Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
D ecember 18 th
I don’t know what it is about tree lightings, but they really bring the Christmas magic. I always make sure I go to Rockefeller Center to see the tree lighting in New York City, but it can’t compare to a small-town tree lighting festival. There will be hot cider and hot chocolate, roasted chestnuts, singing, and shopping. You know almost everyone, which I both love and hate. But the atmosphere is magic.
Paige borrowed her father’s truck and headed into town. She found a parking spot and walked along Main Street, admiring all the Christmas decorations before popping into the local café and buying a hot chocolate.
Paige pushed the café door open and headed to the town square. Crafty residents were selling all sorts of things out of the snow-covered chalets that lined the square. Paige turned the corner past one of the chalets to reach the tree and smacked right into someone. Her hot chocolate went splashing down the front of a quilted jacket.
“I am so sorry!” Flashbacks to the last time she spilled something on someone reminded her of the first time she saw Max.
“It’s okay. It’ll dry,” the deep voice said with a chuckle. “Wait, is this our big-city girl coming home for Christmas?” Paige looked up into the twinkling blue eyes of Nick North. “It is. Welcome home, Paige Turner.”
Last year she would have stuttered. She had, in fact, done so when she’d said hello to him at this same tree event. However, after becoming friends with a mafia boss, running the entire romance department, and arguing with Timmy, her old high school crush seemed like nothing. “Hello, Nick. Or, should I say, Mr. Mayor?”
Nick was wearing a red toboggan hat and smiled his perfect smile at her. “For you, it’s Nick. You’re looking good, Paige. How do you like the cottage?”
“Thank you, you too,” she said automatically. And he did look good. He was in jeans and a red quilted jacket. He still looked in prime shape, even though he hadn’t played football since high school. However, he wasn’t Max. “The cottage is amazing. Thank you for helping my parents with that.”
“Of course. We’re all hoping that means you’ll come home more often. I was really hoping you could take over Holly’s bookstore since you like books and all. Have you heard the news?”
“Yes, I heard the sad news. I want to help. What can we do to save Holly’s?” Paige decided to ignore the part where he thought she’d leave her high-powered job with a major publisher to run a local bookstore. Not that there was anything wrong with that. A year ago she’d have done it in a heartbeat. And if she was honest with herself, that would be her retirement dream. But right now, when she was just beginning to accomplish her career goals and loving every minute of it? No, thank you.
“The developers want to start tearing it down on the twenty-sixth. We can only save it if we can come up with five hundred thousand dollars, but we don’t have that kind of money in the budget,” Nick explained.
“We need a fundraiser,” Paige said as her mind began to work. “I can make my mom’s famous maple cookies.”
“Maybe some of the sellers at the festival will donate a percentage of their sales to help save the bookstore?” Nick suggested.
“That’s a great idea. I bet I could get Lenora Hamilton to do a signing here. I can call and see if she’ll come for an afternoon.”
Nick cringed a little. “I don’t know about that, Paige. That might be a little too spicy for Kringle Falls. However, let’s not just sell your cookies but host a bake sale!”
“Sure,” Paige said, frowning. “We can host it right here in front of the tree to try to capture all the tourists. We can even ask for donations.”
“What a great idea. I’ll announce it at the tree lighting.” Nick paused. “Why don’t you join me? We can light the tree together.”
Paige had never been offered the chance to light the tree. It was a great honor in Kringle Falls. “Don’t you already have someone set to do that?”
“No, you’ll be doing us a favor. Come on, let’s light this tree!”
Paige followed him onto the stage where a giant button was lit up. This was strange. She didn’t belong up there, but whatever. If it meant she could save Holly’s Bookstore, then so be it. Nick gave a great speech about the Christmas spirit, the community, and how he and Paige were working to save the bookstore.
Holly, who had to be around seventy now, stood up front clasping her hands. Paige had to do this. Holly and her bookstore were the heart of reading in Kringle Falls.
“Three, two, one!” the crowd called out. Nick grabbed her hand in his and together they hit the button. Paige turned and looked at the tree as it lit up. It was beautiful. Nick placed his hand on the small of her back and helped her walk down the steps before he joined her in admiring the tree. “It’s really nice having you home, Paige.”
Paige felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. She reached for it and saw a message from Max. We need to talk.
“Is everything okay?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, just, um, work,” Paige said before excusing herself.
“Of course, you’re our big city girl with the big important job,” Nick said, sounding more than a bit sarcastic.
Paige stepped away and placed the call.
“Paige?”
“Hi, Max.” Paige’s heart was pounding so hard she hoped he didn’t sound breathless.
“Where are you?”
“At the Christmas tree lighting in my hometown.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay and talk this afternoon. I left that meeting to come see you, but the chief threatened my badge if I didn’t get back right away. The FBI was waiting and it was a really long day. Actually, a really long month. Look, we have so much to talk about,” Max told her.
“Paige? Come on, they’re asking questions about the bake sale,” Nick called out.
“Who is that?” Max asked.
“Nick North, the mayor,” Paige told him as she tried to guess if this talk was about good things or if he was letting her down easy.
“Your high school crush?”
Paige stopped and almost held the phone away to stare at it in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“You told me about him and Stacy.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you were listening.”
“I listen to everything, jailbird. Including what you told me this afternoon.”
“Paige?” Nick called out again.
“I’ll be home after Christmas. Let’s talk then,” Paige said as she saw Holly join Nick. Plus, if Max was breaking things off with her, she wanted to wait to hear it. “I’m sorry, but I have to go, Max. We’ll talk soon. I promise.” Paige hung up and turned to hug Holly. “Oh, Holly, I’m so sorry to hear about your bookstore.”
“It’s horrible. I don’t know what Kringle Falls will do without books.”
“Don’t worry,” Paige told her as Nick came to stand beside her. “We’ll find a way to save your store.”
“You two young people make my heart full. And look at that!” Holly clapped her hands. “You’re standing under the mistletoe!”
“Yeah, look at that, Paige.” Nick grinned and when Paige turned to look up, Nick kissed her.
This was every high school dream come true. Except . . . he wasn’t Max. Paige pulled back from the kiss almost instantly. “Holly, I’ll bake up a storm tonight. We’ll start fundraising tomorrow.”
“You’re such a dear. Thank you!”
Paige waved to Holly as she walked back to her store. “I was thinking,” Paige said to Nick. “Why don’t we bring back the Christmas Ball on the twenty-fourth? We can sell tickets for it. They used to fill up the old Kringle Mansion when we were kids. We haven’t had one since your mother passed away when we were in middle school. It would really bring the community together.”
“That’s a brilliant idea!” Nick moved to kiss her cheek, but Paige stopped him.
“Nick, I’m sorta seeing someone.”
“Then why isn’t he here?” Nick asked. “It’s Christmas.”
“He has to work,” Paige told him.
“Of course. Well, I hope he finds time to fit you in his schedule. Now, I better get home and send out the information on the bake sale. You and I are going to save Holly’s! Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow at Kringle Diner and go over our plans.”
Paige’s stomach rumbled and Nick laughed. “Sounds like a plan,” Paige said, laughing. The diner had the best comfort food in the world. She missed it more than her own mother’s cooking, and that was saying a lot.
Nick walked her to her dad’s truck and waved goodbye. Snow began to fall as she drove back home. Her mom was in the kitchen cleaning up when Paige came in the back door.
“Hi honey, how was the tree lighting?”
“It was good. I saw Nick. We came up with a plan for Holly’s, but the first step is a bake sale. Mind if I mess up your kitchen?”
“Of course not! I just made a whole batch of cookies. Would you like to sell them?”
“Thanks, Mom. Now, just a thousand more,” she laughed as she began to raid the pantry.
“I’ll help you. It’ll be fun to bake with you again. How was Nick?”
“Good,” Paige told her mom. “But I might be seeing someone.”
“Nick asked you out already?”
“No, I mean back in New York. There’s a guy I like, and I think he likes me too. We just have to find the time to talk to see where we stand.”
Her mother didn’t look impressed. “If he can’t make time to talk to you, he’s not the one.”
“He’s a detective and he was undercover. Did you see the news on that big human trafficking sting? That was him,” Paige said proudly in Max’s defense.
“Then I look forward to meeting him. I’ll make my special maple pecan pie for you to take back to him.”
Paige tried not to laugh. “You think you can make two? I have another friend and his, um... family loves your baking. In fact, I made your cookies for them and they made me homemade cannoli.”
“That’s so nice. They sound like a wonderful family.”
Paige bit her lip and got to work. Luckily, her mom had a professional kitchen. But it was still four in the morning before Paige stumbled back to the cottage and curled up into bed.