Molly absolutely loves Christmas. Candy canes, egg nog, mistletoe, the works. She can't get enough of it. And so it's only natural that she works at the local Christmas store, Christmas Wishes. But when the Scrooge-like Nicholas comes to town, looking to sell his father's business out from under him, it looks like Molly's dream job is disappearing. Worse yet, she's starting to fall for Nicholas, despite everything telling her not to. With one last chance to save the store, Molly appeals to the power of Christmas itself, attempting to convert Nicholas to seeing the beauty of the holiday. Can Christmas magic really make Christmas Wishes come true? Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will be swept away by Christmas Wishes, a small-town standalone holiday romance with mistletoe and magic. Grab a glass of eggnog, sit by a warm fire, and enjoy!
View MoreMolly
This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
Molly grinned as she pulled out her master key for the shop, slid it into the lock, and opened the door. The scents of pine and cinnamon filled her nose as the Christmas spirit washed over her. It was time to open up the shop for the day. Every day since Thanksgiving seemed to get better when she was in the store.
Christmas Wishes was the best Christmas store in town and possibly in the entire United States. Molly would even guess it ranked in the top five best Christmas stores in the world. The only one that could possibly beat them might be a Christmas store in Alaska that was actually near the North Pole.
As she closed the door behind her, she spotted Mrs. Kerstman, the store owner, up on a tall ladder. She was putting the finishing touches on a display Christmas tree. Mrs. Kerstman was a thin woman with auburn hair, her warm nature matching the reddish warmth in her curls. She played Mrs. Claus every year for the children in the town and Molly couldn't imagine anyone better suited to it. Mrs. Kerstman took a moment to wave down at Molly before going back to adjusting the ornaments on the tree.
“Mrs. Kerstman? Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be getting on an airplane?” Molly’s tone was accusatory yet good-natured as she stared up at Mrs. Claus. “I thought you, Santa, and my parents were all flying south for the winter. I was supposed to open the shop today. That's why you planned for the trip this week. I'm on break from teaching, so I can be here full time while you frolic in the sun.”
“We're leaving! I promise!” Mr. Kerstman replied, appearing from the back of the shop with an overstuffed suitcase. “We were supposed to leave with your parents earlier, but Mrs. Claus insisted on finishing up decorations around the store.”
Mr. Kerstman was tall and broad, and Molly suspected that he’d been an athlete in his youth. He loved playing Santa for all the local kids. He had a fluffy white beard that made him perfect for the part. Today, with his Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, he looked like Santa about to go on vacation.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Molly!” Ms. Kerstman called down from the store’s ladder. “It’s just that I always have so much trouble with these tree displays. I just wanted to save you some time.”
“I fear that Mrs. Claus has forgotten how to take a vacation,” Mr. Kerstman whispered loudly to Molly. “Hopefully she remembers how much she used to love the beach. I think twelve Christmases back to back has turned her into a snow person.”
“Hey! I'm a snow person. There’s nothing wrong with being a snow person. Snow people rock,” Molly said with a laugh. “So, are you two going to go over the list of rules and a few emergency numbers to call again?”
The Kertmans ran the store while Molly taught second grade during the weeks after Thanksgiving, but come winter break, Molly worked full time at the store. However, this was the first time the Kerstmans had left their store during the holiday period. Despite the fact that Molly had worked at the store for years, they'd been nervous to go out of town. This store was their pride and joy, so Molly didn't take it too personally that they were a little anxious about leaving it.
“No rules. No numbers. You're are Head Elf. You know this store just as well as we do. Heck, maybe even a little bit more,” Mr. Kerstman said with a fatherly smile. “We trust you, 100%. Well, I trust you 100%. Mrs. Claus may be hovering around 76%.”
“No, I trust Molly 100%, too!” Ms. Kerstman replied, making her way down the ladder. “But I certainly do not trust these difficult trees.”
“Thank you for believing in me. I’m not going to let you down,” Molly said. She loved that instead of being “store manager” she was called “Head Elf.” It just sounded so much better to her ears. “I promise. This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
Molly was excited to have the store to herself for a week. She had some ideas for decorating that Mrs. Kerstman would love when she got back. Those difficult trees had a future in Molly's mind.
“And maybe with your parents out of your hair for a week, you could go on a date. I heard that Mr. Williams nephew is coming to town. Maybe you two could go see that new superhero movie?” Mrs. Kerstman asked in an innocent voice. She stepped off the ladder and put her hand on Molly's shoulder. “It just doesn’t make any sense for you to be a single woman, dear. Look at you.”
Molly took a moment to look down at her rather comical outfit, noting the shiny black shoes, the bright green stockings, the red and green skirt and its matching top. She wore a very shiny red and green Elf hat, none of which screamed “date me” to sane men.
“No, I’m not talking about your outfit. You know what I mean,” Mrs. Kerstman said, rolling her eyes and then wrapping an arm behind her husband’s back. “You’re a beautiful young woman, Molly, inside and out. Men should be throwing engagement rings at you in the street.”
“That sounds painful,” Molly told her, keeping a straight face. “And trust me, I’ve looked and looked and looked. I've tried. You do not want to open any dating apps in this town. It's downright scary.”
“But Mr. William's nephew? I hear he's single,” Mrs. Kerstman pressed.
“I also hear he's gay,” Mr. Kerstman replied. He moved the suitcases a little bit closer to the door, in an attempt to slowly keep his wife heading toward their flight.
Mrs. Kerstman gave him a dirty look.
“Have you tried wishing for a good man?” Mrs. Kerstman asked, nodding towards Mr. Kerstman, but not moving toward the door like he wanted her to. “This Santa has a pretty good record for wishes coming true, but only if—”
“Only if I believe. I know, I know.” Molly shrugged. She didn't have anything to lose, so she stepped closer to Mr. Kerstman. “Hey, Santa, got enough time for an elf to make a wish?”
Mr. Kerstman nudged the suitcases just a little bit closer to the door before he grinning at Molly. “Anything for my favorite elf on the planet. Tell Santa what you most desire for Christmas. Give me your Christmas wish.”
“I want... a boyfriend?” Molly looked over at Mrs. Kerstman, who shook her head no. “Okay. Um... I want a good man?”
“She wants a sweet, loving man with good, upstanding morals who’s undoubtedly single and has a reasonable job and who wants to have lots of babies so we can have lots of little elves to help us around the shop,” Mrs. Kerstman said, finishing Molly’s wish for her. She patted her husband on the shoulder. “You got all that Santa? Are we good for this year?”
“All that depends on Molly and how much she believes in me this Christmas season,” Mr. Kerstman replied. He grabbed his suitcase as he gave Molly a wink. “Although, Christmas wishes are a very powerful thing. You should always be careful about what you wish for. You just might get it.”
“Yeah? Bring it on, Santa Claus,” Molly replied, adjusting her green and red checkered elf hat. “What could be so bad about finally finding the right guy?”
2 years later...It was going to be the best Christmas ever.Three days before Christmas and Nicholas couldn't think of a time he'd been happier. Last year, he'd married Molly on Christmas Eve. This year, he hoped they could just enjoy their Christmas together in their new home. They'd purchased the small house in town that Molly had always secretly loved. Things were going exactly to plan.Nicholas hoped for a quiet Christmas this year, and it looked like he might get it.“I can't believe you ate that,” Nicholas said, glancing over at his wife and shaking his head. “Two breakfast hot dogs. Where did you even come up with the idea for them?”Molly shrugged and carefully avoided a patch of ice on the sidewalk. The sidewalks on their way to Sweetness & Light for their daily coffee were well shoveled, but winter always made things slippery. Once they had their coffee, they would head into work at Christmas Wishes for the last few days of the Christmas season.“It sounded good,” Molly tol
NicholasWhen 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 t
NicholasNicholas reached the town’s Welcome Home sign that was situated on the county line and he kept right on running until it felt like his lungs would give right out.He needed to see Molly.There wasn’t any other way.On the run over, he’d thought through all the coincidences in the car and all the coincidences in his life that led him to Molly Carmichael. He’d thought about her love of the Christmas holiday and the odds of her working for his parents, the timing of neither one of them currently being in a romantic relationship, his own disinterest in running the store making her want to put in the effort to convince him otherwise, making her want to spend time with him.Everything just made too much sense, without making any sense at all.And because he couldn’t explain everything logically away, he needed to find at least one answer.The answer to the question that was burning right through his core.He needed to know if Molly Carmichael felt the same thing he did. Did she fee
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 b
MollyAs Molly walked into Sweetness & Light, she was greeted by the sight of several boom mics, cameras, and TV staff all scattered around the bakery. She had to show her ID to a man outside the door just to get in.There was no sign of Hannah, but Molly did spot Liam setting out a tray of sugar cookies on the counter. The cookies were descended upon by members of what Molly assumed were BakeTown’s filming crew before they each returned to their respective workstations.“Hannah?” Molly called out for her friend as she approached the counter. When she didn’t hear a response, Molly then turned towards one of the people holding onto a large camera.“Hi. Sorry, if I’m, um, in the shot?” Molly waved at the camera-person.They shook their head in response. “We’re not rolling yet. Don’t worry about it, ma’am.”“Oh. Good.” Molly nodded with a smile. “Have you seen Hannah Johnson around anywhere? I wanted to make sure I was here for the big shoot.”“Yeah, she’s in hair & makeup in the back.”
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
NicholasNicholas looked over his luggage piled up in the rented cabin’s living room with an ache in his chest he didn't recognize. Usually, he was excited to leave this town and head back to New York. Usually, he couldn't wait to get out of here.His eyes scanned the cabin yet again, wanting to make sure that he’d packed everything that he’d brought with him. Despite his best efforts, he felt like he was forgetting something important. He knew he had everything from the cabin packed though. The thing he was forgetting wasn't his anymore.When he felt satisfied that he really had packed up all his belongings, he plopped down on the living room couch, letting his face fall into his hands.He was so tired.He’d found it difficult to get any sleep at all last night, and he tossed and turned and worried and worried and worried about Molly Carmichael.He wanted to fix it. He wanted to find a way to make-up for the hurt he’d caused her back at the bakery. He wanted her to somehow be okay wi
Molly“Molly!” Mrs. Carmichael greeted her with kisses as she pulled her daughter inside her home. “Merry Christmas, my sweetheart!”“Ah, lay off the girl, Emma! She just stepped through the door,” Mr. Carmichael told her. He was holding a cup of coffee in his hands and he smiled over at his daughter. “Merry Christmas, Molly. Where are our presents?”“Dad, you know I put your stuff under the tree weeks ago,” Molly replied with a grin. She walked over to her father, pulling him in for a hug as well. “You’re always trying to trick me into getting you guys more presents.”“And one of these days, you’re going to fall for it. Hook, line and sinker,” he said with a laugh. “I hope you still like sausage, hash-browns and Christmas waffles. Your mother emptied out an entire can of whipped cream over the stack of waffles this year.”“Sounds perfect,” Molly said. She turned to smile back at her mother who was still standing near the door. “Thanks, mom.”“Anything for you, my Molly.” Mrs. Carmich
Molly“I’m sorry for asking you to come over like this, Hannah, I know it’s the night before your big day,” Molly sobbed, sitting on her living room couch with Hannah seated right beside her.“Don’t apologize for calling me over. There’s no place in the world I’d rather be,” Hannah told her. She offered Molly a sympathetic smile. “Do you want me to make you some hot chocolate? Will that make it feel a little bit better?”“I think this might be one of those heartbreaks that can’t be cured by sugar,” Molly said sadly.“Yikes. It’s that bad, huh?” Hannah scooted a bit closer to Molly’s side. “Okay, so I think I got the gist of it over the phone, but tell me what happened again.”“Nicholas sold the store.” It hurt a little bit less every time she said it, but it still felt like a crushing defeat. “But that’s not even the worst part. It’s the way he did it. He sold it, and he didn’t tell me until about an hour ago. It was like all he cared about was his business and the money. And it felt
Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.
Comments