The Little Christmas Shop on Nutcracker Lane by Jaimie Admans

Author:Jaimie Admans [Admans, Jaimie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-09-10T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

‘Come on, sing along.’ I nudge my elbow against his right arm as Christmas music plays from my phone on the counter.

‘Do you know how many people I’ve sung in front of in my life? You could count them on one hand. If you add “while sober” to the mix, you could count them on these two fingers.’ He holds up his thumb and forefinger to make a 0 shape. ‘I’m not singing along – I like you far too much to subject you to that.’

The idea that he likes me in any way makes heat rise up my body and pool in my chest.

Nutcracker Lane closed hours ago, but we’re in Starlight Rainbows, reassembling the handmade pallet shelving James brought the other day. It’s been leaning against a wall in the back room since then because we’ve been too busy with the nutcrackers to attempt putting it together yet.

‘Besides, I refuse to sing along to a song I’d never heard of a week ago, but I’ve now heard so many times that I unintentionally know every lyric off by heart. The music that plays over the main speakers in the lane is like torture. I’ve started having nightmares about Cliff Richard.’

‘It’s lovely.’ I try not to laugh. I doubt many people have got a phobia of “Mistletoe and Wine”. ‘And you don’t have to keep trying to prove you still hate Christmas. It’s like you have a threshold of how many nice things you can do before you suddenly remember your Grinch status and feel you have to prove it.’

It’s been another day of decorating Nutcracker Lane, and handing out boxes of the miniature nutcrackers holding flags and banners to shop owners, and getting their opinions on the wish-granting idea, which so far has been positive.

‘Don’t tell me you’re not enjoying it.’ I point a screw at him.

His brown eyes go distant as he thinks back to earlier. ‘You didn’t see that girl with the skateboard today.’ He starts telling me again about the teenager who told the magical nutcracker she wanted a skateboard because all her friends had them, and how the bloke from the coffee shop happened to have one in his car that had been sitting there for weeks, waiting to be taken to a charity shop, and as the girl and her family walked across the car park, he and James hid behind cars and rolled it between them so it went right across her path. ‘You should have seen her look of wonder when she picked it up. The way she glanced back through the doors towards the nutcracker.’

‘I know, you’ve told me three times already.’ I nudge my arm against his again. ‘Thought you didn’t believe in magic, Grinch.’

‘I believe in a heck of a lot of things since I met you, Nia.’

We stare into each other’s eyes and for a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. I find myself drifting closer, pushing myself up on tiptoes, close enough that

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