by Krista Lakes
“No, the singing was all Liam. We just helped a little,” Nicholas said politely.
“Well, you obviously have a talent for both singing and helping kids,” Clara told him. “Just imagine the concert the two of you could put on for next year. You think you’d be up for it?”
“I don’t know.” Nicholas could feel himself blushing after such high praise. “It's something to think about.”
Molly looked over at him with unreadable eyes.
“Oh, please excuse me. I need to talk to Mrs. Sanders about homeroom duty,” Clara said. She smiled at both of them and hurried off to greet another family from the performance. An awkward silence stood between Nicholas and Molly for a moment.
“Those are beautiful flowers, Nicholas,” Molly finally said, pointing to the flowers. ”Liam will love them.”
“Wait, for Liam?” Nicholas frowned and shook his head. “No, Molly. These aren’t for Liam. These are for you.”
“Oh. For me?” Her voice was suddenly small and two pink spots appeared on her cheeks.
“Yes. For you.” He awkwardly held them out to her, feeling his heart thud hard in his chest as her hand grazed his.
“Thank you,” she said softly as she bent to sniff the flowers. A pleased expression filled her face. “They smell really nice.”
“You’re welcome,” Nicholas replied. He moved a bit closer to Molly. “And you look... the dress... and the flower crown...”
He struggled to find the right thing to say, not wanting to embarrass himself any further. He'd already made a fool of himself once today.
“Thank you,” she said, a hand going up to the greenery in her hair as she blushed again. “We Head Elves clean up pretty well, I’d say. And you don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Kerstman.”
Molly looked him up and down. She looked impressed as she grinned at him. Nicholas worried that his heart was going to hammer its way outside of his chest.
“Did you already...” Nicholas struggled through his speech. “Dinner. Did you eat dinner?”
Molly shook her head, holding the flowers off to her side. “I was going to hit up one of the food trucks near the skating rink. Want to join me?”
One of the food trucks?
Nicholas suppressed a frown. He wanted to take Molly somewhere special, somewhere expensive. He wanted to pick her mind over lobster bisque and Cabernet Sauvignon, not over a hotdog and a cinnamon roll.
But he kept those thoughts to himself as he realized that any time spent with Molly Carmichael was going to be time well spent, even if it meant consuming an irresponsible amount of sugar and carbohydrates. It was a sacrifice he was willing to make.
“Yeah, let’s get you something to eat,” he said with a small shake of his head. “Can I walk you to your car?”
“Nicholas, come on, you know I didn’t drive here,” Molly told him with a laugh. She reached over and linked her arm through Nicholas’ own. Her sudden closeness had his heart hammering again. “What do you have against walking, anyway?”
“It’s just not very—”
“Don't you dare use the word efficient one, more time,” Molly warned.
Nicholas swallowed the word. “It's just not very... warm. It's cold outside.”
Molly laughed a bit louder, still holding onto his arm as they began their trek towards the skating rink, their arms still linked together.
Chapter 15
Molly
Molly wasn’t sure when it happened, but she knew there had been a change in her view of Nicholas Kerstman.
Maybe it was the way he ran out of the electronics store, wanting to pretend that he hadn’t been jealous of Grant, as if he was embarrassed that his inner emotions had been found out.
Maybe it was the shameless way that he’d sung a duet with her, right in the middle of what was meant to be a children’s concert, all for the sake of resurrecting Liam’s self-confidence on stage.
Or maybe it was the way he currently stared at the food truck’s menu, with his fist under his jaw and his eyes narrowed at the lettering, as if he’d never even heard of a Walking Taco before.
Maybe it was just the way he smiled at her and how it made her stomach do funny things.
Molly couldn’t pinpoint when her own feelings had shifted into this strange, new territory, but as she watched Nicholas ask the food truck employee about the caloric content in half of a Walking Taco, she realized one thing for sure:
Molly liked Nicholas Kerstman. She liked him a lot.
She liked that he wore a high-priced suit to a children’s concert, seemingly taking the event as seriously as he might take one of his high-powered business meetings.
She liked that he was so full of surprises, always being able to do the unexpected, like wrap gifts in record time at Christmas Wishes, or hang lights unassisted from the Brownstones’ home.
And, most of all, Molly liked how light she felt around Nicholas. She was never too worried about anything when he happened to be around. The world felt right when he was near her.
Molly also recognized that these were dangerous feelings. The kind of feelings she’d have to keep to herself, unless she wanted to get her heart broken in two.
Because Molly knew that whatever was happening between her and Nicholas was doomed from the start. Sure, Nicholas had been jealous of Grant back at the store, but how long were his feelings going to last? How long would Nicholas be infatuated with Molly?
Molly’s smile fell from her face as reality passed over her with a less-than-gentle breeze.
Nicholas Kerstman would soon be going back to New York. He had a life there.
And he was going to forget all about his crush on the small-town girl he left behind. She knew she was just a distraction while he sold his store.
“Hmm. This looks like a week at the gym,” Nicholas mumbled, glaring at his walking taco.
Molly tried not to laugh when he took a big bite and closed his eyes with pleasure. “Ooh! You know what goes great with these? Hot chocolate.”
“Molly.” Nicholas sounded devastated at her suggestion. “You’re going to ruin my taste buds. I’ll never be able to properly taste sashimi, ever again.”
“You don’t need sashimi. You need hot chocolate,” she replied. She bumped Nicholas’ hip with her own. “Come on.”
When they’d both secured their drinks of choice (hot chocolate for Molly, green tea for Nicholas), they sat down on a bench in the park, watching the crowd of ice skaters zoom around the rink.
“When was the last time you went ice skating?” Molly asked Nicholas in between bites of her walking taco.
“Years and years ago. Back when I was a little kid,” Nicholas replied. He glanced over at her. “Are you cold?”
She couldn't help the shiver that ran down the length of her again. The jacket she wore was stylish, but not very warm. “A little bit, but I’ll be fine—”
Nicholas took off his wool overcoat and placed it over Molly’s shoulders.
Molly smiled over at him, pulling the jacket up around her chin. Not only was the jacket warm with his heat, it smelled like him, too. She tried not to make it obvious as she breathed in the scent of him. “Okay, but now won’t you be cold?”
“Doesn’t matter if I’m cold, as long as you’re not,” Nicholas said with a shrug.
Molly felt a bright blush creeping up her cheeks.
“Wait, aren’t there like a billion ice skating rinks in NYC? Why haven’t you gone ice skating since you were a kid?” she asked.
“Because I...” Nicholas darted his eyes away from Molly. “I was never that good at it.”
“Nicholas Kerstman, are you telling me that you can’t ice skate?” Molly asked, trying to keep the laugh out of her voice. It was hard to believe there was anything Nicholas would admit to being bad at.
“I didn’t say that. I said I wasn’t good at it.” Nicholas took another bite of his dinner, still not looking at her directly. “Ice skating never really seemed like a useful skill to hav
e.”
“Not everything has to be useful, Nicholas. Some things are just fun,” Molly told him. She thought for a moment and then rose away from the bench, holding out her hand for Nicholas’ own. “Come on. Let’s go. We’ve got to get the concept of fun through your head.”
“I have fun,” Nicholas protested, taking Molly’s outstretched hand. “I read books. I go to bars. I work out.”
Molly frowned at Nicholas’ response. “Juice bars at the gym don't count,” she teased.
She led them both to the side of the ice-skating rink, not letting go of his hand. Even though they both wore gloves, there was a connection there she didn't want to break.
There was a man renting out pairs of shoes in a small shack next to the rink. Once they'd given their shoe sizes to him, he thrust two pairs towards Nicholas and Molly.
As Nicholas went for his wallet, the man shook his head. “Free of charge for the kids' concert.”
“Free of charge? Because of a kids' concert? Probably one of your busiest nights?” Nicholas looked stunned. He brought his hand up towards his face as if he was about to go into a lecture.
Molly nudged an elbow into Nicholas’ shoulder. “No business mode allowed. Not tonight.”
“But Molly, he’s losing so much money,” Nicholas replied, his eyes just a little wild.
“Get your skates on!” Molly ignored Nicholas’ plea, bending to take off her boots and replace them with a pair of glittering ice skates. By the time she popped back up, Nicholas had done the same, his leather dress shoes now replaced by purple fabric and silver blades.
They looked ridiculous and yet perfect on him at the same time.
“Hold my hand.” Molly held out her hand for Nicholas and he took hold of it. The same flutter of desire and excitement went through her stomach.
Molly smiled to herself, trying not to think too hard about it. It was only a few days ago that she couldn’t even imagine working in the store alongside Nicholas Kerstman, and now they were holding hands outside the ice rink.
Although, technically, they weren’t romantically holding hands. Still, she liked it. She liked the way his touch seemed to light up her whole body. She liked the way it made her heart beat just a little bit faster than it should.
She forced herself to concentrate. The last thing she needed was to make a fool of herself on ice-skates.
“We’ll just do one slow lap to start. Alright?” Molly asked. They stood at the entrance to the rink. Luckily, the rink wasn't too full yet. Soft Christmas music played over ancient speakers and the sounds of laughter and conversation filled the air.
“One slow lap,” Nicholas repeated Molly’s words, his voice sounding confident.
When their blades touched the ice, Nicholas began to zig and zag.
Molly tried to correct his movements, using all of her strength to prevent him from wobbling too far left or right.
But after one of Nicholas’ several missteps, Molly miscalculated her own ability to catch his fall, and she found herself tumbling towards the ice.
Nicholas’ hands gripped onto her waist tightly as he spun them both around in a smooth, wide circle. He was in complete control and grinning broadly at her.
“Hey! What gives?!” Molly stared at him. “I thought you said you couldn’t ice skate.”
“Oh. I was just messing with you.” Nicholas’ laugh bubbled through his chest. “You were right. There are about a billion ice skating rinks in New York. I actually used to manage one, not too long after my stint at Debbie’s. It’s where I got the idea to start my own company.”
Molly narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. He'd gotten her. Hook, line, and sinker. The handsome jerk. She managed to get her skates back under her and he released her waist.
“I’d assumed you got the idea to start your own company from your parents,” Molly replied as she skated by Nicholas’ side.
“Well, mom and dad were always a source of inspiration, but the skating rink is where I really figured it out. I learned how to bring a dying business back to life, and then I learned how to keep a thriving business alive for even longer,” Nicholas explained. He turned and started skating backwards so he could keep the conversation going. “And thus, Nicholas Kerstman Enterprises was born.”
Molly punched his shoulder gently and he spun easily to face the forward direction again.
“Which is why your dad felt so comfortable handing you the deed,” Molly’s explained to herself. Thinking of Christmas Wishes was a jolt of cold water. She remembered that this wasn't a date. He wasn't staying here. “And why you’ve probably already sold the rights to Christmas Wishes by now...”
Nicholas stopped their skating, sliding them both off to the side of the rink. Other skaters passed them. “What? You think I would’ve sold the rights to the shop and not told you about it?”
“No, I just think you’re a great businessman.” Molly shrugged off Nicholas’ question. “Which means, you’re going to get the job done, whatever it takes.”
Even if it meant buttering up the one person who tried to stand in Nicholas’ way.
Molly suddenly felt so foolish.
Of course, Nicholas was going to be sweet-as-pie towards her. He would want her support for when he told his parents he’d be franchising the store. He needed her to make a good impression on any investors that wanted to look at the store. He needed her to keep things running.
Of course he would be nice to her. What better way to get her to help him?
“Funny. You were the one who insisted on no business talk, and yet, here we are,” Nicholas said with a sigh. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Ms. Molly, I wouldn’t do something like that to you. I wouldn’t do something like that at all. I believe that honesty is the best policy, and if I was going to sell the rights to the shop, you’d be the first to know.”
Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. “You know that I'd do anything for that store. If I had the money, I'd buy it from you right now. That store is a part of this town. And I'm not going to let it go without a fight.”
“Even if it's what I want?” Nicholas asked.
“Even if it's what you want,” she replied, feeling a twinge of doubt run through her. She wanted Nicholas to be happy, but she wanted the store to remain the way it was more.
Nicholas sighed, a look of hurt in his eyes. He quickly changed it to a small smile as he shifted his palm under Molly’s chin, lifting it until they were making eye contact. “How about we just have fun tonight? No more talk of the store.”
“Okay...” The feeling of being used still hung around her like fog that wouldn't go away.
“Okay?” Nicholas repeated her response as a question.
“Okay, Nicholas,” Molly said, deciding to let things go. Molly offered him a grin before spinning away from him. “Let’s just have fun.”
Nicholas followed her lead, matching his speed with hers, as they went around the skating rink for the second time that night.
All the while, Molly kept her worry in the back of her head.
Even though this night felt delightful, even though being beside Nicholas made her so happy, Molly couldn’t help but wonder what that happiness was going to cost her.
And with each turn around the rink, her concerns grew larger and larger.
Did she really have a chance of changing Nicholas’ mind about saving the shop?
Or was Nicholas Kerstman simply using her?
Chapter 16
Molly
“Sounds like a date.”
“It wasn’t a date.” Molly crossed her arms, looking grouchy.
“Okay, but it totally was a date,” Hannah informed her. She shrugged over at Molly while seated on Molly’s living room couch. “So, was I right or was I right?”
“Hannah, it wasn’t a date,” Molly repeated. She pouted as she plopped down beside Hannah on the couch. “We just got some food and went ice skating. And I was the one who invited him.”
“Please don�
��t tell me you’re saying that it doesn’t count as a date because you invited him out,” Hannah scoffed, while taking a sip of her coffee. “Hello, Molly! It’s the 21st century. Women are allowed to make the first move. And congrats to you for your bravery.”
Molly rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t not a date because just I invited him out! It wasn’t a date because it wasn’t a date!” Molly threw up her arms in frustration. “It was just two co-workers hanging out. That’s it.”
“Right.” Hannah’s tone indicated that she didn’t believe a word of what Molly had just said. “Hey, when did you get so into men’s fashion? Is this one of those new trends? Do I need to order a men's jacket off Amazon?”
“Men’s fashion?” Molly was puzzled by Hannah’s question. After a moment, she noticed that her shoulders were heavier than usual. Molly then began to hurriedly pull Nicholas’ jacket away from her frame, after having forgotten she was wearing it. “Ahh! I forgot to give him back his jacket. He’s going to think that I wanted to keep it on purpose!”
“I think you did want to keep it on purpose, but whatever,” Hannah said, trying to keep from laughing. “Did he walk you home?”
Molly glared at her. “No. I walked myself back because I was supposed to meet you.”
“If you had called me, you could have stayed out with him,” Hannah informed her.
Molly didn't answer right away. To be honest, she'd used the fact that Hannah would be waiting for her as an excuse to escape. After skating for a while, they'd walked around the town square, just talking.
It had been amazing. And all Molly had wanted to do was kiss him
Which was terrifying. The last thing she should want to do is kiss the man who would be leaving in a few days. So, instead of giving into temptation, she'd run home to Hannah.
“I didn't want to let you down,” Molly said lamely.
“Sure.” Hannah shook her head, obviously not believing Molly in the slightest. “I’m just glad you’re getting back out there, Molly. Especially after you-know-who.”
Molly winced at the mere suggestion of you-know-who.
