It might even be what Molly Carmichael needed to see from Nicholas, an opportunity for him to prove just how wrong he’d be to run the family store.
A chance to show her just how little Christmas spirit he had.
Once he reached Liam’s side, the child grabbed for Nicholas’ hand. “Let’s go, guys! Come on!”
“We’re going, we’re going,” Molly said, laughing as she pushed open the door, pulling both Liam and Nicholas along by default.
* * *
Nicholas 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 the heart, the type that come filled with authentic joy and laughter.
Molly’s smile was real.
Every time.
Nicholas watched her, entranced, waiting for her smile to falter just once.
But it never did. If anything, it grew brighter.
He had no idea how she did it. How did the woman have such joy?
He walked around the edges of the crowd, watching Molly. He didn't want to look like a creep, so he moved closer to the back of the tree.
“Wait.
You're sure lights are already plugged in?” There was a whisper coming from a few feet away, and the voice sounded gruff. “Are you serious, Charlie? I thought you were working on this for weeks!”
“Hey, I’m not a Christmas lights guy! I told you, Dave, I’m a mechanic. Henry knows more about this stuff than I do, but he already went to visit his girlfriend in Brooklyn. He’s out for the season,” another husky voice responded to the first.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I got it. Christmas in Brooklyn. Good for Henry,” the gruff voice whispered back. “So, what are we gonna tell the kids? ‘Sorry about the tree, but Henry’s on vacation’? Those parents will eat us alive. This is the second time. They won't give us a third.”
“We're gonna ruin Christmas,” the second voice said softly. “I wish someone could fix this.”
Nicholas didn't care about the tree. If anything, it not lighting would mean they could go back to the store and get some work done. He checked his watch, doing the mental math. If they left now, it wouldn't be too late to get the data to Luke.
But, then he saw Molly smile again and laugh as a young girl ran to hug her. His own expression soured as he realized what the failed Christmas Tree lighting would do to her mood.
He didn’t know the woman very well, but there was something irritating about the idea of her smile being erased. A genuine smile like that being taken away because of a rather ill-timed vacation and some stubborn lights bothered him more than he expected.
Nicholas coughed to get the attention of the whisperers before he turned to face them. “Do you guys mind if I have a look at your tree?”
“That depends. Are you a licensed electrician?” the gruff guy asked. “Are you licensed in anything?”
“I know what I’m doing.” Nicholas offered them both a shrug. “Besides, what do you have to lose?”
“Tall guy’s right. What do we have to lose?” the other guy replied. “Either it works, or it doesn’t.”