Molly grimaced as she closed her eyes. “My crush. Nicholas Kerstman. Because I have a crush on Nicholas Kerstman. I'm apparently a teenager. How did this even happen to me?”
“You’ll survive. Maybe.” Hannah laughed, taking Molly’s now empty cup of hot chocolate out of her hands. “I should get going. Are you two coming to Christmas parade prep in the morning? I've got to make sure my float is up and running.”
Molly winced. “Right. I forgot to tell Nicholas the shop’s going to be closed tomorrow.”
“Just text him,” Hannah said, standing up from the couch. When Molly didn't say anything, Hannah added, “you have his number, right?”
Molly shook her head. Now she felt confused, attracted, and stupid.
Hannah laughed again as she put the dishes in the sink. “Really? You two are spending so much face-to-face time that you never even needed to ask him for his phone number? Girl, you two are on a whole different level.”
“I’ll just wait for him at the shop tomorrow,” Molly told her. “And then we can head over to the prepping stations. It’s no big deal.”
“Right. No big deal.” Hannah smirked. “Molly and Nicholas, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”
“Hannah!” Molly chucked one of the small decorative pillows on her couch at Hannah's head. It went wide and bounced off the wall.
“See you in the morning,” Hannah said, heading for Molly’s front door. “Don’t forget to tell the hubby I said hi.”
Molly chucked another pillow which bounced off the door. Hannah stuck her tongue out at her before heading out.
“See you in the morning, Hannah,” Molly called out as the door shut. She closed her eyes and sighed.
She was an idiot. Nicholas Kerstman was not someone she should have a crush on. He wasn't someone she should be fantasizing about kissing. Or sitting here on the couch with her. Or not wearing those fancy suits, or really not wearing anything at all
She was both disappointed and glad when Molly felt her phone vibrating on the couch cushion beside her, stopping her from imagining Nicholas wearing nothing but her sheets.
She picked up her phone, hoping it might be him before remembering that he didn't have her number either. It was her mom’s phone number.
“Hey, Mom! What’s up?” Molly answered right before it would go to voice mail. “Are you guys already at the airport?”
“There's been a slight change of plans,” her mom said, sounding annoyed on the other end of the line. “There’s a big snowstorm at one of our scheduled stops. We won’t be able to leave town until the plane is cleared for landing.”
“But I thought you were all coming back tomorrow for the parade?” Molly folded her arms over her chest, feeling disappointed. “You’ll be back in time for Christmas though, right?”
“Of course,” she promised. “But unfortunately, we're going to miss the parade this year.”
Molly frowned, even though her mother couldn’t see it. Enjoying the Christmas parade with her parents and the Kerstmans had become as much a part of her Christmas traditions as working at Christmas Wishes.
“But who’s going to play Mr. and Mrs. Claus? I told all the kids from school that they could save their Christmas wishes for the parade since Santa would be there.” Molly asked. This was another tradition that she enjoyed. All her students always came and said hello while they waited for Santa.
“Actually, well, give me a second to pass the phone...” Ms. Carmichael’s voice was replaced by the distinct sound of rustling and ruffling until the line went quiet.
Mrs. Kerstman’s voice then broke through the silence, coming through loud and clear. “Molly? Are you still there?”
“Hey, Mrs. Kerstman!
My mom was just saying that you and Mr. Kerstman won’t make it back in time for the parade? Did you already tap somebody else to play Mrs. Claus, or am I going to have to put the outfit on myself?” Molly laughed after her own suggestion.
And the conversation went quiet for a few seconds more.
“Would you mind it terribly? If you had to fill in for me?” Mrs. Kerstman asked. “You're the one I can trust most with it.”
Molly's mouth went wide and slowly turned into a huge smile.
“No, I wouldn’t mind at all,” Molly assured her. She wanted to leap with joy. This was an honor she'd never even dreamed of. “I’ve seen you do it so many years by now, I think I have your script down by heart.”
“Thank you so much, Molly.” There was relief in Mrs. Kerstman's voice. As if Molly could say no to her.