Katlyn Duncan - Wrapped Up for Christmas

Nick scooped kibble into her bowl. He knelt, offering the perfect opportunity for a quick lick on the cheek. ‘You must be hungry, girl.’

The scent of percolating coffee moved through the apartment and snapped Nick back to reality. Molly was five months ago. He had moved on, and he tried to forget the memories as quickly as they had appeared.

Nick sat on the couch glancing out at the city waking up around him and sipped from the steaming mug of coffee. His phone buzzed from the table next to him – six-thirty on the dot. His dad was already at the office. Work didn’t start until eight, but his father liked to make a point of showing up before everyone. It was a mix between wanting to show off and proving that he was worthy of being the boss. Not that anyone ever challenged him.

When Charlie finished her food, she hopped onto the couch and curled her body around herself, bumping Nick’s arm. He absently rubbed her head while admiring several of the apartment buildings across the way that had already decorated their windows and trees with twinkling colored lights.

It was the second day of December and people were ready for Christmas. Last year, Molly had hired a company to decorate the apartment for the holiday. The fake fir tree and poinsettias didn’t bring him the Christmas spirit at all. He preferred the scents and warmth of the season surrounding him. The only time he experienced a sliver of that was at his parents’ house, or his brother David’s, around Christmas.

Nick leaned over to grab his phone. Charlie lifted her head and plopped it down on his lap, looking for more scratches. He couldn’t help but laugh; she knew he was leaving soon and wanted to get as much time with him as possible before Mrs Wilson arrived to take Charlie to her apartment for the day.

He scrolled through his phone until David’s name came up in his messages. The last discussion they’d had was about the timing for Thanksgiving dinner. His parents always hosted the holidays, so David scheduled his dinner later to make sure Nick wouldn’t have to choose between his parents and brother.

The rift between his father and David had gone on too long, but their dad would never concede. When David chose to leave the company to pursue his passion, it severed the ties between their family. Well, mostly because their dad couldn’t let go of the fact that David no longer wanted to work for the family business. Nick was never going to abandon his older brother, his wife, and two nephews, but their father made every holiday more complicated than it needed to be.

Their mother met with David and the kids often, but no one talked about it. To his father, it was as if David never existed. When Nick had tried to bring it up with his dad, he’d attempted to convince him many a time to build bridges, but the results were always the same – stern glares and long strings of uncomfortable silences. David had contested it wasn’t worth making Nick’s work-life a living hell, so the silent barrier carried on.

An alarm blared from Nick’s phone, catapulting him back to the present.

Charlie looked up at him with wide dark eyes.

‘Don’t look at me like that.’ Nick got up and walked toward the bathroom while Charlie plodded over to her bed to wait for him to get ready.

***

On the way to work, Nick’s shoulders lifted slightly. He tried to hold onto the loose feeling in his body from the run, but it proved to be a challenging task. His fingers tensed around the steering wheel of his Lexus as lyrics of a magical snowman floated from his speakers. The town had started its transformation into the holiday season. Workers stood on cherry pickers, placing lit snowflakes against tall poles. Wreaths hung from most of the business doors while artificial snow collected at the corners of the windows.

A text came through on the console in his car, and Nick glanced at the name.

‘I’m on my way,’ he said into the speaker before the phone sent the text off to his dad. He’d never been late for work but always had to be on his toes.

The mall loomed next to him as he drove past the entrance toward corporate parking. Knowing he had a meeting with his father in about a half hour, Nick needed more coffee to lubricate the conversation. A pastry would help too.

The valet lot was in the back of the mall. Nick stepped out of his car and straightened his tie. A young guy dressed in a puffy vest and hat branded with the Westford Mall logo walked over to him.

‘Good morning, Mr Bower,’ he said, as a white cloud billowed from his mouth. It seemed to be colder than earlier that morning during his run.

‘Morning,’ Nick said, handing over his keys before rounding the lot toward the street.

The sign for Kevin’s Café beckoned Nick to pick up his pace.

Years ago, Nick had negotiated the contract for the café. At the time, his father took a lot of convincing that the café wouldn’t take money away from the food court, and that it would be a draw for the mall instead. Patrons loved the coffee, so they tended to stick around to shop while sipping from their lattes.

Entering the café, the strong scent of freshly ground coffee filled his nose. The light from the hazy December sun cascaded down through the front windows. Nick unzipped his coat and stepped into the line already six people deep.

While waiting, he scrolled through several emails to get a head start on work.

‘Two everything bagels with extra cream cheese,’ the woman in front of him ordered.

While Nick only really wanted to order for his dad, the thought of a bagel made his stomach growl.

Vickie, the twenty-something barista, caught his eye as she started on the food. She winked her false eyelashes at him. ‘The usual?’

‘Yes,’ Nick said. ‘Also, a scone and a wheat bagel with lite vegetable cream cheese.’

‘Toasted?’ she asked.

‘No,’ Nick said, checking the time on his platinum watch.

The woman in front of him glanced over. She did a double take and her eyebrows arched before she turned back to Vickie.

Nick had no idea what that look was for, but he couldn’t help moving closer to explain himself. ‘Your order sounded good.’

‘I can’t stand wheat bagels. I mean, what’s the point if you’re not going all in?’ she said.

Nick smiled at her. ‘Should I change my order?’

The woman smiled, and her light green eyes crinkled at the corners before she turned back to her phone. ‘Do whatever you want.’ She was several inches shorter than him, wearing workout gear and a puffy red jacket. Under a knitted gray hat, her shiny dark brown hair almost reached the middle of her back. The same style of gloves peeked out from her pockets.

‘Are you starting your Christmas shopping early this year?’ Nick couldn’t help himself. He wanted to think it was more because of his line of work than wanting to talk to her.

‘Already done,’ she said. ‘I’m an online shopper.’

Nick winced. Not what he expected, but at least she was honest. She also had no idea what he did for a living. ‘Are you from around here?’

The woman cut a look his way. ‘I grew up in Brookside.’

‘A local?’

‘Does that surprise you?’ she asked, finally putting down her phone.

He cleared his throat, lifting his hands in surrender. ‘You have enough outerwear for a trip to Alaska.’

Vickie came back with her order and rang her up. The woman handed over her card to pay.

The woman pulled the hat from her head, smoothing her hair back. ‘I’ve lived in California for years. I’m so not used to the cold anymore.’ She unzipped her jacket, revealing another layer.

Nick wanted to ask her where in California, but Vickie spoke first. ‘It’s not working.’ She held the card between them.