Page 29 of Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist

The Winters family had done so much for her. She could do this for Victoria. Noel didn’t believe for a second anyone else in town cared if she sang or not, but if she didn’t attend, Victoria would be disappointed.

But an evening of constant reminders of her parents? Could she get through it without falling apart?

She took a sip of her tea and spoke before she changed her mind.

“I’ll do the concert.”

Victoria turned away from the dishes she’d started and the pure joy on her face hit Noel like a punch in the gut. “Oh, I am so glad! You don’t need to worry about being alone up there. Merry and Holly will be covering the bass and drums and I’ve got a fantastic guitarist. It will be a beautiful tribute concert, I promise you.”

“I’m sure it will be,” Noel said with little conviction.

“There is one more thing. For the tribute, I was hoping to display some of their mementos in the town hall. Would it be possible for us to get into the storage unit?”

Noel nodded. “I can drop the key off tomorrow on my way to work.”

“Oh, well, I thought we could do it together.”

“To be honest, I haven’t been in there since it happened and I don’t think I want to tackle it right now. But you’re welcome to go through and pull out what you need.”

“I appreciate it, sweetheart.”

Noel finished her tea and stood with the empty cup and discarded cookie in her hands. “I hope you don’t mind if I take off, but I am beat.”

“Of course not. Get some rest.”

Noel returned Victoria’s hug. “I am sorry for snapping at you.”

The older woman patted her shoulder. “Apology accepted.” Victoria pulled back and cupped her face. “You know I love you, right? And you are as much a part of this family as the children I gave birth to?”

Noel nodded, because what else could she do? As much as she loved Victoria, she missed her mother. Victoria and Chris welcomed her into their home with open arms, but they couldn’t replace the parents she’d lost. She didn’t want them to.

Victoria released her, taking the cup from her. “I’ll see you later then.”

“See you.” When Victoria turned back to her dishes, Noel discreetly threw the remainder of the cookie in the trash.

Chapter 9

NICK

Nick didn’t like hitting Rocking Rochelle’s on a regular night, but Anthony and Pike dragged him out for Singles Hump Day on Wednesday night after he’d returned from Colorado. As much as he’d wanted to head to bed early, he couldn’t blow off his guys when they seemed bound and determined to help him through his breakup.

Plus, it gave him an excuse to show off his new truck.

Still, the amount of meat being marketed around the two-story club should be criminal. It was eleven degrees outside and some women were in scraps of material just big enough to cover their bits. He could enjoy the view like any other red-blooded male, but they had to be freezing.

Pike nudged him as a girl in leather pants and a cropped tube top walked by. “Whoooeee, what about her?”

As pretty as she was, Nick shrugged.

“You’re killing me,” Pike muttered, downing the rest of his brew.

Nick had never been the club type and hooking up with a stranger didn’t appeal to him. He’d given Tinder a shot while he was in Colorado, but nobody stood out as he swiped through profiles. After his meeting, he’d stopped at the hotel bar and met a woman who’d been more than interested. They’d talked for a while, had a few laughs, but right as he’d made the decision to invite her up, his phone dinged with a Spotify notification. Noel sent him a song and suddenly, all he’d wanted to do was go up to his hotel room alone and listen to it.

As much as he longed for a little touch, hooking up with a bunch of random partners with names he couldn’t remember didn’t appeal to him. He wanted something real with someone special.

Someone who could be my best friend.

It wasn’t the first time the thought crossed his mind over the last week. Being home for good flipped a switch in him that Nick hadn’t been prepared for. Noticing the flecks of black in Noel’s dark eyes. The freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose and cheeks. How good her curves felt being pressed against his body.

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