by Krista Lakes
She pulled away from Hannah with a grin. “So is this what it’s going to be like all the time for you now? Since you’re going to be a famous person?”
Hannah groaned, resting her hands in her lap. “Me? Famous? First, I have to survive shooting the segment. You’re assuming that I’m not going to completely blow my chance.”
“Oh, please. You’re not going to blow your chance. You’re going to do great and by this time next year, I’ll be pointing to the cover of a magazine and going, ‘that’s my friend. She made me spaghetti once,” Molly said, looking wistfully up at nothing.
Hannah laughed. “Really? That’s what you’re going to say about me? That I made you spaghetti once? Not anything about my baking?”
“Everyone on planet Earth is going to know about your baking. How many people are going to know about your spaghetti skills?” Molly asked her with a grin. “I just want to make sure everyone knows how talented you really are, superstar.”
Hannah looked as if she was about to say something in return, but she was interrupted by another Hair and Makeup person,who was now holding up two bottles of glitter. “Okay, this may be a little out there, but I was thinking it’d be kind of cute to throw some glitter in your hair? Since it’s Christmas and all. Ooh, and the glitter will really stand out under the set lights, too—”
“NO. THIS WON’T WORK!” A man’s voice cut through the room, even though the voice’s owner was nowhere to be seen.
Hannah began to rise from her chair, but Molly pushed her down by her shoulders. “Stay right there. I’ll handle whatever that is.”
Hannah nodded and as she settled back down into her seat, Molly headed back towards the front of the bakery.
* * *
“We can’t shoot here! The lights will completely wash me out!” There was a man’s voice still booming around the room.
Molly stepped a bit closer to him to get a better view of who was yelling at the top of their lungs.
Once the man turned around, Molly could tell that he was of medium height, medium build, with sandy, blonde hair.
He looked so familiar.
Molly could feel his name on the tip of her tongue, her own mom having so often had his cooking shows playing in the background of their living room.
“Who are you?” the man asked Molly as he glanced at her up and down. “Do you work for me? Were you supposed to bring me a coffee? I don’t see a coffee in your hand.”
“Uh, no. I don’t work for you, Mr...” Molly stalled until she could remember his name. She then startled with realization as the name popped into her head. “Mr. Tony! Tony Sherwood!”
“Ah, so you’re a fan then,” he said with a Hollywood smile. He extended his hand. “It’s always nice to meet a fan.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Tony,” Molly said, moving to shake his hand. “But I actually came to talk to you about the lighting? You were saying there’s a problem with it?”
“Oh, yes, this lighting is awful. If we were shooting this to play on TV tomorrow, things would be fine. Editing could handle all of the bad angles, but this is supposed to be a live shoot!” Mr. Tony threw his hands up with an exasperated sigh. “What will people say about me at home? That I look like I’m catching a cold? They’ll be too worried about whether or not I’m dying of the flu. They won’t really be watching our Christmas segment or the ads in-between. Which is no bueno.”
“That does sound like a problem,” Molly agreed.
Mr. Tony rolled his eyes and straightened out the bottom of his shirt. “I’ll talk with the guys. See if we can maybe just run a special from last year—”
“Wait, run a special from last year?” Molly took an anxious step towards Mr. Tony. “What happens to the segment on Sweetness & Light if you do that?”
“We postpone it until next year, or cancel the whole live thing. I have a bad feeling these lights are a permanent fixture,” Mr. Tony scoffed, shaking his head.
“No, no, no. You can’t do that. You can’t. Hannah’s worked way too hard for this,” she told him. Molly’s mind raced as she tried to think fast on her feet. “Okay, wait. What if you filmed somewhere else? Maybe somewhere with natural lighting? Maybe somewhere like...”
Molly’s fingers shook with anxiety as her thoughts flitted through the possible solutions.
Christmas Wishes was a no-go since she didn’t even know if she was allowed back into the store until the details had been finalized for the big sale.
The elementary school auditorium was a no as well, since there was so little natural light on the stage.
Molly suddenly snapped her fingers once she’d figured it out. “You can film in the town square! You can film it right down the street.”
“Outside?” Mr. Tony repeated. “It usually takes us a few days to prep the area for that. What with the necessary decorations and the fake snow—”
“You don’t need to prep. You don’t need to add any of that. We have it all. We have the snow, we have the decorations, and we have as many Christmas trees and string lights as you can possibly stand,” Molly told him excitedly. “It’s perfect! Everything’s already set up.”
“Sounds promising...” Mr. Tony clicked his tongue behind his teeth. “Tell you what? You handle the location scout duties for the shoot. Tell the other PAs there’s been a change.”
“I don’t know what any of those words mean,” Molly admitted, taking a step back from the famous chef. “But I’ll figure it out. Thank you so much! Thank you for not canceling the show.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.” Mr. Tony then turned his attention to a crew member who was strolling behind him. “Hey! You! Were you the one who was supposed to get my coffee? Why isn’t there a coffee cup in your hand?”
Molly had already reached the back of the bakery before she could hear the crew member’s response.
* * *
Hannah and Molly stood in the middle of chaos with crew members flying right past them as they moved to set up for the segment in the middle of the town square. One of them had spotted Hannah’s parade float still assembled behind her shop, and decided that it would make the ideal makeshift stage for both Hannah and Mr. Tony to stand on and for Hannah to present her pastries to the world.
Molly watched as a different crew member crouched down in the snow with a can of white spray paint and proceeded to spray paint the snow an even whiter color. The absurdity of the paint job would’ve made Molly laugh if it wasn’t for Hannah standing beside her, her friend’s hands shaking with her nerves.
“Why didn’t you just let him cancel?” Hannah whined as she set down one of her cake containers on a nearby table. “Molly, this is so much worse. It was bad enough when it was just the camera crew watching me, but now? Now, the whole town can come out and watch us film.”
“You'll do great,” Molly assured her.
Hannah whined again while she turned back towards her friend. “If I wasn’t ready for that, then I’m definitely not ready for this.”
“Hannah, what’s there to even freak out about?” Molly asked calmly. “You know all of these people. You’ve grown up with them. If anyone comes out to watch, it’s just because they want to cheer you on.”
“I don't know...” Hannah's voice shook with nerves.
Molly took in a breath before giving Hannah’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We all want this for you, Hannah. Now, instead of it just being you and the camera crew, it’s like you’ve brought a whole, supportive army with you, too—”
“Lights! Coming through!” A crew member walked right in-between Molly and Hannah as he began to set down enormous lights near every edge of the stage.
“You’re right, you’re right...” Hannah’s breath was trembling. “I can do this. I can do this. I’ve got this—”
“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Johnson, I just need to—” It was one of the Hair & Makeup people from earlier who was holding onto a makeup palette in her hand. She ran a brush alongside Hannah’s cheek, as she humm
ed. “Different lighting. Different makeup. All you really need is a touch-up, though. It’ll only take a few minutes—”
“I’ll see you during the show, superstar,” Molly said. She winked over at Hannah before she stepped down from the makeshift stage. “I’ll be in the front row. I better get a shout-out, too!”
“Ha! We’ll see about that!” Hannah called back toward Molly, and the makeup lady soon tilted Hannah’s head towards the sky and she ran her brush under Hannah’s chin.
Chapter 35
Molly
“We’re starting in fifteen minutes people! And I still haven’t had my coffee!” Mr. Tony was now shouting into a megaphone, which Molly found to be a hilarious concept because a man with a natural voice as loud as Mr. Tony’s didn’t need any extra amplification.
As soon as he’d finished his announcement, a cup of coffee appeared in his hands. “Thank you! Finally, we’re getting somewhere!”
Mr. Tony set down the megaphone and all of his focus went to sipping at his drink.
Molly’s own focus went over to Hannah, who was still standing on the stage and seemed to be rehearsing her lines for the segment.
Molly smiled to herself, feeling so proud of her best friend in that moment. She still remembered the first time Hannah baked anything, her parents not letting her near the oven until she was thirteen. Hannah’s very first dish was a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but even back then, Molly could tell that there was something special about Hannah’s cooking.
Hannah would always be so thoughtful with her ingredients, but she made the whole process look so effortless, like it required next-to-no thought on her part. Molly would compare it to watching a symphony trained pianist, someone who knew all the right notes to play, and would even sometimes add a flourish or two, but they’d do it all without breaking a sweat, without it seeming like there was ever a day that they didn’t know how to play the instrument.
As Molly watched the stage, she felt someone brush against her hand. She then looked down to see Liam waving up at her. “Hi, Ms. Carmichael!”
“Hey, Liam,” Molly greeted him with a smile. “Did you have a good Christmas?”
“Yeah! Santa brought me everything I wished for,” Liam told her. “I got everything on my list!”
“Good. I figured you’d get everything you asked for this year. You’ve been a pretty good kid.” Molly ruffled her hand against Liam’s winter hat.
“What about you, Ms. Carmichael? Did Santa get you everything you asked for, too?” Liam asked, batting Molly’s hand away from his hat.
Molly thought back to herself asking Mr. Kerstman, in jest, for a romantic Christmas wish. It was a memory that now caused an undeniable twinge in her heart. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Oh.” Liam nodded. “Well, don’t be sad, Ms. Carmichael! Christmas isn’t even over yet. Maybe Santa’s still working on it?”
“Yeah, maybe Santa’s still working on it.” Molly couldn’t help but smile at Liam’s innocent belief. Of course, she knew that the chances of any of her Christmas wishes coming true were long gone. Nicholas Kerstman had not only sold the rights to the shop, but he’d also left town for good, which seemed to ruin both of her Christmas wishes in one fell swoop.
Still, Molly was grateful that she’d been able to save Hannah’s live segment for Sweetness & Light, and she imagined that once enough time had passed, she’d be grateful that she’d decided to stay in town, too, even if it meant a future without Christmas Wishes and without Nicholas Kerstman.
“I gotta’ go, Ms. Carmichael! My parents are calling me,” Liam told Molly before running off somewhere behind her. “Keep believing in your wish! Don’t let it go!”
Molly wanted to respond to Liam, but he was long gone.
Instead, she turned around behind her, and offered an exaggerated wave to his parents who were standing near the back of the town square. Molly noted that there was a crowd of people gathering back there, too, all faces she recognized from around town. Once Liam’s parents returned her greeting, Molly then turned back to face the stage.
“Thirty seconds! Places, people, places!” Mr. Tony had finished downing his coffee, and he handed the empty cup to a nearby crew member. “Ms. Johnson, you ready for the spotlight? I’m going to say my introduction to the show, first, and then it’s all up to you, sweetheart.”
Hannah nodded in response, and Molly could tell that she was taking deep, steadying breaths.
“And go! Go! Go! We’re live!” A camera person shouted, holding out an eager thumbs up.
“Merry Christmas, food lovers! Welcome to BakeTown, USA!” Mr. Tony’s face lit up as soon as the cameras started rolling. “I’m here with BakeTown’s Baker of The Year, Hannah Johnson! Ms. Johnson is the owner of Sweetness & Light, and I’ve gotta’ tell you, folks, she must’ve named the shop after herself because she’s been nothing but sweetness and light since we got here!”
Molly rolled her eyes at Mr. Tony’s introduction. How would he know anything about Hannah’s personality? She hadn’t even seen him have a full conversation with Hannah.
Hannah laughed in response to Mr. Tony’s kind, although a bit counterfeit, introduction. “Thank you so much to BakeTown and to you, too, Tony, for that lovely intro. I actually named the shop after something my grandmother used to say all the time. She would say it right after she pulled a perfect cake out of the oven. She would say it whenever my grandfather managed to find a good parking spot on a busy Sunday at church, and she would say it whenever she found a quarter on the ground, too!”
The crowd in the square erupted with laughter, and Hannah beamed out into the audience.
Mr. Tony chuckled too, and then pointed towards one of her still enclosed cakes. “Alright, Ms. Johnson! So, here we are, it’s Christmas Day, kids are playing with their new toys, moms and dads everywhere are relaxing in their living rooms, and everyone can’t wait until Christmas dinner! Tell us what you’ll be serving this year.”
“Are we starting with dessert, first, Mr. Tony?” she asked with a TV worthy smile.
“Oh, you know me so well, Ms. Johnson!”
The crowd laughed along with their interaction once more, and Hannah removed the container that surrounded the cake. In response to the pastry revelation, the crowd went into a sea of oohs and ahhs.
The cake’s frosting was snow-white and with the sun shining down on its surface, it looked like the silver button decorations that Hannah had placed all around its sides were twinkling with bright, glowing light. There was also a gray band wrapped around the cake, making it so pretty that Molly couldn’t even imagine slicing a piece away from it.
“Oh, wow. That cake is gorgeous,” Mr. Tony told her. It sounded genuine to Molly's ears. “Please, tell me that this is my present this year, Ms. Johnson! Is that what Santa left for me?”
“Only if you’ve been good, Mr. Tony. And by good, I mean, only if you’ve been watching your calories at the dinner table,” Hannah said with a wink at Mr. Tony as she reached across the table for a cutting knife.
“I’ve been watching them! I’ve been watching them” he promised. “I make sure to watch every bite really closely before it goes straight in my mouth!”
Molly chuckled, and she found herself entertained at the seamless interaction between Hannah and Mr. Tony, almost as if they’d been hosting this show together for years, instead of just within the last five minutes.
She was sure that the crowd felt the same since the people who lived in town were trying to get even closer to the stage, obviously wanting a better view of the show. Even the camera- people seemed mesmerized by the interaction happening on stage as they chose to look at the scene with their natural eyes and not through the lenses of their cameras.
And Molly could see it all happening: Hannah being offered her own show, Hannah moving to New York, the beginning of a beautiful, new chapter of Hannah’s life.
She'd be gone, but she'd be happy. She'd be following her dreams and doing th
e thing she'd always wanted to do. Hannah's wishes were coming true. With thoughts as sweet as those, Molly had to press her palms over her face as she began to cry.
Chapter 36
Nicholas
Nicholas reached the town’s Welcome Home sign that was situated on the county line and he kept right on running until it felt like his lungs would give right out.
He needed to see Molly.
There wasn’t any other way.
On the run over, he’d thought through all the coincidences in the car and all the coincidences in his life that led him to Molly Carmichael. He’d thought about her love of the Christmas holiday and the odds of her working for his parents, the timing of neither one of them currently being in a romantic relationship, his own disinterest in running the store making her want to put in the effort to convince him otherwise, making her want to spend time with him.
Everything just made too much sense, without making any sense at all.
And because he couldn’t explain everything logically away, he needed to find at least one answer.
The answer to the question that was burning right through his core.
He needed to know if Molly Carmichael felt the same thing he did. Did she feel that heart-racing, lighter than air feeling that threatened to burst through his chest whenever she was around? Did all her thoughts somehow come back to him, the way his did to her?
If she didn’t feel the same, if she only had a passing interest, then Nicholas would go back to Manhattan.
But if Molly Carmichael loved him...
If Molly Carmichael loved him, Nicholas didn’t want to think about it. He didn’t want to get his hopes set that high as he pumped his tired legs right up to Molly’s apartment doorstep.
He pressed on her doorbell, letting it ring and ring and ring.
But there was no answer from the other side.
Either Molly wasn’t home or she didn’t want to see him.
