Page 69 of Mistletoe Latte

“Stop making a fuss. You can go back to sleep or join us in the kitchen. There’s pancakes.”

“Okay. Okay…” She stepped back into her room and closed the door without answering.

Emma stopped fussing with her phone and handed the coffee back to Nick. “She didn’t seem excited.”

“Oh, I think that’ll change.” Nick took a deep drink and smiled at her.

Her thumb moved on its own and started playing through her voicemails.

“Em, it’s your sister. Good news, the local pizza place is hiring. You just gotta walk in for an interview, then do a drug test.”

A loud crash broke from Skylar’s bedroom. “Uncle Nick?” the girl shouted. “Where are my skates?”

“In the closet,” he said.

“No, they’re not.”

“Let me look…”

The next voicemail rolled over and it wasn’t from her sister. “Hey, Kia Soul. Good news, I got the part early. All I need to do is…”

Skylar popped her head out wearing a great grin as she extended a pair of worn and yellowing ice skates. “Found ‘em!” She nearly danced in a circle with excitement.

“They’re gonna need sharpening.”

“Yeah, yeah. Do you skate?”

Emma silenced her phone, skipping the rest of the mechanic’s voicemail. “Ah…no. But you could teach me.”

“Okay, but there’s a lot of falling on your ass.”

She and Nick both winced at the thought. He reached for her waist but paused at the curious eyes of the teenager. Instead, he wafted his palm just above her arm. “Don’t worry, you can join me on the sidelines. They have outrageously priced hot cocoa.”

“Can we go to Gio’s Pasta too?” Skylar asked and Nick shrugged.

“Sure, why not. What do you think?”

An entire day with just the three of them… No job interviews for minimum wage pizza parlors, no mechanics calling about her car. Emma shut off her phone and the rest of the world. “Sounds perfect.”

HE’D NEVER FELT so energized while flipping on the cafe lights. The sky may be dark as pitch, but Nick felt light as a feather. They’d had one nearly perfect day of snowball fights, and warm lasagna, and Emma resting on his lap as she read. Even Skylar was up earlier than usual, weakly smiling on a Monday morning. It felt like his entire life had reset, and he was going to get it right this time.

“You know what?” He slapped his hands together while gazing back at the cafe. Emma and Skylar paused in laying out the chairs to look at him. “I think today’s the day the mistletoe latte comes back.”

“Really?” Skylar leaped up and squealed. “Are you just saying it?”

Nick picked up the sign that’d been sitting by the door since December started. With his sleeve, he wiped away the “No” and added “Please ask for” before the mistletoe latte.

“Yes!” His niece shouted, pumping her fist in the air. “This is perfect.” With that, she ran away.

“Never thought she cared what we served here,” he said, surprised at her reaction.

“Maybe she’s curious too.” Emma finished adding the forbidden item to the large menu and looked over her shoulder at him. “It is really good.”

With a lightness in his steps, Nick vaulted over the counter. Luckily, they hadn’t put anything out yet or his foot would have sent it flying. He wound a hand around Emma’s waist even as she strained to finish the looping E. Brushing his lips to her neck, he whispered, “Wait until you try this version.”

“Oh, yeah, that missing special ingredient.”

Nick smiled. “I’ve got a better idea. You’ve inspired me.”

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