by Krista Lakes
Molly had gone to the back of the store when the front door chimed with the arrival of new visitors to the shop.
“Nicky! Nicky! Nicky!” Mrs. Kerstman shouted, running across the floor of Christmas Wishes and skidding to a stop in order to embrace him. “I’ve missed you!”
“I missed you, too, Nicky Boy,” Mr. Kerstman said as he clapped Nicholas on the back. Nicholas was still stuck in his mother’s arms. “How’s everything been so far? I’m surprised you’ve managed to last this long with so much Christmas in the air.”
Nicky Boy.
Nicholas was immediately embarrassed by the childhood nickname, especially in front of Molly, but he managed to keep a straight face. “I’ve been good. Everything’s been good. How was Miami? Mom, you look like you got a good tan.”
Mrs. Kerstman spun around in a circle, showing off her now sun-kissed skin. “Oh, it was lovely, Nicholas. The sun felt so good! I'd forgotten how nice it is to be warm in the winter.”
“Your mother practically lived on the beach the entire time,” Mr. Kerstman told him. A proud grin filled his face. “And I tried my hand at surfing a time or two.”
“You? Dad, you tried to surf?” Nicholas couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“Yes, tried is the key word there,” Mr. Kerstman said with a small laugh. “Didn’t really get the hang of it. Jim tried it, too, and we were both almost visitors of the beach’s First Aid Stand.”
It took Nicholas a moment to place who “Jim” was.
Oh.
Right.
Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael had accompanied his parents on vacation, too.
And now, Nicholas’ stomach began to flip and flop all over again.
He’d forgotten all about the other half of the meeting the parents equation. What about Molly’s parents? What if they didn’t like him? What kind of things had his parents told them about him?
“So, son, what brings you to the shop? Wanted to make sure your inheritance hadn’t burned down?” Mr. Kerstman asked with a friendly laugh. “Have you finally inherited your mother’s gene for worrying about everything?”
“I worry so the rest of us don’t have to,” Mrs. Kerstman replied, finally let Nicholas out of her embrace. “Worrying is perfectly natural, dear. Don’t let your father turn you into someone who doesn’t worry. Worrying saves lives. Who do you think has been keeping your father alive all these years?”
Nicholas smiled at his parents’ exchange. It reminded him so much of growing up, with their responses to each other always playful, little jabs. From the outside looking in, people may have thought that Suzanne and Howard Kerstman couldn’t stand each other with the way they so easily joked about their partner. But Nicholas knew that his parents had been inseparable since the day they’d met, all those years ago at university.
Their sense of humor was something that both Kerstmans shared, even if the rest of the world didn’t always understand their quirky romance. Their complementary personalities melded into the kind of love that had lasted a lifetime.
“Actually, Dad, I uh...” Nicholas stammered in the middle of his sentence as he realized that he hadn’t told his parents about selling the rights to the store.
How would they even react to the news?
Nicholas had been so preoccupied with getting himself out of the Christmas business that he hadn’t stopped to ask himself what would happen if his parents wanted to stay in the Christmas business.
Nicholas shook his head and tried to start his sentence all over again. “Actually, Dad, I just came to—”
“You’re back! You’re back! You’re back!” Molly ran out of the back of the shop, rushing toward the Kerstmans with a giant smile on her face. She gave Mr. Kerstman a big hug before she did the same to Mrs. Kerstman, too. “And you’re so tan! I love it!”
“Thank you, Molly! I think it suits me,” Mrs. Kerstman said, blushing slightly at the compliment. “Anything exciting happen while we were gone?”
Molly glanced over at Nicholas and he gave her the smallest of head shakes.
“Other than Nicholas being here? Nope. Just the usual. Running the store. Helping the Brownstones. Eating a hundred candy canes,” Molly replied, not spilling the beans about why Nicholas was really here. “And Nicholas did an amazing job as Santa.”
Mrs. Kerstman grinned at her son. “Oh my. Please tell me there are pictures?”
“I was too busy to take any, but I’m sure we’ll see them when the parade photos come out,” Molly assured her. “He did a great job.”
“Hey, she was dressed up, too,” Nicholas interjected, tired of being the one laughed at. He nudged Molly in her side. “Don’t pretend like I was alone on that float!”
“Yeah, but I wear Christmas stuff all the time,” she replied with an impish grin. “This was special for you.”
He couldn't help but grin back at her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him and he felt the happiness that only seemed to come around when she was near.
“Nicholas...” Mrs. Kerstman’s said softly, staring at him.
Nicholas glanced around the room before he looked back at his mother, wanting to make sure he wasn’t missing anything that would put him in a state of awe as well. “Mom?”
“It’s nothing. It’s nothing.” Mrs. Kerstman waved her hand as if she was waving away her own thoughts. “Will you be staying in town at least one more night? Please say yes. We’ve missed you at our The-Night-Before-The-Night-Before Christmas dinners.”
“Yes,” Nicholas replied with a nod. “I don’t think I’ll be leaving until Christmas Day.”
Nicholas did his best to smile and look at the wall behind his mother before checking the time on his watch. He hoped she couldn't see through him and guess what his real reason for staying was.
The truth was that he had to stay in town until Christmas Day since he needed to meet with the investors on Christmas Eve.
“Wonderful!” Mrs. Kerstman clasped her hands together. “You’ll be able to meet Molly’s parents. I think you'll get along with them wonderfully.”
“Now why would it matter if Nick got along with Molly's family? Are you already planning a wedding for these two?” Mr. Kerstman groaned, waving a finger back and forth between Molly and Nicholas. “They’ve barely known each other for a second. And they’re not even interested in each other. You know our son only has eyes for expense reports.”
Mrs. Kerstman gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes at her husband.
Mr. Kerstman tapped Nicholas on the shoulder. “And there’s nothing wrong with that, son. You know how much I respect that head on your shoulders.”
“I know, Dad. Thanks,” Nicholas told him.
“Howard, it only takes a second to fall in love. You should know that, most of all,” Mrs. Kerstman continued, her mind still on marrying off her son. “Or were you mistaken when you proposed to me after a week of me tutoring you between my classes? You Kerstman men may not fall often, but when you do fall in love, it’s fast and hard.”
“How could I not?” Mr. Kerstman ask. “How could I not fall head over heels with you?”
He gave Mrs. Kerstman a sweet, lingering kiss on her cheek, and it looked like she was so filled with happiness that she might burst on the spot.
Nicholas folded his arms across his chest, sneaking a glance over at Molly, only to find that she was sneaking a glance over at him, as well. That warm happy feeling of his insides turning to jelly washed over him.
He could have stood there all day, sneaking glances with Molly except the chiming at the front door alerted everyone inside that there were more customers coming into the shop.
Chapter 22
Nicholas
“Luke, this better be very important. I’ve already told you that I’ve got a dinner to get ready for,” Nicholas said, holding up two ties in the mirror. He had Luke on loudspeaker as he dressed himself for the evening.
“It’s very important, sir...” Luke hesitated. “It’s about the offer for t
he store.”
“Is the offer off the table?” Nicholas asked, his stomach twisting. He took a deep breath. “Did we already let any other interested parties know that we had an offer to begin with? We should’ve already been setting the stage for a bidding war—”
“No, the offer’s still on the table...” Luke hesitated once more. “But they’ve decided that they hate the name.”
“They hate the name?” Nicholas asked, slightly surprised.
“They really loathe it, sir,” Luke replied. Nicholas could hear the grimace on Luke's face. “They said it’s too cutesy and it would be awful for search results online. The SEO alone would be disastrous.”
“What are their suggestions, then?” Nicholas asked, half afraid to hear what the store might be called in the future.
“Gotta Love Christmas.”
“What?” Nicholas nearly dropped his ties.
“Gotta Love Christmas, sir. And with each different season, they said they could just switch out the holidays,” Luke explained. “Gotta’ Love Christmas, Gotta’ love Halloween, Gotta’ Love Easter...”
Nicholas scoffed over the phone, his brain reeling from the absurdity of a store suggesting they love each and every holiday, while also shifting through them at the most profitable time.
The people in town would be able to spot that sort of fakery from a mile away, sensing the obvious corporate shenanigans with each changing holiday season.
“No offense, Luke, but you’ll have to tell them that a name change is off the table.” Nicholas decided to go with the green tie. It seemed more festive.
“Sorry, sir, they’ve made the name change contingent as part of their interest in the store,” Luke informed him.
Nicholas scowled at the mirror as he adjusted his tie knot.
“So if we don’t agree to a name change, then the deal is off the table?” Nicholas asked. “And what about any other interested parties?”
“Still sending out our packages, sir. No other bites yet.”
Nicholas groaned and walked away from the mirror. He paced the room for a moment.
“Fine,” he decided. “Tell them we’ll consider a name change if everything else looks right. I think once we meet in person, I’ll be able to talk them out of it, anyway.”
“You always were a maestro with words, sir,” Luke replied.
Nicholas laughed, still pacing the floor. “Flattery gets you everywhere, doesn’t it, Luke?”
“It’s the oldest trick in the book, sir,” Luke replied with an audible grin. “I’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”
“See you tomorrow, Luke.”
Just as Nicholas hung up the phone there was a rapid knocking at the front door of his cabin.
He approached the door with tentative footsteps, unsure of any reason he’d have visitors from town. There wasn't anyone here who should want to visit him and the last thing he wanted to do was deal with carolers. Molly might enjoy them, but he certainly did not.
He peeked through the peephole and grinned when he saw Molly’s grin angled up towards him.
“Hi,” Molly said, pushing on Nicholas’ door until she was standing inside his cabin. “Sorry to intrude.”
“Yeah, you don’t seem all that sorry,” Nicholas told her with a grin, closing the door behind them. “And how did you get the address to this cabin? You’ve never asked me where I’ve been staying before.”
“New guy comes to town, word spreads pretty fast about where he’s staying. Perks of a small town,” Molly explained. She looked him over and he thought he saw a smile. “You look really fancy.”
“And you look really comfortable.” Nicholas looked Molly’s outfit up and down, taking note of her oversized Christmas sweater under her winter coat and dark jeans. “Do I need to change?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Please don't. You look really handsome like this.”
Her cheeks went scarlet and she quickly turned away from him. He grinned at the compliment.
“So, what are you doing here?” he asked, trying to deflect from her embarrassment. “Is dinner starting early?”
“I wanted to show you something,” Molly replied, turning back around. She was still bright red, but now she grinned broadly. “It's something special that I think you'll enjoy. It's only kind of Christmas related, so you won't totally hate it.”
“Is it a gaudy, golden Christmas tree?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head and grinned.
“Is it a group of much-too-cheerful carolers?” he asked again.
“Nope.”
“Is it another candy cane tree?”
“No. Stop guessing!” Molly said, pushing him on the shoulder. She reached for for his wool overcoat and handed it to him. “Come on. I don’t know how long it’ll last.”
“How long it will last?” Nicholas asked, putting on his coat and following behind Molly into the darkness. “Ms. Molly, just where are you taking me tonight?”
* * *
For the first time since his arrival, Molly insisted that Nicholas drive his vehicle through town instead of their usual pedestrian mode of transportation.
Nicholas felt like he was on edge during the entire drive to wherever she had them heading.
He couldn’t stop thinking about his car.
In New York, his Jaguar was not a flashy car. It was nice, but relatively modest. He could have afforded a more expensive vehicle, but he liked the Jag. He’d often receive compliments about it, but other business owners were often surprised that someone at his level would choose such a cheap option when it came to his everyday ride.
When it came time to choose a rental car, he'd picked a Jaguar like the one he had at home. It was something he felt comfortable with driving, even in the snow. He liked having something he knew how to drive.
However, in this small town, Nicholas worried that his vehicle would stick out like a sore thumb. Instead of serving as a symbol of his modesty, he was concerned that it would make him seem like he was just another materialistic showoff. Here, this car was considered expensive. Perhaps even exorbitant. Nicholas wasn’t too invested in what people in town thought about him, though.
The only opinion he seemed to care about lately was Molly Carmichael’s.
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, wanting to gauge her reaction to the situation. Was she uncomfortable in the passenger seat? Was she judging him for being a materialistic showoff?
Although, she didn't seem to even notice. Once she had them on a tiny dirt road leading to the middle of nowhere, her entire focus went to fidgeting with his car radio, trying to find a certain station.
“Christmas Classics? Nope. Christmas In Canada? Interesting, but no. Christmas In The 80s? Very interesting, but no...” Molly’s hand finally fell away from the radio knob as a smile spread across her face. “Indie Rock 103.5. Perfect.”
“That’s one of my favorite music genres,” Nicholas told her, still focused on the very dark and empty road ahead. “I’m happy to know you listen to more than just Christmas music. I was worried all that jingling might be doing something to your ears.”
Molly stuck her tongue out at him and then pointed to a bend in the dirt road. He could barely see it with only the headlights to guide him. He'd forgotten how dark it could get without city lights everywhere.
“There,” she told him. “You can park the car right over there. We'll be able to see anyone coming for miles.”
Nicholas drove the car to the exact spot that Molly had pointed out, parking it in what seemed to be a large patch of unmanned grass that went on for several miles all around. There were no lights as far as he could see. Molly hopped out of the vehicle, pulled her woolen hat down on her head, and walked through the grass until she came to a sudden stop.
“Come with me,” she said, her smile still visible in the light of the car. She threw her head back, pointing up towards the night sky. “This is the perfect spot.”
After using his keys to lock the c
ar, Nicholas made it to the same spot as Molly. His feet crunched on the snow and he hoped he wouldn't trip in the dark. The snow seemed to glow underneath his feet and the stars never looked so bright.
“There it is,” she whispered, pointing up to the sky.
He followed her finger. “What am I supposed to be looking at—”
Nicholas’ words left him as he looked up into the heavens.
The stars glittered and twinkled in the sky. There were more of them than he'd ever seen. More than he'd ever even imagined existed in the entire universe. The Milky Way stretched out before him, showing him exactly how it had gotten its name.
“Wow.” Nicholas was taken aback by the sight, being starstruck by the literal stars themselves. “It’s so beautiful...”
“There's another one,” Molly said quickly, pointing up to a different dark patch of sky.
A small point of light flashed and streaked across the sky. A shooting star.
“Make a wish,” Molly whispered, another star streaking through the sky behind the first.
“You want me to make a wish?” he asked, still awestruck by the view above him.
“That is what most people do on shooting stars,” Molly teased. “Although, considering the time of year, it should probably be a Christmas wish.”
“A Christmas wish, of course. You want me to make a Christmas wish.” He shook his head but smiled. “Well then, let’s see... What do I want for Christmas? A pony?”
“Take it seriously,” Molly told him, giving him a gentle bump with her shoulder. “Christmas magic is a powerful thing. You should always be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.”
“Well, I don't want a pony,” he told her. He took a deep breath in and stared up. As he stood underneath the glowing sky, more stars started to fall. It was stunningly beautiful.
But he thought that the Milky Way's glow paled in comparison to Molly’s own as she stood right there beside him, with her ingenuity, her kindness, her humor and her ever-present smile all making his heart feel as if it was going to beat right out of his chest.
