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Chapter Eleven
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2022-05-25 03:58:20Related chapters
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twelve
Molly “Merry Christmas!” Molly greeted Nicholas at the Brownstones’ doorstep with a light-up Christmas bulb necklace in each of her hands. “Here. This one’s for you.”She held the necklace out to Nicholas who stared down at it with pure confusion. “For me?”“Yes. For you,” Molly repeated, rising up to her tip-toes, and placing the necklace around his neck. “And you just click the button right here to turn it on.”Molly proceeded to click a small, green button on the necklace’s underside, causing the necklace to glow with bright reds and greens, the colors blinking and changing every few seconds.“Oh. This is a lot.” Nicholas brought the necklace closer to his face as he inspected it. His eyes came up to meet hers and her breath caught a little bit. “Do people really wear these?”“Of course we do. They’re festive.” Molly reached into her skirt pocket, pulling out an oversized Santa hat that was way too big for her head. “See? Festive!”“Please don’t tell me that you brought one for m—
Last Updated : 2022-05-25Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Thirteen
NicholasNicholas still wore the ridiculous Santa hat and the equally ridiculous Christmas lights necklace as he lounged on his living room couch with a book pressed close to his face. The fireplace in his rented lodge cabin crackled with fake gas flames, but the effect was still soothing. He'd rented the small cabin instead of staying at his parents overly Christmas decorated house.Reading had always been one of his favorite pastimes, but with the nature of his work, he never had any time to ever get around to it. Today, for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn't have anything pressing to do. He didn't have really anything to do until he received word from Luke about a potential offer for Christmas Wishes.He’d already faxed and scanned and emailed all of the relevant financial documents back to his office in Manhattan, and Luke had confirmed receipt of them within seconds of Nicholas sending them off.So now, all Nicholas had to do was wait.He turned another page in t
Last Updated : 2022-05-25Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Fourteen
NicholasThe next morning at Christmas Wishes, and Nicholas and Molly were busy at work, taking on customers two at a time. Surprisingly, Nicholas found himself enjoying it. It helped that Molly kept making him laugh.In between their sales and checkouts, Nicholas noticed that Molly was looking over a few sheets of music, her face growing more frustrated the longer she stared down at the loose papers.When he’d managed to catch a break between the busy flow of patrons, he walked over her, and looked down at the sheets himself. Music notes and lyrics filled the pages.“You sing?” he asked, pointing to the music sheets.“No. Well, kind of,” she explained. She sighed. “But not really. I’m the elementary school choir director.”“The choir director doesn’t sing?” he asked, confused.“Directing is a completely different job!” Molly defended her position, but sounded a little unsure herself. “Though, to be honest, I may not be so great at that either.”He hated the way her smile faded as she
Last Updated : 2022-05-25Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Fifteen
MollyHow to get kids to like math: Make it seem worthwhile.“Sing out, Liam. From the diaphragm,” Molly reminded the boy as she played rising notes on the piano in the elementary school’s rehearsal room. She stopped playing and looked at him. “I feel like we’re losing you in the third verse.”“Sorry, sorry,” Liam apologized with a groan. He brought the music sheet closer to him. “I just forgot what comes next after ‘truly He taught us to love one another...’”“It’s okay, Liam. Take your time with it. You can even bring the music sheet up with you, if you want,” Molly said with a smile. “And if anyone says anything about it, you tell them that Ms. Carmichael said it was okay.”“Okay.” Liam nodded, still unsure. “Can we do it again?”Molly nodded and began to play the notes once more. All of her concentration remained on the keys in front of her. She was trying very hard not to think about Nicholas sitting next to her on the bench.Liam sang through the first chorus with confidence, bu
Last Updated : 2022-05-25Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Sixteen
MollyMolly and Nicholas browsed the aisles of a small, mom-and-pop electronics store.Molly focused on a section filled with airplane sleeping aids, including bright orange earplugs.Nicholas stood beside her, holding a giant tablet in his hand. “Do you have one of these? A tablet?”“I have one, but I mostly use it for school stuff,” Molly answered, with her gaze still on the section in front of her.“How old is it?” Nicholas asked.“I dunno. Maybe a few years old? Why?” Molly reached for a pair of earplugs before reading the back of their packaging.“Would you like a newer one for Christmas?”Molly stopped reading and looked up at him.“I think you and I both know the only Christmas gift I want from you.”“A tablet?” he asked, holding up the box.“No. To keep the store,” Molly replied. She shook her head at him and handed him a box of earplugs. “Here. Do you think these will work for tonight?”Nicholas took the earplugs into his free hand. “I think so...”“Molly Carmichael, you bett
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Seventeen
NicholasNicholas's ego was bruised.Usually, women were excited to go out with him. Usually, they smiled and giggled when he asked them to dinner. Usually, he didn't feel like a complete idiot.But not Molly. She made him feel like an idiot. She even turned him down wearing a elf costume.It grated on Nicholas’ nerves and made him second-guess himself.Maybe he was being a fool.Maybe the foolish spirit of Christmas had somehow gotten under his skin.Maybe it was all the snow, all the Christmas lights, all the cakes, and all the snowballs.Maybe he was falling hard for her.Nicholas sank into the living room couch and sighed. He was already wearing one of his best suits for the concert tonight. He'd brought it for a potential client meeting, but was wearing it now. He wanted to look nice for Molly on her big night.He then groaned, knowing that he really was being an idiot.He looked down at his watch and tried not to panic. It was 6:15.Almost time to leave.Except, he felt like he
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Eighteen
MollyMolly wasn’t sure when it happened, but she knew there had been a change in her view of Nicholas Kerstman.Maybe it was the way he ran out of the electronics store, wanting to pretend that he hadn’t been jealous of Grant, as if he was embarrassed that his inner emotions had been found out.Maybe it was the shameless way that he’d sung a duet with her, right in the middle of what was meant to be a children’s concert, all for the sake of resurrecting Liam’s self-confidence on stage.Or maybe it was the way he currently stared at the food truck’s menu, with his fist under his jaw and his eyes narrowed at the lettering, as if he’d never even heard of a Walking Taco before.Maybe it was just the way he smiled at her and how it made her stomach do funny things.Molly couldn’t pinpoint when her own feelings had shifted into this strange, new territory, but as she watched Nicholas ask the food truck employee about the caloric content in half of a Walking Taco, she realized one thing for
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Nineteen
Molly“Sounds like a date.”“It wasn’t a date.” Molly crossed her arms, looking grouchy.“Okay, but it totally was a date,” Hannah informed her. She shrugged over at Molly while seated on Molly’s living room couch. “So, was I right or was I right?”“Hannah, it wasn’t a date,” Molly repeated. She pouted as she plopped down beside Hannah on the couch. “We just got some food and went ice skating. And I was the one who invited him.”“Please don’t tell me you’re saying that it doesn’t count as a date because you invited him out,” Hannah scoffed, while taking a sip of her coffee. “Hello, Molly! It’s the 21st century. Women are allowed to make the first move. And congrats to you for your bravery.”Molly rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t not a date because just I invited him out! It wasn’t a date because it wasn’t a date!” Molly threw up her arms in frustration. “It was just two co-workers hanging out. That’s it.”“Right.” Hannah’s tone indicated that she didn’t believe a word of what Molly had jus
Last Updated : 2022-05-27
Latest chapter
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Epilogue
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Forty-Four
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Forty-Three
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Forty-Two
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Forty-One
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.”
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Forty
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Thirty-Nine
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Thirty-Eight
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
Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Thirty-Seven
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
