Page 13 of OMG Christmas Tree
CHAPTER FIVE
Megan
––––––––
WHEN I AGREED TO THISalternate holiday plan, I figured I’d spend time with Mom, ease into life with a step-family, maybe eat some glazed ham.
Not on my list?
Driving to a home improvement store in the sticks with a stranger. A cute but annoying stranger.
Nick Bennington wasn’t a stranger to anyone else in this town.
Yet another familiar-to-Nick face stopped him in the parking lot on our way inside the big box store. Two others had already stopped us. “How is your mother?”
Nick smiled warmly. “She’s doing well, thank you.”
“I’m on the library board.” The woman turned to a squiggling girl in pigtails whose hand she held. “This is my granddaughter Addison. Addie, this is the mayor’s son. His name is Nick. Can you say hello?”
The girl ducked behind the folds of her grandmother’s long wool coat. “Do you know Santa?”
Nick crouched to the girl’s level. “As a matter of fact, I do. Our mayor’s office receives a special telegram from Santa every year.”
“What’s a telegram?”
The grandmother laughed.
Nick grinned, and the little girl stared, captivated. “It’s an old-timey way people used to communicate. Like sending text messages without a cell phone. Santa is coming in three days. Are you ready?”
“Yeah!” the girl squealed. She and her grandmother took off toward their car.
Well, color me captivated, too. “What, are you the holiday whisperer or something?” I mean seriously, who was this guy? He didn’t even seem annoyed.
Nick paused at the automated doors, waiting for me to walk ahead of him. Once he caught up, he grabbed a cart. “I’m used to it. Before my mother became mayor, she sat on the city council and every committee you can name in this county. Our family owns a printing business that connects us to all the surrounding towns. Being out in public for me, this is how it is.”
I zeroed in on the holiday decor at the front of the store. “I would hate so much attention. Having total strangers come up to me.”
“I guess living in Chicago helps, huh?”
“I can grocery shop in peace and nobody needs to be told my life story a hundred times over.”
“Must be nice.”
I expected a snarky expression to pair with that statement, but Nick appeared thoughtful. Probably thinking I’m the nutbag who doesn’t want to socialize when I’m out shopping for necessities like tree stands for a ten-freaking-foot tree. A tree more fit for a mayor’s mansion than my stepdad’s house. How was I supposed to know the tree was meant for charity? I’d made such a stink about it and now Nick told me to keep the tree. The ten-footer belonged to me now. For better or worse.
The holiday decor section lacked anything remotely useful. No tree stands, for starters. Beyond that, a rack of blinking stringed lights—who used blinking lights? No thanks. A snowman lawn ornament missing half its carrot nose tipped toward me in a desperate plea. “This place is so picked over.”
Nick held up a crushed velvet stocking with the name Noah stitched on the cuff. “Well, Christmasisin three days.”
