Page 24

I move the tree back to where it was, and Joy claps her hands together. “Perfect.”

We both laugh, and then she gets back to work. She’s almost done, and so I grab my coat. “I’ll be right back.”

She turns around. “Where are you going?”

“To get something.”

She looks at me curiously.

“Don’t worry. I’m coming back.”

She pops her shoulder. “I wasn’t worried.”

I walk down the block to the coffee shop and come back a few minutes later with two hot chocolates. Joy is standing on a small stepstool when I return.

I set the drinks down and immediately go to her. “What are you doing?”

She looks down at me. “Decorating.”

“You’re standing on a stool.”

“It’s two feet high.”

My hands grip her hips. “That’s two feet too tall.”

She laughs. “Nick, I promise I’m not going to fall.”

I tighten my hold on her anyway. “Now you’re definitely not.”

She shakes her head but keeps working.

When she’s finished, I help her down. “I brought you something.”

She spots the cups and smiles. “Hot chocolate?”

I hand her one, and she takes a sip and sighs.

“Good?” I ask her.

She nods. “Very.” She takes another drink and then looks at me. “But I think I like your Christmas Kiss better.”

My eyes go straight to her mouth. “Do you?”

She nods, and I step closer. “Well, you can have all the Christmas kisses you want.”

Her cheeks turn pink as she lifts the cup. “I was talking about the drink.”

“Were you?”

She bites her lip, and I lean down until my mouth is close to hers. “Because I wasn’t.”

Her eyes drop to my lips. I kiss her once and remind myself that we’re standing downtown in Wrapped on Main’s storefront.

We work for another hour. I carry things, hand her whatever she asks for, hold the ladder, and stand back while she tells me where things need to go.

When she finally steps outside to look at the finished storefront, I stand beside her.

The tree is lit in the window. Garland frames the doors. She painted snowflakes and a winter scene across the glass, and the whole store looks completely different.