by Jenny Hale
“Cheers!” Max said, and clinked his cup with Nick’s glass. They all laughed.
* * *
It was getting late, and Max hadn’t had a bath or gotten his homework finished, but tonight, Abbey didn’t mind at all. He was having the time of his life. And so was she. She didn’t let herself worry about missing this family once they were gone, or the fact that Nick was still moving to New York. She didn’t have a care in the world tonight because she was too busy enjoying the people around her.
“Who’s next?” James said, bending down to pick up one of the kids. Max jumped into his arms as if he’d known him for ages. James held her son out like an airplane, spinning him around and up and down, Max’s giggles bubbling up with every dip and spin.
Caroline sat under an afghan that Abbey had brought down for her, smiling as big as day as she watched the kids play. They played together so well, and it was wonderful to see how Max interacted with another child. He was courteous, he listened, and they tried to help each other through the tasks they’d created. They’d started by building a bridge on the train set, and both boys worked marvelously well together to build it. They’d asked Nick to be the base again, but he gently declined, telling them he hadn’t had enough time to spend with Max’s mommy and the rest of the family, and they needed some attention too. The boys had played with a few toys together while Abbey chatted with Nick, the women, and James. It was nice to have some adults to talk to.
Both boys started climbing on James, causing him to topple over, and Abbey worried about his nice clothes. James didn’t seem bothered, laughing as he sat back up on the floor.
“This is so much fun!” Max said, and everyone laughed.
“I’m having so much fun too,” Nick said in her ear and then kissed her cheek, surprising her. “I can’t remember being this relaxed.”
“It’s got to be the living room,” she teased.
“Yes, of course,” he played along. “More seriously, it could be all your decorating. You’ve given me a place to relax.” A smile still lingered on his lips. “You’ve given us a wonderful space where we can all get together. Thank you for that. I’d said that this would be the last room you need to decorate because no one would come in here, but you pulled it together anyway. What I hadn’t planned on was you pulling us all together too. And now, this is the first room we needed—the family room. So thank you.”
She went to kiss him on the cheek but he turned to catch her lips, planting a kiss right on her mouth.
Chapter Twenty-Four
That morning, after assisting the electricians with changing out the last bit of lighting in the house, Abbey had planned on microwaving a bag of plain popcorn to string for the living room Christmas tree—their family tradition. But Richard had given her a popcorn popping contraption instead, with a jar of unpopped kernels. She sipped her coffee as she opened the pamphlet with directions and spread it out on the counter to read it.
“Good morning,” Nick said from the doorway. Max was holding his hand.
“Max, did you bother Nick in his office?” she asked.
“No,” Max said with a big grin. “I caught him before he went in!” He said it as if he’d done something right, and it made Abbey laugh.
“Sorry,” she said to Nick.
“I was just going to check email quickly. It’s fine. What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m trying to figure out how this popcorn popper works. Do you know?” She lifted a plastic tube and peered into the end of it, trying to figure out where to snap it together.
Nick shook his head. “I’ve never popped popcorn.”
“Ever?” Max asked.
“Nope,” Nick said with a smile. “Why are you popping popcorn at eight in the morning?”
“To decorate the tree!” Max said with excitement.
“You put popcorn on trees?”
Max giggled. “Yes! Where else would we put it?”
“In your mouth, I suppose.”
Max doubled over laughing and Abbey caught Nick trying to smooth out his amusement at the sight of him.
“What tree are you going to shower with popcorn?” he asked Abbey.
“The living room tree.” She pushed the tube into a slot and heard it click. “I cannot figure out where this piece goes.” She held up a yellow handle-like crank. “I think that’s the last piece and then it’ll be ready to go.”
“I’m going to get Thomas!” Max said, running out of the room.
Nick walked over beside her and picked up the pamphlet. His brows pulled together as he scanned the directions, and Abbey tried not to smile at him and distract him. “Maybe here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the machine. When he did, he noticed her looking at him. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said, smiling despite her attempts not to.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
At this point, she might as well just be honest with him. “You just looked cute reading the directions, that’s all.”
“Cute?” He said the word as if it was new to his vocabulary.
“Yeah.”
He grinned and took the crank from her hand. “Let’s see,” he said, snapping it into place. It fit. Then, he unscrewed the cap of the corn kernels and poured some in. “Would you just plug it in, please?”
Max and Thomas entered the kitchen running full speed just as the machine started to make a sound. A kernel popped loudly, making everyone jump, even Nick. He quickly centered himself, his eyes on the machine. The pops became faster, and the kernels were becoming white fluffy popcorn, but they started to pop so rapidly that Abbey couldn’t get her sentence out before they were shooting all over the room like snowy missiles. The children both shrieked with laughter as popcorn spewed all over the kitchen. Abbey went to unplug it, but Nick stopped her.
As the kids danced around, trying to catch the popcorn in their mouths, Nick held up one last piece of the machine—the lid. He waved it in the air, taking a step toward Abbey. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll have the staff clean it up after. Look at how much fun they’re having.”
“Catch one in your mouth, Nick!” Max called, stopping Nick before he had reached Abbey. He set the lid on the counter.
Abbey could’ve easily placed the lid on the machine or unplugged it at this point, but she didn’t because she was so surprised to see that Nick seemed to be enjoying himself. She watched as he moved closer to the children, the popcorn floating down around them like warm, buttery snowflakes. He got down on his knees to be at their level and opened his mouth. Abbey let out a laugh and quickly quieted it with her hands as he caught a piece in his mouth and chewed it. He swallowed and tried again, this piece hitting him in the cheek and falling to the floor. He caught a few more after that. Max caught one and cheered.
Nick turned toward Abbey, still on his knees, and gestured for her to come over with them. “Your mom hasn’t caught any yet, Max,” he said, looking over at Abbey in a challenging way. “I’ve caught three. How many have you caught, Thomas?”
“Two!” Thomas said enthusiastically.
“And you, Max?” The popcorn popper was still shooting popcorn wildly around them.
“One.”
“And your mom has zero. It’s going to be a tough comeback, Abbey, but I think you can win it.”
A piece of popcorn flew through the air at her and she caught it in her mouth. While chewing it, she grinned at Nick.
“Oh!” he yelled as if he were watching a football game. “That’s one for Max’s mom!”
“I have two now!” Max called.
Nick lunged on his knees to catch a piece and nearly fell over, sending the boys into fits of laughter.
When the last piece had popped, Nick stood up and reached out to help Abbey who’d been on her knees as well. She took his hand and stood up.
“Now,” he said. “What do we do with all this?” The entire kitchen floor was covered in popcorn.
“Do you have plastic kitchen bags?�
��
Nick rummaged around in a few cabinets before pulling out a box of them.
“I need four bags, please.”
He drew them out and returned the box to the cabinet.
Abbey handed each person, including Nick, a gallon-sized bag. “Everyone fill your bags with popcorn. No eating it! It’s been on the floor and it’s for the tree. When you’re done, we’ll take it to the living room and make a Christmas garland.”
Nick stood holding his bag, watching her.
“Go ahead,” she said, nodding toward the popcorn scattered across the floor. “Fill your bag. You started this mess; now you have to help us decorate the tree.” With a wink, she bent down and started filling her own bag as the two boys dove across the floor to get their popcorn.
* * *
“Nick and I will thread the needles,” she said to Thomas and Max as the rest of the family looked on. Caroline had gotten up from a nap, and she’d said she was glad she had because she had to see Nick thread a needle. Robin and James were on the sofa watching as Abbey demonstrated how to string the popcorn by poking the needle into the soft part and sliding it along the thread.
Nick was having trouble getting his needle threaded, and Caroline couldn’t have been more amused. Abbey took the thin, white thread from his fingers and put it in her mouth to wet the end of it. “That always works,” she said, but his eyes were still on her lips. Gingerly, she placed the thread through the eye of the needle and pulled it from the other side. “There,” she said, handing it back to him.
The kids began giving Abbey and Nick popcorn from their bags to be strung—one after another until both of them had a sizeable strand. Robin jumped in and threaded another needle, giving them three long pieces of garland.
“What do we do with it now?” Nick asked Max.
“We start at the top of the tree and then wrap it around.”
Nick handed his popcorn garland to Max.
“I’m too short!” Max said, but before the words had completely come out, Nick had scooped him up into his arms, lifting him to the top of the tree. It was a small tree, only a little over five feet tall, and it was dwarfed by the large space. With a giggle, Max draped the garland on the top branches as Nick walked around the tree to allow him to cover every bit of the top with the popcorn. Abbey watched how Nick handled Max now with ease, how gentle he was with him, and how relaxed he seemed around him. He’d changed so much since that day they’d had their sock races. Max draped the last bit of his garland around the tree, and before Nick put him down, Max wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck and gave him a hug. She couldn’t imagine anything better.
* * *
The builders she’d hired were buzzing through the wall in the hallway while the kids played outside in the snow. Abbey came in to check their progress. She was putting in a built-in shelving unit like the old telephone coves, but she was planning to fill it with antique books she’d found at the second-hand store. She had two more built-ins she wanted to do, and she was hoping that, given his relaxed demeanor lately, Nick would actually take a look at her plans this time.
“He’s not here,” Richard said from behind as Abbey peeked her head into Nick’s office. She hadn’t seen him since this morning when they’d decorated the tree. “He’s gone to look at a possible acquisition in Chicago.”
“He just up and left? In the middle of the day? He’s supposed to be taking time off for Christmas! His sister and her family are in from out of town and Christmas is only a couple of weeks away.”
Richard said nothing. She knew he wouldn’t. It wasn’t his place, and she felt bad for even voicing her concerns. It put him in an odd spot.
“Sorry,” she said, and he smiled a knowing smile.
“He did tell me that you’ll have one more bedroom to complete. It’s the fourth bedroom upstairs.”
Abbey stared at Richard paralyzed, trying to figure out what he meant by “decorate.” That room was finished. She started toward the hallway leading to the staircase and Richard followed as she went upstairs. The buzzing of the saws had ended, leaving her in complete silence as she got to the bedroom. Abbey opened the door and gasped, every emotion she had draining right out of her.
“He had us clear the furniture early this morning and donate it to a halfway house.”
The nursery was empty.
Was this some sort of grand gesture to put a point on the end of his sentence that he wasn’t the guy for her? Was he telling her that in no way did he want children? Was he telling her that he’d never want Max, let alone a child of his own? She felt sick, staring at the empty walls, the bare wooden floor, the naked windows. But then, she got herself together. Nick was probably going to put the house up for sale. Perhaps he needed the room to be more neutral to help the home sell faster.
“Did you see what Nick did with the nursery?” she heard Caroline’s voice float up over the balcony from the entranceway. “What a shame.”
“I was coming over to your room in a little while,” Abbey said, looking down at her. She looked so small standing at the bottom of the first floor.
“I was taking a walk. It’s a nice place to be when it isn’t just Nick clicking away on his computer at one end of the house.”
“Why did he dismantle the nursery?”
She met Caroline at the bottom of the steps. “He claimed it would be nice to give away the furniture at this time of year because the donation would spread some Christmas cheer.” Caroline pursed her lips in disapproval. “It was such a lovely room.”
“I’m going to text him. Do you mind if I excuse myself?”
“Go right ahead,” Caroline said with a wink.
Abbey went into the ballroom, sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace, and leaned against the bottom of the couch, her legs crisscrossed. She pulled her phone from her pocket, brought up Nick’s number, and typed: Why are you in Chicago when you said you were taking time off for Christmas? When are you coming home?
He must have checked it immediately and began typing. She waited for the little bubble on her phone to show his words. Finally they appeared: I’m sorry, Abbey. I got an email about an interest in one of the properties I’m selling. It’s a huge offer. I’ll be home probably Wednesday of next week.
She thought things were better. She thought she could make him see… She texted back: Why so long?
Nick: I’m in negotiations for the sale of the corporation here in Chicago and it takes some time to get them to meet me somewhere in the middle. They’re playing hardball but I know they’ll offer more. Why? What’s wrong?
What’s wrong? Was he serious? He’d left without telling her at all, and now he was wondering why she was asking? She typed: I want to know what happened to the nursery.
Her screen lit up with a text: Someone else needs that furniture more than I do. I felt guilty leaving it unused.
She really wanted to talk to him. She wanted to hear the tone in his voice, to feel his emotions as he spoke. Her phone rang.
“Hi,” she said. “How did you know to call me?”
“You always end up asking me to, so I did.”
“I thought you were planning to take some time off for Christmas?” she asked.
“I will. I promise. When I get a lull.”
“When you get a lull? What if that doesn’t happen again until after Christmas? Why did you feel the need to sell this company in Chicago right now?”
“It’s a big offer. I wanted to pursue it before the buyer lost interest. It could really help my own company’s standing.”
“Would it help enough to keep you from spending all your time working?” She waited for his answer with shaky hands. She was letting him in on her feelings.
“I’m still going to chase things when they come up. And things will always come up. It’s the nature of what I do.”
Abbey let the words linger in the air, feeling the icy chill of them. The thing was, though, it was Christmas, a time when miracles happened, when people sh
owed each other how they felt. “I watched you with Max this morning. Is moving to New York what you want? What you really want?”
The buzz of the line echoed in her ear as she waited for his answer. It wasn’t immediate, and she knew that it probably frustrated him because the pause itself was an answer. “Yes,” he finally said. “It’s what I want.”
She wasn’t trying to argue with him; she just wanted to make the point that there was so much here for him if he’d just give it a chance. “You never told me why your dad left the business to you in particular. You’d only guessed that Robin couldn’t or wouldn’t run it. Perhaps your father didn’t ever intend for you to run it. Maybe he just wanted you to figure out what to do with it. You could sell it, get it off your shoulders, and be done with it…”
“Then what in the world would I do? I’d just come up with some other business and I’d have to start from the ground up. I’d rather not.”
“You could write music.”
He laughed. It wasn’t a funny laugh, though. “You’re dreaming, Abbey. That isn’t a career. It’s a few pages of rambling notes I put on paper.”
“No it isn’t,” she said emphatically. “Look, decorating your house has been a huge challenge for me. I was terrified, but I did it! It took me deciding to take a risk and believing that I could do it. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. You’re good at putting down bets, at taking risks.”
“Calculated risks. You’re asking me to be ruthless with my choices, to risk my income on a dream.”
“It’s not all about money, Nick. You don’t strike me as a person who cares to impress those around you. Who are you making all this money for? You never enjoy it, you always want to spend it on someone, but you won’t let anyone get close enough to let you.”
“I really need to go.”
“No! You’re not going to get off that easy. Talk to me.”
“What do you want me to say, Abbey? That I’m going to give up a two-generation company that makes me millions of dollars so I can live in Richmond and scribble notes on paper all day, doing nothing with my life?”
