‘Hey,’ he said. ‘I could have come to the door.’
‘No,’ Angie said with a laugh. ‘Have you ever been interviewed by a family before?’
‘Can’t say I have.’
‘Let’s keep it that way.’
Nick pulled out of the driveway and in the direction of the Christmas house next door. ‘Your neighbors go all out, huh?’
‘Oh yeah,’ she said. ‘When my dad was alive, there was a friendly competition but not anymore.’
‘I’m sorry to hear about your dad. I didn’t know.’
Angie shrugged. ‘Thanks. It was a while ago, though.’ She cleared her throat. Nick wanted to say more, but she spoke first. ‘I didn’t picture you as the truck kind of guy.’
Nick stiffened in his seat. Had David left something of his nearby? ‘Why not?’
‘All the suits.’
‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ he said.
‘I’m learning not to,’ she said.
‘This is my brother’s truck.’
Her jaw dropped in mock surprise. ‘So what was with the speech about judging a book by its cover?’
He chuckled.
‘So what do you drive?’
He stiffened again. Was outer appearance the only reason she agreed to come with him? A lot of women he dated did that. They cared about the name brands on cars and when they saw a suit and a high paying job, they also saw money. Working at the mall afforded him discounts. He couldn’t help but wonder if he saw dollar signs flashing in Molly’s eyes on their first date. A passing thought he had chosen to ignore at the time.
‘A sedan,’ he said, not naming the brand.
‘Practical,’ she said. ‘I had to sell my car when I left. I’m driving my nonno’s car around. I feel like I’ve been transported back in time.’
Nick ignored the sinking feeling of guilt in his stomach. She was just making conversation, so why did he feel the need to put up his walls? He hadn’t told her about his job or lifestyle. The truth rested on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t correct whatever judgment she made of him.
‘Did you get your tree from this place?’ he asked. ‘I saw it in the window.’
‘My mom did. She’s neurotic about getting her tree the moment Thanksgiving is over. She had a family friend go with her since I hadn’t come back home yet. My grandparents live with us now, so she is with them most of the time.’
‘That must be nice.’
‘It can be, but my family is a handful. I’m living in the guest room. It’s a lot different than California.’
‘Did you have a house out there?’
‘No, but a nice two-bedroom apartment.’
‘This must be a change.’
‘Oh yeah. Though I never thought I’d admit I like being home. After everything that happened, it’s comforting to have everything here not change much.’
‘Mind if I ask you what made you come back home?’
Angie sucked in her breath through her teeth. ‘I was dating this guy. It turned out he was engaged. I had no idea, of course,’ she said the last part quickly. ‘After Thanksgiving, he told me. Then my life snowballed from there. He happened to be my boss, as well. It was too awkward, so I left.’
A rock lodged in Nick’s throat. His instinct to keep his mouth shut was a good one. He wasn’t engaged or even in a relationship with someone else, but he could see how she would shy away from him if she knew he was technically her boss.
‘I picked up my life and came home,’ she continued. ‘It wasn’t how I imagined my holidays, but I’ve come to terms with my life. As you can see, that’s why I’m not so much into dating.’
‘I get it,’ Nick said.
‘What about you?’ she asked.
‘What about me?’
‘Where do you live? What do you do? My mom asked about you, and I was shocked to realize I don’t know all the details. I feel like a lousy person for being so self-absorbed every time we meet. I’m a mess.’
‘I don’t believe that. But I do live downtown with a wonderful girl named Charlie.’
‘You have a roommate?’ she hedged.
Nick smirked. ‘Sort of. She’s a golden retriever.’
Angie put her hand to her mouth. ‘Aw, that’s adorable. Do you have a picture of her?’
Nick handed over his phone. Their hands brushed, and Angie flicked a glance at him. Charlie’s face appeared on the background of the screen.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Angie said. ‘Growing up, I had a yellow Lab, Dawson. He was already older when I was born, so I didn’t have many years with him, but I’ve always wanted another dog.’
‘Your California lifestyle didn’t allow you to have pets?’
‘No way. I was too busy. It wouldn’t have been fair.’
Nick understood that. For months out of the year, he wasn’t fair to Charlie either. Mrs Wilson was his saving grace.
‘Eventually, though,’ she said. ‘I’m jealous of you. You seem to have it all together.’
Nick wasn’t sure about that. But before she could press about his job again, he pulled into the lot. There were already several cars parked and people milled around the designated Christmas tree area.
‘You have to try their hot chocolate. It’s amazing. At least, as I remember.’
‘Hot chocolate it is,’ Nick said, getting out of the car. He wanted to hold the door for her, but once again, Angie was already out. Her gloves were back on, and she zipped her coat to her chin as her breath fogged around her.
Angie brushed her hand over Nick’s. ‘You’re going to die when you drink this stuff.’
In the short conversations that they had shared, Angie had never seemed so excited about something before. It was as if the Christmas season had inspired her, and in turn, him. He’d never felt so alive until this moment. It both scared and thrilled him. He wanted to see the season through her eyes. For once, not worrying about monthly reports and numbers on how well the mall performed during the time. Wasn’t Christmas about loved ones and enjoying the holiday spirit?
Nick caught up with Angie, who waited in line for the hot chocolate. The cart boasted several types of desserts: cookies decorated as snowmen, Santas, and his reindeer; cupcakes, and various assorted pastries.
Excitement rolled off her in waves, and Nick couldn’t help his own buzzing energy.
When they reached the top of the line, Angie ordered two hot chocolates.
‘One of those snowmen cookies, too,’ Nick said.
The woman poured the hot chocolate and grabbed the cookie with a small slice of wax paper, handing it over with the cups. Nick grabbed them, but then realized he didn’t have enough hands to pay.
‘Here,’ Angie said, giving the woman money.
‘I was going to get that,’ Nick said as they walked away.
‘I owe you, remember?’
At that moment, Kevin’s Café seemed so long ago. ‘Fair enough.’
They wandered closer to the trees. ‘What kind are you looking for?’
‘Green,’ he said.
She lifted her gaze. ‘You’re hilarious.’
He dodged a swat from her. ‘I’m out of my element. I trust your opinion. Treat it as it’s your own.’
‘How tall are your ceilings?’ she asked.
‘Nine feet.’
‘Perfect.’
Nick watched Angie move through the trees as if she were about to pluck one of them for Santa’s house. More than once, she had the nursery worker pull a tree out for an inspection. Some were too thin, others too lopsided. They must have looked at more than a dozen. It might have been tedious work, but he enjoyed every minute. With his schedule, Christmas tended to pass quickly without him. The magic of the season was lost while he worked.
Angie made it come alive. All these years, he’d missed out this major decision of the holiday season. If his dad were there, he’d say Nick was getting a little too nostalgic. He didn’t think so. Not when Angie turned to him with the
biggest grin he’d ever seen.
‘What do you think?’ she asked, tilting her cup of hot chocolate in the direction of the tree in front of them before sipping from it.
‘It’s perfect,’ Nick said, looking at Angie.
‘We’ll take it,’ Angie said to the teen boy wearing a tattered knitted hat.
‘Your name?’ the teen asked.
‘Nick,’ he said.
‘You can pay and pick it up over there.’ He gestured toward a growing stack of wrapped trees closer to the main building and then shuffled away.
With the tree already wrapped in netting and closer to the checkout area, they could have left. Nick waited for Angie to suggest it since it was possible she didn’t want to spend too much time with him. She didn’t have to get to work for a while yet, but he expected her to want to go home as soon as they chose a tree.
‘Let’s split this,’ he said, cutting the snowman cookie in half.
‘Thank you.’ She bit into the cookie and closed her eyes while chewing. ‘So good.’
Nick took a bite too. He had avoided the platters of cookies and desserts which came through the break room since Thanksgiving. Today, he wanted to experience the Christmas season the way Angie did.
‘If I could ever eat my past, this is what it would taste like,’ Angie said. ‘My dad and I used to bring these cookies home after getting a tree. My mom would always get upset since she bakes like crazy around this time. It’s different here, though. It’s as if the atmosphere adds to the taste.’
She finished her cookie in two more bites, then sipped from the hot chocolate. ‘I wish I didn’t have to go to work today. I almost feel like sitting at home with a fire going and listening to Christmas music.’
Nick turned, wondering if she could see the lie in his eyes. Would a friend tell her to skip work, or let it slide as her not being serious?
‘Do you have ornaments?’ Angie asked, eyeing the small store across the lot.
‘I think so,’ Nick said, wondering if he’d need to take a trip to his mom’s house to check. When he moved into his apartment, he’d left a lot of his memories in boxes in the attic. Old yearbooks, photographs, and clothes collected dust up there. Since Molly hired people to decorate, Nick wondered if she had taken everything with her in the breakup.
Angie snorted a laugh. ‘How do you not know?’
‘Work is busy around this time of year,’ he admitted. ‘I needed help finding a tree, remember?’
‘That’s true.’
‘I’m sure my mother will let me borrow some,’ Nick said.
‘We have extras too — a whole untouched box. My mom goes crazy at the end of holiday sales every year. You can borrow some if you’d like.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely,’ she said. ‘But I think you should get at least one to start your own collection.’
Angie took his hand and pulled him toward the store. Inside, several families and couples moved between the narrow aisles, admiring the hand-crafted ornaments and decorations hanging from the walls and resting on carved wooden shelves. Nick admired the design as something that could have come from David’s workshop.
‘Do you like anything here?’ She stood close enough to him that her hair spilled over his arm.
‘This one,’ Nick said, pulling a carved teddy bear ornament from the shelf. ‘I think my nephews would like this.’
‘Those are adorable,’ Angie said, picking up a matching one. ‘How old are your nephews?’
‘Six. Twins.’
‘I bet they love their Uncle Nick.’
‘I think they like Charlie more than me.’
‘Well, this is incredibly thoughtful. How about something for your tree?’
Nick wandered the aisles behind Angie. She pointed out several items for Nick, but none of them were quite right. Between his mother’s collection and Angie’s, he could fill the branches of the trees. But now he was on a mission to find a piece of his own. In a way, he wanted to break off from his normal routine. His dad had stopped decorating for Christmas when Nick and David were young. Now, his mother did it all on her own. It wasn’t fair to her.
‘I love this one,’ Angie said, holding up a glass snowflake.
‘That’s pretty.’
‘It reminds me of the ornaments my nonna used to have on her tree. I was the only one allowed to touch them since they were all so delicate.’
Angie’s expression was wistful, and the world fell away for a moment. She set it down and shuffled to the next shelf. Nick glanced at the snowflake before following her. He wasn’t going to go all out with decorations, but he wanted to experience more of the season which joined families and new friends together.
‘This is the perfect one.’ Angie rushed toward the other side of the aisle. When she turned around, she held a string pinched between her fingers. A replica of a golden retriever slowly turned in the air between them. The figure looked like Charlie did during their runs. The pleased expression on the dog’s face warmed Nick’s heart.
He took it in his hands. ‘This is perfect. Thank you, Angie.’
They locked eyes, and for a moment, the entire world disappeared around him – until a young boy thundered down the aisle, pushing against Nick’s legs. He pitched forward, bumping into Angie. Her mouth fell open with surprise as the dog ornament fell from her hands.
Nick caught it and used his other hand to balance himself before he could take her down.
‘Good catch,’ Angie said, drawing in a deep breath.
‘So sorry,’ a woman said as she chased after her son.
Nick didn’t mind the intrusion, as it revealed a little more about Angie in the process. It seemed as if she didn’t mind being closer to him, and neither did he.
Chapter 9
The ride home from the nursery seemed quicker than the trip there. While Angie had been apprehensive about going out with a stranger, there was something about Nick that seemed familiar and comfortable. Their time together passed so quickly, and in a way, she hoped he would ask to see her again. Angie wasn’t ready to date, but she wanted to spend time with him.
On the way home, Angie texted her mom to ask if she was okay to let Nick borrow the decorations. She didn’t want the Charlie-ornament to be the only one on the tree. As apprehensive as she was this morning, there was no avoiding her mother meeting Nick.
When they arrived in the driveway, the front door opened, revealing Maria holding a box in front of her.
‘I’m going to apologize in advance,’ Angie said. ‘She can be a little much.’
‘I’m sure it’s not that bad. Besides, you’re doing me a favor.’
Angie wondered whether to tell Nick to stay in the car, but she didn’t want him to think she was hiding anything from him. However, she wasn’t ready to face her mom’s conclusion about Angie going out with a man on any sort of date.
‘You’ve been warned.’ Angie trudged up the driveway with Nick on her heels. She was aware of him next to her and how it must look to her mother.
Maria placed the box on the small table next to the rocking chairs and leaned against the door frame.
The curtains behind the front window moved, and Angie spied Emilia’s curious gaze before they moved again to conceal her. At that moment, she regretted so many life choices.
‘Mom, this is Nick,’ Angie said.
‘Come in, come in,’ Maria said, waving them inside.
‘Ma, I need to get ready for work.’
‘You can wait five minutes,’ Maria said. ‘You don’t need to be there for another hour.’
Angie shot Nick an apologetic look, but his smile remained. She hoped he wasn’t ready to flee as well. As much as her family embarrassed her, she loved them dearly and protected them fiercely.
The shower ran from the bathroom, so at least Nick only had to deal with her Mom and Emilia.
‘Nonna, this is Nick. I helped him pick out a Christmas tree this morning,’ Angie said.
‘Sit,’ Maria demanded with a smile.
Angie and Nick sat on the couch, bumping elbows.
‘Did you get the hot chocolate?’ Emilia asked. ‘That was always little Angela’s favorite part. She used to have the cutest chocolate mustache when she finished. And the cookies. This girl was a chubby one.’
Angie squeezed her eyes shut, wondering when it would be over.
‘We did,’ Nick said. ‘She also helped me pick out an ornament for the tree. I hate to admit I haven’t done much decorating this year. Unlike you.’ He peered around the room.
Angie felt the room close in around her as they talked. The clutter seemed too much and over the top.
‘Thanks for letting me borrow some decorations. I’ll treat them as my own,’ Nick said.
Maria walked from the kitchen with a wrapped plate of cookies. Her mother handed them out to everyone she met. ‘Speaking of cookies. I know you’ll want to take some home to your family. Do you have your own place?’
‘Ma,’ Angie warned.
Nick chuckled, leaning back against the couch as if he could stay there forever. ‘Yes, it’s just me and Charlie, my dog.’
‘Single, huh?’ Maria said, winking at Angie.
There was no way Nick missed that look. Angie tried to develop telepathy at that moment to tell her mother to rein it back.
‘Better get that tree home and into some water,’ Angie said to Nick.
‘You’re right.’ Nick reached for the cookie tray. ‘Thanks so much Mrs. Martinelli. I appreciate the ornaments and cookies.’
‘Hopefully, we’ll see you again soon,’ Maria said.
Angie shuffled Nick from the room and onto the porch.
‘Let me take those,’ Angie said.
Nick handed over the cookies and lifted the box. ‘This is heavier than I expected.’
‘We have enough decorations to fill Bloomfield’s,’ Angie said, laughing. ‘Sorry about that in there.’
‘About what? Your family is nice.’
‘And a little preoccupied with my life,’ she muttered under her breath. She didn’t want Nick to think she had spoken to her family about him. She wanted to be friends but knew he was interested. The morning washed over her, and she started to picture what future outings would be like with him.
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