Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses: A feel good Christmas romance novel (21 page)

“Wait. You’re the same Abbey who is the in-home nurse for my grandmother? She loves you! She talks about you all the time!”

“Yes.”

“Well that would make sense.”

“It would?”

“Nick has nothing but wonderful things to say about you too. And not just your decorating.” She winked. “I’ve heard about your Mexican dancing,” she said laughing. “I wish you would’ve recorded that. I’ve never seen Nick dance in my life.”

Abbey’s face was suddenly on fire.

Robin laughed again. It was a light, giggling laugh. “Nick has a crush on you. He told me! He tells me everything.”

He’d told her that?
she thought. Abbey caught herself smiling and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop.

Robin stood up and started to leave the room so Abbey got up too, trying to iron out her expression so she wouldn’t look like a crazy person. “Any word on when Mother’s planning on coming?” Robin asked.

“I haven’t heard,” Abbey said.

“Who knows with her,” she said, shaking her head. “It’s funny: she and Nick were always so close when we were kids. They got along famously. But after Dad died, it was as if she couldn’t be near him because he was so much like his father that it kept her in some sort of depression. She moved to Colorado not long after my father passed. I wish she would’ve stayed, though, to see how well Nick has managed everything. He’s so hard working. Persistence is one of his talents.”

“Did you know that Nick plays piano?” Abbey asked. He wrote beautiful music. People needed to hear it.

“Yes. He’s very gifted.”

“And he writes his own music.”

Robin stopped and looked directly at Abbey. “You know that?”

“He played me some.”

Her eyes got big, causing Abbey to notice her long, thick lashes. She was very beautiful. Outside of this situation, Abbey would feel intimidated near someone like her, but Robin was so kind and talkative that she almost didn’t notice how gorgeous she was. “He played for you?”

“Yes.”

“He hasn’t even played his music for
me.
As far as I know, he hasn’t played it for anyone. Except you, apparently. He guards it like some big secret, not letting any of us in on it.”

“Why would he do that?”

“You tell me.”

They made their way downstairs and headed into the living room where Caroline was dozing in a side chair. Abbey took in with pride the two dark wood side tables with coordinating lamps, the throw pillows for the sofas, and the whole host of indoor plants from the nursery. Thomas and Max were on the floor next to the spot where the bare Christmas tree was, playing with a small train set.

James was drinking a beer, the bottle resting in his lap. He had football on the big-screen, the volume low. He stood up when they reached him as a polite gesture. “I spoke with Caroline for a few minutes, but she fell asleep,” he whispered.

“Did you know that Nick played his music for Abbey?” Robin said to James.

He turned to look at Abbey, his eyes as wide as his wife’s had been. “Really?”

“Yes. I must get to the bottom of this.”

“Wait,” Abbey said, nearly breathless. “I don’t know if he wanted me to tell you.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m his sister and he tells me everything.” She bent down, her long hair nearly touching the floor, and smiled at Thomas and Max. “That looks fun,” she said. The boys both smiled at her, holding train cars in both hands.

“It is,” Thomas said, smiling. He handed her a train car. “This will be yours.”

“Thank you,” she said, standing up and putting it in her pocket.

“James, do you need another beer? I’m going to get a glass of wine.”

“No thank you, dear. I’m fine.”

“Abbey?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to impose.”

“You aren’t imposing at all! We can talk decorating.”

“Well, just the one glass then.”

“Excellent!” Robin clapped her hands together quietly, her diamond rings swinging around her thin fingers. “Come with me. You can choose your wine.”

Abbey followed her through the house as they made small talk about her choice in décor.

In the kitchen, Robin opened one of the cabinet-like doors, revealing a huge wine cooler—stacks of wine went from floor to ceiling inside the cabinet. The whole thing was at least eight feet tall! “Reds are on the left, whites on the right,” she said.

Abbey didn’t know about wine. She didn’t know what was good and what wasn’t. Did Robin expect her to say the name of a wine? She had no idea…

Her confusion must have been evident because Robin stepped in and said, “I really love this white wine.” She pulled the bottle from its holder. “It’s my favorite. It’s a little sweet, more on the dessert wine side, but very nice and crisp. Have you ever had it?” She turned the bottle around so that Abbey could read the label. She’d never even heard of it.

Abbey shook her head.

“Want to try some?”

“Yes. It sounds great, thank you.”

As Robin poured the wine, Thomas came into the kitchen. “Mommy, may I have something to drink too? Daddy said to come ask you.” He climbed up on one of the swiveling high-seat chairs that lined the bar in the center of the kitchen. His tiny feet dangled as he swung them back and forth.

“Sure. What would you like? Uncle Nick probably has everything.”

“Hot chocolate, please.”

“Mmm, hot chocolate sounds nice and Christmassy! Would Max like some?”

“He said he wanted to keep playing with my trains.”

Robin nodded and pulled a mug from the cabinet.

“How old are you, Thomas?” Abbey asked, taking her wine and sitting down beside him at the bar.

“Six.”

“I thought you looked like you could be six. Max is six too.”

“Did you know that Max will be staying here with us until Christmas? You two will be able to play every day,” Robin said. She looked over at Abbey. “Nick told me that you’d be living here to be on call for my grandmother. What a wonderful surprise to find out that your son will be here as well. Thomas was very worried about leaving his friends until after Christmas.”

Robin spooned some hot chocolate mixture into the mug and poured hot water over it. Then she mixed it and handed it to Thomas. She grabbed her wine and took a sip. “Now, tell me,” she said to Abbey, “how is my brother? He’s out again on one of his business trips, I’m assuming.”

“He’s fine, I think.”

“Well, between conversations about what to do for my grandmother’s care, he sure had a ton to say about you, and he sounded more than fine.”

“What did he say about me?”

“He was almost giddy—well, as giddy as Nick can get. But I’ve never seen him like that. He said he can’t keep his mind on his work, and that worried him. You were distracting him,” she said with a smile.

“Yes, he’s told me that too.”

Robin smiled wider. “I can understand your pull on him. You have an honest face, and you’re a good listener. Your demeanor puts people at ease. I’ll bet you’re a great nurse.”

“Thank you. That’s very nice of you to say.” Abbey set her wine down on the counter and Robin refilled it without asking.

“I’ve only known you a few minutes and I feel like I could tell you anything.” Robin rolled her eyes. “Maybe that’s just me, though. Maybe I’m too chatty.”

“No, you’re fine. I’m enjoying myself.”

“I’m going to see Daddy and Max,” Thomas said.

Robin held up the train car that she’d kept in her pocket. “Want me to join you and we can play?”

“No, thank you. I can play with Max.”

“You sure?”

Thomas nodded, took the train car, and left the room. Robin tidied his spot, rinsing his mug and putting it in the dishwasher. Then she sat down on the tall bar chair, crossed her long, thin legs, and swiveled herself toward Abbey.

“Listening to Nick talk about you,” she said, the glass of wine dangling from her fingertips, the liquid tilting in the glass. “I took an instant liking to you—before I’d ever met you—because you were able to do something that none of us have ever been able to do: make Nick stop working. Anyone who can do that is someone special.”

“That’s what Caroline said too—no one can pull him from work. Can you tell me, Robin, why does he feel the need to keep his father’s company going? He’s tried to explain it and I just don’t understand.”

The question made Robin straighten up a little more, her eyes focused. “My father worked all the time on that business. He built it from nothing, and he made a ton of money. He risked everything for that company—even his family. We barely saw him. My mother was very upset about all his working—I heard their quiet arguments at night. She wanted him to spend more time with us. When Nick was very young, he would walk around in my father’s work shoes; he could knot a tie at four years old. Nick wanted to be with him every moment. So when my father passed, Nick took it the hardest of all. Nick feels that if he lets the business fail, then he’ll fail his father.”

“But he moved to Richmond for family. And Richmond wasn’t the best location for his business. That looks like a step in the right direction.”

“Ah, but he was trying to do both at full steam, and what he learned the hard way was that, while my mother put up with it from my father, other women will not. Sarah wasn’t having it at all. And I believe—just my opinion—that it was the reason she left.”

“Do you think he’s scared?” Abbey asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think he’s scared to do something other than what his father had done? There could be lots of reasons he’d be scared,” Abbey said, the words coming out at the same time as she was processing them. “…Scared that he might not be as successful doing something else, scared that he’d let his family down, scared that he wouldn’t have a plan or know what to do.” She realized as she was listing those things that they were all the same reasons she had for not following her dreams. It silenced her as soon as she’d realized it.

“I’ve never thought of him as anything other than strong, but you know what? You could be right. So, how do we show him it’s okay to do something even if he’s scared?”

Robin was using the term “we” as if there were some reason Abbey would be involved in changing him. “I don’t think
we
are going to do anything, but you can if you’d like.”

“Why?” Robin asked and then trailed off, immediately clasping her perfectly manicured hand over her mouth. “Are his feelings one-sided?” she said through her fingers.

Abbey thought about Nick’s eyes—how curious he’d been when he looked at her, that smile lurking, just waiting to come out and knock her off her feet. She thought about how sweet and tender he could be, how it felt to kiss his lips. Did she just have stars in her eyes? She wanted to text him right then and find out how he felt about her exactly, but she didn’t. He’d been pretty clear, telling her to direct all questions to Richard.

“You’re quiet. It
is
one-sided,” Robin said.

“It’s not that,” Abbey tried to explain. “He made it pretty clear that he didn’t want to talk to me. He told me if I have any questions to direct them to Richard. I have to plan a party for a hundred people here. I’ve never done that before. I want to do a good job, make him happy with what I’ve chosen, and have it all completed in a timely manner.”

“I’ll help you plan the party. I do it all the time. You just weigh in on what you like design-wise and I’ll help with the rest.”

“I don’t feel right asking you to do that. This is your Christmas holiday. You need to spend it with your family, not do a job that I’m being paid to do.”

Robin laughed. “Nick hired you as a decorator. He only threw the party on you because he didn’t want to do it himself, and he knew that when it came down to it, you’d be great at it. I know him too well. You and I can plan the party together. Nick won’t care one way or the other who gets it done as long as he can tick it off his list.”

“What about your time that I’m taking? You need to enjoy your family.”

“I will! It doesn’t take long to plan it—a few things here and there. You’ll do all the ordering of supplies. We’ll be able to do it while our boys play tomorrow. Easy.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

A
bbey had gone
herself to pick up Max after school. She took a moment to admire the exterior of Nick’s home as she drove up to it. All the exterior trees were lit in their white lights, the trees by the door lit as well, the dark green spruce wreaths on every window, their dark cranberry bows popping against the brick exterior. It was such a beautiful, Christmassy contrast to the muted daylight through the gray sky.

She parked the car and got out, tugging the scarf Nick had bought her a little tighter to keep out the frigid temperatures. Max had his coat on, but she had to zip it up as he got out. They weren’t even to the steps before the huge front door opened and Thomas stood there in his socks.

“Hi,” he called out in a very matter-of-fact way.

When they got to the top of the steps, meeting him at the door, Max smiled at his new friend, and they ran inside. Abbey went back to the car to get some extra toys she hadn’t yet unpacked, although, from the looks of it, the boys were already keeping themselves busy.

Richard met her in the drive and insisted on carrying everything in for her. She didn’t feel comfortable when he did that because she wasn’t employing him, but he assured her that he’d do it anyway. She liked Richard. He kept his personal thoughts separate from his professional life, but she could tell that a lot of what he did for the family and for her was simply because he cared. He was very quiet but thoughtful—it came through in his actions. He said he’d put it all in the living room. Then, just before he walked away, he told her that Nick was home.

Abbey immediately went to his office and knocked but no one answered. She’d had enough experience by now to know that he was probably busy. She hated when he didn’t answer the door, so without another knock, she opened it. She couldn’t wait to see him. To her surprise, the room was empty. Taken aback, she slowly closed the door, wondering where he was.

She found Robin and Caroline in the kitchen. “Nick’s home,” she said. “But he isn’t in his office. Have you seen him?”

“He was on a phone call, but I assumed that he went to the office after. I was helping Caroline with her sewing,” Robin said.

“Is he with James?”

“James isn’t here. He went to do a little Christmas shopping.”

“Okay,” she said. “Well, I’ll check on the boys.”

She made her way to the living room, but when she got there, she had to close her gaping mouth. Nick was not only in the living room—where he never went—but he was on the floor on his back while the boys were building a train track over the top of him!

“Hi,” he waved carefully from under the track.

“Hi,” she said, kneeling down beside him. “What in the world…” The sight of him like that made her want to kiss him right there on the spot.

“I had a very stressful time in New York. When I got home, I came to see you but you were gone, so I thought I’d come in here and
relax
.” He smiled and eyed his half empty beer on the side table.

“Thank you for using a coaster,” she said with a grin. “You came to see me?”

“You’re welcome and yes. I was in New York all alone, working in between trying to find a house, and I kept feeling uneasy. I couldn’t place it, but it was driving me crazy. I went through the motions, but something was different this time. All I wanted was a distraction. My work wasn’t holding my attention.” He winked at her. “When I couldn’t find you, I figured I’d get a beer and kick back.”

“That’s not like you.”

“No, it isn’t. And it feels very weird. Even weirder when being under a train track.”

“Pity you can’t reach your beer,” she said with a grin.

Thomas sat on his knee and added another piece.

“Yes it is. Thomas had other ideas.”

“That perfectly good beer going to waste…” She walked over and sat down on the sofa next to it, picking it up between her two fingers and pretending to inspect the label. It was some kind of fancy microbrew. “I didn’t know you drank beer.” She tipped it up to her lips and took a swig. It was good.

“Get your own beer,” he said, but his eyes were affectionate.

“I just wanted a taste.”

Carefully, he pulled himself from under the track and the boys moaned in disapproval. “Sorry, boys,” he said. “I’ll play again soon.”

“You don’t have time to play,” she said. She handed him his beer and tried to keep her hands at her sides when all she wanted to do was put them around his neck.

“I got the company I was after in New York. After that, I decided to take a little time off for Christmas.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” she said, leading him out into the hallway.

“I found a house very quickly. Well, I just stopped looking after the first showing. I don’t really care where I live as long as it’s in a central location and decent.”

“You found a house?”

“It’s an apartment.”

“Are you drinking beer?” Robin interrupted their conversation, the tapping of her heels reaching a crescendo against the floors as she neared them.

“Yes. I drink beer on occasion,” Nick said to his sister.

“What occasion?” she teased. “Never mind. I’m not going to talk you out of it. That’s a good thing. It’s better than having a phone in your hand.”

“I’m taking some time off for Christmas,” he explained.

“I can’t believe it,” Robin said dramatically. “James should be home soon. We should have a big dinner.”

“Whatever you like. Just let Richard know. I need to do a little work today to tie up a few loose ends. It shouldn’t be too long. Then we can all eat dinner.”

“May I cook?” Abbey asked, and they both looked at her.

“Certainly. If you want to. It’s a big crowd,” he said with a smile.

“I’m up for it. I’d like to cook you some of my favorite foods. Would that be okay?”

“I’d love it,” Robin said. “Surprise us!”

Nick agreed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Nick said. “I can’t wait to see what you cook.”

“Great! I’ll go get started.”

T
he bag
of odds and ends Abbey had requested from Richard was still on the counter when she finished up each of the dishes. She had it all on the bar of the kitchen buffet-style as everyone came in. She pulled a bag of white hamburger rolls from the grocery bag and opened the twist tie, leaving them at the start of the buffet. There were paper plates, napkins, hot dogs, hamburgers—with or without cheese—baked beans, potato salad, and her famous green bean casserole.

Max ran in ahead of Thomas. “Yummy, Mama!” he said, reaching up for a plate at the end of the counter. The others followed.

“Grab a napkin and fork with your plate!” Abbey said with a giggle as she looked at them. They were all scanning the bar with inquisitive faces. “Ketchup and mustard are at the end of the line.”

“It’s like being at a picnic!” Caroline said with excitement. But then nobody moved. It was as if they didn’t know where to begin.

“I’ll start,” Abbey said, pulling a plastic fork from the cup she’d stuffed them all in, and grabbing a plate and napkin. She pulled a bun from the bag, left it open on the plate, and added a burger with cheese. “Get your burger and then you have all this to choose from.” Max stood next to Nick, trying to reach the plates. “Nick, if you’ll help Max, I’ll make yours. Do you want everything on your burger?”

“Make it however you like and I’ll try it,” he said.

“Excellent.” She added onions, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. When she closed the hamburger, it was so high that she had to secure it with a toothpick. “Baked beans?” she asked.

“Yes. Thank you. What is that bowl of yellow…?” he asked as he opened a bun and set it on a plate for Max.

“Potato salad. It’s my mother’s recipe. Want to try it?” Abbey had her plate and Nick’s teetering on the edge of the counter beside each other as she piled on the food.

“Potato… Salad. Is there salad in it?” he asked, peering over the bowl.

“No. There’s mustard, mayonnaise, and relish, among other spices. You might like it.” She scooped up a glop of it and lumped it on his plate. “You’ve been living in Richmond all this time and you’ve never encountered potato salad?” He just looked at her. She tried not to giggle. “I’ll put a little of everything and you can try it all.” His face was priceless.

The others were slowly filling their plates, watching Abbey and smiling. Robin had set her food down and was leaning into the wine cooler. “What goes well with this meal? Red, maybe? It’s beef…”

“Anything is fine,” Abbey said.

Robin pulled out a bottle of Zinfandel and uncorked it. “Who’s having wine?” she asked as the bottle breathed in her hand. The adults accepted her offer, and Abbey poured milk for the kids.

They all took their plates and drinks with them into the dining room.

Nick let out a punch of laughter. “What’s on the table?” he asked.

“A paper tablecloth,” Abbey said as she set her paper plate down on the Christmas tree printed paper. “It’s festive. And at the end, you can ball it up with everything on it—easy cleanup.”

With another chuckle, he sat down beside her. Abbey looked around at the faces that were there tonight. Caroline was cutting her burger with her plastic knife and fork, clearly being a good sport, her paper napkin in her lap; Robin and James were both helping Thomas get situated; and Max was holding a burger as big as his head!

Abbey recalled those first nights with Nick, sitting in silence at that huge table. She leaned over to Nick. “Now this is what the dinner table should be like,” she said quietly to him.

Nick smiled and discreetly pointed at Max as he tried to take a bite of his burger, half the toppings falling out the other side.

Abbey laughed. “Well, you helped him make it.”

“I just followed your lead.” He pointed to his own and grinned at her.

Abbey turned to address the group. “Has anyone tried something new?”

“It’s my first taste of potato salad,” Nick said. “The jury’s still out…”

“I like it,” Robin added. “And I like this green bean casserole as well.”

“When I first started working for Nick,” Abbey said, “he made me dinner and I didn’t know what it was. It was zucchini, wasn’t it, Nick?” She looked at him for agreement. “Anyway, it was delicious. I wanted to share something new with you all. I hope you’re enjoying it. I’ve made apple pie for dessert.”

“That sounds delicious, Abbey,” Caroline said. “Thank you for all of this.” She dabbed the corners of her mouth with her paper napkin. “When was the last time we all ate as a family?” Caroline asked.

Everyone looked around at each other and shook their heads.

“We don’t do this enough,” Caroline said. “Promise me that when your mother gets here, we’ll all get together again. We lead such busy lives. We need to stop and remember our family.”

Nick stood up, holding his glass. “To family,” he said, and they all raised their drinks. Abbey joined too and asked Max to lift his cup. While this wasn’t her family, it was a great one, and she was toasting to that. Nick added, “And good friends,” as he winked in Max’s direction.

“Cheers!” Max said, and clinked his cup with Nick’s glass. They all laughed.

I
t was getting late
, and Max hadn’t had a bath or gotten his homework finished, but tonight, Abbey didn’t mind at all. He was having the time of his life. And so was she. She didn’t let herself worry about missing this family once they were gone, or the fact that Nick was still moving to New York. She didn’t have a care in the world tonight because she was too busy enjoying the people around her.

“Who’s next?” James said, bending down to pick up one of the kids. Max jumped into his arms as if he’d known him for ages. James held her son out like an airplane, spinning him around and up and down, Max’s giggles bubbling up with every dip and spin.

Caroline sat under an afghan that Abbey had brought down for her, smiling as big as day as she watched the kids play. They played together so well, and it was wonderful to see how Max interacted with another child. He was courteous, he listened, and they tried to help each other through the tasks they’d created. They’d started by building a bridge on the train set, and both boys worked marvelously well together to build it. They’d asked Nick to be the base again, but he gently declined, telling them he hadn’t had enough time to spend with Max’s mommy and the rest of the family, and they needed some attention too. The boys had played with a few toys together while Abbey chatted with Nick, the women, and James. It was nice to have some adults to talk to.

Both boys started climbing on James, causing him to topple over, and Abbey worried about his nice clothes. James didn’t seem bothered, laughing as he sat back up on the floor.

“This is so much fun!” Max said, and everyone laughed.

“I’m having so much fun too,” Nick said in her ear and then kissed her cheek, surprising her. “I can’t remember being this relaxed.”

“It’s got to be the living room,” she teased.

“Yes, of course,” he played along. “More seriously, it could be all your decorating. You’ve given me a place to relax.” A smile still lingered on his lips. “You’ve given us a wonderful space where we can all get together. Thank you for that. I’d said that this would be the last room you need to decorate because no one would come in here, but you pulled it together anyway. What I hadn’t planned on was you pulling us all together too. And now, this is the first room we needed—the
family
room. So thank you.”

She went to kiss him on the cheek but he turned to catch her lips, planting a kiss right on her mouth.