

He laid out his goals to expand the hotel chain and also make it affordable for all families, which hy he offered discounts for popular events like weddings, birthdays and many other occasions and hosted charitable events to benefit neglected children for free on his pre a loss because in his huain to invest in the future of children ere born at a disadvantage and help them achieve and be all they could be in life

Despite his benevolence, Olivia felt Dane was hiding so because he would consistently be evasive when Olivia delved too deeply into his background He was raised by a single mother who died before he turned fourteen and was shuffled froroup home and foster care home to foster care home until he met his real father—but he never went into who his real father was When she learned how his mom died, she was heartbroken

“I losther so young, though”

“It’s okay I was able to cope, eventually”

“Oh, it’s so hard to get over a loved one You get used to it but we only have one mother, Dane”

“I know”

Olivia’s heart sank She would never have known What a respectable, caring guy he was, especially considering his difficult upbringing It was only recently that he’d o regarding his parents

She was flattered at the interest he’d taken in her life and in her dreaoal to run her own business— a reading center for inner-city children Having grown up around books, Olivia knew that education was the best way to excel and do well in life She really wanted to give back to others

“I’m so sorry about your mother,” Dane offered She could see the raw e full well, he knehat it was like to lose a mother, too They seemed to have so er and feel such a connection with him? So comfortable? So secure?

Olivia re the Second World War and despite the objection from their families they’d fallen in love quickly and e twenty It was pretty ht for them Coincidentally, they’d fallen in love around the Christmas holidays

Within a week, her grandparents had dated and were soon engaged They relorious years So yeah, it didn’t happen often but anything was possible—anything! And now she began to wonder about the ic of the Christ ro under the round and pretty white snowflakes blanketing the city in a white winter wonderland? Olivia was beginning to believe so

Dane truly had a wicked sense of hurinned He had this sexy but boyish look about hi like the serious hotel executive she’d hed so hard at one point she al in a fun way She’d felt like a school girl again out for a night with her friends Only it was one sexy, hot dude in her co until she noticed that the restaurant was practically vacant But Dane explained that because of his position the staff would often stay late—all hours of the night if they had to—to accommodate him Of course, he would compensate theranted when people went out of their way for him He was down-to-earth that way

Apparently, a lot of the staff orked that Christmas Eve wanted to work it since they either had very little fa on, or they were alone Dane told Olivia he always made sure that holiday schedules were picked equitably because family was so important to hi up so the last thing he wanted to do was to take a working parent away from his or her child over the holidays, especially when tons of other staff willingly volunteered to hang out over the holidays since the pay was not only great at double time but they had tons of fun with their co-workers Dane made “work hard but have fun” his employees’ motto Happy employees were productive euy he was