Christmas Wishes

“Why didn’t you just let him cancel?” Hannah whined as she set down one of her cake containers on a nearby table. “Molly, this is so much worse. It was bad enough when it was just the camera crew watching me, but now? Now, the whole town can come out and watch us film.”

“You'll do great,” Molly assured her.

Hannah whined again while she turned back towards her friend. “If I wasn’t ready for that, then I’m definitely not ready for this.”

“Hannah, what’s there to even freak out about?” Molly asked calmly. “You know all of these people. You’ve grown up with them. If anyone comes out to watch, it’s just because they want to cheer you on.”

“I don't know...” Hannah's voice shook with nerves.

Molly took in a breath before giving Hannah’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We all want this for you, Hannah. Now, instead of it just being you and the camera crew, it’s like you’ve brought a whole, supportive army with you, too—”

“Lights! Coming through!” A crew member walked right in-between Molly and Hannah as he began to set down enormous lights near every edge of the stage.

“You’re right, you’re right...” Hannah’s breath was trembling. “I can do this. I can do this. I’ve got this—”

“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Johnson, I just need to—” It was one of the Hair & Makeup people from earlier who was holding onto a makeup palette in her hand. She ran a brush alongside Hannah’s cheek, as she humm

ed. “Different lighting. Different makeup. All you really need is a touch-up, though. It’ll only take a few minutes—”

“I’ll see you during the show, superstar,” Molly said. She winked over at Hannah before she stepped down from the makeshift stage. “I’ll be in the front row. I better get a shout-out, too!”

“Ha! We’ll see about that!” Hannah called back toward Molly, and the makeup lady soon tilted Hannah’s head towards the sky and she ran her brush under Hannah’s chin.

Chapter 35

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 be so thoughtful with her ingredients, but she made the whole process look so effortless, like it required next-to-no thought on her part. Molly would compare it to watching a symphony trained pianist, someone who knew all the right notes to play, and would even sometimes add a flourish or two, but they’d do it all without breaking a sweat, without it seeming like there was ever a day that they didn’t know how to play the instrument.

As Molly watched the stage, she felt someone brush against her hand. She then looked down to see Liam waving up at her. “Hi, Ms. Carmichael!”

“Hey, Liam,” Molly greeted him with a smile. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“Yeah! Santa brought me everything I wished for,” Liam told her. “I got everything on my list!”

“Good. I figured you’d get everything you asked for this year. You’ve been a pretty good kid.” Molly ruffled her hand against Liam’s winter hat.

“What about you, Ms. Carmichael? Did Santa get you everything you asked for, too?” Liam asked, batting Molly’s hand away from his hat.

Molly thought back to herself asking Mr. Kerstman, in jest, for a romantic Christmas wish. It was a memory that now caused an undeniable twinge in her heart. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Oh.” Liam nodded. “Well, don’t be sad, Ms. Carmichael! Christmas isn’t even over yet. Maybe Santa’s still working on it?”

“Yeah, maybe Santa’s still working on it.” Molly couldn’t help but smile at Liam’s innocent belief. Of course, she knew that the chances of any of her Christmas wishes coming true were long gone. Nicholas Kerstman had not only sold the rights to the shop, but he’d also left town for good, which seemed to ruin both of her Christmas wishes in one fell swoop.

Still, Molly was grateful that she’d been able to save Hannah’s live segment for Sweetness & Light, and she imagined that once enough time had passed, she’d be grateful that she’d decided to stay in town, too, even if it meant a future without Christmas Wishes and without Nicholas Kerstman.

“I gotta’ go, Ms. Carmichael! My parents are calling me,” Liam told Molly before running off somewhere behind her. “Keep believing in your wish! Don’t let it go!”