Christmas Wishes: A Small Town Christmas Love Story

by Krista Lakes

  The idea that she might be hiding from him made him feel a little sick to his stomach.

  And then, a thought flashed across Nicholas’ mind.

  It was Christmas.

  Of course, it was Christmas!

  Molly wouldn’t be all alone in her apartment today. She’d be with her family, drinking hot chocolate, sitting around the Christmas tree opening presents.

  Nicholas took a few seconds to pull up the Christmas Wishes’ employee files on his phone, hoping that fate wouldn't let him down yet. Luke had begun the legwork of making all of the store’s information accessible through an online portal, just requiring Nicholas’ log-in and password.

  Nicholas was able to find Molly’s original home address, the one before she’d moved to her apartment in town.

  Just being able to locate that information, Nicholas thought, was another in a series of wild coincidences, since there was no valid reason for Molly’s previous home address to still be listed in her employee records.

  And yet, there it was.

  He put the Carmichaels’ home address into his GPS and began running in the direction his phone advised him to go.

  Once he’d arrived at the Carmichael household, exhausted and breathless, Nicholas knocked like a madman on their front door. He waited impatiently, his chest heaving for breath, for someone to respond to his desperate knocks.

  “Hello—Oh! Nicholas!” It was Mrs. Carmichael and she offered Nicholas a huge smile. “Merry Christmas. I thought you’d already left town by now.”

  “Merry Christmas. Where’s Molly?” Nicholas tried to feign an interest in exchanging holiday greetings, but he couldn’t hold himself back much longer. “Please tell me she’s inside?”

  “Oh, not right now,” she told him. “She’s at Hannah’s event- the one for BakeTown.”

  “Right.” Nicholas nodded, turning to run away from the door.

  But before he could make it very far, Mrs. Carmichael caught his arm. She looked sternly at him, her eyes so similar to Molly's that it made his breath catch. “Nicholas Kerstman, what your intentions are for my daughter?”

  “My intentions?” Nicholas struggled to focus on her question, his mind still trying to calculate the fastest route to Sweetness & Light.

  “You’ve got that look in your eye, like you’re about to propose,” Mrs. Carmichael informed him. Her face was still stern. “If there’s a ring in your pocket, it’d be better if you came inside and had a chat with her father first.”

  “I’m not about to propose...” Nicholas hesitated to complete his thoughts out loud. “But I am about to ask her if she loves me.”

  “And what happens if she says yes?”

  Nicholas’ face brightened. “Everything. Everything happens if she says yes.”

  “Then, I hope everything happens for you, Nicholas. I hope everything happens for you both.” Mrs. Carmichael let go of his arm and smiled fondly at him. “I think you’ll make a good son-in-law, too. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Carmichael.”

  “Go on, then, go get your girl. And don’t wait too long to propose. I’m ready for grandchildren!” Mrs. Carmichael finished off her demand with the soft closing of her door, and within seconds, Nicholas was right back to running through the town’s streets.

  * * *

  Nicholas made it to Sweetness & Light only to realize that they seemed to be closed for the day. The lights were off and no one was inside.

  He thought this was odd since he’d imagined that there’d at least be a film crew, or a few cameras set up insides its doors. But there was nothing. He peered through the window, his nose pressed to the glass.

  A gentle pat on his back pulled him out of his thoughts. “Hey! I know you, right? You’re with our production team out of Chicago?”

  “What? No.” Nicholas turned to face the stranger.

  “Really? You’ve never worked on one of our sets, before? Geez. The resemblance is uncanny. Hold on, let me get out a picture. I’ll show you who you look like—”

  “Where’s Hannah Johnson?” Nicholas asked, knowing that if he found Hannah, he'd find Molly.

  “Who?” The stranger seemed confused by the question, and they scrunched up their face in response. “Sounds familiar, though. Does she work on our L.A. set?”

  “BakeTown! Where are they filming for BakeTown?” Nicholas asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

  This time, the stranger nodded. “They’re filming in the town square, today, my dude. They had a bit of a problem with the lighting. If you’re a big Mr. Tony fan, today’s the day to get that autograph. Guy seems to be in a better mood than the usual—”

  “Thank you! Thank you!” Nicholas shook the stranger’s shoulders in thanks and took off down the pavement, running as fast as his tired legs could take him toward the town square.

  “No problem!” The stranger called back after Nicholas. “Just save a spot for me in Chicago!”

  Chapter 37

  Nicholas

  When Nicholas arrived at the town square the place was packed.

  He was stuck near the back of the crowd as a man on stage, who Nicholas presumed to be Mr. Tony, presented another appetizing dish with Hannah at his side.

  “And what Christmas dish is this, Ms. Johnson? Oh wow, it smells out of this world!” Mr. Tony waved a hand across the dish before he pulled away the foil to reveal a large cooked turkey.

  Nicholas only vaguely paid attention to the show, his attention on finding Molly. He wasn't sure how he was going to find her in this large of a crowd, but he wasn't about to give up now.

  “It’s not so out of this world, Mr. Tony. It’s actually an earth bird,” Hannah replied with a wink at her co-host, adjusting the bird to better show it off to the camera. “This is one of my favorite Christmas dishes. It’s roast turkey, flavored with lemon and garlic. I know some people watching at home think that turkeys are just for Thanksgiving—”

  “Yeah, because they’ve never had a slice of this! I can already tell, one piece of this earth bird and you’ll be up in heaven,” Mr. Tony announced, beginning to carve the turkey. “Does anybody in the audience want to try a slice? How about you, there, ma’am?”

  At first, Nicholas couldn’t see who Mr. Tony was nodding towards. He stood up on his toes, his height letting him see over the crowd. Nicholas’ eyes lit up when Molly stepped onto the stage, her hands reaching for the offered turkey plate.

  He'd found her.

  “Okay, take a bite of that and tell us what you think,” Mr. Tony said, keeping a watchful eye on Molly’s expression. “Tell us the truth! First impression, go!”

  Molly brought the slice of turkey to her mouth with the provided fork, chewed, and she soon released a pleased moan. “Oh my gosh. Hannah, this is unreal. This turkey is so good! It doesn’t even need any gravy or anything!”

  Mr. Tony turned to give Hannah an over-exaggerated high five. “Christmas dinner, folks! Ms. Johnson nailed it!”

  Mr. Tony then turned to face the crowd, offering everyone two thumbs up. “Didn’t she nail it? Let’s hear it! Show Ms. Hannah Johnson some love! Show Sweetness & Light some love!”

  The crowd thundered applause. Nicholas clapped as well, but his attention was entirely on Molly.

  “Well, that about wraps up our Christmas here in BakeTown, USA,” Mr. Tony said into a camera. “Ms. Johnson, would you mind giving us a final rundown of all of these lovely dishes you made here for us, today?”

  Hannah spoke into the mic, detailing the simplicity of her recipes and going over their ingredients for a final time. Nicholas moved towards the front of the stage, carefully working his way around people watching the show.

  He’d managed to make his way through the entire crowd, which was a feat he didn’t even think was possible a few minutes ago. Yet, he'd been able to find a clear path, leading him right up to Molly Carmichael.

  When Nicholas got up on the stage, he had no idea what to do next. A
ll he knew was that his hands were shaking with nerves, his mouth had gone dry, and neither one of those things had anything to do with the cameras nor the crowd.

  It was Molly having this effect on him. She could turn him down, reject him. He was about to put his heart on the line and offer to give up everything to be with her.

  “Nicholas, what are you doing?” Molly’s eyes went big as she saw him. She glanced around the stage. “I thought you were already gone.”

  “Sir? Do you want some turkey, too?” Mr. Tony asked, looking at the strange person now walking up on his stage.

  “I was. I was gone, but then my car broke down—” he started to explain. Nicholas looked over at Hannah, offering her an apologetic shrug. “I’m so sorry for doing it like this, Hannah. I really don’t know what came over me but—”

  “Oh, no, no, no. Don’t apologize to Ms. Johnson. Surprise proposals are great for holiday ratings!” Mr. Tony motioned for the nearest cameras to keep rolling. “Keep your eyes on BakeTown, USA, folks! Where anything and everything can happen!”

  “Wait, wait. It’s not a proposal. I just wanted to say something,” Nicholas told him, reaching out for Molly’s hands, holding them with his own. “Molly Carmichael, these past two weeks with you have been amazing. Unbelievable. Magical. Fun. So much fun. And just... perfect.”

  Nicholas heard a few people in the crowd make an aww sound.

  “And I know this is a crazy thing to say, but uh...” Nicholas stumbled over his phrase. He found Molly's eyes and his mouth found the words easily. “Molly, I love you. I love you, and I’m sorry if I realized that too late. But I love you, and I want this to work, for however long it works, because when I think about getting back in my car and heading back to Manhattan, when I think about heading anywhere without you, it breaks my heart.”

  “Do you think she’s gonna say yes?” whispered someone in the crowd.

  “Oh my gosh! She better say yes!” another person replied. “What a great proposal!”

  “Not a proposal. It’s not a proposal!” Nicholas yelled to the crowd. He returned his focus to Molly. “Molly, all you have to do is say the word. All you have to do is tell me that you either want something with me or you don’t, and if you don’t, then I’ll go back to Manhattan with a broken heart, but I had to know. I had to try. Not trying for you would’ve made me the dumbest man in the entire world.”

  “Dumbest man in the entire world...” Molly repeated Nicholas’ words, a slow smile growing on her face. “Do you think it would’ve easily put you in the top five?”

  Nicholas smiled right back at Molly, his heart starting to hope. “Is that really all you have to say to me right now, Ms. Molly?”

  “No, there’s more.” Molly took a step closer to Nicholas. She looked up into his eyes now, and he into hers. They were so dark and beautiful. He felt like he could drown in those eyes and die a happy man. “How do I know you really mean it, Nicholas? What’s to stop you from getting on the first plane out of here in the morning? There’s nothing keeping you here, besides me, and you might get tired of me by the time New Year’s Eve rolls around.”

  “Molly, do you love me?” Nicholas whispered, his voice suddenly failing him. “Do you love me, too?”

  “Yes.” Molly’s response came out soft, her face stoic. “Yes, Nicholas Kerstman, I’m in love with you. I love you, too.”

  “Alright then,” he said with a grin.

  “Alright then?” Molly shook her head. “Nicholas, what is that supposed to mean—”

  Nicholas didn’t respond to Molly. Instead, he reached for the sales documents for Christmas Wishes tucked away in the pocket of his jacket. He placed them down on the table in front of him, reached for the turkey gravy, and proceeded to ruin the documents by pouring the gravy right onto the pages.

  Nicholas then grabbed onto a bowl of Hannah's special cranberry sauce and dumped that all over the documents, too.

  “What was that? What just happened?” Mr. Tony asked, moving closer to Nicholas and pointing at the mess on the table. “Was that symbolic? Or?”

  Nicholas now remembered that there were cameras everywhere. He'd forgotten them completely.

  “Oh, right. Um, to the viewers at home—” Nicholas waved a hand at the nearest camera. “Before I fell in love with this woman, right here, I’d decided to sell the rights to my family’s Christmas store to the highest bidder. I would’ve received a million dollars, which would’ve bought me out of the company.”

  “And are those the papers for the sale?” Mr. Tony asked, his voice quivering with excitement. “Sir, are you saying that you’re giving up ONE MILLION DOLLARS just to be with this woman right there?”

  Nicholas nodded, his heart light as he knew he was making the right decision. “Money’s really not worth all that much, is it?”

  “Money’s really not worth all that much...” Mr. Tony repeated Nicholas’ words with awe, a grin taking over his entire face. “Ladies and gentlemen of BakeTown! Here you have it! A man in love!”

  The crowd went wild with applause, but Nicholas couldn’t care less what the audience thought of him.

  Once more, he found himself focused on the opinion of one Molly Carmichael. His heart stalled in his chest as he waited for her to respond to his gesture.

  “Molly.” Nicholas stepped closer towards her, reaching out for her waist. “Is it alright if I stay? For a few more days?”

  “You can stay for a few more days. You could stay forever if you wanted,” she told him, her hands coming to rest on his chest. “Whatever works best for your schedule, Mr. Kerstman.”

  “Forever, huh? Yeah, I’ll definitely have to check in with Luke about that,” Nicholas said with a grin. And then he kissed her.

  The watching crowd went into a frenzy, with cheers and hollers creating an almost deafening roar in the middle of the town square.

  “You getting this? Tell me you’re getting this!” Mr. Tony pointed at a few cameras before he directed a finger back at Nicholas and Molly. “This is Christmas TV gold, baby!”

  “I was right! Oh my gosh! I was right!” Hannah was jumping up and down on the stage. “I knew I was right! I knew it! I knew it! You two are totally getting married! I totally called it!”

  Molly pulled away from their kiss, now looking up at Nicholas with a happy, dazed expression. “Wait. Are you seriously going to turn down a million dollars just to be with me? That sounds like a bad business decision.”

  “Well, one man’s bad business decision is another man’s good life decision,” he replied. “And you, Molly Carmichael, are an amazing life decision.”

  “What? Nicholas, that didn’t really make any sense.” She shook her head, smiling at him.

  “I know, I know it didn’t make any sense. Give me a break. I’m still recovering from my impromptu 5K run through town,” he told her. There was a cramp already forming in his left thigh. “I probably won’t be able to move in the morning, either. I didn’t stretch at all before I took off. And I left Luke there, all by himself, in the middle of the road—”

  “I’m happy you came back for me,” Molly interrupted him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek “Even if it costs you a million bucks.”

  “It would’ve cost me even more to not come back for you, Ms. Molly. And that wasn’t a price that I was willing to pay.” Nicholas tipped his head to kiss Molly again, but this time he felt Mr. Tony prodding him with a finger to his back.

  “Hey! Lay off the kissing! We have families watching this channel, too!”

  “Right, right.” Nicholas held onto Molly’s hand, moving them both to the side of the stage. “I keep forgetting we’re on TV. I didn’t exactly plan for our first ‘I love yous’ to be televised.”

  “Yeah, but at least this way, you can’t take it back.” Molly stuck out her tongue at him, but happily followed Nicholas’ off the stage.

  “Oh, I’m never going to take it back. You’re going to have to put up with me for a very, very,
very long time,” Nicholas told her, pulling Molly to him in the shadow of the stage.

  “I bet you five bucks you get tired of me before I get tired of you,” Molly said with a grin.

  “Five bucks? You think I have five bucks to spare right now?” he asked, waving a hand in the air. “Ms. Molly, I just lost one million dollars. Please, have mercy on my bank account.”

  Molly’s laughter floated through the air, and she wrapped her arms around his neck again, gazing up at him with love in her eyes. “I really do love you, Nicholas Kerstman.”

  “And I really love you, too, Molly Carmichael.”

  And he kissed her.

  Epilogue

  2 years later...

  It was going to be the best Christmas ever.

  Three days before Christmas and Nicholas couldn't think of a time he'd been happier. Last year, he'd married Molly on Christmas Eve. This year, he hoped they could just enjoy their Christmas together in their new home. They'd purchased the small house in town that Molly had always secretly loved. Things were going exactly to plan.

  Nicholas hoped for a quiet Christmas this year, and it looked like he might get it.

  “I can't believe you ate that,” Nicholas said, glancing over at his wife and shaking his head. “Two breakfast hot dogs. Where did you even come up with the idea for them?”

  Molly shrugged and carefully avoided a patch of ice on the sidewalk. The sidewalks on their way to Sweetness & Light for their daily coffee were well shoveled, but winter always made things slippery. Once they had their coffee, they would head into work at Christmas Wishes for the last few days of the Christmas season.

  “It sounded good,” Molly told him. “Eggs, hot dog, bun, peanut butter, and jam.” She shrugged again. “It tasted amazing.”

  “You had me until the peanut butter and jam,” Nicholas replied, making a disgusted face. “I'll take our regular breakfast burritos any day.”

  “Your loss,” Molly said, pulling open the door to Sweetness & Light. The shop smelled of cinnamon rolls, baked bread, and freshly brewed coffee.