12 Dates of Christmas (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

CHAPTER THREE

“Do not lust after the straight widower,” Leo muttered to himself as he walked down the sidewalk in front of Nick’s house, heading back to his new apartment on foot. He could have driven but it was only about a ten-minute walk and Leo was used to going everywhere on foot in Chicago.

Leo sighed.

If only Nicholas Morgan wasn’t the single most gorgeous man Leo had ever seen. Tall, dark, and handsome didn’t even begin to cover it.

“And, you know, straight ,” he reminded himself under his breath. Gah!

The poor man was grieving his wife’s death for fuck’s sake! Leo had been the one making it weird by putting his arms around him.

He hadn’t done it intentionally . He’d just had an idea of how to tweak Nick’s bio and hadn’t wanted to lose his train of thought.

Except, he nearly had.

He’d suddenly realized he had a handsome man in his arms and, well, he’d like to get unprofessional with him.

Nick had been super nice and hadn’t acted weirded out or anything. But still ! Just because Leo and Nick had more relaxed interactions than Leo typically did with the clients he worked with at the firm in Chicago didn’t mean he should go putting his hands on Nick.

Leo had meant every word he’d said though.

He admired Nick wanting to help others find love, even though he’d lost it. Not only was he good-looking, he was a nice guy.

Bah. Too bad he was straight.

For a minute there, Leo had kinda wondered but he’d been there way too many times before. He’d crushed on the unavailable guys. The guys who were already in relationships. Guys who seemed flirty but definitely weren’t interested in dating him. And it always ended in disaster.

It was so hard when Leo was a hopeless romantic. Every time he got his hopes up, thinking this time it would be different … but no. It never was.

Which was all the more reason to take Nick up on his offer of matchmaking.

He just had to ignore the disappointment he wasn’t going to get matched with Nick .

When Leo reached the bakery, he debated if he should go around to the back and let himself in the private entrance, or go in through the front door and snag a pastry before he went upstairs.

He should peek his head in and see how busy it was inside. He could always work in the bakery. There he’d have a real table instead of trying to work from the couch or the teeny-tiny table Joel had used for his meals before he met Hayden.

It was a perfectly good dining table for one person but a lousy desk when Leo needed to spread out.

The bakery was quiet at the moment, with a few people in line and one person at the small cluster of tables near the front, soft music playing in the background.

There wasn’t a lot of seating, but Joel offered free coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and Wi-fi to anyone who wanted it. People didn’t even have to buy anything!

Leo shook his head. I’d never see that shit in Chicago.

He eyed the glass case as he waited his turn in line, salivating over the delicious-looking baked goods.

“What can I get for you today, Leo?” Cassie asked cheerfully when he reached the front of the line.

“Oh, a slice of the maple pear and ginger pie, please.”

“One slice, coming right up! Do you want whipped cream with that?”

“Obviously!”

“Dumb question. I should know by now.”

“Probably.”

Whenever Leo had visited Christmas Falls, he’d stopped in the bakery to try something new. Apparently, Cassie knew he was a total fiend for whipped cream.

Oh well, there were worse reputations to have.

Thankfully, Leo’s favorite spot was available, so after he paid, he carried his slice of pie and whipped cream to the small table and got comfortable. He fixed himself a cup of coffee and plugged in his laptop.

He was surprised to find he already had an email from Nick, thanking him for his help and letting him know the completed bio was in the shared drive.

Perfect.

Leo updated that, then alternated bites of pie and sips of coffee as he created a couple of seasonal banners for Nick. He didn’t have the graphic design skills Hayden had, but he wasn’t half-bad.

He sent the completed design to Nick to approve, then cleared away the plate and fork, refilled his coffee, and waved at Joel who was stocking shelves.

He waved back cheerfully.

When Leo took a seat again, he was surprised there was already a message from Nick in the chat they’d been using saying he loved them all. Any chance we could use all three?

Like a rotating banner flipping between the images in a loop? Leo replied.

Yeah, exactly. I like having all three couples represented.

Leo smiled. Damn it, Nick was so fucking sweet.

When they’d started working together, Leo had kinda assumed that the matchmaking service would be geared primarily toward straight couples. He wasn’t sure why, since the town had a thriving LGBTQ+ population, but even in Chicago, straight was kinda the default for most of the companies out there.

But Nick’s plan had been inclusive from the beginning. He welcomed any pairing of couples and there was an option for preferred pronouns in the initial client info section and so many other little touches showing he wanted to be LGBTQ+ friendly.

Leo had created three different banners with two same-sex couples and one straight one, figuring Nick would pick which he liked most, but he loved Nick’s idea to rotate them. From the moment people landed on the home page, it would be a perfect indicator the service was queer-friendly.

I can definitely do that! Give me a few , he replied.

Thanks! You’re amazing.

Gah, as if Leo’s crush on him wasn’t getting worse by the minute already …

Because, oh no, Nick wasn’t simply handsome and kind and queer-friendly, he was funny and he treated every little thing Leo did on his website like it was amazing. Which was a hell of a nice change from his corporate job but making it very difficult for Leo to remember Nick was not an option.

Not to date, anyway.

The rotating banner was easy to add though, so Leo uploaded the photos to it, then sent Nick a link to show him what it looked like.

Love it! That’s exactly what I had in mind, Nick sent back a few moments later.

Awesome! We’re getting close to launch! Unless I find any major bugs when I test it, we should be good to go.

After a few more brief exchanges, Leo decided he might as well get to work testing the site’s functionality.

Putting himself into the mindset of being a potential client, Leo filled out all of his basic information, then moved on to the more in-depth client questionnaire he’d built for Nick.

The first question was simple.

I am interested in: women, men, other, no gender preference.

Leo selected men, hit next, then moved on to question two.

If I could use one positive attribute to describe myself, it would be: nerdy, caring, artistic, trustworthy, intellectual.

Leo debated. Caring, maybe?

Nerdy applied too but even though this question referred to it as a positive attribute, Leo wasn’t so sure everyone saw it that way. It was cute Nick did though.

Leo was trustworthy, or he tried to be. And he’d done well in school but he wasn’t sure if intellectual was how he identified.

So he clicked on caring and moved on to the next question.

My favorite thing to do when I get home from work is: check my social media, do something creative, spend time with family, watch TV or a movie, or relax, I’m exhausted.

He frowned. None of those, really? He checked his social media throughout the day and his job was creative.

He did like spending time with his family but they lived in Wisconsin on a dairy farm and didn’t make it to Chicago often, so while Leo loved visiting when he was home for the holidays, he couldn’t do it regularly.

He liked TV and movies alright and Hayden and Joel had gotten him watching hockey lately— Go, Otters! —but that was more of a late-night thing for him.

He wasn’t usually exhausted after work either.

Honestly, he tended to work after work, since he had his day job and this freelance stuff he did on the side, but that wasn’t an option.

And neither was what he usually did.

Leo wrote himself a reminder in his notes app to suggest Nick add an option for going out or an other option with a fill-in-the-blank section.

Because if Leo didn’t have work to do, he liked being social.

He was looking forward to all of the festivals and events around this town, especially since the holidays would be kicking off soon. He couldn’t wait for the tree lighting festival tomorrow.

Leo sighed, propping his chin on his hand as he imagined walking hand-in-hand with someone at the event, sipping warm peppermint cocoa. Sharing a kiss under the glow of Christmas lights.

Ooh, or closer to Christmas when there was some snow, they could cozy up together on one of the reindeer sleigh rides advertised on the Christmas Falls website Hayden designed …

Oh no! Leo straightened, guiltily realizing he’d totally been picturing Nick. Whoops.

Leo sighed and focused on his screen, choosing spend time with family as his answer because it was the closest to what he wanted before he moved on to the next question, determined to push Nick out of his mind.

He had to focus on finding someone available .

When Leo was done, he let out a satisfied little sigh and shut down his laptop.

Now he had to let Nick work his matchmaking magic …

“Hey, little brother! You look good!” Heather said, hugging Nick tightly as they met at Sugar Plum Park.

He hugged her back, then pulled away. “Thanks for sounding so surprised.”

She laughed, her dark eyes twinkling as she adjusted her hand-knitted cap, which he’d knocked slightly askew. “No, I didn’t mean to. Only … it’s been a while since you’ve come to any of the holiday festivals. I was surprised when you called to see if we’d be here.”

‘We’ being her wife, Edie, and their kids. Edie had stayed home tonight because one of the kids was feeling sick and the other one had decided they wanted to hang out with their friends.

He nodded, shrugging. “I know. It was hard the first few years though. I just … I wasn’t ready yet.”

There had been too many raw memories and he’d hated being the guy who brought down the mood of every holiday event.

Heather reached out and squeezed his hand. “I know.”

“But it felt right this year,” he said firmly.

“That’s great! I’m glad.”

“Thanks. How are you?”

“Oh, good,” she said. “Christmas break can’t come soon enough. The kids are already getting squirrely.”

Nick chuckled. He wasn’t sure if she meant her own or the ones she taught at the local middle school but he had no doubt both were wound up.

They spent a few minutes catching up before Nick spotted Leo standing alone near the table Ginger’s Breads had set up.

“Oh, hey,” Nick said. “I should go say hi to Leo.”

Heather raised an eyebrow. “Who’s that?”

“The guy who built my website.”

She looked confused. “I thought he was in Chicago.”

“He was when we started. He moved here like a week ago. He’s friends with Hayden Bradley and he’s renting the apartment over Ginger’s Breads from him and Joel now.”

“Oh, yeah. They bought a house together recently, right?”

“Yep. C’mon,” Nick said with a tilt of his head. “I’ll introduce you.”

“Okay.”

“Leo,” Nick called out as they approached and he turned, a few cookie crumbs falling onto his parka from the half-eaten cookie in his mouth.

His eyes widened and he swallowed, coughing a little. “Nick!” he said in a strangled voice.

“Are you okay?” Nick asked, amused.

Leo coughed again, then held up a finger and took a sip of what smelled like mulled cider. “Yeah, sorry.” He coughed again. “Just inhaled cookie crumbs down the wrong pipe. I’ll be fine in a minute though.”

“Glad we don’t have to do the Heimlich,” Nick joked. “Hi, by the way.”

Leo grinned. “Hi.”

Heather cleared her throat and Nick jerked, glancing guiltily over at his sister. Shit . He’d totally forgotten she was there.

“Leo, this is my sister, Heather Morgan. Heather, this is Leo Fenner. He built my website.”

“Hi!” Leo said cheerfully. “Great to meet you, Heather.”

She smiled. “You too. I understand you were living in Chicago and recently moved to Christmas Falls?”

“I did. Just in time for the Christmas Festival to kick off, apparently.”

Heather laughed. “Well, there’s no shortage of events around here if you enjoy them.”

Leo beamed. “Oh, I do. I love it! It’s so great. There are so many cute little events and the town is adorable .”

“We like it,” Heather said. “Is the festival why you moved here? I mean, if you don’t mind sharing. I don’t want to be too nosy.”

“No, you’re good. Yeah, the festival is part of it. And I liked the whole vibe of the place.”

Nick smiled. Leo was apparently big on vibes.

“And, you know, everyone in town seemed so friendly and welcoming. I’m kinda burned out on the big city scene, honestly.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Heather said. “I was glad when my wife and I moved back here.”

“Okay,” Nick leaned in. “Is it me or is this like the queerest little town ever? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love it! But I was surprised.”

Heather nodded. “It’s turned into a queer haven lately. I think all of the Christmas kitsch attracts a certain type.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Leo grinned. “It’s so great. Reminds me a little bit of Pendleton Bay. Have you ever been there?”

“Oh, the small town on the west side of Michigan? No, but I’ve heard great things.”

“Super cute little town too,” Leo said. “And very queer-friendly.”

As Nick opened his mouth to mention he and Nicole had visited it a few years before her death, Hayden appeared.

“Oh, hey!” Leo said, grinning as he gave his friend a hug. “There you are.”

Nick and Heather both greeted Hayden and they all made small talk for a few minutes. When Heather asked about the new house, Hayden glanced over at Joel, who was deep in conversation with a customer but glanced up, shooting Hayden a warm smile.

Nick smiled at their obvious affection.

It was nice to see the town baker settled down. He’d seemed happy running his bakery before Hayden came into his life but there was a certain impossible to ignore contented air around both of them now.

Rumor had it, Hayden had been incredibly grumpy before they met, although Nick hadn’t gotten to know him until the two of them were already together.

The right relationship could definitely bring out the best in a person though. Which was exactly why Nick was determined to make this matchmaking business a success.

Heather tugged on Nick’s sleeve. “Ooh, I think they’re going to start soon. Want to get a good spot so you can take some photos?”

Nick smiled and gestured to the camera hanging around his neck. “How’d you guess?”

Leo and Hayden were deep in conversation now so Nick murmured a goodbye and got a distracted wave in answer.

“Seriously,” Heather said as they walked away. “It’s great to see you here. There’s a lightness around you I haven’t seen in a while.”

“Well, I think getting the website up and running is helping too. Leo launched the page this morning and we already have our first signup!”

Two, technically, if Nick counted Leo’s profile. He’d spent a while reading through what Leo was looking for and had written down some questions he wanted to ask when they did an in-person interview.

“Ooh, perfect!” Heather said. “I took a look when you sent me the link earlier and it does look great. I’m impressed with Leo’s work. Especially since he’s so young. He’s gotta be right out of college.”

Nick smiled. “He’s twenty-five and graduated a few years ago, but yeah, his work is very impressive.”

Heather shot him a sidelong glance. “So I’m curious. Did you write the About Me page or did he write it for you?”

Nick shrugged. “It was a collaborative effort. I wrote most of it and he made a few tweaks.”

“Well, I love the way it tells a lot about who you are and why you’re so passionate about matchmaking.”

“Yeah? You think so?”

“Yeah. It was touching. It felt like a nice tribute to Nic.”

“Thanks.” He smiled and put an arm around his sister, hugging her to his side.

Many of their friends had called him and his wife Nick and Nic. The jokes had gotten ridiculous over the years but sometimes he missed hearing them. It was nice to have Heather refer to her that way.

And, frankly, nice for him to think of Nicole without feeling depressed.

The holidays had felt heavy and dreary since her death. He’d made the mistake of pushing away her brother, Ford, so not only had he lost Nicole, he’d lost a guy he’d viewed as a brother. It had made the holidays a struggle and it was only in the past year that he finally felt like he was starting to come out of the fog of grief.

Now, Nick felt a surge of hope he hadn’t experienced in a long time. An excitement about the upcoming season. Thinking about Nicole was a warm, wistful feeling inside of his chest instead of a weight dragging him down.

“Ooh. It looks like the tree lighting is starting.” Heather elbowed Nick in the ribs.

Nick turned to see the deputy mayor standing by the stage with Heath Kelly, a former soap actor, Hallmark heartthrob, and the lead in some of their network’s latest queer-themed holiday movies.

Heather glanced around and snickered. “It cracks me up the way people go nuts about him. I mean, I guess he’s fine. If you’re into that.”

Nick chuckled. “Yeah, he’s not bad.” Heath had a thick head of wavy dark hair and chiseled good looks, so he was pretty easy on the eyes.

Nick had always known, theoretically , that he found guys attractive but he’d only been eighteen when he’d met Nicole. After an offhand mention to Nicole that he might be bi, Nicole had nodded, smiled, then lovingly pestered him into admitting what type of men he found attractive.

Over the years, she’d made playful little jokes about who his hall pass celebrities would be and they’d found it funny when a few of the men they both listed wound up being the same.

But Nick had never … he’d never acted on it. He’d never had the opportunity. He and Nicole had been inseparable from the beginning. Committed. Monogamous.

Since Nicole’s death, Nick had gone on a few dates but they’d felt all wrong.

It had been too soon. After the one-year anniversary of her death, everyone had acted like it was time for him to move on and he’d tried , but he hadn’t been ready. The dates had ended disastrously and he’d vowed he wasn’t going to do that again. And for a while now, he’d been so busy setting up the business he’d hardly had time to think about his own social life.

It had been foolish to hope he’d find true love a second time anyway. What he’d had with Nic was one-in-a-lifetime. He’d had his chance at happiness and now, it was his mission to help other people discover that.

Nick glanced over at Leo, watching him laugh at something Hayden said.

Hopefully he’d find someone nice for Leo. He was talented, kind, funny, good-looking … he deserved someone extra special.

A moment later, the audience fell silent and Nick glanced back at the podium to see the deputy mayor, Taylor Hall, step up to the microphone. He introduced Heath Kelly.

“I’m so glad to finally be here with you all in Christmas Falls,” Heath said, his voice smooth and resonant. “This is such a lovely way to start the season.”

The crowd cheered, applauding.

“I know I’m pretty,” he joked, “but how about we light this tree and give you something beautiful to see?”

Nick chuckled and exchanged a smile with his sister before he lifted his camera to his eye and zoomed in on the actor.

As Heath continued, Nick captured a few more photos of people in the crowds, only half-listening to the speech. He got a shot of a young child on their parents’ shoulders, a couple snuggling, and an older kid with two cookies clutched in their fist and a smear of chocolate on their cheek.

He hesitated when he caught a glimpse of Ford in the crowd, surprised to see him here. He wondered if he should try to approach him. No, probably not. They were both enjoying the event, no point in risking an awkward public situation.

With a sigh, Nick moved on, scanning the crowd for more interesting shots. He got a photo of a woman wearing light-up antlers and a young couple who he’d set up last year holding hands and still looking madly in love.

The crowd’s energy swelled as Heath threw the switch and the tree lit up. Everyone cheered as the bright lights lit up the park.

Nick snapped a few more pictures, turning to get shots of the people behind him, capturing the colors playing across their faces.

When Nick’s lens stopped on Leo’s face, he paused.

Leo laughed at something Hayden said, his skin lit up with shades of blue, red, and green and Nick clicked, taking a handful of shots before he forced himself to turn away.