Chapter Twenty-One

Nicholas

Nicholas waited in front of Christmas Wishes feeling a bit unsettled about the shop being closed and so quiet.

In such a short time, he’d come to know the shop as a place of light and laughter. Molly and Liam were usually blasting Christmas music through the shop’s speakers and laughing between themselves as they hung more and more ornaments on the display trees in the window. Having the windows dark and without music felt very strange.

He leaned against the storefront, holding a freshly brewed Americano in one hand, and a sugary iced cinnamon roll in the other.

He’d stopped by one of the town’s food trucks on the way over, wanting to ensure that Molly would have something to eat for breakfast. He’d noticed that on some days she’d get so busy with working the register, or wrapping another gift, or trying to sort through pounds of gold tinsel, that she wouldn’t always take time to think about herself in the process.

Nicholas stilled as he looked down at the pastry in his hand.