“Thank you, Mrs. Carmichael.”
“Go on, then, go get your girl. And don’t wait too long to propose. I’m ready for grandchildren!” Mrs. Carmichael finished off her demand with the soft closing of her door, and within seconds, Nicholas was right back to running through the town’s streets.
* * *
Nicholas made it to Sweetness & Light only to realize that they seemed to be closed for the day. The lights were off and no one was inside.
He thought this was odd since he’d imagined that there’d at least be a film crew, or a few cameras set up insides its doors. But there was nothing. He peered through the window, his nose pressed to the glass.
A gentle pat on his back pulled him out of his thoughts. “Hey! I know you, right? You’re with our production team out of Chicago?”
“What? No.” Nicholas turned to face the stranger.
“Really? You’ve never worked on one of our sets, before? Geez. The resemblance is uncanny. Hold on, let me get out a picture. I’ll show you who you look like—”
“Where’s Hannah Johnson?” Nicholas asked, knowing that if he found Hannah, he'd find Molly.
“Who?” The stranger seemed confused by the question, and they scrunched up their face in response. “Sounds familiar, though. Does she work on our L.A. set?”
“BakeTown! Where are they filming for BakeTown?” Nicholas asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
This time, the stranger nodded. “They’re filming in the town square, today, my dude. They had a bit of a problem with the lighting. If you’re a big Mr. Tony fan, today’s the day to get that autograph. Guy seems to be in a better mood than the usual—”
“Thank you! Thank you!” Nicholas shook the stranger’s shoulders in thanks and took off down the pavement, running as fast as his tired legs could take him toward the town square.
“No problem!” The stranger called back after Nicholas. “Just save a spot for me in Chicago!”
Chapter 37
Nicholas
When 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 this! I can already tell, one piece of this earth bird and you’ll be up in heaven,” Mr. Tony announced, beginning to carve the turkey. “Does anybody in the audience want to try a slice? How about you, there, ma’am?”
At first, Nicholas couldn’t see who Mr. Tony was nodding towards. He stood up on his toes, his height letting him see over the crowd. Nicholas’ eyes lit up when Molly stepped onto the stage, her hands reaching for the offered turkey plate.
He'd found her.
“Okay, take a bite of that and tell us what you think,” Mr. Tony said, keeping a watchful eye on Molly’s expression. “Tell us the truth! First impression, go!”
Molly brought the slice of turkey to her mouth with the provided fork, chewed, and she soon released a pleased moan. “Oh my gosh. Hannah, this is unreal. This turkey is so good! It doesn’t even need any gravy or anything!”
Mr. Tony turned to give Hannah an over-exaggerated high five. “Christmas dinner, folks! Ms. Johnson nailed it!”
Mr. Tony then turned to face the crowd, offering everyone two thumbs up. “Didn’t she nail it? Let’s hear it! Show Ms. Hannah Johnson some love! Show Sweetness & Light some love!”
The crowd thundered applause. Nicholas clapped as well, but his attention was entirely on Molly.
“Well, that about wraps up our Christmas here in BakeTown, USA,” Mr. Tony said into a camera. “Ms. Johnson, would you mind giving us a final rundown of all of these lovely dishes you made here for us, today?”