by Jenny Hale
“Are you okay?” he asked, sitting down beside her, grinning from ear to ear.
She nodded, tears falling faster than she could hold them back, relief so overwhelming that she felt a sob rise in her chest. Nick wrapped his arms around her and held her. “Merry Christmas,” he said, and kissed the top of her head.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The morning had gone by in a flash, and it was already noon. Abbey and Max were back at her apartment. They had spent the morning with Gramps. Gramps could hardly control his jitters when she’d told him about Nick’s gesture. Then, they’d all cried—her mom, Gramps, and Abbey. It was the most emotional Abbey could remember being in a very long time.
“Look, Mama!” Max had called out, and their tears had turned to laughter. Señor Freckles had allowed Max to pet him. It only lasted a second, and he darted away, but it was more than they’d ever seen him allow in all these years. Perhaps that was his Christmas gift to the family.
“He better not get too cozy,” her mother had teased. “I’ll put a Christmas sweater on him.” They all laughed out loud at that.
They were at the apartment to get clean clothes and do laundry before they went to Nick’s tomorrow. Now, they were doing what they always did the day before Christmas Eve: they were making cookies for Santa. Max was wrist-deep in the dry ingredients, most of them now on the counter or on his shirt.
“Be sure to mix them up really well,” she said with a giggle.
He turned to look at her, and in doing so, moved the wooden spoon a little farther to the edge of the bowl, dumping a lump of flour, sugar, and baking soda onto the counter.
“It’s time to add the wet ingredients,” she said, plugging in the mixer and putting it into the bowl.
They’d made cookies for Santa many times before, but this time would be different. They were taking them over to Nick’s tomorrow. Max had written a note to Santa Claus, explaining the situation, and Abbey had assured him that this kind of thing happened all the time. They’d taped the note to the fireplace mantle. The only other thing they had to do was finish the cookies.
“Will Nick have enough milk?” Max worried aloud.
“I’m sure he will.”
“And a plate for the cookies?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Okay.”
Right about the time they’d put the cookies in the oven, the doorbell buzzed. Abbey wasn’t expecting anyone. She’d cleaned her hands and dried them before opening the door. When she stepped out to look, she nearly tripped over a box.
“Hello, ma’am,” a man said as he came into view. He was writing on a clipboard. “Are you Abbey Fuller?”
“Yes,” she said, wondering what this was all about.
“I just need you to sign here,” he said, and she signed.
“Thank you, and Merry Christmas.”
She smiled in return and picked up the box to carry it inside.
“What is that, Mama?” Max asked, coming into the living room and bouncing on the sofa.
“I don’t know.” She picked at the tape on the edge of the brown freight box until she had enough to grab on to. Then, she pulled it off the seam and opened the flaps. Sitting on top of a mass of tissue paper was an envelope. She pulled out the card and read the inside. It read, For tomorrow night. Love, Nick
She pulled back the tissue paper as Max leaned over the edge of the box. “Is that for me?” he asked with an excited bounce. It was a perfectly sized tuxedo. She laughed out loud at how small it was.
“You get to dress like Nick tomorrow,” she said, pulling out the black shiny shoes to match and checking the size. He’d gotten it right. He must have somehow noticed Max’s size. Perhaps it was when he’d taken his shoes off at the door.
Max ran around the room whooping and laughing. “I get to match Nick! I get to wear a big man’s outfit!”
She laughed again at his enthusiasm. There were more sheets of tissue paper in the box. She pulled them back and stopped. Then a smile spread across her face. Underneath a lining of wrinkle-care plastic was the green dress and matching high heels. There was another note in Nick’s handwriting that said, Don’t overlook the tiny box at the bottom.
She pulled the dress out and hung the hanger over the top of the kitchen door. Then she set the shoes underneath it. A small green clutch with beaded accents was in the box too. She set it on the side table. At the very bottom of the box was a smaller gift box. She pulled it out carefully, noticing an unfamiliar jeweler’s insignia on the top. She opened it and gasped out loud.
“What is it, Mama?” Max came over to her to see. “Oh, that’s so pretty.”
It was a necklace with emeralds and diamonds that went all the way around it. There was another note peeking out below it, and she smiled through her astonishment over the jewels and picked it out of the box. It said, Don’t lose it. It’s on loan. See you tomorrow. Nick
* * *
Abbey had known she had to sleep last night. Nick had given her the night off to get everything together for Christmas Eve, and Max had mentioned that he missed his bedroom, so they’d stayed in her apartment. Being in her own comfortable bed, she’d thought for sure she’d have slept better.
She and Max had made the cookies and packed them in a Christmas tin. They’d worked to clean the kitchen. They’d watched a Christmas special on TV, and they’d read all of Max’s Christmas stories before bed—the books were still in a pile on his floor. The whole afternoon and evening had been relaxing, uneventful, but that dress hanging on the door kept sending thoughts of complete excitement through her mind.
All night, she’d thought about Nick and her life. She no longer had to help financially with Gramps. She’d been offered a decorating job in New York. She’d make a lot of money. She might even stay with Nick. The problem was, she knew that she couldn’t live that far away from her mom and Gramps indefinitely. They only had each other. They certainly couldn’t afford to live in Manhattan on her mom’s retirement, and for that matter, Abbey probably couldn’t afford it either, even with the decorating job. Rent would eat up all her profits. Not to mention that she didn’t want to live in New York. It wasn’t her at all.
And Nick had tried to run his business from Richmond—it didn’t work. He had nothing tying him here except her and a few friends and family members to whom he didn’t seem terribly close. Their lives just didn’t fit.
But she was falling in love with him. The woman who had always been so independent found herself wishing he was there sitting beside her, to talk to her. She wanted to hear more of the music he’d written. She wanted to show him what a baseball game was like. She wanted to do everything and anything with him—it didn’t matter what it was. And the excitement of seeing him on Christmas Eve was almost more than she could bear. It had kept her up most of the night and occupied her thoughts all day.
They’d spent the day at her mom’s and Max and Gramps played card games while she and her mother baked a pie for Christmas Day. She was glad for the distraction, although Nick still made his way into her thoughts most of the day. Her mom had come back to her apartment that evening to help them get ready.
While her mom was in the other room getting Max all put together for her, Abbey slipped the green dress over her head and let it shimmy down her body. It was amazing—low cut in the back, scoop in the front with a fitted waist that gave way to a free-flowing skirt. It ended above her knees, showing more leg than she was used to, but drawing the eye to the matching high heels. With nervous hands, she clasped the necklace around her neck and then let down her hair. Her blonde curls fell softly over her shoulders.
She heard a gasp at the door and turned around. “Wow,” her mother said, clearly at a loss for words.
“I feel like I’m in a movie,” she said.
“I’ve never seen you more beautiful.” She stepped aside to let Max enter and Abbey had to hold her tongue so as not to embarrass him. His hair was combed down to the side like a little Robert Redford, his tux
fitting him like a glove. He tugged at his bow tie.
“You look so cool,” she said, still holding back.
“Thank you.” He squared his shoulders in pride.
Abbey’s phone lit up on the bathroom counter and she checked the text. It was Nick. It read, Richard should be there any minute. If you’re not ready yet, take your time. He’ll wait.
She slipped her phone into her new clutch and walked with Max into the living room to watch out for Richard, but when they got there, he was already waiting out front. Her mother handed her the tin of cookies.
“Thank you,” she said to her mom, kissing her on the cheek, and nodding toward the window at her car with Max’s presents.
“You’re welcome. Have fun! I’ll lock up! See you tomorrow evening.”
They walked out to the car. Abbey waved to Richard who got out and opened the back passenger door for her. She felt her chest tingle with a thrill when she saw that Nick already had a brand new booster seat in the back waiting for Max. She swallowed to keep the lump out of her throat. They got in and Richard popped the trunk, inconspicuously taking the bag of Santa loot from Abbey’s mother as she hobbled around the car as quickly as possible with her bad ankle to meet him out of sight of the backseat. He placed it into the trunk of the car along with their suitcases. Abbey shivered in the warmth, not having wanted to wear a coat and wrinkle her nice dress. With another wave once her mother was back at the steps, Richard headed toward the party.
The streets were finally clear, the temperatures inching up just above freezing to melt the snow off the roads and walkways. Abbey was glad for that when they parked out front because both she and Max were wearing slippery shoes. Richard hurried in front of them and opened the front door.
Abbey could hear music in the ballroom, and through the large doorway, she could see all the people who had gathered. A shot of anxiety pelted her as she wondered if she could find anyone she knew in the crowd, but before she could even process the thought, she was processing another. Standing right at the front of the crowd waiting for her was Nick with little Thomas by his side.
“Hey,” Max said to Thomas. “We’re twins!” They inspected their tuxedos as Nick reached out for Abbey’s hand.
“Now that,” he said, “is a dress.” He spun her around, the skirt flaring out around her. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself,” she said as she took in the look of him in a tuxedo, the neutrals of the crisp white shirt and black jacket drawing attention to those icy blue eyes.
Still holding her hand, he led her to an area of the ballroom where a quartet was playing instrumental music. The music was soft yet a little jazzy, the perfect dancing music. Caroline waved from a nearby chair and Abbey waved back just as Nick spun her inward and put his arm around her waist, leading her as he danced in clearly rehearsed and well-learned steps. He was so good at guiding her that it didn’t matter that she wasn’t familiar with the dance. He pulled her in and they were pressed against each other swaying to the music, her hand in his.
“You were holding out on me at The Crazy Corner,” she teased.
He twirled her around.
“This is amazing,” she said. “The dress, the necklace, the car to pick me up, and now dancing. It’s a little overwhelming.”
“Like Cinderella,” he smiled.
He’d remembered from when they first met how she’d said this ballroom was like Cinderella. Of course he’d remembered.
“The good news is that it all won’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight.”
She smiled up at him as he spun her around again. No, she thought, it won’t turn back into a pumpkin until after Christmas when all of this will no longer be here.
“Oh!” a voice cut through the music and Susan was there beside them, breaking them apart for a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, my dear! You look gorgeous!” she said a little too loudly. Carl came up beside them, offering his hellos. “You have outdone yourself with this house, young lady. I am so thrilled at the results. You have a very bright future ahead of you in interior design.”
Abbey could hardly contain her excitement. She’d done it. It had been tough at times, but she was a natural at it. She decided then and there that she was going to give her dream a chance. After Christmas, she’d set up times to meet Robin and her friends. She still had the suit Nick had bought her to use for her meeting, and she promised herself that she’d buy another one with her first earnings from her next job and finally donate the blue Gucci one to charity like she and Nick had planned.
“Now!” Susan clapped her hands together, her wrists dripping in diamond bracelets. “Let’s see what that food we ordered tastes like. You and Nick were too busy enjoying each other to offer the final opinion but we went with Nick’s favorite. Champagne, you two?”
“I’ll get it, Mother.”
“He likes to have your attention all to himself,” she said with a wink, making Abbey smile. She liked his attention too, and she liked it when it was just the two of them.
“Mama!” Max said, running over with Thomas.
“Walk, please,” she said gently.
“I want to show you what they have!” He grabbed her hand, pulling her away from Nick and Susan and nearly dragging her to the edge of the room by the two big Christmas trees. Along the large window, there was a small table covered in white linens. It was filled with licorice, giant swirled lollipops, gumdrops, hard candies of every kind and a giant chocolate fountain with marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and fruit arranged on skewers. In the center was the tin of cookies Abbey and Max had made yesterday.
Robin came up behind them. “I figured they need a party too,” she said. “I put this together at the last minute. I hope that was okay. We can get them all sugared up and then let them crash tonight while they wait for Santa. And I saved Santa two of your cookies.” She offered a conspiratorial smile.
Nick met them at the table. “What was that about Santa?” he asked.
“Mama and I made these for Santa and we saved him two of them,” Max said, pointing to the tin in the middle.
“Those look delicious,” Nick said. Then he made eye contact with Abbey as he continued talking to Max. “Santa would love to have anything you and your mother made, I’m nearly sure of it.” He squatted down between the two boys. “You two enjoy the treats. I’m going to take Abbey to the dance floor and spin her around some more.” When he smiled at Abbey, it was a big, genuine smile, and she could hardly help the flutters in her stomach. “Look,” he said pointing above them. “Mistletoe.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.
* * *
It was late. Abbey had taken her shoes off because the heels were starting to pinch her feet, and most of the guests had left already. The party had been amazing. There were so many people, but Nick had given almost all his attention to Abbey. Max and Thomas had gotten tired around eight, and Robin and Abbey had left the party long enough to tuck them into bed. Richard had helped Caroline get to her room when she’d decided to turn in for the night. Now, the quartet was packing up, but Abbey and Nick were still dancing, neither one of them letting go.
“I’m dying for more music!” Susan said, her arm slung around Carl, a glass of wine swinging from her fingers. “Nicholas, play us something on the piano.”
Abbey stood up on her toes to reach Nick’s ear. He’d straightened up to address his mother over Abbey’s head, so she really had to stretch to reach him. “Play your music,” she whispered.
He shook his head subtly.
“It’s the perfect time to show them. Everyone’s here.”
He looked down at her, that very rare vulnerability on his face.
“Do it,” she whispered with an encouraging nod.
“Play us something, Nick,” Robin said.
He cleared his throat and took in a slightly nervous sounding breath. “I have to get the music from my office,” he said.
“Come with me.” Abbey took his hand. “We’ll be right back,” she told everyone. Then, she led him to the stairs. “Wait right here.” She ran up to her room and tiptoed inside past Max who was sleeping. In the dark, she opened the closet door and slid her hand along the top shelf until her fingers hit the gift. On her toes, she stretched up to get it. Then, she ran across the room and let herself out. Nick was standing at the bottom of the steps. He looked so gorgeous in his tuxedo.
“What is that?” he said quietly as she came down the stairs.
“It’s your Christmas gift.” When she reached the bottom, she handed it to him.
He turned the box around in his hands to view the handmade paper. Then, he slipped the holly out from under the bow and untied the ribbon. Together, they sat down on the steps as he slid his finger under the paper to loosen it. The thick paper popped open and he set it aside, his eyes on the music book.
“I had it engraved,” she pointed out.
“Make your dreams and then follow them,” Nick read aloud and then opened the book and realized that she’d taken some of his music and filled it, the song “Dreams” on top.
“Thank you,” he said, and he kissed her softly.
“You’re welcome. You’ve made your ‘Dreams’,” she said, pointing to the song. “Now you just have to follow them.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. It seems ridiculous until I’m with you and then, for some reason, it all seems like it could work.”
“I know the feeling,” she said with a tiny laugh. “Let’s start small, shall we? Baby steps. Play for your family.”
She took his hand and they walked down to the ballroom. This was a big step for him. With his music, he was showing his emotional side, the soft underbelly of that hard businessman, and he’d probably never shown that to his family before.
Nick walked in and sat down at the piano. His family joined Abbey around it, Susan clapping in excitement. He opened the book and set it on the stand. She could see the nervousness in his fingers. It was very slight, but she knew him well enough to know it was there.
