NicholasNicholas 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.

NicholasNicholas felt like a complete imposter. He was the last person on Earth that should be dressed like this.He checked Molly's now empty duffel bag one last time and tried to adjust the white beard. It was scratchy on his face and smelled a little dusty. His own father, the usual Santa, had a real beard. He wondered just how long this one had been in storage.He came out from the back of the shop ow decked out in Santa’s over-sized black boots, Santa’s long, white beard, Santa’s pair of ever-present, tiny glasses, and Santa’s tell-tale, jolly stomach, which now protruded out from Nicholas’ slim frame.Molly was grinning at him. “Nicholas, you look—”“Don’t. Don’t say a word,” Nicholas cut her off as he rolled his eyes behind his glasses. He motioned to Molly to move to the side so he could get on the float. “At least let me get up there before you start making fun of me.”“I wasn’t going to make fun of you. I was going to say you look kind of... cute,” Molly said, smiling as sh

MollyNicholas and Molly sat side by side on a bench, right on the edge of the relatively empty park. They watched as a few teenagers hung out near the back of a pick-up truck, clamoring with shared laughter from time to time.Their breath rose like dragon's breath as they sat with their cups and talked. Molly almost wished she hadn't worn a warm jacket so she could steal his again. She liked having the scent of him wrapped around her.Molly’s mind wandered back to when she and Hannah used to hang out in the park between classes, often trying to glean information from each other’s scribbled notes, while eating out of the same family sized bag of chips they’d been working on for a week straight. She'd loved those times with Hannah.“What’s wrong?” Nicholas asked, scooting a bit closer to Molly on the bench, his eyes looking down at her with concern. “You’re so quiet.”“Nothing,” Molly lied. She looked up into his hazel eyes and sighed. “Well, something. Hannah might be moving to New Yo

Nicholas“Luke, this better be very important. I’ve already told you that I’ve got a dinner to get ready for,” Nicholas said, holding up two ties in the mirror. He had Luke on loudspeaker as he dressed himself for the evening.“It’s very important, sir...” Luke hesitated. “It’s about the offer for the store.”“Is the offer off the table?” Nicholas asked, his stomach twisting. He took a deep breath. “Did we already let any other interested parties know that we had an offer to begin with? We should’ve already been setting the stage for a bidding war—”“No, the offer’s still on the table...” Luke hesitated once more. “But they’ve decided that they hate the name.”“They hate the name?” Nicholas asked, slightly surprised.“They really loathe it, sir,” Luke replied. Nicholas could hear the grimace on Luke's face. “They said it’s too cutesy and it would be awful for search results online. The SEO alone would be disastrous.”“What are their suggestions, then?” Nicholas asked, half afraid to h

Molly“YOU KISSED NICHOLAS KERSTMAN?” Hannah was screaming on the other end of the phone. “Holy cow! Molly! HOLY COW!”“Hannah, shhh! The whole point of me hiding out in the bathroom was so no one could hear you,” Molly hissed into the phone as she leaned against the bathroom sink of the Kerstmans’ home. “But yeah. He kissed me. Well. I kissed him? Whatever, we both kissed each other.”“Where were you when it happened?” Hannah asked.“I took him out to Johnston's field,” Molly said with a grin. “There's a meteor shower tonight and there's no light out there.”“THAT IS SO SUPER ROMANTIC!” Hannah continued to squeal into the phone. “Oh my gosh! That’s way too perfect! Wait, the bathroom? Molly, why are you calling me from a bathroom?”“Because we’re at his parents’ house for Christmas-Eve-Eve dinner,” Molly reminded her friend. “And I had to fix my hair. It got a little messed up.”Molly grinned at the mirror and smoothed down her hair. That ten minutes in the car had been hard to stop.