It was Luke, who was holding a coffee tray in one hand and two plastic boxes of salad in the other. “Good afternoon, sir!”
“Good afternoon, Luke.” Nicholas faked a smile. “Did you bring those salads with you? Or has there been a salad place around here this whole time?”
“Oh, I usually make my own salads, sir. They’re much healthier that way. You can see what you’re putting in them, too,” Luke explained.
Nicholas nodded, looking at the emblem for Sweetness & Light on the coffee cups. “Have you asked Hannah for her number yet?”
Luke grimaced, and he shuffled on his feet. “Why would I have asked Hannah for her number, sir?”
“I don’t know. I just think you should,” Nicholas said. He shrugged, and reached for the coffee. “Besides, it seems like you both like to cook. At least you have something to talk about.”
“There are a million girls who like to cook in Manhattan, sir,” Luke told him. “I think when I really start looking, I’ll be able to find someone just like Hannah Johnson.”
“Maybe you will, maybe you won’t,” Nicholas said softly. He took a small sip of his coffee. “It’s a hard lesson to learn, Luke, realizing something’s irreplaceable when you’ve already lost it.”
“You seem a bit down, sir.” Luke lowered his eyes to Nicholas’ wrist. “You misplaced your watch, didn’t you, sir? Is that what has you so down today? Talking about things being irreplaceable?”
“I...” Nicholas considered telling Luke the entire truth, but instead, he decided to change the subject. “Did you already send back the final version of all the sales documents?”
“Not yet, sir. They’re currently in the car,” Luke answered, still gripping onto his own coffee cup. “I’ll send everything over as soon as we’re back in New York.”
“Sounds great. Ready to head out, then?” Nicholas walked back towards his luggage, and then he began to drag it towards the front door. “Oh, and do you mind if we stop by my parents’ house for a quick drop-in? I’d just like to tell them Merry Christmas, before we hit the road.”
“I think they’d really appreciate that, sir,” Luke agreed. He smiled over at Nicholas before he grabbed onto one of Nicholas’ suitcases. “And just in case I forget, Merry Christmas, sir.”
“Merry Christmas, Luke. Merry Christmas.” Nicholas’ greeting was stoic as he rolled a suitcase across the cabin’s threshold.
Chapter 33
Nicholas
“Well, it’s almost like you came home for Christmas. Kind of,” Mrs. Kerstman said, greeting her son as he came to their front door. “It’s still better than what we’re used to, which is not having you home around this time at all.”
“Yes, it was nice to see you around Christmastime, Nicky,” Mr. Kerstman agreed. “And you’re always welcome to pop-in on us, whenever you want. Although, with all that money you earned from selling the rights to the shop, your mom and I imagine that you’ll be busier than ever.”
“If it’s even possible for you to be even busier than before,” Mrs. Kerstman said, smiling up at her son. “We’re so proud of you, son. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know, mom. I know,” he said softly. Nicholas smiled down at his mother. “I’ll need to get on the road pretty soon. Luke’s waiting in the car. I already sent your gifts back in November, so they should’ve already arrived in the mail by now.”
“Yes, they did and they were perfect as always. We’ll see you on New Year’s,” Mr. Carmichael said, leaning forward to pull Nicholas into a hug. “Be safe. Call us when you get back to Manhattan.”
“I will. I promise.” Nicholas broke away from his father’s embrace and Mr. Carmichael gave Nicholas one final smile before he turned back inside the house.
Nicholas took a step away from the house,but his mother reached out to grab onto one of his shirtsleeves, forcing him to stay in place on the porch. “Nicholas. Wait.”
“Yeah, mom? Is something wrong?” Nicholas asked, suddenly worried. “Is it something to do with you? Something to do with dad?”
“No, no,” she assured her son. Her hand went to his cheek and she looked like she might cry. “It’s something to do with you.”
“What do you mean?” Nicholas was taken aback by his mom’s suggestion, even as her hands fell away from his face.
“I knew I saw something, back at the shop. When we first came back into town,” she explained. “I could see it in the way you two looked at each other. Nicholas, why didn’t you tell me that you’d fallen so in love with Molly?”
“Mom... I just... I mean..." he stammered. He'd meant to deny it, but the words wouldn't come out.
“It’s okay, Nicholas, it’s okay,” Mrs. Kerstman told him. “All that matters is what you’re going to do about it. She has to be hopping mad with you about selling off the rights to the shop. But I think if you two can tackle that storm, you’ll be able to handle almost anything else.”
“We’re not—I don’t think it’s going to work out between us,” Nicholas said glumly, the words hurting with every one he spoke. “Molly’s life is here. And my life is in Manhattan. We’re just in two different places, mentally, emotionally, and literally. It’d be too hard.”