Page 133 of Holidating
By the time they make it to the check-out desk, Damien has picked up a couple of gifts, too.
The young man behind the counter wraps and boxes the green bowl with more care than Damien imagines donated organs receive before they’re put onto the Life Flight helicopter. He estimates that half the attention is due to the bowl’s price tag and half to Nicolette’s attractiveness.
Honestly, he doesn’t blame the guy. See also: the taxi driver who’s assisting with Christmas shopping.
“Thank you for your help!” Nicolette tells Damien when the transaction is done. “I really appreciate it.”
“No problem,” he says, feeling more than a little gobsmacked by her smile.
“All right, one more stop,” she says, turning for the door.
“I can carry the bag,” he says, reaching for the handle as they emerge into the chilly air of the Church Street Marketplace.
“No way,” she says, holding the bag out of his reach. “You are a saint for putting up with me. Asaint.”
“Like I didn’t procrastinate, too?” He’s just purchased a set ofcandles for his mother and a throw pillow for his sister in the precise shape of a goldfish cracker.
“I still think you should have bought those singing refrigerator magnets.” She bumps his shoulder with her own. “The world needs more rude lyrics for Christmas carols.”
“You’re a menace. Do you know how loud our house is already? With five people?”
Houseisn’t even the right word for where he lives. Nicolette has almost certainly never been inside a cramped double-wide trailer, and he’s not about to describe it to her.
She shakes her head. “I’m an only child. Lots of silence. And, well, classical music now that Veronica’s twins live there during all their boarding school vacations.”
He can’t even imagine living in a home where two or three simultaneous arguments aren’t the norm. “You still have to find something for them, right?”
Her forehead creases. “Yes. I don’t haveanyideas. Maybe I’ll have to go with something from that chocolate shop. But that’s lame, isn’t it?”
It’s hard for him to concentrate when he badly wants to kiss that wrinkle between her eyebrows and make it go away. “Lame is a strong word. Who doesn’t like chocolate?”
“But, ugh,” she complains. “What in the world would they want from me? They wear brands I’ve never heard of. And they like classical music, which I don’t understand.”
“Hmm,” he says, trying not to stare. Her blue eyes are so expressive that it almost hurts to look at her. “There’s a violin shop across the way. Maybe they know what musicians want?”
“Wait, where?”
He puts one hand lightly on her shoulder and steers her across the pedestrian mall. It takes a moment because the place is so full of shoppers.
“Okay, yes!” she says, admiring a window display that saysGifts For the Music Lover. “You’re a genius.”
That is sadly not true, but Damien appreciates the compliment anyway.
“I’m buyingthat.” She points at a book in the window. Thecover indicates it’s about the history of Bach’s cello suites. “They play those pieces all the time. And maybe one of those.” She points at an ornate book of Christmas carols. “I’ll be right back, okay? Then we can finally get out of here.”
“Cool,” he says. Although he wouldn’t mind if they stayed here all night. Shopping with Nicolette is the most fun he’s had in weeks.
He’d like to see more of her, but he knows better than to ask. She’s probably dating some college guy already. Some guy who’s also going to be a lawyer.
Some guy with money and ambition.
He wanders over to a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the pedestrian walkway and stares up at the lights. He does that thing where you let your vision blur, so that you’re seeing something without really seeing it.
As a rule, he hasn’t spent much time on deep thoughts about his future. But spending time with Nicolette invites him to see himself from her perspective. She makes him wonder what it would be like to be a college guy. To think bigger.
“Nice tree, isn’t it?” she asks a few minutes later, startling him with a stealthy approach.
“Yeah,” he says, glancing over to find that she’s gazing up at the tree in much the same way as him. The white lights reflect in her clear eyes, making her look even more angelic than ever. “Got what you need?”
