Page 18 of Wish Me Home

A timid voice snapped me out of my inner panic. I turned to face the cute little twink shuffling from side to side. He had wide blue eyes and wild dark hair. He made me think of a skinnier, more awkward Emmett. I had to fight the urge to laugh because it was obvious that I had a preference.

“Can I help you with anything, sir?” he asked again.

“Actually, yes. I seem to have forgotten to grab a cart. And I might need some help understanding what lights I need for this,” I explained, motioning to the box under my arm.

The sales associate nodded, giving me a smile before hurrying off. He came back moments later pushing a cart. “Here you go, and as for lights, I’m not sure you’ll need them for that tree.”

I stared at him for a minute in confusion looking at the box. It was a standard three-foot tree designed to look like a spruce, although that didn’t look like any spruce tree I’d ever seen. The picture had a little tree skirt and lights and ornaments on the tree, but I still failed to understand what he was referring to.

He sighed before pointing to the box. The words “pre-lit,” were hard to miss. “Unless you like loads of lights, you don’t need to buy more. Have you never decorated your own tree before?”

His question was a little rude, but maybe it was a little odd that I hadn’t the faintest clue what I was doing. “I’m not normally home for the holidays. So yes, this is the first time I’m decorating my own tree.”

He grimaced and then looked down. His arms swung behind his back and he shifted back and forth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

I took pity on him. Noticing his name on his nametag, I addressed him by name. “No harm, Nick. I appreciate the help with the cart, regardless.”

He blushed when he realized I was paying attention. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

My phone pinged in my pocket alerting me to a new message. I wasn’t sure if Nick was trying to flirt or not, but the distraction was a good reminder that I shouldn’t be flirting with anyone. Emmett and I weren’t in any type of relationship, but it still felt wrong.

Pulling my phone out, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the message from the man in question. I opened it to a picture of him with his arms crossed, standing in front of a beautifully decorated tree. There was a brief message included that made me laugh.

Emmett:This was all Aunt Sadie’s idea.

I went to go put the phone in my pocket when another message came through.

Emmett:Pose with the tree she says. It’ll be cute. Why does she want to embarrass me?

“Must be someone special.” Nick’s words snapped me out of my thoughts as I read over the messages again.

“Yeah, a little. What gave you that impression?”

Nick’s smile was wistful as he surveyed the wall of lights in front of us. We started drifting over to the well picked over section of decorations. “That smile. Whoever can make someone smile like that has to be important.”

“I’d like to think he’s important. We just met, so it’s new.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him all of this, but he seemed like he wanted to make small talk.

“Sometimes you just know.” Nick didn’t explain further as he held up a box of assorted ornaments for my inspection. I nodded, and he threw them into my cart. He grabbed another similar box and tossed them in as well. I grabbed a tree skirt and threw it in with all the other tree decorations and he nodded his approval at my choice.

Nick walked with me to the registers and rang up the items. As he handed me my bag, he didn’t let go right away. “I wish you the best of luck with that someone special. I know you don’t know me, but what little you’ve told me, I think you’ve got a keeper.”

I left the store and got in my car to go home. What Nick had said stayed with me the entire way. There was a strange instantaneous connection with Emmett. I didn’t know how to address it. With the way he’d gotten emotional when we’d parted ways, he must have felt something too.

Chapter Thirteen

Emmett

Asmallpangofsadness overtook me when I realized Cody had opened my messages, but hadn’t responded. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting out of this. Maybe I had misjudged the whole thing and, sure, he’d sent me the picture first, but maybe I was just a conquest from the airport. He had tried to assure me I wasn’t, but that didn’t stop the thoughts from creeping in. I’d never wanted more and for the first time, I did.

“Emmett!” Aunt Sadie called from the living room. I had just taken my bag out to finish putting things away, but I guess that would have to wait.

I wandered back to the front of the apartment from my room to find my Aunt putting her jacket on. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“We. We are going to Balboa park tonight. I want to go look at the trees.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek in frustration. I got that she wanted to go do things because she hadn’t seen me in months, but I was tired after being stuck in an airport overnight and a long morning of traveling. I always had trouble telling her no.

“Why don’t you invite your new friend. He’s local?”

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