Page 11 of You Make It Feel like Christmas

T HIS LIST WAS ABSOLUTELY ridiculous. Nick stared at his phone the following morning, doing his best not to toss it in the snow.

He was a good sport. Mostly. Especially off the rink and when he was with Asher, whom he wanted to be a good role model for.

This was about fun and Christmas memories.

If, in the process, he happened to show Maisie that there was more to him than he’d shown her that night, all the better.

Well, actually, he’d shown her more of himself than he had any other woman.

What he really wanted was to show her he wasn’t the man he’d shown her after their night together.

If it weren’t for Asher jumping up and down, all but vibrating with excitement, Nick might have complained out loud. Instead, he was standing in a semicircle with Kyle, Colton, Jacob, and Asher trying to decide where to start.

“What’s Seek and Share?” he asked, reading Maisie’s group text.

“It’s a scavenger hunt app. We don’t all need it. I’m logging in now,” Colton said, tapping his phone.

Nick continued to stare at the list, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Tree Farm Scavenger Hunt: You must find or do all the things on the list and upload your photos to Seek and Share. Your whole group needs to be in the photo.

3 snow angels in a row

A Douglas fir

A tree lot employee next to a tree

A strand of twinkle lights, lit up

Footprints in the snow

A sign that says Christmas

Tire tracks

A hot, to-go beverage

An axe

The rings of a tree stump

Nick held up his phone. “How the hell are we supposed to know which ones are Douglas firs?”

“Bad word, Uncle Nick.”

Nick rolled his eyes but patted his nephew’s shoulder. “Sorry, bud.”

“We can ask Bob,” Asher said, taking Nick’s hand.

The five of them started walking out of Ellie’s yard and toward the tree lot.

Nick thought about who he’d met on Ellie’s staff yesterday. “The farm manager?”

Asher looked up at him while swinging their joined hands. “He’s the tree boss.”

“I like that job title better,” Colton said.

When they made their way to the pre-cut trees, it was easy enough to find employees. They wore green Tickle Tree sweatshirts and most were helping customers.

Bob, whom he’d met yesterday when his sister was giving him a tour, had dark, curly hair, a stocky build, and wore a Santa hat that matched his red flannel. “Morning, Asher. How’s it going, little man?”

“Hi, Bob. We’re doin’ a scavenger hunt,” Asher said proudly.

Nick’s lips quirked. “We’re winning a scavenger hunt, buddy.”

Colton laughed while Bob continued helping the couple he was talking to about a tall tree that was wrapped to keep it together. If he looked close enough, Nick was pretty sure he’d see the tree type on the tie. So, that would make one item on the list easier.

Several people wandered the lot; couples, families.

The business had a firm foundation before Ellie took over.

She’d pored through paperwork, sent Nick about eight thousand questions, gently nudging him into the answer she wanted to hear.

He’d offered to pay for the inspection, just to make sure everything checked out soundly, and he should have known something wasn’t right when she agreed.

Ellie’s marriage was in trouble before the decision of the tree farm caused the final split.

The guy she’d been counting on to do the inspection was a friend of her ex’s.

She was able to go into the sale knowing what shape the place was in and since Nick couldn’t actually be by her side through it, he was glad she’d let him pitch in. Financially, at least.

Asher pulled Jacob over to where Bob was finishing his sale.

Colton and Kyle walked behind them, chatting.

Colton was happy. It felt good to see the people who mattered most to him settled in life.

Content. Thriving. Nick’s gaze caught on Maisie across the way.

Or maybe it just gravitated toward her because he was a human boomerang where she was concerned.

He’d done well pushing thoughts of her to the edges of his mind, but now that she was here, he couldn’t fight it anymore.

He was worn out from all the other shit going on in his life and Maisie was like a beacon of fucking sunshine, lighting up the gloominess inside of him.

Something pinched in his chest at the sight of Ellie laughing at something Maisie said. Natalie and Dr. Smart, who seemed a little high-strung, were looking at Natalie’s phone.

“You okay, man?” Colton came to his side.

He looked to where Asher was chatting nonstop at Jacob. It made Nick happy that the kid seemed to have no attachment issues given that his own dad had walked out on him. And his uncle is barely around. His jaw clenched. That could change.

“I’m good. Knee gets better every day. I’m glad Maisie doesn’t have us running an obstacle course though.”

Colton laughed, following Nick’s gaze. “Don’t rule it out. The Smart siblings are a competitive bunch. That was a tough hit you took. I wanted to fly out and see you, be there for Ellie.”

Nick shoved his hands in his pockets. A few trucks started up and then rumbled down the drive with trees in the back.

“I appreciate it but I wasn’t really up for company. I didn’t even want Ellie to come. She had enough going on with all of this.”

Colton did what he’d done since they were kids; he waited Nick out.

Pressure built in his chest. “I can tell you rehab is a hell of a lot harder at thirty-four than when I injured the same knee at twenty-two.”

“I can imagine. I sneeze wrong and I’m in danger of pulling my back out.”

Nick laughed, the pressure easing. Colton was two years older than him. Nick clapped him on the back. “That’s probably not a good thing, man.”

He didn’t even realize they were still staring at Maisie, or Nick was, until Colton whistled low under his breath and mentioned it. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? One of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.”

Clearing his throat, Nick looked at his friend, trying to read his gaze. “Maisie? Yeah. She seems nice. The whole family does. Your husband’s a good guy, too.”

Colton held his gaze and Nick worried he’d see too much. “He’s a wonderful man. I love him. It’s a little scary falling for someone so hard it feels like they own a piece of you.”

Nick looked past his friend, gave a tight smile. “I wouldn’t know.”

The little “hmm” Colton gave did nothing to ease his worries that his friend was picking up on Nick’s feelings.

They started walking toward the others. Colton eyed him again, just a quick glance. “I’ve got to run into town and grab a few things tomorrow. You want to come?”

Probably a good idea not to crowd Maisie too much. “Sure.”

Asher hurried over and grabbed his hand. “Come on, Uncle Nick. Let’s get a picture then we win.”

“We need ten pictures total, but yeah, we’re definitely going to win.” He might want Maisie Smart to a degree he hadn’t let himself acknowledge but he had no intention of wearing a reindeer onesie for any woman.

They arranged themselves around a Douglas fir that Bob pointed out and Colton took a selfie. The women didn’t look like they were rushing but Nick was antsy to finish this up and remove the thought of animal pajamas from his future.

He saw a group of four people heading their way, chatting excitedly as they looked at him. One of the guys pointed and leaned down to the girl beside him to say something. Nick’s skin prickled uncomfortably, like he was dragging one of these trees over it.

“I’m uploading for two items. This totally counts for both,” Colton said, busying himself with the phone.

Kyle and Jake debated which item should be next and settled on snow angels.

Asher volunteered to make the first one but his voice sounded distant in Nick’s ears, making him curl his fingers into his palms. He started to follow the guys but that group of people, two guys and two girls, walked, and stopped, directly in his path.

Nick pulled in a breath, focused on the feel of his fingers against his palms, the cold air on his heated cheeks, the scent of mountain air and trees.

One of the guys held both arms out wide, a massive smile on his face. “Holy shit. I thought that was you. Nick King. Man, you are awesome. Can we get a selfie, too?”

He started to say it wasn’t a selfie since he was here with family but it didn’t matter.

That wasn’t the issue. He’d loved this when he first started.

Hell, he’d loved this up until recently.

The fans breathed more life into the game, fueled him and lifted him up.

Or, they had. Then he’d had a really rough night, his first game back after his suspension.

He’d needed to get away from everything and tried to avoid the crowd, the reporters, the fans.

When he couldn’t, some sort of switch flipped in him.

He couldn’t breathe, his vision went spotty, his chest tight. Kind of like it was doing now.

“Sure,” he said, worried his voice came out choked. Not a big deal. A photo with fans. You’ve done it a thousand times before.

The two guys went to one side and the women went to his other.

One guy threw his arm up, aiming to get around Nick’s shoulder.

It rested more on his upper back than anything, adding to Nick’s discomfort.

The guy who asked held his phone out, shaking his head, a wide smile taking over his face.

“Forty-two goals last season. You’re a machine, man.

You were set to match that this season. No one saw that hit coming.

You can’t predict that shit. I actually stood up and shouted at my TV when Rugger slid into you. How’s the knee?”

Nick pasted on a smile. Better than his head. “Great. Feeling good.”