by Krista Lakes
She didn’t feel like talking about him tonight. She didn’t feel like talking about him, ever. “Can we maybe not talk about him?”
“I’m just saying, Molly, after he left town... I don’t know. I was worried you weren’t ever going to open yourself up again,” Hannah said softly. “So I’m happy to see you like this.”
Molly rolled her eyes and she laid her head back against the couch.
Even though she knew Hannah wanted the best for her, it was still aggravating to have to consider you-know-who for more than five seconds of her time.
But now, you-know-who, Roger Freeman, was all that Molly could think about.
He’d been her college sweetheart, the man she’d fantasized about marrying after graduation, with Hannah as her Maid of Honor and the entire town invited to the ceremony. She thought they were happy.
However, Roger had different plans.
Plans that included moving to Los Angeles and never returning her calls. He'd called it a long distance relationship. When she came to LA for a surprise visit and met his model girlfriend at his place, she called it cheating. Then she called it over.
Molly would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that her history with Roger made her a bit skeptical when it came to romance. After all, she thought she’d known Roger, inside and out, and he turned out to be the exact kind of person that she could never see herself with in a million years.
She’d thought that Roger was kind, sweet and considerate, but really, he was cruel, egotistical and selfish. She didn't know love at all.
She groaned, bringing her palms to her face, her body feeling like it was sinking into the couch with the realization.
Is that why she’d been so judgmental when it came to Nicholas Kerstman?
Was she trying to protect herself from another Roger Freeman?
Even though Nicholas appeared to wear who he was on his shirtsleeves, Molly still doubted her own judge of character. She'd been wrong before.
“Nicholas isn’t anything like Roger,” Hannah suggested to Molly, leaning her head against Molly’s shoulder. “If that’s what you’re thinking, you’re way off.”
“Hmm. I don’t know, Hannah. They both hate small towns, they both love big cities, they both have fancy jobs.” Molly sighed and shrunk a little lower. “Am I just going to keep falling for the same type of guy? Over and over and over again?”
“Falling for him?” Hannah repeated. Her eyes went wide as she grinned at Molly. “Holy Canoli. You’re actually admitting it? You like Nicholas Kerstman?”
“Yes, but—”
“If all ifs and buts were candy and nuts...” Hannah said. “I think it's great.”
“I think it's stupid and I should have someone check my brain,” Molly replied. “I think I'm going nuts.”
“That reminds me, I have to roast like a billion chestnuts tomorrow,” Hannah said absent-mindedly.
“How's the BakeTown thing going?” Molly asked, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She hadn't thought of her friend at all today. She'd been too busy with Nicholas.
“Good?” Hannah replied with a shrug. “I think I’ve finally narrowed down my recipe list for BakeTown.”
“That's great. I know you're going to make something delicious,” Molly assured her. “Everything you make is good.”
“Thanks.” Hannah sighed. “I just wish I had something special. Something different and unique. Something no one makes.”
“You ever heard of Buche de Noel?” Molly asked, an idea popping into her head.
“Yeah. It’s one of my favorites. It's not right for the competition, though. I already have a cake planned,” Hannah answered Molly’s inquiry seriously, and then waggled her eyebrows at Molly. “And why do you ask, Molly Carmichael? Is that one of Nicholas’ favorite cakes? Were you thinking about making him one?”
Molly's face heated.
“Yes? No? I don’t know,” Molly whined. She let her face fall into her hands, unable to hide her perplexed state.
“You know, it's not a bad idea. The fastest way to a man's heart is through his stomach,” Hannah said, patting Molly on the back. “But maybe wait until after the BakeTown thing so I can actually help you with it? No need to burn down your apartment in an effort to impress your crush.”
Molly grimaced as she closed her eyes. “My crush. Nicholas Kerstman. Because I have a crush on Nicholas Kerstman. I'm apparently a teenager. How did this even happen to me?”
“You’ll survive. Maybe.” Hannah laughed, taking Molly’s now empty cup of hot chocolate out of her hands. “I should get going. Are you two coming to Christmas parade prep in the morning? I've got to make sure my float is up and running.”
Molly winced. “Right. I forgot to tell Nicholas the shop’s going to be closed tomorrow.”
“Just text him,” Hannah said, standing up from the couch. When Molly didn't say anything, Hannah added, “you have his number, right?”
Molly shook her head. Now she felt confused, attracted, and stupid.
Hannah laughed again as she put the dishes in the sink. “Really? You two are spending so much face-to-face time that you never even needed to ask him for his phone number? Girl, you two are on a whole different level.”
“I’ll just wait for him at the shop tomorrow,” Molly told her. “And then we can head over to the prepping stations. It’s no big deal.”
“Right. No big deal.” Hannah smirked. “Molly and Nicholas, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”
“Hannah!” Molly chucked one of the small decorative pillows on her couch at Hannah's head. It went wide and bounced off the wall.
“See you in the morning,” Hannah said, heading for Molly’s front door. “Don’t forget to tell the hubby I said hi.”
Molly chucked another pillow which bounced off the door. Hannah stuck her tongue out at her before heading out.
“See you in the morning, Hannah,” Molly called out as the door shut. She closed her eyes and sighed.
She was an idiot. Nicholas Kerstman was not someone she should have a crush on. He wasn't someone she should be fantasizing about kissing. Or sitting here on the couch with her. Or not wearing those fancy suits, or really not wearing anything at all
She was both disappointed and glad when Molly felt her phone vibrating on the couch cushion beside her, stopping her from imagining Nicholas wearing nothing but her sheets.
She picked up her phone, hoping it might be him before remembering that he didn't have her number either. It was her mom’s phone number.
“Hey, Mom! What’s up?” Molly answered right before it would go to voice mail. “Are you guys already at the airport?”
“There's been a slight change of plans,” her mom said, sounding annoyed on the other end of the line. “There’s a big snowstorm at one of our scheduled stops. We won’t be able to leave town until the plane is cleared for landing.”
“But I thought you were all coming back tomorrow for the parade?” Molly folded her arms over her chest, feeling disappointed. “You’ll be back in time for Christmas though, right?”
“Of course,” she promised. “But unfortunately, we're going to miss the parade this year.”
Molly frowned, even though her mother couldn’t see it. Enjoying the Christmas parade with her parents and the Kerstmans had become as much a part of her Christmas traditions as working at Christmas Wishes.
“But who’s going to play Mr. and Mrs. Claus? I told all the kids from school that they could save their Christmas wishes for the parade since Santa would be there.” Molly asked. This was another tradition that she enjoyed. All her students always came and said hello while they waited for Santa.
“Actually, well, give me a second to pass the phone...” Ms. Carmichael’s voice was replaced by the distinct sound of rustling and ruffling until the line went quiet.
Mrs. Kerstman’s voice then broke through the silence, coming through loud and clear. “Molly? Are you still there?”
“Hey, Mrs. Kerstman!
My mom was just saying that you and Mr. Kerstman won’t make it back in time for the parade? Did you already tap somebody else to play Mrs. Claus, or am I going to have to put the outfit on myself?” Molly laughed after her own suggestion.
And the conversation went quiet for a few seconds more.
“Would you mind it terribly? If you had to fill in for me?” Mrs. Kerstman asked. “You're the one I can trust most with it.”
Molly's mouth went wide and slowly turned into a huge smile.
“No, I wouldn’t mind at all,” Molly assured her. She wanted to leap with joy. This was an honor she'd never even dreamed of. “I’ve seen you do it so many years by now, I think I have your script down by heart.”
“Thank you so much, Molly.” There was relief in Mrs. Kerstman's voice. As if Molly could say no to her.
“You’re welcome,” Molly replied with giddy excitement. She frowned for a second. “But who’s supposed to be Santa Claus? I mean, I guess I could try to see if Grant’s free. He might be too big for the suit, but we could make it work...”
“Oh, our son could handle that, no problem,” Mrs. Kerstman told her. “He may not want to, but if he tries to give you any grief about it, tell him that he’s breaking his mother’s heart and putting Christmas Wishes in a bad light with its customers.”
“I get it. Appeal to his business sense,” Molly replied with a laugh.
“How’s he been, anyway? Besides being too preoccupied to call his family,” Mrs. Kerstman asked. “Did he meet a cute girl in town or something?”
Molly ignored Mrs. Kerstman’s question about Nicholas meeting a cute girl in town.
“I’m sure Nicholas can handle the Santa thing. I’ll make sure he goes over the script a few hundred times, just in case,” she said, hoping Mrs. Kerstman would ask again. She quickly changed the subject. “I can’t wait to see you guys when you get back. Will you still be making The-Night-Before-The-Night-Before Christmas dinner like usual? For Christmas Eve Eve?”
“Yes, of course! And this year, I’ll make it with that gravy recipe Hannah left me last Christmas,” Mrs. Kerstman said, forgetting the girl question. “We’ve really got to appreciate Hannah while we still have her. I bet she’ll be a world-famous baker someday soon.”
“I bet so, too.” Molly took in a shallow sigh, as she thought about a life without her best friend just a few doors away. She cleared her throat. “I’ll see you guys when you get back into town. Tell my dad and Mr. Kerstman I said hi!”
“I will. See you soon, Molly!” And with that, Mrs. Kerstman hung up the phone, ending the conversation.
Molly stared at the phone in her hands for a moment, thoughts swirling around like blizzarding snow.
Her mind went to Nicholas Kerstman, and how much of a fight he’d put up over being forced into something as ridiculous as playing Santa Claus in the parade.
And Molly couldn’t help but smile as she imagined their future, playful argument, which would end with Nicholas acquiescing and pulling on Santa’s familiar black boots. She smiled even harder when she thought about how irritated he’d be at the prospect of having to chew through several candy canes as the kids in town usually offered Santa a treat while they sat on his lap.
Oh no.
Her smile left. Was she smiling at the mere thought of Nicholas Kerstman?
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
She winced. She liked him so much. So very much.
How was it even possible that she liked him so much? How had this happened? What in the world was she thinking?
Molly exhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm down before heading off to bed. She knew that she’d need a good eight hours of sleep if she was going to be filling in for Mrs. Claus in the morning.
And she knew that staying up for even another minute wasn’t going to do a bit of good when it came to sorting out her feelings for Nicholas Kerstman.
Chapter 17
Nicholas
Nicholas waited in front of Christmas Wishes feeling a bit unsettled about the shop being closed and so quiet.
In such a short time, he’d come to know the shop as a place of light and laughter. Molly and Liam were usually blasting Christmas music through the shop’s speakers and laughing between themselves as they hung more and more ornaments on the display trees in the window. Having the windows dark and without music felt very strange.
He leaned against the storefront, holding a freshly brewed Americano in one hand, and a sugary iced cinnamon roll in the other.
He’d stopped by one of the town’s food trucks on the way over, wanting to ensure that Molly would have something to eat for breakfast. He’d noticed that on some days she’d get so busy with working the register, or wrapping another gift, or trying to sort through pounds of gold tinsel, that she wouldn’t always take time to think about herself in the process.
Nicholas stilled as he looked down at the pastry in his hand.
What was this?
What was he doing?
He wasn’t being logical at all.
Last night Molly Carmichael had made her choice obvious. If it was ever going to come down to choosing between him or Christmas Wishes, Molly would choose the latter without a second thought.
And while the logical side of Nicholas’ brain recognized the truth, the illogical side of him, the side that insisted he stop to buy his Head Elf breakfast before work, was willing to do anything to see her smile.
Nicholas sighed before taking a long sip of his coffee.
He hadn’t felt this nonsensical since Becky Price.
Becky had been a New York City tourist he starting talking to in a coffee shop. They both ordered Americanos while everyone around them had flavored lattes or mocha cappuccinos.
They’d struck up a conversation about Wall Street, and after that, they never looked back, spending almost every day of her two weeks in New York side by side. It had been a wonderful romance made for daytime TV. They'd thought the warm, happy feelings would go on forever.
When she left to go home, he hadn't been worried. They shared a love of plain coffee and similar stock picks.
They’d attempted a long-distance relationship held together by late night phone calls and crossing out the days on their respective calendars until they could someday meet again.
But Becky couldn’t do it. And, to be honest, neither could Nicholas.
She started demanding that Nicholas leave New York for her and move to Chicago. She visited him a few times in New York, but the expense grew to be too much. Coffee and stocks could only bring them so far.
An ultimatum was made. Either move to Chicago and leave his business behind to be with her, or end things.
Ultimately, Nicholas chose to go with his head and not his heart. They'd broken up, and a year or so later, he received a decorative invite to Becky’s wedding in the spring. He had been happy for her, even if it meant that their love story was over.
Nicholas wondered if whatever-this-was with Molly was going to turn out any different.
If he decided to sell the shop, would Molly even speak to him again?
If he asked her to visit him in New York, would she come?
Would this turn into another relationship of emails and phone calls that left both parties feeling empty and unfulfilled? Was he just repeating his past? He wished he knew.
Nicholas tucked away his thoughts as he spotted Molly turning a nearby corner.
She wasn’t wearing her usual Christmas Wishes get-up, instead wearing a sensible pair of jeans and a light green sweater. She looked stunning in it. He noticed she had a large duffle bag slung over her shoulder, but figured it was something for the parade.
“I brought your coat,” she said, holding out his wool overcoat. “Sorry I forgot to give it back last night.”
It was warm when he took it from her and he wondered if she'd worn it on her way over. “Thanks,” he said, setting his coffee on the ground so he could take the jacket.
That's when she noticed the cinnamon
roll in his hands. “You? A cinnamon roll? Really?” Her eyes narrowed. “Who are you and what have you done with Nicholas Kerstman?”
“Ah, so you are getting to know me. You’re right. A cinnamon roll isn’t like me, at all.” Nicholas held the pastry out toward Molly. “This is for you. For breakfast.”
“Oh.” Molly's cheeks pinked more than with just the cold as she brought the cinnamon roll into her hands. “Thank you. I actually didn’t eat breakfast this morning...”
“I know,” Nicholas replied, tilting his head to the side. “Well, I guess I didn’t know. But I figured. You’re a little scatter-brained in the morning.”
“And you’re sweet when you want to be. Especially when you've had coffee,” Molly said, nodding at the cup as he picked it back up. “Drink up. You’re going to need to be extra nice today.”
“Extra nice? Why?” Something prickled the back of his neck and he could have sworn he heard the jingling of sleigh bells in his mind.
“Because Santa Claus is the nicest person on earth.” Molly bit into her breakfast, a too-big smile soon spreading across her face. “And today, the nicest person on earth is you.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Nicholas asked, suddenly suspicious and nervous. “What do I have to do with Santa Claus?”
“Everything, actually,” she informed him. “You’ll be playing him today at the parade.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Molly, no.”
“Nicholas, yes.”
“Molly, please,” Nicholas pleaded. “Please, no. Not this. Anything but this.”
“Sorry, but your mom gave the orders. Christmas Wishes provides the Santa for the parade today. Since your dad isn't here, that means you,” Molly told him. She popped a bite of roll into her mouth. “You just have to listen to kids' wishes in the town square. It won’t be so bad, I promise. At least I’ll be there with you.”
“You'll be there with me?” Maybe this wasn't going to be the worst thing ever.
“Yep. Mr. Claus and Mrs. Claus,” she said, pointing to him and then herself with a grin. “A winning combination, if there ever was one.”
