Page 104 of Holly and Nick Hate Christmas
“Don’t meddle, Grace.” Thomas took another sip from his mug, then looked down at the daily Wordle on his phone with a scowl.
“Don’t mind him.” Grace offered Nick a wistful smile. “He’s still upset about Chloe.”
“Well, wouldn’t you be?” Thomas’s phone clattered to the tabletop. “All that time and tuition. And it’s about that boy, mark my words.”
Ah, so Thomas wasn’t upset at Nick. But he probably would be once he knew everything.
“Last night was…” Nick took a deep breath. “Well, I’m sure you’re both dealing with a lot of new information from everyone.” Man, those rolls smelled amazing. But then he remembered the look on Holly’s face as she realized his betrayal, and yeah. No appetite. “I hate to add to the stress.”
“You staying here won’t add to anything, hon.” Grace dusted her hands on her apron. “You’re always welcome.”
“More so than some,” Thomas muttered.
Grace ignored him. “But if you need to go, of course we understand. We can talk numbers later.”
“I appreciate that. But…” Nick looked down at his suitcase, then back up with a sigh. “I think it’s best if you take me out of consideration for the property.”
Thomas’s mug clanked on the table. “Why on earth would we do that?”
Grace’s expression pinched. “Don’t be hasty, dear. I know you and Holly had a spat but—”
“Grace,” Thomas barked. “I said don’t meddle.”
“Well, maybe someone needs to.” She planted her hands on her slim hips and glared at her husband.
“Didn’t you call me a fixer last night?” He gestured toward the living room. “Said something about sitting in the truth.”
“This is different.” Grace huffed. “I don’t think either of them even knows what the truth is right now.”
Grace had a point. But that was something he needed to discuss with Holly, and Nick assumed she was still asleep like the rest of the house. She’d left him standing in the yard with Frosty last night, and he hadn’t seen her since.
But her words and the memory of her stiff back as she walked away had sent a clear message. She didn’t believe a word he said, and she was done.
“I’d feel more comfortable if I wasn’t involved in this.” His heart twinged. It was the perfect property, for sure. But Nick hadn’t proved himself to be a man who deserved it. “It’s not just because of Holly.”
“It sounds like there’s more to this story.” Grace’s brows drew together as she rested one hip against the island. “I’ll make you a deal. You stay and eat a cinnamon roll, tell us as much as you’re willing, and then if you still want to leave, I won’t say another word.”
Thomas snorted.
Grace shot him a warning look, then tilted her head toward Nick. “Deal?”
And that was how, thirty-five minutes later, he was down two cinnamon rolls, half a mug of coffee, and the truth. “I’m not proud of myself this past week.” Nick ran his finger over the handle of his fork, unwilling to look either of the Sinclairs in the eye after confessing to everything. The operations. The pranks. The fight with Holly. “Even before I got here, I was misleading people. And it escalated every day since.”
Grace winced from her spot across the table. “I’m afraid some of that is our fault. We asked you to keep our secret.”
“Maybe so, but I added to the secrets.” Nick took a sip of his coffee, lukewarm now. “I made choices, and those choices hurt people.” Several people, really. Himself. The Sinclairs. But mostly Holly.
“I can tell you care about my daughter.” Thomas sighed as he pushed his plate aside. “But I also can see how this must look to her. I’m happy to speak to her, if you want.”
“I appreciate that, but no. She seemed pretty set on not believing me, and I can’t blame her right now.” Nick shrugged. “Like I said—I think it’s best if I head home. She was finally starting to enjoy the holidays for the first time in forever.” He briefly closed his eyes. “I don’t want to be the reason she feels awkward during her last Christmas in this house.”
He should have said something sooner. Sure, he tried, once he realized the direction the family meeting was headed, but how chicken of him was that? He should’ve been honest with her from the beginning.
Grace’s lashes fluttered. “You’re a good man, Nick Kinsley. Our opinion of you hasn’t changed.”
But his own opinion had. “Thank you.” Nick shook his head. “Maybe I’m not ready to lead yet after all. How can I guide kids toward a better path when I’m still lying and manipulating people?” Losing Holly felt awful. But realizing how far he’d digressed in his choices felt equally bad.
He’d really failed.
