Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story)

MollyThis was going to be the best Christmas ever.Molly grinned as she pulled out her master key for the shop, slid it into the lock, and opened the door. The scents of pine and cinnamon filled her nose as the Christmas spirit washed over her. It was time to open up the shop for the day. Every day since Thanksgiving seemed to get better when she was in the store.Christmas Wishes was the best Christmas store in town and possibly in the entire United States. Molly would even guess it ranked in the top five best Christmas stores in the world. The only one that could possibly beat them might be a Christmas store in Alaska that was actually near the North Pole.As she closed the door behind her, she spotted Mrs. Kerstman, the store owner, up on a tall ladder. She was putting the finishing touches on a display Christmas tree. Mrs. Kerstman was a thin woman with auburn hair, her warm nature matching the reddish warmth in her curls. She played Mrs. Claus every year for the children in the

MollyMolly was making her last rounds through Christmas Wishes, wanting the store to be perfect for the day's opening. She'd finally gotten the trees the way she wanted and they'd sold twice as fast. The Kerstmans had been gone for a few days, and to Mrs. Kerstman’s surprise, the place hadn’t burned down without her there. In fact, Christmas Wishes was flowing better than ever with Molly’s expert guidance keeping the shop up and running. With a free reign, Molly was selling more trees and ornaments than ever.“Christmas ornaments unboxed?” Liam asked.Making rounds beside her was seven year old Liam Miller, Christmas Wishes' Head Elf in Training. Liam was one of Molly’s second grade students. She watched him over the holiday season as a favor to his parents, but secretly she loved having him there to help her with the store.“Check,” she replied, fixing a loose ornament on the shelf.Liam marked the list on his clipboard and grinned up at her“Rudolph and the reindeer?”“Check.”“Sno

Molly“This tastes amazing!” Molly moaned, stuffing the rest of the cupcake into her mouth. “Hannah, I think this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.”“Really? You’re not just saying that?” Hannah wrung her hands as she watched Molly finish chewing. “Tell me the truth. Is it good? Or is it BakeTown good?”“This is You-Should-Be-Rachel-Ray’s-New-Best-Friend good,” Molly told her, licking her fingers for any missed crumbs. “Do you have anything else you need me to sample?”“Actually, if you’re still hungry, I was working on a new cherry pie recipe—”“Yes. Pie. Yes. Good.” Molly nodded along with Hannah’s words. “So you know, you are definitely the reason I gain five pounds every Christmas. This is my dinner and I don't even care what the calorie count is.”“Whatever! Chasing the kids around when you’re back to school in January will get you right back to normal,” Hannah said as she pulled a pie out of the oven behind her. “How’s the kids’ choir looking for the Christmas servi

NicholasNicholas stood off to the side of the action as he watched a crowd of children and adults gather around a towering Christmas tree in the center of the town square. He tried to keep to himself while offering the occasional polite wave or nod when parents would wave or nod at him first.As soon as they arrived, Liam had broken away from his own hold on both Nicholas and Molly’s hands, and chose to run off towards a chattering group of children.Molly had broken away from Nicholas, too, and it appeared that she was being bombarded with attention from both parents and kids alike. Everyone seemed to know her and want to say hello.And she was smiling the whole way through it.That smile.There was something about it.Working in the business world, Nicholas was accustomed to fake, phony smiles. The kind that he himself often had to put on after working fourteen hours straight so his clients would still find him agreeable. He wasn’t used to genuine smiles, the type that come from th

MollyMolly went to work the next day feeling invigorated and hopeful.She had an answer to the Nicholas Kerstman problem, even if she didn't have all the details exactly figured out yet. It would come to her.She whistled as she walked down the street to the store. As she came closer, she noticed that it was already open for business. She frowned, checking her watch and seeing that she wasn't late.She then spotted Nicholas working behind the counter, smiling at customers as he checked out their items, and nodding over towards Liam when someone asked for a bag of candy to-go.Molly felt taken aback, not expecting Nicholas to have any familiarity with working retail. The fancy suit certainly didn't suggest retail work.She slowly approached the counter, watching Nicholas smile and greet customers. “Good morning? Nicholas Kerstman, right? You’re actually Nicholas Kerstman?”“Ha, ha. Very funny, Ms. Molly,” Nicholas said. He didn’t turn to look at Molly, keeping his eyes on a gift he wa