Mag-log inMolly absolutely loves Christmas. Candy canes, egg nog, mistletoe, the works. She can't get enough of it. And so it's only natural that she works at the local Christmas store, Christmas Wishes. But when the Scrooge-like Nicholas comes to town, looking to sell his father's business out from under him, it looks like Molly's dream job is disappearing. Worse yet, she's starting to fall for Nicholas, despite everything telling her not to. With one last chance to save the store, Molly appeals to the power of Christmas itself, attempting to convert Nicholas to seeing the beauty of the holiday. Can Christmas magic really make Christmas Wishes come true? Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will be swept away by Christmas Wishes, a small-town standalone holiday romance with mistletoe and magic. Grab a glass of eggnog, sit by a warm fire, and enjoy!
view more"Ah, Randy. Aku sudah tidak tahan lagi. Sentuh aku, Sayang."
Suara Dhita terdengar pelan namun bergetar penuh harap.
Di balik remang lampu tidur kamar mereka, Dhita sengaja memiringkan tubuhnya, membiarkan garis leher dan lekuk tubuhnya terekspos sempurna.
Malam ini, ia mengenakan lingerie sutra merah muda yang baru dibelinya minggu lalu, sebuah pakaian tipis yang sengaja ia pilih untuk memancing perhatian pria yang berstatus sebagai suaminya selama satu tahun terakhir ini.
Namun, respons yang diterimanya justru membuat dadanya terasa dihantam beban berat.
Randy hanya menghela napas panjang tanpa menoleh. Pria itu sibuk melonggarkan dasinya, lalu merebahkan tubuh di tepi ranjang dengan raut wajah yang amat lelah.
"Dhita, tolonglah. Aku sangat lelah hari ini," ujar Randy halus, tetapi nada penolakannya terasa begitu dingin dan telak. "Pekerjaan di kantor menumpuk. Aku mengantuk dan hanya ingin beristirahat."
Dhita seketika bersungut-sungut. Wajah cantiknya tertekuk, rasa percaya dirinya mendadak runtuh menjadi kepingan-kepingan kecil yang menyakitkan.
"Tapi Randy, ini sudah minggu ketiga kau selalu beralasan lelah. Aku ini istrimu. Aku sudah mengenakan pakaian seperti ini, apakah kau sama sekali tidak tergoda?"
Randy memutar tubuhnya menghadap Dhita, lalu tersenyum tipis, sebuah senyum formalitas yang terasa sangat kering bagi Dhita.
"Bukan begitu, Sayang. Jika aku memaksakan diri sekarang dalam keadaan lelah, nanti ejakulasi terjadi terlalu cepat. Nanti kau juga yang tidak puas, bukan? Daripada hasilnya tidak maksimal, lebih baik kita menundanya lain kali."
Alasan yang sama. Selalu alasan teknis dan logis yang dilontarkan Randy untuk menutupi kenyataan bahwa pria itu memang tidak memiliki gairah terhadapnya.
Tanpa menunggu tanggapan Dhita, Randy bangkit dari ranjang, mengecup kening Dhita sekilas, sebuah kecupan kering tanpa impuls emosional lalu menepuk bahunya pelan.
"Beristirahatlah terlebih dahulu. Aku ingin mandi agar tubuh terasa sedikit lebih segar."
Dhita menatap punggung suaminya yang menghilang di balik pintu kamar mandi. Pintu terketuk menutup, menyisakan keheningan yang menyesakkan di dalam kamar ber-AC tersebut.
Dhita mengepalkan tangannya di atas seprai. Rasa ditolak, tidak diinginkan, dan tidak berharga menjalar cepat dari dadanya hingga ke ujung jari.
Penolakan halus Randy jauh lebih menyakitkan daripada makian terbuka.
Dengan perasaan campur aduk antara kesal dan haus akan kepastian, Dhita meraih kimono tipis bernuansa senada yang tergeletak di kursi vanity.
Ia pun membungkus tubuhnya yang hampir telanjang itu, mengikat talinya dengan asal, lalu melangkah keluar dari kamar.
Langkah kakinya menyusuri lorong lantai dua yang hening, menuruni tangga kayu menuju lantai bawah. Kerongkongannya terasa kering, mungkin akibat luapan emosi yang tertahan di tenggorokan.
Ia berjalan menuju dapur yang hanya diterangi lampu sorot temaram di atas kabinet.
Dhita meraih sebuah gelas kaca dari rak, melangkah menuju dispenser di sudut ruangan sambil terus bergumam pelan di balik napasnya.
"Pria yang sangat dingin. Jika akhirnya seperti ini, untuk apa dia mengajak berumah tangga," gumamnya gusar.
Namun, kalimatnya terputus seketika.
Langkahnya terhenti kaku saat matanya menangkap sesosok bayangan tinggi yang berdiri tepat di depan dispenser.
Seorang pria sedang berdiri membelakanginya, hanya mengenakan celana pendek hitam.
Punggungnya lebar, kokoh, dengan otot-otot tegap yang terbentuk sempurna dari pola hidup disiplin. Cahaya remang dapur menyorot lekuk otot punggung dan bahunya yang perkasa.
Gelas di tangan Dhita hampir saja terlepas. Ia terperanjat, menahan napasnya tepat di tenggorokan.
"Om... Om Sean?" pekik Dhita tertahan, matanya membelalak tak percaya.
Pria itu berbalik dengan gerakan tenang. Tatapan matanya yang tajam dan dalam langsung mengunci pandangan Dhita.
Sean. Pria berusia 38 tahun itu adalah ayah tirinya, pria yang baru saja menikahi ibunya tiga bulan lalu. Kehadiran Sean di rumah ini selalu membawa atmosfer yang canggung dan berat bagi Dhita.
Selain status kekeluargaan baru yang belum sepenuhnya ia terima, Sean juga merupakan profesor senior di universitas tempat Dhita menyelesaikan tingkat akhirnya.
Di kampus, Sean dikenal tegas, dingin, dan berkharisma. Di rumah ini, kehadirannya selalu terasa seperti dominasi yang tak tersentuh.
"Sedang apa kau di sini pada jam seperti ini, Dhita?" suara Sean terdengar berat, dalam, dan bergetar pelan di tengah keheningan malam.
Dhita mendadak salah tingkah. Ia sadar betul betapa tipisnya kimono yang membungkus tubuhnya saat ini.
Di bawah penerangan remang-remang, bahan sutra itu hampir tidak menyembunyikan kontur tubuhnya di balik lingerie. Dhita merapatkan lipatan kimononya dengan jemari yang gemetar.
"Aku... aku hanya merasa haus, Om Sean. Ingin mengambil air minum," jawab Dhita gugup.
Matanya berusaha keras fokus pada wajah Sean, tetapi dadanya yang berdegup kencang membuatnya sulit mengatur napas.
Sean tidak langsung menjawab. Pria itu berbalik perlahan, mengambil gelas di tangan Dhita tanpa bersuara, lalu menekan tuas dispenser.
Suara gemericik air yang mengalir mengisi gelas menjadi satu-satunya bunyi yang memecah ketegangan di antara mereka.
Ketika gelas itu terisi penuh, Sean berbalik kembali. Bukannya langsung menyerahkan gelas tersebut, Sean memegang gelas itu dengan satu tangan, sementara matanya yang pekat menyapu penampilan Dhita dari ujung kepala hingga ujung kaki.
Tatapan itu bukan tatapan seorang ayah tiri yang khawatir, itu adalah tatapan menilai dari seorang pria dewasa yang sangat sadar akan dinamika di depannya.
Dhita menggeser tumpuan kakinya, merasa terintimidasi sekaligus anehnya, terangsang oleh perhatian intuitif yang diberikan Sean.
Sesuatu yang sama sekali tidak ia dapatkan dari Randy beberapa menit yang lalu di kamar atas.
Sean mengamati bagaimana dada Dhita naik turun dengan cepat, serta bagaimana jemari wanita muda itu mencengkeram kain kimono dengan ketakutan yang ganjil.
Satu alis Sean terangkat pelan. Bibirnya membentuk garis tipis yang sukar diartikan.
"Kau sedang melihat apa, Dhita?” tanya Sean dengan pelan.
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 tol
NicholasWhen 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 t
NicholasNicholas reached the town’s Welcome Home sign that was situated on the county line and he kept right on running until it felt like his lungs would give right out.He needed to see Molly.There wasn’t any other way.On the run over, he’d thought through all the coincidences in the car and all the coincidences in his life that led him to Molly Carmichael. He’d thought about her love of the Christmas holiday and the odds of her working for his parents, the timing of neither one of them currently being in a romantic relationship, his own disinterest in running the store making her want to put in the effort to convince him otherwise, making her want to spend time with him.Everything just made too much sense, without making any sense at all.And because he couldn’t explain everything logically away, he needed to find at least one answer.The answer to the question that was burning right through his core.He needed to know if Molly Carmichael felt the same thing he did. Did she fee
Molly“We’re starting in fifteen minutes people! And I still haven’t had my coffee!” Mr. Tony was now shouting into a megaphone, which Molly found to be a hilarious concept because a man with a natural voice as loud as Mr. Tony’s didn’t need any extra amplification.As soon as he’d finished his announcement, a cup of coffee appeared in his hands. “Thank you! Finally, we’re getting somewhere!”Mr. Tony set down the megaphone and all of his focus went to sipping at his drink.Molly’s own focus went over to Hannah, who was still standing on the stage and seemed to be rehearsing her lines for the segment.Molly smiled to herself, feeling so proud of her best friend in that moment. She still remembered the first time Hannah baked anything, her parents not letting her near the oven until she was thirteen. Hannah’s very first dish was a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but even back then, Molly could tell that there was something special about Hannah’s cooking.Hannah would always b
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
Nicholas“Empires crumble. Mergers fall through. Businesses plans fail.” Nicholas was on the phone in his office, finishing up the days' calls as he twirled every now and then in his leather chair. “But not if we can prevent it. Insight and foresight, that’s all that matters. We are here to set you
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 burn
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 da
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