by Krista Lakes
“Oh... um...” Molly stumbled when it came to explaining why Santa was different this year, not being prepared for the children to catch on so quick. At least Liam hadn't realized it was Nicholas yet.
Nicholas motioned Liam closer. “You’re right, young man! My, how sharp you are!” He then lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Would you like to know a Christmas secret? Would you be able to keep it?”
Liam gave an enthusiastic nod as he leaned closer to Nicholas. “I can keep a secret! I promise!”
“I’m actually Santa’s son. I came here from the North Pole last night. There was an emergency with one of Santa’s sleighs. It looks like it’ll be too foggy on Christmas Eve for Santa to be able to fly his sleigh through the night...” Nicholas brought a hand to his chin, as he ran his fingers through his faux beard. “Do you know anyone who might be able to help fly Santa’s sleigh? On such a foggy night?”
“Rudolph!” Liam’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Rudolph could help Santa with his sleigh!”
“Of course! Of course! Of course!” Nicholas hit his own forehead with the bottom of his palm. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Liam was giggling now, beaming up at Santa.
Nicholas gave him a twinkling smile. “Now, little Liam, what’s your wish for this Christmas? Tell me fast, before the magic disappears!”
Liam leaned closer to Nicholas, too close for Molly to be able to hear Liam’s Christmas wish for the season.
When Liam was finished, he jumped off Santa’s lap. “Bye, Mr. Santa’s son! Bye, Mrs. Claus! Merry Christmas!”
Molly and Nicholas both wished Liam ‘Merry Christmas’ at the same time before Molly took a step closer to Nicholas’ side.
“How did you do that?” Molly asked, putting her hand on the back of Nicholas’ chair. “It was almost like you practiced.”
Nicholas shrugged. “It’s not really that hard, is it? Anyone can do this job, can’t they?”
“No. No they can't,” Molly informed him. She was amazed at Nicholas’ nonchalance about his excellent Santa Claus skills. “I’ve seen Santas completely freeze up. I’ve even seen a few forget to put their beards on. They ruined Christmas for everybody. But you're not missing a beat. You are very definitely Santa's son.”
Nicholas laughed, doing his best Santa impersonation. It was actually pretty good and she could hear the rest of the town’s children making their way to the Meet Santa line, all restless and waiting to share their Christmas wishes.
“Okay. Get ready, Mr. Claus. It’s showtime,” Molly said, patting Nicholas on the shoulder before taking her place beside him.
“Don’t worry about me, Mrs. Claus. Looks like I’m a natural.” Nicholas grinned up at Molly, before he gave a child a cheerful wave, encouraging them to come sit on his waiting lap.
* * *
“You two looked really cozy walking into the town square.” Hannah said, grinning over at Molly as she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. “Anything you want to tell me about you and Mr. Kerstman?”
“No, but thanks for asking.” Molly intertwined her fingers before setting them down on the counter of Sweetness & Light. “How’s the BakeTown stuff coming?”
“It’s... coming.” Hannah’s answer sounded hesitant as her hand gripped onto her coffee cup a little bit harder. “I’ll have to get all the food going pretty soon, but it should be ready by Christmas morning.”
“So, superstar, what happens after they show off Sweetness & Light on TV? Do you get your own cookbook deal or what?” Molly asked.
“Actually...” Hannah paused and tilted her head to the side. “If everything goes just right, I might be moving to New York.”
Molly set down her coffee cup. It was the only sound in the bakery. She tried to keep the fear and displeasure out of her voice. “New York? Hannah, what are you talking about?”
“I didn’t want to tell you. I didn’t want to tell anybody. I get so nervous talking about it.” Hannah’s tone seemed flustered, her hands going to cover the sides of her face. “It’s such a long-shot, it doesn’t even matter. But if the producers like me, if they like my personality and all-that, they mentioned that it might be possible for me to host my own show. Like on real TV.”
“Okay...” Molly tried to cover her lack of enthusiasm at the idea of Hannah moving so far away. “But what happens to Sweetness & Light?”
“It’ll still be open. You remember my sister, right? The one who lives in San Francisco?” Hannah asked, moving around the kitchen with nervous energy. “She said if everything worked out, she’d move out here, no problem. She and her husband have been looking for a more affordable place to live anyway, and this way she’s guaranteed a job and guaranteed an amazing teacher for her little twin boys.”
Hannah nodded towards Molly at the mention of the phrase amazing teacher, but Molly ignored her friend’s compliment, choosing not to react, at all.
Hannah then took in a deep sigh before she leaned onto the counter with her elbows. “Molly Carmichael.”
“Yes?” Molly’s voice was devoid of any sweetness or light.
“You’d be happy for me, wouldn’t you? If I was offered a chance to have my own show in New York?” Hannah asked, trying to catch Molly's eye.
Molly sighed, trying to fight back the sadness growing inside. She didn't want to lose her best friend.“You know I want you to have the whole entire world. Even if it means I won’t see you so much, anymore. You deserve everything. You’ve worked so, so hard for it.”
“Thank you for saying that. Even if you don’t really mean it,” Hannah told her, smiling to take any sting from her words. “And please. You’d still see me all the time. New York’s just a plane ride away. It’s not like I’m moving to New Zealand.”
“Not yet.” Molly sighed with a dramatic flair.
Hannah broke out into a laugh. “You’re so ridiculous, sometimes, I swear.”
“Not as ridiculous as—” Molly’s response was interrupted by a chiming at the front door.
“Oh, sorry! I forgot to lock it. We’re closed,” Hannah called out, but when she saw who it was she just grinned. “Actually, you know what, Mr. Kerstman? We can stay open a few more minutes, just for you.”
“Mr. Kerstman...” Molly wasn't sure if Hannah meant the younger or older Mr. Kerstman. She knew which one she wanted to see, though. She turned quickly and grinned when she saw it was Nicholas walking up to the counter. He had changed out of the Santa Claus costume and he now wore what looked to be a designer suit. She'd liked him in the Santa suit, but this was so much better. He looked good.
He took a seat beside Molly before placing a fist under his chin. “And so we meet again, Ms. Molly.”
“And so we meet again.” Molly couldn’t help but smile back at Nicholas.
Why couldn’t she help but smile? Why was her heart fluttering and insides turning to liquidy mush?
“Nice suit. What’s the occasion?” Molly asked, taking a sip of her drink.
“I had a Skype meeting with a client and a follow up with my assistant back in Manhattan,” Nicholas replied, glancing down at his outfit. “It was mostly just normal operations.”
“That sounds... um...” Molly struggled to come up with something nice to say about how boring Nicholas’ work-life seemed in that moment.
“Boring? You can say it. You won’t hurt my feelings.” Nicholas chuckled. “But boring pays the bills.”
Molly couldn't argue with that.
Hannah cleared her throat. “Can I make you some coffee? I'll make it just the way you like it. Americano, right? Nothing sweet? Nothing creamy? Nothing delicious?”
He grinned at her. “Nothing delicious? Sounds perfect.”
Hannah winked at Molly before she quickly made him his cup of espresso and hot water and then disappeared into the back, claiming she had to check some baking. Molly knew she was just giving them alone time.
“Hey, you had fun today, right?” Molly asked Nicholas, turni
ng toward him.
“Why are you always asking me about how much fun I’m having?” Nicholas asked, taking a sip of his Americano and sighing with pleasure. “Is that a teacher thing?”
Molly smiled to herself as she thought back on that pivotal, online article. “Sort of, yeah,” Molly replied. She turned her smile to Nicholas. “So, would you say you had fun?”
Nicholas thought for a moment and then nodded. “I did. Surprisingly.”
“Good,” Molly said, feeling like her plan might actually work. She just needed to be careful not to get distracted by him and his handsome suit. “I’m happy you had fun.”
Hannah returned from the back room and tapped her watch. “Okay, that’s the last coffee for the night. I’ve really got to close up shop so I can prep for tomorrow. You two don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
She picked up a cloth and started wiping down counters and turning off lights, making it very clear they needed to leave.
“Maybe we can head to the park?” Molly offered, getting to her feet. She didn't want to go home yet. She didn't want Nicholas to go home. “I mean, if you wanted to. You can always head back to your rental—”
“No!” Nicholas’ reply was forceful, before he coughed behind his hand. “I mean, the park sounds great.”
“Okay.” Molly suddenly felt breathless and giddy.
“Okay.” Nicholas grinned at her, but neither one of them moved. They just stood looking at one another, breathing hard.
“Are you two for real?” Hannah scoffed. She rolled her eyes before moving her hands in a shooing motion. “Get out of my bakery. This place is sappy enough.”
Molly laughed as she turned away from Hannah’s counter, hoping that Nicholas didn't see through her as easily as Hannah did.
She wanted him to think she was as cool as he was.
Chapter 20
Molly
Nicholas and Molly sat side by side on a bench, right on the edge of the relatively empty park. They watched as a few teenagers hung out near the back of a pick-up truck, clamoring with shared laughter from time to time.
Their breath rose like dragon's breath as they sat with their cups and talked. Molly almost wished she hadn't worn a warm jacket so she could steal his again. She liked having the scent of him wrapped around her.
Molly’s mind wandered back to when she and Hannah used to hang out in the park between classes, often trying to glean information from each other’s scribbled notes, while eating out of the same family sized bag of chips they’d been working on for a week straight. She'd loved those times with Hannah.
“What’s wrong?” Nicholas asked, scooting a bit closer to Molly on the bench, his eyes looking down at her with concern. “You’re so quiet.”
“Nothing,” Molly lied. She looked up into his hazel eyes and sighed. “Well, something. Hannah might be moving to New York soon.”
“Really? Good for Hannah,” he replied, taking a sip of coffee.
“Good for Hannah. Not-so-good for me,” Molly said. She looked down at the Sweetness & Light to-go cup and sighed. “It’s not like I don’t have other friends, but Hannah was the first friend I ever made here. She's my best friend. The idea of her not being here anymore feels...”
“Wrong?” Nicholas suggested the word before he wrapped his arm around Molly’s shoulder. He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Like something just won’t be right if she moves away?”
“Am I being dumb?” Molly asked. “You can tell me if I’m being dumb.”
“No, you’re not being dumb,” he said gently. He pulled her closer to him and she didn't resist. “You’re being sentimental.”
“See, the way you say sentimental feels like you’re using it as a fancy way of saying ‘dumb,’” she told him, glaring up at him.
“You’re not being dumb, Molly,” he said softly. Nicholas gazed down at her. “And I think there’s something sweet about how sentimental you are. I lost touch with that part of myself. I think it's from moving around so much when I was a kid. All that moving made it hard to connect too much with people. I didn’t really see the point of connecting. I was just always waiting for the next move.”
“Your parents moved around a lot?” Molly asked. It was hard to see Mr. and Mrs. Kerstman living anywhere but here, since that's how she'd always known them. She realized she didn't actually know much about them from before they owned the shop.
Nicholas nodded. “My mother had the opportunity to teach abroad when I was younger. We spent a semester or two in London, some time in France.”
“Oh. France doesn’t sound so bad,” Molly said with a smile. “I’ve really only been to New York and here. Well, and one disastrous trip to L.A.”
“A disastrous trip to L.A.?” Nicholas asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I don't really want to talk about it,” she told him. “Disastrous, remember? I didn't really stay long enough to get a feel for the city, though. I haven't really been anywhere.”
“Really? No magical, whirlwind romances overseas? You seem like the type,” Nicholas told her with a smile.
“I’ve only had one big romance, really, and it wasn’t so much a whirlwind. More like a very long train ride to nowhere. It had just been driving around in a loop for five years.” Molly admitted, before blowing out a breath.
“What happened?” Nicholas asked. He swallowed hard.
“Remember that disastrous trip to L.A?” Molly grimaced, closing her eyes. “Roger Freeman happened. We dated all throughout college. I thought we were going to get married. He got a job out in Los Angeles after graduation, and I got my job here. I didn’t mind when he moved so far away, because I thought he loved me.”
Nicholas made a non-committal noise that he was listening.
“But... it turned out that he loved L.A. more than he’d ever loved me,” she said, hoping that explained it well enough. She didn't want to go into the lurid details. Airing that dirty laundry never helped anyone.
“You haven’t dated anyone since then?”
“A little, but never anything as serious. Never anyone I saw myself with long term,” she said with a shrug. “It’s hard, you know? Building up that trust again. It’s not that I don’t want to be with someone, it’s just that—”
“You don’t want to get hurt.” Nicholas shifted closer to Molly. “But you shouldn’t be worried about that, Molly. That won't happen with the right person.”
She smiled sadly and shrugged. She liked him sitting close to her. He was warm and his arm around her felt good. Too good. She needed to get off the topic of her love life.
“And what about you? You ever get your heart broken?” Molly asked.
“Yes.” Nicholas’ answer was straight to the point. “I just don’t make a big deal about it.”
Molly's mouth dropped open. She knew Nicholas could be blunt, but that felt a bit harsh.
Nicholas then gave Molly a huge grin and her shoulder a nudge, telling her he was teasing her. She started to laugh. “Are you trying to say that I’m being dramatic, Nicholas?”
“Not dramatic. Sentimental,” Nicholas corrected. “Also, do you know what Roger Freeman’s up to, these days? I’d like to get his contact information.”
“Why?” she asked.
“So that I can tell him that he’s the dumbest man alive,” Nicholas replied, shaking his head. “And if not the dumbest, then he’s easily in the Top Five.”
“Oh yeah, easily,” Molly agreed, leaning into Nicholas’ side. “Speaking of men who fall in love with cities, what made you fall in love with New York City?”
“It’s not so much that I’m in love with the city. It’s just the place where business happens,” he explained. “If I ever want to expand my operation, Manhattan’s the perfect place to be. Of course, I could really run Kerstman Enterprises from any major city with a 5G connection and decent espresso.”
“You and your coffee,” Molly said with a giggle, pointing to the cup in his hand. “How do you ever sleep w
ith all that caffeine?”
“I'm not really sure,” he said with a laugh. “And you, Ms. Molly? What made you fall in love with this little town?”
“It feels like home,” Molly said, but that didn't feel like it explained things well enough. “I love it here. I teach here. I'm on all sorts of town committees. I'm part of the community here. It's not just the town or Christmas Wishes that keeps me here. It's the people.”
“Do you think you could be happy living somewhere else?” He took a sip of coffee, looking straight ahead.
“I don’t know. Maybe? It would be hard. I guess I’d have to see,” Molly answered with a doubtful shrug. “Anything’s possible.”
“Yeah, anything’s possible, especially at Christmas,” Nicholas agreed with a grin.
“Especially at Christmas,” Molly repeated. “Even Nicholas Kerstman enjoying it.”
She stuck out her tongue at him.
“So graceful. So mature,” he said with a sigh and a straight face.
“I try my best, Nicholas. I try my best,” Molly replied. She then made another silly face and this time Nicholas’ laughter rang out throughout the night.
Chapter 21
Nicholas
Nicholas and Molly had been working side-by-side at Christmas Wishes all morning. Nicholas noted that their collaborative workflow seemed to improve with more time spent together. They now took count of inventory, wrapped up the remaining gifts in the store and kept a watchful eye on Liam with relative ease.
Earlier, Molly had mentioned that both of their parents would be coming back into town today, although she wasn’t sure of the time since they had to switch their flights due to the previous snowstorm.
At first, Nicholas felt the familiar pang of worry that comes with having to introduce someone to his parents, whether it be a co-worker, a friend or a certain Head Elf he’d found himself quite fond of.
But then he recalled that Molly had known his parents for years, which meant that she was aware of their oddities and possibly even liked them all the more for it. Plus, he knew they already liked her. It was nice not to have the stress of it.