by Kris Jett
Nick smiled warmly. “I know. It’s on the house. Your hot chocolate looked lonely.”
The girl locked eyes with him and smiled back. “Thank you.”
“Sure. I’m Nick by the way. I work here. I mean, you’ve probably already gathered that.”
“I’m Amber. And the hot chocolate here is so, so good,” she added with a nod toward her mug.
“It is pretty good, isn’t it? It’s the Fosters secret recipe and they won’t tell anyone how it’s made.” He saw the curious look on Amber’s face and explained. “Diedre and Jessie Foster are the owners. You probably met Jessie. She was just out here a few minutes ago? Well, originally Starlight was owned by Diedre and her husband for like, twenty something years, but then he died and Jessie’s been running it with her mom ever since. She makes the cookies too. Sorry, I don’t mean to babble on,” he added. Nick glanced around the room but no one else was there. Just Linda rolling napkins in the far corner.
“No, it’s fine. Really,” she insisted.
She did look generally happy he stopped to talk to her and not at all put out. Nick could tell pretty quickly when a customer didn’t want to be bothered. He smiled again and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Are you here on vacation?”
Amber hesitated like she wasn’t sure how to answer his question. “Sort of. I’m here with my parents for the holidays.”
“Oh.” Nick looked around. “I didn’t see them. Are they here with you?”
“No, no. I mean, technically I’m here in town with them. We’re staying in a cabin just on the next block. We’re not really doing anything together though. They’re both working,” she explained.
“Oh,” he said again. He was a bit taken a back. He wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Thanks for this though,” Amber said quickly, nodding toward the cookie. She picked it up and took a bite. “Mmm, so good.” She flashed an appreciative smile at him and her big brown eyes twinkled.
She seemed sweet, Nick thought to himself. Maybe a tad bit lonely. And very beautiful. Too beautiful to be sitting here alone in a pub two days in a row. He wanted to say something else but he couldn’t think of any other reasons to keep him there talking to her any longer.
“Well, back to work. Have a good rest of your day,” he said with a wave. He retreated to the kitchen, cursing himself. Did he really just wave at a girl two feet away from him? Lame.
Chapter Three
Amber thought about Nick the entire walk back to her family’s cabin. It was so unexpected and kind of him to bring her a cookie like that. So sweet. She was a total stranger. But this town was different from back home in Chicago. She could tell within minutes of arriving here. Everyone seemed extra nice. She’d been popping in and out of shops the last two days and everyone greeted her like she was already a friend and they were truly happy to see her. It made her feel good. She could be reading more into it than there was but it seemed like Nick made an extra effort back there at Starlight. After spending the days alone this week she was glad to have someone to talk to for a bit. Not to mention he was quite good looking.
Amber had only seen him while being seated at Starlight but she thought he was at least her height, maybe a couple of inches taller, and he had short dark curly hair and a short dark kinda scruffy beard and goatee. Amber had never kissed a man with a goatee and beard and wondered if it tickled. She pictured kissing Nick in her mind and blushed. Wow, she sure took a leap from cookie to kisses easily. She didn’t even know him.
There was a light snow falling and Amber reached out her mittened hands, caught some snow, and then touched her cheeks. She noticed one of the baristas who had been standing outside the coffee shop, MoonBeans, working on a sign, watching her do this and she waved. She probably looked silly, she thought. An image of Nick filled her mind again. His best feature, she thought, had to be his eyes. They seriously looked like they were dancing when he talked. She liked watching them. It made her happy.
Amber let herself inside the quiet cabin and shrugged off her coat. She tossed her hat and mittens on the end table and set her boots on the rubber mat by the door. There was an old record player already loaded with the Bing Crosby White Christmas album and she flipped it on. The room quickly filled with Bing’s voice and his dreams for glistening treetops and children listening for sleigh bells. She did a lap around the place, looking everything over for probably the tenth time since she’d arrived. There were hundreds of knick-knacks to take in. The people that owned this place were really into collections. In the kitchen, there were old country farm appliances, from probably a hundred years ago, hanging all over the walls and perched on shelves. And in the living room were piles of afghans and stacks of doilies and various sized angel statues everywhere you looked. There was even a giant glass case with probably two hundred ceramic Disney figurines all lined up in rows inside. It made Amber giggle because it likely was driving her mother completely nuts. Her mom liked a sterile environment. Clean, bare table tops and little décor on the walls. And absolutely no clutter. This place was straight out of her mom’s nightmares, Amber was sure. But she liked it. She found it homey.
Amber sighed as she plopped on the rusty orange colored couch. She tried to figure out what she should do next. She was limited to only going to places she could reach on foot and her parents still wouldn’t be home for hours yet. She’d gone to the Bijou and watched the film yesterday afternoon but the man working there had mentioned there was only one movie showing and it still wouldn’t change for another week or so. She could read her book some more but she already read for a couple of hours that morning at the coffee shop. There was a Christmas tree stand sitting empty in front of the big living room picture window, waiting for their family to go get a fir tree and bring it home to decorate. She knew that stand would likely stay in that manner the entire break. Her family wasn’t into the whole tree thing either. Amber contemplated just getting a tree herself and doing it. But then thought of trying to actually get it home and in the stand on her own seemed overwhelming and made her feel lonely so she decided against it. She wished her best friend was there. Livvie would help her decorate a tree. Amber pulled out her phone and sent a quick Miss You! text to Livvie and added a crying face. She didn’t expect a reply though. Livvie was spending a fabulous Christmas break in Paris with her long-term boyfriend and his family. She was so lucky.
Maybe Amber should bake? She loved baking. She surveyed the cupboards to see what ingredients she would need and then sat down to make a grocery list. Soon enough she was out the door, list in hand, and on her way to Dillon’s Market, a tiny grocery store that she had passed on the way home. She’d hoped they would have what she needed but with no transportation to take her out of town, it would have to do.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and before she knew it, Amber was pulling fresh lemon bars out of the oven. They smelled divine. She set the cooled slices on a platter she’d found in a cupboard and shook powdered sugar over the top. She was humming Silver Bells to herself when her parents walked in.
“Hi hon’,” her dad said as he opened the hall closet and hung up his coat.
“What’s that I smell?” her mom asked as she followed suit.
“I baked,” Amber said. “Lemon bars.”
Her mother walked over and looked them over. “Mmm. That was nice of you, Amber. They look good. But let’s have dinner first.”
Amber’s dad set three white Styrofoam containers on the small dining room table and her mom pulled out plates from the cabinets. Amber retrieved the silverware.
The three quietly sat around the table and scooped their food from the containers onto their plates. Blah, Amber thought. Plain salmon and mixed veggies. Her parents loved salmon and veggies but Amber grew so tired of it. She just wanted a hamburger or a hot dog every once in a while. Her mom almost had a coronary attack last summer when she suggested they get a Chicago dog. But they were on “vacation.” Would it kill them to order a pizza?
&n
bsp; Amber took a bit of salmon and chewed. She looked back and forth between her parents. They both looked exhausted. “How was work?” she asked.
Her dad had a mouthful of food so her mom answered. “Busy. We were stuck in the same room all day. Couldn’t even get out for a quick lunch. I was starving.”
When she’d first arrived at the cabin her parents had informed her they were not here for a fun-filled family holiday vacation but that they were in fact here for a two-week deposition of a big snowmobile manufacturer. Which meant her parents would be working the entire time and Amber would be alone. She was devastated. While the town of Snowy Ridge was charming, if she had to be alone the whole time they could have at least let her stay back in Chicago where she could have seen her friends.
Her dad finished chewing. “I’m really looking forward to your lemon bars, Amber. I haven’t had any sugar in at least two weeks.”
“You don’t need any either,” her mom quipped.
She smiled. Her parents liked to eat healthy but they always sampled whatever she baked. Her mom once told her she was a far better baker than she’d ever be. Which made Amber super proud.
Amber had a secret she’d been wanting to tell the two of them and had been trying to find the right time. She needed them to both be in a good mood because she knew it would make them upset. Maybe now was a good time?
Before she could get a word out her mother spoke. “What about you Amber? What did you do today?”
Amber was startled and quickly socked away the idea of having a heart-to-heart with her parents right now. “Oh, you know. This and that. Nothing really. I’ve actually been a bit bored to tell you the truth.”
“Bored? Really?” her dad asked. He looked flabbergasted. Like how could any normal person find themselves bored? Surely he’d have a hundred things to do if he ever stopped working long enough to do them. “Why don’t you go ice skating? Or rent a snowmobile?”
Amber took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice level. “Because I don’t know how to rent a snowmobile. Or ride one for that matter. And I’m alone all day. I don’t want to go do sporty activities all on my own.”
Her parents exchanged a look.
Her mom swallowed the bite she’d been chewing and cleared her throat. “Well, why don’t you spend time studying for school?”
Amber looked at her mom like she was crazy. “I’m on holiday break. My classes have ended. I have nothing to study.” Not to mention there was no chance in hell she’d be studying over break anyway. But leave it to her mother to suggest something this ridiculous.
“You can get ahead for next trimester,” her mom added. She smiled at Amber’s Dad, obviously pleased with her idea. Problem solved.
The truth was on the tip of Amber’s tongue. She looked back and forth between her parents and then slumped back in her seat, deflated. This was not the time to tell them. “I guess,” she said and stabbed another piece of her fish.
Chapter Four
Nick whistled We Wish You a Merry Christmas as he washed the last of a stack of plates and put them in the drying rack.
“You’re certainly in a good mood,” Diedre Foster said. She was seated on a bar stool near the counter working on next week’s food order for the pub. Jessie must have taken the day off because she generally always did the ordering.
Nick smiled at his boss. “I am. I took my last final this morning and am officially on break.”
Diedre looked up from the order form. You’re staying in town, though, right? I didn’t see any time off requests. You’ll be here for Christmas dinner, won’t you?”
“Yes and of course,” Nick said. Nick stopped going home for the holidays when his mom died two years ago. His dad and him weren’t close and besides, his dad had a whole new family with his current wife. He remarried about eight years ago after him and Nick’s mom divorced. Nick always felt like an intruder when he visited his dad and his family.
Nick also knew how happy it would make Diedre if he came to Christmas dinner. Jessie and Diedre always hosted a big dinner in the pub every year. It was the only day Starlight ever closed but it wasn’t truly closed. They’d push the tables together to make one long table and cover it in fancy table cloths and candles. Most of the employees attended but they also invited lots of people from the town, primarily those who didn’t have other family they were spending the day with. Diedre and Jessie started hosting these huge Christmas meals about four years ago when they found themselves alone for the holidays. Diedre’s husband had passed on already and for some reason, her other two daughters don’t come back home for visits. Nick knew Diedre was in contact with them but they both seemed too busy to make any effort to see her. One was a fancy writer in New York City and the other was married with a kid in St. Louis. And Jessie never mentioned them at all. He guessed there was some issues between the sisters.
Nick checked his watch. Two p.m. “Okay for me to take a break?” he asked Diedre as he hung up his dish towel.
She smirked. “Of course. You know you don’t have to check in with me. I trust you.”
“Thanks.” Nick poured himself a hot chocolate and put two big cookies on a plate: a Santa face and a green Christmas tree with M&Ms for the ornaments.
He pushed through the door to the dining room and smiled. Just as he had guessed, there was Amber again, sitting by the fire drinking her hot chocolate.
Nick made a bee line straight to her. “Mind if I join you?”
Amber looked a bit taken a back but smiled up at him and held her hand out to the chair opposite of hers. “No, please do.”
Nick set the plate of cookies on the small table between them and took the seat.
Amber bent toward the plate to take a closer look. “Oh, these are so cute!” she exclaimed. “Can I have the tree?” Her eyebrows jutted up in a hopeful expression which made Nick smile.
“Of course you can,” he said.
Amber took a big bite of her cookie and closed her eyes. “Mmm. These are so good.”
Nick took a bite of his cookie also and swallowed. “Yeah, Jessie is a great baker.”
“I love to bake too. In fact, I want to open up my own bakery one day,” Amber shared.
“You do? Wow, that’s cool. Is that what you’re studying in school?” Nick winced. Maybe that was presumptuous of him to assume she was in school. But she looked about his age. He hoped he didn’t just say the wrong thing.
Amber frowned. “No. I’m pre-law, actually.”
Nick was relieved he hadn’t guessed wrong about school but then puzzled about the bakery/pre-law connection. “Pre-law?” he repeated.
“It’s a long story,” she said, and took a big bite of her cookie.
She didn’t seem to want to expand and he didn’t want to push for more information so he switched topics. “Have you been to Patterson’s Bakery yet?”
Amber twisted her lips in thought. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen it. Where is it?”
“It’s far down the north side of Main Street and over a block. I can take you some time if you want. They make the most beautiful cakes you’ve ever seen and they’re always on display in these giant glass cases. Sometimes I’ll stop in just to look. And buy a cupcake for a treat.”
“Ooh yes, I’d love to see it,” she said. “I’ve only been visiting the shops I can walk to every day.”
“Where have you been going?”
“Oh, coffees at MoonBeans and movies at the Bijou. I browsed around at the bookstore and popped into the market. I even stopped in the hardware store yesterday but I didn’t buy anything.”
“Wow, you sound busy.”
“Trust me, I’m not.” Amber took a sip of her cocoa. “Mostly I am just wandering and taking everything in. The town is so pretty and festive. It’s like, the perfect place to be for Christmas time. I love how there are lights strung absolutely everywhere you look.”
Nick chuckled. “Yeah, we do kind of go overboard with the lights. I think our town must get a massive g
roup discount. And the thing is, they stay up year round.”
“Really?”
“Yea, Snowy Ridge is the equivalent to that one weird aunt you have.”
Amber giggled. “Stop it. No, it’s not. I love it.”
Nick smiled. “Yeah, I do too.” They both chewed on their cookies for a moment and then Nick spoke. “So what are you and your family doing for Christmas? Will you still be here in town?”
“We’ll still be around but we won’t be doing anything.” Amber shrugged and looked down into her mug.
“Oh. Religious reasons?” Nick asked.
Amber looked up and shook her head. “Nah. It’s just my parents. They don’t do holidays. They don’t believe in all the hype. It’s always just been one present for me next to my breakfast plate Christmas morning and that was it. We never did much celebrating. Not to mention, they’re always working. We’ve never even had a Christmas tree,” she added.
Nick’s jaw slightly dropped. “No tree? Wow.” He was so surprised to hear about how Amber’s family was when clearly it was the opposite of what she wanted. She seemed like she’d love celebrating Christmas if they’d let her.
Nick watched Amber take another bite of her cookie and was struck with an idea.
“Hey, what are you doing this afternoon?” he asked her.
Amber pulled her phone from her pocket. “Let me just check my calendar,” she started and then quickly added, “kidding! Absolutely nothing.” She gave him a hopeful look.
“I was just thinking,” Nick begun, “I have to go to Abe’s Farm this afternoon and pick up the Christmas tree for Starlight. Do you want to come with me?”
Amber’s face lit up like this was the best idea in the world. “I’d love to!” she said.
Nick beamed back at her. “Perfect.”
Chapter Five
Amber watched Nick as he drove them in his rickety old pick-up truck to the edge of town. He had a gray wool hat pulled down on his head and wisps of black curls poked out from beneath and kissed his collar. He focused steadily on the road as he drove and kept both hands on the steering wheel the entire time. His hands looked strong, Amber noticed, and she suddenly had the urge to know what it felt like to hold Nick’s hand.