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Chapter Seventeen
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2022-05-27 01:41:13Related chapters
Christmas 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 : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty
Molly “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 allShe 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 cleare
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty-One
NicholasNicholas waited in front of Christmas Wishes feeling a bit unsettled about the shop being closed and so quiet.In such a short time, he’d come to know the shop as a place of light and laughter. Molly and Liam were usually blasting Christmas music through the shop’s speakers and laughing between themselves as they hung more and more ornaments on the display trees in the window. Having the windows dark and without music felt very strange.He leaned against the storefront, holding a freshly brewed Americano in one hand, and a sugary iced cinnamon roll in the other.He’d stopped by one of the town’s food trucks on the way over, wanting to ensure that Molly would have something to eat for breakfast. He’d noticed that on some days she’d get so busy with working the register, or wrapping another gift, or trying to sort through pounds of gold tinsel, that she wouldn’t always take time to think about herself in the process.Nicholas stilled as he looked down at the pastry in his hand.
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty-Two
NicholasNicholas now realized that saying the parade was “kind of a big deal” was a massive understatement.The town square had been transformed overnight with each and every storefront being painted with neon golds and silvers, applique snowflakes lining their windows by the dozens, and strings and strings of tinsel piled up on the street below. Everything was red, green, sparkly, or all three.Even the smallest details weren't left out. The town and its inhabitants went all out. Previously decorated trees on the street corners had even more prominent decorations hanging from their limbs, and there were now candy canes painted on the pavement as well. Even the crosswalks had been repainted to look like the stripes on a candy cane.Nicholas’ mind couldn’t wrap around the fact that the most Christmas-y place he’d ever been to in his life had somehow managed to get even Christmas-y-er.Molly seemed comfortable with the Christmas-y-er transformation as she made her way down the pavement
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty-Three
NicholasNicholas felt like a complete imposter. He was the last person on Earth that should be dressed like this.He checked Molly's now empty duffel bag one last time and tried to adjust the white beard. It was scratchy on his face and smelled a little dusty. His own father, the usual Santa, had a real beard. He wondered just how long this one had been in storage.He came out from the back of the shop ow decked out in Santa’s over-sized black boots, Santa’s long, white beard, Santa’s pair of ever-present, tiny glasses, and Santa’s tell-tale, jolly stomach, which now protruded out from Nicholas’ slim frame.Molly was grinning at him. “Nicholas, you look—”“Don’t. Don’t say a word,” Nicholas cut her off as he rolled his eyes behind his glasses. He motioned to Molly to move to the side so he could get on the float. “At least let me get up there before you start making fun of me.”“I wasn’t going to make fun of you. I was going to say you look kind of... cute,” Molly said, smiling as sh
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty-Four
MollyFor a man who claimed to be so uninterested in candy, Nicholas seemed to have no problem with helping little Naomi with reaching the top of the Christmas tree so she could have a candy cane.Molly thought that the gesture was just so sweet, not expecting Nicholas to be so generous with his height, or as comfortable with his place as Santa in the middle of the town’s parade.Nicholas Kerstman was full of so many surprises and Molly wondered if there would ever be an end to him pulling rabbit after rabbit out of his unassuming hat.It was time to walk off the float and over to the chair set up in the town square for Santa to sit. Nicholas offered her his arm, and together they walked like they really were Mr. and Mrs. Claus to the seating area. All around them, children cheered.At one point, the path was too narrow for them to continue walking arm in arm. Instead, Mr. Claus took her hand as they slipped through the narrow spot. He didn't let go and she found herself enjoying the
Last Updated : 2022-05-27Christmas Wishes (A Holiday Billionaire Love Story) Chapter Twenty-Five
MollyNicholas and Molly sat side by side on a bench, right on the edge of the relatively empty park. They watched as a few teenagers hung out near the back of a pick-up truck, clamoring with shared laughter from time to time.Their breath rose like dragon's breath as they sat with their cups and talked. Molly almost wished she hadn't worn a warm jacket so she could steal his again. She liked having the scent of him wrapped around her.Molly’s mind wandered back to when she and Hannah used to hang out in the park between classes, often trying to glean information from each other’s scribbled notes, while eating out of the same family sized bag of chips they’d been working on for a week straight. She'd loved those times with Hannah.“What’s wrong?” Nicholas asked, scooting a bit closer to Molly on the bench, his eyes looking down at her with concern. “You’re so quiet.”“Nothing,” Molly lied. She looked up into his hazel eyes and sighed. “Well, something. Hannah might be moving to New Yo
Last Updated : 2022-05-27
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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
