“Did I say math?” Molly coughed a few times, seemingly clearing her throat. “Sorry. I meant to say Christmas. We’ll be discussing the importance of Christmas. Specifically, the importance of the Christmas Wishes store.”
“Please, go on,” Nicholas told her, guilt growing heavier around his shoulders. He was sure he'd start sinking into the floor any moment now.
“I’m sure earlier today, with the investors, you heard some pretty convincing numbers, right? And you saw some facts and figures that really made you want to sell the business as quickly as possible,” she said. She wait
ed for an answer.
“I did.” Nicholas kept his answer vague, trying to find a balance between telling Molly the complete truth and protecting her from his decision.
“Of course you did. That’s what those guys do. They appeal to your logic, your brain, your efficiency,” Molly informed him. “And, while I know I could never compete with any of that, I do know there’s another component to all of this, isn’t there?”
“There is?” Nicholas racked his brain, trying to understand her meaning.
Molly reached out a hand, pressing her palm into Nicholas’ chest right over his heart. Her touch made his pulse race. “There’s this. There’s always this.”
Nicholas' heart responded to Molly, pounding away at what felt like double its usual speed. Her touch made him heat without even trying.
Molly pulled her hand away, oblivious to his reaction. “May I ask you a few questions, Mr. Kerstman?”
“Ask away, Ms. Molly.”
She grinned at his use of her nickname. “Would you say you had fun?”
“When?” he asked.
“From the moment you met me until right now,” Molly replied. “Would you say you had fun?”
“Of course, I had fun, Molly,” he said softly. “I was with you.”
“And would you say that the things we did, like helping the Brownstones with their decorations, helping out Hannah with her float. These are all things that Christmas Wishes does for the community. Would you say that doing those things felt worthwhile?” she asked.
“Yes, I would agree with that,” Nicholas said. The memories felt good inside of his chest, clashing horribly with the guilt building in his stomach. “Doesn’t helping people always feel worthwhile?”
“And, lastly...” Molly paused. “Would you say that Christmas feels more possible than ever before?”
“I don’t think I understand the question,” he said, frowning.
“Yeah, it’s kinda hard to translate,” Molly agreed. She thought for a moment, and then snapped her fingers. “Okay, here’s a better way to ask it. Would you say that anything sort of magical has happened to you since you’ve been in town?”
“Yes, something magical has happened to me since I’ve been in town.” Nicholas kept his gaze focused on Molly. “Because you happened to me, Molly Carmichael.”
“Oh.” Molly’s cheeks flushed yet again but she smiled wide. “Okay, so, remember how you said you weren’t a Christmas person?”
“Right,” Nicholas answered with a quick nod.
“Because you thought Christmas wasn’t for you?” she continued. “Because you thought it wasn’t your kind of holiday?”
“Right, right, and right,” he agreed.
“Well, how do you feel about Christmas now?” Molly’s face lit up with a hopeful smile. “Don’t you see how wonderful this time of year can really be? There’s just something in the air that you can’t put a price tag on, isn’t there? And I know money makes the world go-round, but now that you’ve felt the magic for yourself, I hope you realize how little money is truly worth, compared to all of this.”
Molly waved a hand around the room on the word “this”as her smile grew bigger.
“Oh, Molly.” Nicholas' chest tightened.
“And I’m not saying you have to live here full time or anything,” she said quickly. “I know your heart’s mostly in Manhattan. It would just be nice if the shop could have your heart, too, at least during Christmastime. And I promise that you can spend the rest of the year doing whatever it is you do that earns you solid gold watches.”
“It's not solid gold,” he told her.