Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses: A feel good Christmas romance novel (15 page)

“Are we at a stalemate?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You may be. I’m in attack mode.” She pulled back and released her snowball, sending it right into his gut. It exploded in a fan of snow on his coat. Before he could react, she’d already filled her hands with another snowball.

Max stepped up beside Nick, more snow in his hands.

“You can’t have backup,” she teased, winking at Max.

“Two against one!” Max said through his giggles, and he took off after her, Nick following behind.

Abbey tore off through the property, darting behind as many trees as she could while Nick gained on her, his lengthy stride much bigger than hers. She turned around and beamed a snowball at him, hitting him in the upper arm. He stopped, looked down at it for just a second and then took off after her again. She bent down to scoop up more snow and when she stood up, she gasped as Nick had his arms around her.

“He got you!” Max called, and Nick released her.

She turned around, not making a fuss about his embrace, her game face still on. “No he didn’t,” she said with a grin. “He still has yet to hit me with a snowball.” She offered him a challenging glance. He was too close to her to throw anything at her without hurting, and he couldn’t bend down to get more snow. She had him.

But then, with a quick look to Max, he took a step closer and, before she knew it, he had his gloved hands on her face, but they weren’t warm. They were freezing because they were full of snow! He smeared it all over her face as she tried to wriggle free.

“I’m going to get more snow!” Max said as he ran off.

“That was dirty!” she laughed, using the back of her arm to wipe the remaining snow off her cheeks. It had given her goose bumps all the way down her arms.

Nick smiled at her as he tried to help her get the snow off her face. This time, he’d pulled his hand out of his glove and it was warm against her skin. Gently, he trailed his fingers down her face to remove the melting snow. She didn’t feel cold anymore.

“Look at me!” Max said, breaking them from the moment.

Abbey turned toward the spot where Max was playing. He was on his back, making snow angels.

“I see you!” she called out. “That’s a great snow angel!”

“Nick! You do one!” Max yelled over to them.

As if jolted by some invisible force, Nick checked his watch. “I can’t, buddy. I’m sorry. I have to go back in.”

While Abbey would’ve liked to have him stay longer, she knew she’d already taken more time from his day than he’d probably like, so she didn’t intervene. “Thank you for coming out today,” she said, genuinely glad that he had. “It was fun.”

“Yes, it was,” he said with a smile. Then, with a quick wave to Max, he headed in.

R
ichard had started
the fire for Abbey and Max in the ballroom. It was odd for her to choose that large room, because originally, she’d felt that no one should have a room that big, but the memory of sitting in front of that fireplace had stuck with her, and the sofas kept drawing her in. Max had put his pajamas back on and was curled up at one end of the two facing sofas with a pile of his books while Abbey attempted to rearrange her decorating timeline. It was going to take her all day just to tape the ceiling of that enormous bedroom, and it had a ton of woodwork to tape around. She felt anxiety creeping in at the thought of one person trying to paint it but she just couldn’t leave the room white. It would put her way behind.

All her life, Abbey had dreamed of being an interior designer. Even though she had never had a formal class, it just fit as a career for her. She could do it with ease. The problem she was finding as she looked at the timings was that she needed a team for a house this size. She might have to pull an all-nighter just to get this room painted, and stay relatively on track.

Abbey noticed Max eyeing the grand piano on the other side of the room, and she smiled to herself, remembering the sound of the notes as Nick had played. She remembered the curve of his back, the tilt of his head, the ease in which his hands moved over the keys. She wished he were playing now. She looked around the ballroom at the amazing Christmas trees she’d decorated, the pop and sizzle of the fire, the piano, the mistletoe on giant ribbons—this really was the stuff of fairytales.

She had to remind herself that this wasn’t a fairytale. Niggling at the back of her mind was the fact that she kept letting Nick into her life
and
Max’s life. It was too easy for him to be involved, and she could feel her resolve to keep things professional slipping.

A
bbey had used nearly all
the paper in her sketchpad, drawing with Max. They’d played in the snow again, read all his books; Richard had brought a deck of cards and they’d played “Go Fish” and “War”. They’d had lunch in the kitchen, they’d walked over to Caroline’s for her daily check, they’d played “Hide and Seek”, and they’d even tinkered on Nick’s piano. In between all those things, she’d been able to tape some of the bedroom off for painting. The ceiling was done, and the fireplace, but she had none of the doorways or crown moldings finished, and she hadn’t done the floorboards. The sun was setting, and still, she’d only seen Nick that one time.

When Richard walked past the bedroom where she and Max were reading a book, she grabbed his attention and walked into the hallway.

“Have you seen Nick today?” she asked Richard.

“No, ma’am. His office door has been closed all day.”

“Has he eaten? It’s dinner time.”

“He hasn’t requested me, and he’s asked to be left alone so I have. The chef isn’t coming today, due to the snow, so I would guess he’d have made himself some food, but I haven’t seen him.”

“I was going to make dinner for myself and Max. I wonder if Nick would like something to eat.” She thought about the kindness he’d shown her this morning, and she wanted to repay it. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Max for a few minutes? He’s really fine on his own, but if you could just check on him. I won’t be long. I just want to offer Nick some dinner.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Fuller. He’s asked not to be disturbed. By anyone.”

“That’s fine. I’ll tell him you tried to stop me.”

“I wouldn’t advise that you interrupt him.”

“I won’t keep him long.”

Richard was still shaking his head, trying to convince Abbey to stay put, but she wanted to check on him.

When she got to his office, she knocked and he called for her to come in. Nick was at his desk, his hand on his forehead for support. He looked up. He had dark scruff on his face, circles under his eyes.

“Have you been sitting here since you left us?” she asked.

Nick nodded and looked back down at some sort of spreadsheet. He rubbed his temple with his fingers.

“Have you eaten at all today?” She searched his desk for empty plates or some indication that he’d been out of that chair. There was nothing.

Nick shook his head, grabbed his calculator, and typed in a few numbers, his attention on his work as if she weren’t there. He inhaled, his eyes moving from the calculator screen to the spreadsheet, back and forth. “I’ve had some bad news about one of my investments, and I really need to be left alone with it. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be rude, but this requires all my concentration at the moment.”

She leaned down into his line of sight.

He looked at her.

“You need to eat something.”

“I have to finish this or I’ll lose my train of thought. This is more important than eating. I’m about to lose a sale, and if I don’t get it…” He shook his head. “There are millions riding on it.”

“You’re tired. Some good food might help clear your head, and you can look at it with fresh eyes.”

“I like being with you and Max—but I have to work.”

The doorknob clicked.

“Hi, Nick!” Max was standing in the doorway. He waved and then looked at his mother, his face oblivious to what had just transpired before he’d opened the door. “Mama, I’m hungry. And bored.”

“Oh!” she said, wondering where Richard had been, but then realizing that it wasn’t his job to watch Max. “Well, I was just going to cook Nick some dinner. He needs to eat, even if it’s at his desk,” she said as she looked over at him. She could tell he’d heard her, but he didn’t look up. “Want to help me?”

“Okay.” Max walked over to Nick and put his face right between Nick and his papers. “Are you going to eat with us, Nick? Please?”

Nick looked up at Abbey and then at Max, his face tired but kind. “I have a little more work to do, but I promise I’ll eat with you,” he said.

“Yay!” Max said, jumping up and down, his little fists in the air. “You’re gonna love my mama’s cooking. She makes
great
food!”

“And I still owe you a dinner from our bet,” she said with a smile.

Nick smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. Then, as they left, he looked back down at the papers on his desk.

I
t had taken
Abbey fifteen minutes to locate all the ingredients she’d need in that big kitchen. Nick had everything she’d ever want to create a meal, and she’d settled on homemade macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, corn on the cob, and the sausage casserole she had because of Adrienne’s party. Max had helped Abbey choose what to prepare, and he’d also helped her cook. She took the dishes through the swinging double doors and into the dining room where Max was already waiting. He’d asked Abbey to sit at the end, an empty chair between them, “for Nick,” he’d said.

“When’s he coming?” Max asked.

“I texted him that dinner was ready about five minutes ago. Let’s give him a few more minutes,” she said, hoping the food wouldn’t get cold.

Max nodded, looking around at the dining room. “Nick’s house is fancy,” he said.

She smiled at him and nodded. “It is fancy.”

“I wonder why he likes things so fancy.”

“Probably because he grew up that way and he’s used to it.”

“The table’s a really long way from the kitchen,” he noted.

“Yes.”

“If I had this house, I’d just put a table in the kitchen.”

Abbey smiled again. “That’s because that’s what
you’re
used to. But when you’re a man, you certainly can if you want to. When you grow up, are you going to have a house this big?”

Max pursed his lips in thought. “Maybe. Or maybe something middle sized.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

They sat, talking—just the two of them like they were used to doing—for quite a while, and eventually, Abbey dished up a plate for Max. The food was only lukewarm at this point, and she figured he’d better eat at least. She could always warm hers and Nick’s up later. Max looked disappointed, his eyes fluttering over to the empty chair every so often. He’d been so excited to tell Nick that he’d helped to choose what was for dinner.

“Nick’s food is going to be cold,” Max said. “He promised he’d eat with us.”

Max had never experienced anyone who didn’t keep a promise. Nick’s absence—whether intentional or not—was upsetting her. This wasn’t just about letting her down; it was about letting Max down as well. And while dinner had been her idea, he’d agreed to it. He should’ve kept his word.

Max finished his dinner, and Abbey tried to keep conversation upbeat, but she was still flustered over Nick’s absence. “Do you mind if I go find out why Nick didn’t come to dinner?” she asked Max. He nodded. “Let’s go upstairs and you can build with your Legos in our room.” They cleaned up their dishes and went upstairs.

She smiled as she left the room where Max was. Once Max was out of sight, she walked down to Nick’s office and opened the door without knocking.

“Did you not see my text?” she asked sadly without even a hello.

Nick wasn’t looking at her. His desk was scattered with more papers. He was hunched over them all, a pencil in his hand, scribbling madly between bouts of punching buttons on his computer. She walked to the edge of the desk to face him, and he finally looked up at her.

“Did you see my text?” she asked again.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice ragged. “No, I didn’t.”

She leaned down in front of his face. “Look at me, please,” she said.

He looked up.

“I get it. You feel you need to make this sale. This job is important to you.” She leaned closer to ensure that she had his attention. “But it isn’t all of you. You are so much more than this job, and you’re denying all the other parts of who you are. You aren’t aware of what you’re doing. You’ve been alone for so long, you’ve forgotten how to be with people. We were waiting. For you.”

His face softened slightly, but he looked defensive.

“You promised Max you would eat with him. Can you even fathom what I felt for my son when you didn’t show up after you said you would?”

His gaze dropped back down to his desk. He took in a deep breath and let it out.

“You promised,” she said. “You promised Max you’d come to dinner. He saved you a chair between us. And you didn’t show. You can’t do that.” She walked back to the other side of the desk. She could feel the lump in her throat—protectiveness of Max making her feel vulnerable—and she worried she was going to cry.

Nick rubbed his eyes, his remorse clear. He stood up and walked around the desk to face her. He reached out and hesitantly touched her arms. He moved his hands up until they were almost near her shoulders and he held on to her tenderly. She looked into his blue eyes. She had to look up to see him, and she thought about how gentle he was, despite his imposing physique.

“I should’ve been there,” he said. “I’ll find a way to make it better. Maybe I can get him a present—a teddy bear or something.”

“You don’t need to
buy
him things. He doesn’t want a teddy bear. He wanted to eat dinner with you. The best thing you can do for him is to simply apologize.”

“I know I don’t need to buy him things. It would be a token of my regret for not being there for him.”

“You can’t fix the problem with money.
You
have to fix the problem.” She kept her voice calm. She had to make him see. “What does that teach him? That he can do whatever he wants to people as long as he buys them something to say he’s sorry? That’s not how I’m raising my child. You should’ve come to dinner, and you didn’t. Now, it’s up to you to make that better.”

M
ax was already asleep
when Abbey went to check on him. He’d been waiting for her to come tuck him in, and she’d been busy cleaning up the kitchen even though Nick had assured her that the staff would take care of it. That was probably true, but it was her mess, so she cleaned up herself. She expected him to still be awake, but the day’s events must have been exhausting for him.

When she’d finished checking on Max, Abbey hurried to the bedroom to work on taping the rest of it off. She could feel how tired she was, but it didn’t matter. She had to get it finished. Without another thought, she pulled a long piece of tape from the roll and got started.

A
bbey looked at her watch
. Eleven o’clock. She rubbed her eyes, her fingers sticky from the adhesive of the tape. The whole room was supposed to be painted by now and drying so she could put it back together and decorate it tomorrow. She tried not to think about it as she lined the cans of paint on a drop cloth that Richard had found for her. She opened the paint and inserted a wooden paint stirrer. As she swirled the paint around, it looked slightly different than the original color she’d chosen, but wet paint sometimes did look different, so she continued to stir.

When it was mixed pretty well, she dumped it into the paint tray and dragged her roller back and forth in the gray mixture. Even on a long pole, given her height, the roller couldn’t reach the ceiling, so she had to teeter on the ladder to get up to the top. She left a few inches between the crown molding and the wall so she wouldn’t bump the woodwork with her roller. She’d have to go back and paint that with a brush, but even at the top of the ladder, she had no idea how she’d ever reach it. She rubbed an itch on her forehead with her wrist but still managed to get paint on herself. With a sigh, she kept rolling.

After she’d painted about two-thirds of the wall, she got down off the ladder to look at it. Part of it had dried somewhat already. In the dark of night, with the glow of the chandelier, it was difficult to tell if the paint was the right color. It didn’t look right, but she had to go with it. It was the best she had, and with the snow, she’d never be able to get out and buy more.

It had taken ages and she wasn’t even finished with one wall. She’d have to paint around all the woodwork and fireplace by hand, and she was getting tired. The room smelled of paint, and it was a wreck. She’d never get it finished and decorated by tomorrow. What had she been thinking? She should have added extra time into her schedule. She could’ve had her mother watch Max more often, and gotten ahead in anticipation of something like this happening. This room was huge. It could easily take her three days to paint.