Lee stared at the shiny espresso machine on the counter, his face scrunched, his mustache curving above his lip. “I don’t know, Nick.” He smacked a hand on the counter. “This might be above my skillset. You okay with some tea instead?”
“Yes, sir. That would be just fine.”
Lee nodded, appearing thankful for the flexibility. He pulled a teapot from the stove and turned on the tap to fill it with water before returning it to the burner. Taking two mugs down from the cupboard, he placed one on the kitchen table and held the other in his large hand. Nick lowered into the nearby chair.
“I was sorry to hear about your injury, Nick.” Lee paused, correcting, he said, “Well, see your injury, I suppose. And hear it, too.” He cringed. “That was pretty hard to watch, son.”
“It was pretty hard to experience,” Nick replied. “And hard to watch, I’m sure. I’ll give you that. I think it replayed a few dozen times on national television. I lost track.”
“It was a slow news day that day,” Lee offered with a chuckle. “How is it now?”
Inadvertently, Nick rubbed at his knee, something he did more often than not. “It still bugs me on and off, but it’s fine.”
“And do you think you’ll ever get out on the ice again?”
“In a professional capacity?” Nick asked. “No, sir, I doubt that.”
“Recreationally, then?”
“It’s possible, but if I’m completely honest, it’s more of a struggle than I care to admit just to walk on solid ground some days. The thought of having only ice underneath me is a bit terrifying.”
Lee’s face fell. “I’m sorry to hear that. Truly.”
“It’s alright. It was a great ride while it lasted, so I suppose it was worth it all in the end.”
“I hope it was.”
Nick doubted the tone of Lee’s statement was meant to be accusatory in nature, but he sensed it, woven into the words. Before he could answer, the teapot whistled like a screeching owl.
Lee grabbed the handle, poured the steaming hot water into Nick’s mug, and offered a small wire basket with various flavors of tea bags. Nick chose an orange mint and dropped it into the mug to steep.
“I must be completely honest, Nick—I was awfully surprised to see that wreath on my door. Even more surprised to see you on the other side of it.”
“I’m sorry, sir—”
“No apologies necessary. It was a really nice thing to do. Didn’t figure anyone hung onto her stuff over the years, you know? I’ve kept so many of her things, but I’ve had to part with some things, too. This wreath was a nice surprise.”
Nick blew across the top of his mug to cool the contents. Words failed him in the moment. “I’m sorry—” He had to force a swallow around the ball forming in his throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it out for her service, sir.”
Lee waved him off. He pulled in a long sip from his cup, then smoothed his moustache with his fingers. “You weren’t even in the country, Nick. We didn’t expect you to.”
“But I still should’ve been there. Audrey was like a second mom to me,” he said, guilt weighty in his voice and in his heart, too. That heaviness had been a constant over the years. “I should’ve been there for Chrissy.”
Clamping a hand onto Nick’s shoulder, Lee left it there, his grip reassuring. “Chrissy was okay, Nick. She got to spend a lot of time with her mom in that final year and when it came down to their goodbyes, they were both ready for it.”
Those words didn’t console Nick any. He knew he’d let them all down. Before he could offer another apology, Lee interjected, “I’m sure things won’t ever go back to the way they were, but I need you to know that I don’t hold anything against you, Nick.”
“I’m glad to hear it, sir. Do you think Chrissy does?”
“Well, that is something you’ll have to ask her.”
Nick suspected that would be the answer. The small talk had been easy with Chrissy the night before and surprisingly easier with her father at present, but the deeper conversations—breaking through the ice and delving deep into the murky waters of the past—that would take more time.
And as fate would have it, time was the one thing Nick seemed to have plenty of lately.
Chrissy
“NITA, YOU’RE GOING to do just great,” Chrissy said. “You were made for this job.”
“Well, I don’t know about that, sweetie, but I can sure try my best. Ever since Carl passed, I’ve just been spinning my wheels at home. It’ll be good to have some real responsibility for a change. Something to force me out of the house, you know?”
“I can understand that.” Chrissy had felt a similar, profound loss when her mother died, but for her, coming into the candle shop was cathartic. It was a place of true and restorative healing. She hoped she could create a similar atmosphere for her newly widowed friend. “I just wish it was warmer in here. Ted promised to come by this afternoon, but I don’t hold out much hope of him fulfilling that promise. He’s given me the same one for over a week now.”
“Ted tends to do that,” Nita said as she straightened a row of candles on a shelf, lining them up like spices in a cabinet. “Over promise, under deliver.” She turned toward her young friend and, as though warming her hands over a fire, held her palms above the small flickering flames of one of Chrissy’s three-wick candles. She shivered. “Any chance you have a space heater we can use? I bet that would warm the shop up in no time.”
Chrissy knew it would, but she had stubbornly clung to her resolve not to march across the street and purchase one. She could get by just fine with an extra layer of clothing and fashionable scarf coiled around her neck. Her older friend, however, was not prepared for the wintery temperatures inside the store, wearing too few layers to keep adequately comfortable.
“Oh, for goodness sake!” Everleigh blurted the very second she burst through the shop door. Her entrance was typically eccentric and today’s was no exception as she threw her hands up wildly, like she was tossing confetti into the air. “Chrissy, this is absolutely ridiculous. I get that you want it to look like the North Pole in here, but it doesn’t need to feel like it! That’s it!”
Before she had even fully entered the store, she spun around, hopped off the sidewalk, bounded across the street, and slipped into McHenry Hardware.
Bewildered, Nita glanced at Chrissy.
“It’s a bit of a long story.”
“Or a bit of a long history?” Nita asked rhetorically.
That was the one notable disadvantage to living in a small town—one’s business was never truly their own. It was a life lived under a microscope. Or, in the case of Chrissy and Nick, a snow globe. That’s how it felt to Chrissy. She and Nick had shared this magical romance as young sweethearts, but one day it all turned upside down, everything shaken and tossed tumultuously about. She still felt that swirling disorientation, the not knowing which way was up or which way was down. She had expected everything to settle over time, but with Nick back in Heirloom Point, she felt in a constantly shaken up state.
“I’ll be in the back if you need me, Nita.” Chrissy gave her newest employee a brief, encouraging hug as the door opened again and a young family filtered into the shop, one by one like a row of little ducklings. “And remember to mention our buy one, get one half-off sale on the mini jars. It lasts through Wednesday.”
It was a sight Chrissy never grew tired of—watching her customers lift the lids of her candles and breathe in her creations. The sense of smell was an amazing gift, the ability to transport to any time or space with just one breath. She loved helping her patrons select the perfect candle for their homes, but she would have to leave Nita to that today. She was overdue with her Christmas candle and that deadline felt like the heaviest weight on her shoulders.
As usual, the hours sped by while in the backroom, and when Nita and Everleigh announced they were clocking out for the day just before six, Chrissy had to do a double take. The only real indicator that the time wa
s correct was the very audible grumble of her stomach, which protested loudly, not pleased with the fact that she’d worked all the way through lunch and nearly up to dinnertime. In truth, she hadn’t really noticed her hunger, her constant shivering doing its best to mask it.
Everleigh had returned earlier without a heater. McHenry Hardware had a shipment coming in later in the day, but none in stock at that moment. Not that she wanted to use her inventory for kindling, but Chrissy was thankful for her candles. Even if they didn’t put out much heat, there was an aura of warmth that spread from every lit wick.
Huddled in her backroom, Chrissy almost didn’t hear the faint chime of the shop’s door.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” she called out, waiting for the bells to jingle again upon exit. When that sound didn’t toll, her pulsed accelerated. The patron was still there.
Heirloom Point was a safe town, but she’d heard some rattling stories from her father that she didn’t wish to place herself into. It was dark and the shop was eerily quiet. Glancing around, she sought out the first thing she could locate: an old broom propped up against the far wall.
“We’re closed!” she hollered again. Her fingers tightened on the handle as she rolled her shoulders and then straightened her spine, standing tall and determined. Back in high school she had taken a self defense course, but she couldn’t bring to memory anything she had learned now.
Every shadow suddenly became a possible intruder, every object a threat. She knew this space intimately well, but fear and darkness unsettled her. The only available light came from the old Edison bulb that dangled in the front window and it didn’t offer much in the way of illumination. The light switch for the rest of the store lighting was located on the opposite wall, far out of reach. Chrissy’s throat tightened and her breath came out in shallow inhales and exhales, like she was just moments from hyperventilating.
“Hello?” Voice quivering, she caught sight of a silhouetted figure near the front of the shop. “We’re closed,” she said again as the intruder came fully into view. His back was rounded, his body crouched down near the floor, but he didn’t even flinch at the sound of her voice. In one well-placed swing, Chrissy could knock him fully to his knees, sending him sprawling onto the ground. All she had to do was lift the broom and strike against his back. In the commotion that would ensue, she’d have time to rush out of the store to fetch help.
Raising the broom above her shoulders, she ran through the scenario in her head. When she was a young girl, she’d played a season of softball. She struck out more times than not, but she did have a powerful swing. Squaring up, she imagined she was in the batter’s box again. She choked up on the broom handle and closed her eyes. Three, two…one.
The jingling door sucked all air out of her lungs. Chrissy’s eyes flashed open, only to see Nick standing in the open frame, his mouth gaping, eyes wild with uncertainty. He held a large cardboard box in his hands.
“Chrissy?”
The broom released from her grasp and clattered to the floor. “Nick? What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing, Chrissy?”
Just then, the unknown man popped up. He yanked an earbud from his ear and wiped his hands on the front of his jeans like a mechanic would after tinkering with an engine.
“Ted?” Chrissy’s chin yanked back into her scarf.
“Just thought I’d take a look at that busted radiator. Sorry—didn’t think anyone was here. Your sister said she’d leave the place open for me. I didn’t bother with the lights since you’ve got that really old one, you know? Don’t want to be the guy to mess it up after all of these years. Figured I’d make do in the dark. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, you didn’t startle me.” Chrissy attempted to regain her composure as she bent down to collect the broom. Her pulse began to decelerate to its original tempo. “I was just about to do some sweeping before I closed up for the night.”
Nick shot Chrissy a sidelong glance.
“Anyway,” Ted continued, “I’ll need to order another part before I can fix this, so it’ll be a few more days. I apologize for the inconvenience. I know it’s dang cold in here.”
“That’s where I come in,” Nick interjected as he lifted the box in his hands higher. “Brought over a space heater. Everleigh stopped by this afternoon and all but threatened to report us to the Better Business Bureau if I didn’t save one for your store.”
“Sounds like her.”
Ted popped his headphone back in. “I’ll get out of your hair for now. When that part comes in, I’ll give you a call.”
“Sounds good,” Chrissy said, finally letting her shoulders drop in relief. She could feel Nick’s scrutinizing stare without even glancing in his direction to confirm that his eyes were set on her. “What?” she finally said, snapping her gaze his way once Ted had left the candle shop.
“Were you just about to bludgeon poor Ted with a broom handle?”
“I told you, I was going to sweep up before I clocked out.”
“What exactly were you planning to sweep with a stance like that? The ceiling?”
Chrissy pursed her lips. “There are a few cobwebs.”
“Okay. Sure.” Nick nodded slowly. “I’ll just ignore the fact that—had I not walked in at the moment I did—you would’ve been the newest face of Heirloom Point’s Most Wanted.”
“We don’t even have that.”
“So you would be the first then. Can’t imagine that would look too good, what with your father’s profession and all.”
Reaching out, Chrissy took the heater from Nick. The box was heavy, but she didn’t let on that it was a struggle to keep from dropping it. “Thank you for the heater, Nick. Everleigh will be very pleased. Is there anything else?”
Nick rubbed at the back of his neck and when he gave her that familiar, tentative smirk, Chrissy almost had to look away. It made her heart skip, just like it had when they were kids. “Chrissy, I’m sorry. That must’ve been really frightening for you.”
“Only a little.” Lowering the box down, Chrissy shrugged. “I’m capable of taking care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time now.”
She didn’t mean for the words to sound like an accusation, but it couldn’t be avoided.
“I know you have.” Nick took one step forward like he was about to reach for her hand, but hesitated. “I’m sorry I just showed up like this.”
“You didn’t just show up, Nick. Believe it or not, there’s been a lot of chatter around town for a while now. I had a heads up that you were coming back to Heirloom Point, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Actually, I meant I was sorry that I just showed up at your store like this.” His brows drew together.
“Right,” Chrissy backpedaled. “Of course.”
“Sounds like we have more to talk about, though.”
“I don’t know, Nick. We haven’t really talked for a decade.”
“I know…it’s just,” he started. Chrissy could see the warring emotions in his eyes, hear the vacillation in his voice. “I wasn’t sure if you would want to see me after all this time.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to, either. Honestly, Nick, I’m still not sure.”
“I get it. It was actually your dad who suggested I speak with you.”
“My dad?”
“Yeah, I chatted with him a bit this morning when I dropped off your mom’s wreath.”
“What are you talking about?” Chrissy’s mouth bent downward. “What wreath?”
“I was at the Beasley’s earlier, helping them look for a Christmas tree in their attic. We didn’t find it, but I did find a wreath that had a tag with your mom’s name on it. I planned to just leave it on your dad’s door, but he invited me in. It was really nice, Chrissy. Being back at your old house, I don’t know, it just sort of felt like old times, I guess.”
“That’s great that you were able to catch up with Dad, but I don’t know that we can do that, Nick. Last night at
the auction—talking to you felt so easy.” She shrugged and her shoulders stayed scrunched up by her ears before they dropped as she sighed. “And that’s the problem. I don’t know how to be around you and not be with you, Nick. We’ve only ever been a couple.”
“I get that, Chrissy. Believe it or not, it’s been hard for me not to pull you into my arms each time I see you like I used to. I couldn’t help myself last night.”
That was more than Chrissy’s heart could handle. “Thank you for the heater. I really do appreciate it.”
She could see the glint of hope fade from Nick’s eyes, slipping away ever-so-slowly until it completely vanished like the sun sinking into the horizon. “Of course.” He shoved his hands deep in his pockets and added, “I suppose I’ll see you around then?”
“Yep. It’s a small town.”
“Don’t I know it.”
Chrissy watched as Nick turned back toward the door. A gnawing feeling pulled at her, like a child yanking on her mother’s shirtsleeve. She tried to ignore it, but the persistent tug wouldn’t go away.
“Wait.”
Nick spun around.
“Why did you come back to Heirloom Point, Nick?” Chrissy asked. “I mean, you could’ve made a life for yourself anywhere. Why here?”
“I’ve been everywhere, Chrissy. Sometimes the only place left to go is home.” With his hand on the door handle, he offered a shrug and headed out into the cold December evening, the winter air swallowing up his words, joining the very snowflakes that fell around him.
* * *
CHRISSY MADE QUICK work of closing up the shop. Nick’s statement had rattled her. She knew Heirloom Point was his hometown, but she was his history, and she couldn’t help but wonder if the memories of their young love were what brought him back after all of those absent years.
Sure, they had been kids when they first fell in love and over the years, Chrissy had even tried to dismiss what they had together, discounting it merely as a teenage romance. But that wasn’t the truth. Nick and Chrissy had a connection unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She wasn’t sure she believed in soul mates, but she did know that she had loved him from the very depths of her soul.
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