Chapter 23 #2
He hoped to but he still had to tell her the truth about him being Santa, which wasn’t going to be easy.
Not only because she didn’t believe in him but because he’d lied to her.
He could excuse himself not telling her up until Thanksgiving.
That moment when he’d stopped wanting to find a wife and wanted to spend all of his time with Cora, that was when he should have spoken up.
He’d apologize to her when the time came. He wasn’t even sure she’d believe him when he did tell her.
“Did you say your parents are here?”
“In the west wing, why?”
“Auntie Wendy always has fresh cookies. See you at the meeting,” Pete said as he left Nick’s office. He leaned back in his chair and reached for the Naughty List, hefting it up on his desk. Cora’s name was barely visible. As he watched, the last of the ink faded. There, he’d done it.
Jack strolled into his office on a swirl of icy wind. It swept around the room, blowing out candles and leaving crystalline snowflakes on the windows.
Jack leaned against Nick’s desk. “Finn’s on our side. He thinks the marriage clause is outdated but agrees you need a balance here. A yin to your yang.”
“Totally agree. Let’s hope that Raven, Eosthara, Ivoryn, and Cailleach agree. They’ve all been vocal about me leaving this to the last minute.”
“As they should be,” Jack said. “I think they will. Eosthara’s been bothering me about fixing you up for the last few years but that’s not my way. You had to find the right woman in your own time.”
Nick hadn’t given much thought to the fact that everyone could see what he was going through. “I thought I had a better poker face.”
“Didn’t all the games you’ve lost to me teach you otherwise?”
Nick laughed. Things in his realm were sorted—at least as well as he could make them. Of course, convincing Cora to believe in him was going to be much harder to do.
Nick had sent a voice note asking her to meet him at Frosty Jack’s for dinner.
Given that they hadn’t seen each other in days, she’d been hoping for something a little less …
public, but no doubt he had his reasons.
Because her nerves were all over the place, she took her time dressing, putting on a mini dress that flattered her shape but also made her feel good when it was on.
The skirt was made of layers of tulle and swished a little when she walked and the bodice had hand-stitched sequins that caught the light as she walked into the bar.
It was crowded, as expected, but not too loud. Jack was behind the bar and gave her a wave as she walked in, indicating with his head to go to the left. Making her way through the tables, she was hyper-aware of each step she took until she rounded the corner and saw Nick.
She stopped in her tracks because he was wearing that gorgeously tailored suit again.
He stood when he noticed her, but still she stayed put.
Obviously his suits were hand tailored and fit him perfectly.
His beard was neatly trimmed, his thick hair waving but all in place.
He’d taken care to dress for this date the same way that she had.
Her emotions caught in the back of her throat. It had been a lifetime since she’d wanted something this badly from another person. Nick held all of her hopes and the spark of a dream in his hands. She was the only one who controlled her happiness, yet it felt tied to him.
Her feminine power was starting to shake inside of her, until she noticed the way he tucked his hands into his pockets. Was he nervous too?
Licking her dry lips, she squared her shoulders as she made her way to him. Given that the last time they’d truly been alone he’d almost asked her to marry him, that made sense.
Nick’s hand was on her waist as he kissed her lightly. “You look gorgeous.”
“You too.”
“I had you come here so we could go to my place,” he told her.
“I wasn’t sure how to get there on my own,” she admitted. “I can’t really remember how I got there the last time.”
She hadn’t spent a lot of time trying to remember but when she did all she had was foggy memories and feelings instead of actual images. It was odd, but she’d had a lot on her plate at the time and her emotions toward Nick clouded a lot of stuff.
It was hard for her to face how much she’d changed since they’d met, that week of Thanksgiving. How she’d cringed at the thought of having to ask him to help her out. Now those vibes were foreign, like they’d belonged to another person. Well, certainly another version of herself.
“Yeah, we can talk about that. Do you want to have a drink here first?” he asked.
“Not really. I have a lot I want to say to you.” Writing that letter to Santa Claus had forced her to face reality. The woman who’d made a pact with herself to stay single had changed. She wanted more with Nick and it was time to put it all on the line.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
He led her out the back door to the corridor that she remembered from the first time.
“Now it’s coming back. We go through here,” she said, pointing to the door that she now noticed was made of the same wood as the doors on his home. It was engraved with motifs of toymakers and elves carrying gifts and children laughing. “Your family crest. Why is it on here?”
“Because it leads to my home,” he told her as he opened the door. They stepped through it and there was that path again. Trees with their branches laden with snow. Twinkling lights shining through the snow. Lampposts wrapped in garlands.
This made no sense. She’d parked toward the back of the parking lot when she’d arrived and hadn’t seen this place. Nick took her hand in his as they approached the ice rink.
“What have you been up to these last few days?” he asked her.
“Spent a lot of time in the toy village. Helped Buddy out on a few shifts when he needed a hand. Even went to the local schools to bring some holiday cheer to the classroom, at Hannah’s suggestion.”
“You two are hanging out?”
“We are. She’s part of my girl gang,” Cora said, then laughed. “I can’t believe I said that.”
“What happened to my favorite workaholic?”
“I’ve mellowed. I mean, I’m still working all hours but I do take a small break now and then. Fliss, Hannah, and I have lunch most days. That’s your influence. Making me enjoy December.”
“I’m glad to hear that. December is a special month.”
“Growing up here, I can see why you think that,” she said. This neighborhood had an aura of magic to it.
“This place plays a huge part in who I am,” Nick said stopping at the top of the main street, pulling her up on the sidewalk in front of one of the shops.
He kissed her long and deep. They started walking again and this time she felt like she was inside a snow globe.
One of the ones that held those perfect towns.
She and Nick were nestled in the center of this Christmasy world.
It was something she’d never thought she wanted.
Christmas and Santa had started as something to be ignored, a season she had to get through, but Nick had changed her.
Or rather, had shown her that she wasn’t really getting through December.
She’d been hiding from it. But not anymore.
She needed this holiday and she needed Nick Bari.