12 Dates of Christmas (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

CHAPTER FOUR

“How do we do this photo thing?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow at Nick as they met on the sidewalk in front of Ginger’s Breads.

Obviously, it was part of Nick’s matchmaking service to do portraits of the people who signed up for his services. It was written very clearly on the website.

But something about Nick wanting to photograph him made Leo feel all fluttery inside. Which was silly, but well, sometimes, Leo had to admit to himself he could be a ridiculous person. He fell in love easily and got hurt easily. That was how it was. He just had to keep reminding himself Nick was off-limits.

“I thought we’d wander around town,” Nick said with a smile. “And I’ll get some shots of you as we talk.”

“Oh, okay. So more candid pictures than posed?” Leo asked.

“A little of both,” Nick said with a shrug. “If that works for you.”

“Sure. It’s great. I’ve just never done this before.”

“Most of my clients haven’t,” Nick explained. “So I’ve developed a system for getting them to relax and show up as their authentic selves. Now, let’s head this way.”

He tilted his head toward The Snowflake Shack, which sat right next to the bakery.

“So how’d you get into photography?” Leo asked as they strolled past the diner, which wafted out the tempting scents of burgers and fries.

There was graffiti on the wall—part of a social art experiment by some students at U of C last winter—showing children building a snowman while snowflakes, ornaments, and gifts hung in the air above them.

Rather than answer, Nick walked ahead of him and turned back, aiming the camera lens at him and snapping a few photos. Leo tried not to make an awkward face every time he heard the click of the shutter.

“My uncle is a professional photographer and I looked up to him growing up. It’s been a hobby for most of my life.”

“Very cool. It always looks fun. I just take dumb shots on my phone.”

“It is fun. It can get expensive though,” Nick said with a rueful chuckle. “There’s always some new equipment to buy.”

“Now you can write it off as a business expense,” Leo joked.

Nick laughed, lowering his camera to grin. “True.”

He turned back and fell into step beside Leo again. They paused at the curb, waiting for traffic to clear before they crossed Blitzen Street.

“How familiar are you with the town?” Nick asked. “Would you like a guided tour?”

Leo was so tempted to lie and say he’d love it but he didn’t want to take advantage of Nick’s kindness.

“Honestly, I’ve been visiting regularly since late last winter. At this point, I’ve eaten in most of the restaurants and checked out most of the shops.”

“Oh right, that makes sense. No worries then.”

Was it Leo’s imagination or did he look a little bit disappointed? Probably my imagination.

“So you’ve been inside Mistletoe Movies?” Nick asked as he did the walk backwards and shoot photos thing again.

“Yeah, it’s fun! I mean, I’d never been in a movie shop before?—”

Nick groaned. “Thank you for making me feel old.”

“Well, you certainly don’t look it.”

The shutter clicked again, several times in a row, before Nick lowered the camera and shrugged. “Uh, thanks. I guess I’m not doing too bad for nearly forty.”

“No, you’re hot,” Leo blurted out, then promptly wished he could dive through the door of Rudolph’s and disappear into the restaurant, never to be seen again.

That wouldn’t be weird at all.

“Uhh, thanks.” Nick fumbled his camera, nearly dropping it before he lifted it to his face again.

“You’re about to back up into traffic, by the way,” Leo pointed out.

“Shit.” Nick stopped at the edge of the curb, teetering a little. Thankfully, there were no cars going that direction at the moment. “Good catch. I’m usually better at doing two things at once.”

Hmm, if you’re straight, why are you acting all flustered by the compliment, Mr. Matchmaker?

But no, Leo was probably reading too much into it. Maybe Nick was shy about getting compliments.

“Oh! Have you been in Season’s Readings?” Nick asked, speaking quickly, his words tumbling over one another. “We should cross here and walk by it. It’s a cute little bookstore. Nicole used to do book signings there and …”

Amused, Leo followed Nick across Christmas Boulevard, then turned right to walk along that side of the street, Nick talking the whole time about Nicole’s book signings.

Which, honestly, sounded pretty cool.

Leo listened intently as Nick rambled on while they walked. He paused occasionally so Nick could take some pictures before they started up again. They passed Jolly Java—the cute little café that had changed hands recently—and Tidings & Joy, which was a general store Leo had been in a few times.

Nick seemed to relax again as they did a few staged shots in front of Nutcrackers—a shop with a giant wooden nutcracker outside that Leo pretended to kiss on the cheek in a playful pose—then finally stopped beside Frosty’s.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Nick said. “I’ve got some great shots.”

“Yeah?” Leo glanced over.

“Well, you’re easy to photograph,” Nick said, tucking his camera into a bag and zipping it closed. “Very photogenic.”

“Oh, am I?” Leo grinned at him, surprised.

“Yeah. Great cheekbones.” Nick turned away, walking toward Frosty’s. “Now, c’mon. Let’s get that lunch and beer I promised you as thanks for getting the website up and running.”

“Tell me what you’re looking for in a date,” Nick asked twenty minutes later, taking a sip of his beer.

“Umm.” Leo squinted at him across the table. “Isn’t that why I filled out the questionnaire?”

Nick shrugged. “It’s part of the process, yeah, but not all I work with. I like having these one-on-one interviews too. It gives me a better sense of someone’s personality and likes or dislikes. Besides, we made a few tweaks based on your suggestions so some of your answers aren’t accurate anymore.”

“True.”

Leo had been surprised when Nick invited him out for a drink after the photoshoot but he’d framed it as a “thanks for getting the website up and running” kinda thing. Not an “I’m going to interrogate you about relationships” one.

Leo’s happy mood at the compliment suddenly plummeted. Right. The interview .

Nick would set him up with other people soon. Damn it. That sounded less exciting by the moment.

“Okay, so your question is super broad,” Leo pointed out. “I mean, what I look for in a date … like the person? The actual going out part? What are you hoping for? I need you to be more specific.”

“Fair enough.” Nick set his pint glass down, wiping a faint trace of foam from his upper lip. “So tell me what a perfect first date would look like to you. The going out part. Not the person.”

“Hmm. Well, I’d want an opportunity to talk to someone a lot,” Leo said slowly, reaching for a pretzel to dunk in the warm beer cheese dip they’d ordered to share.

“So definitely not a movie or a show where you had to be quiet and just watch?” Nick asked.

“Right, exactly. I mean, it’s fine later on once I know the person. But for a first date? No way. You don’t have the opportunity to have much of a conversation.”

“Makes sense.”

“Meeting for coffee is good. Brunch, lunch, dinner are all good. Or something more active.” His expression brightened. “Honestly, most of the Christmas Festival stuff sounds perfect .”

“Which ones would you definitely want to do?”

“Umm, the holiday cocktail hour sounds great. The cooking class could be fun too or the wine tasting. I’d enjoy that.”

“How do you feel about crafts?”

Leo shrugged. “I’d be up for trying them but I’m not like … super crafty or anything.”

“Noted.”

Leo glanced at him. “Do you keep all this in your head?”

“Yes?” Nick looked a little sheepish. “Why? Should I be taking actual notes?”

“I mean … I’d never remember everything but if it works for you, why change it?” Leo shrugged. He thought it was cute Nick wanted his opinion.

“For now it works,” Nick said, reaching for his glass. “We’ll see if it changes now that I have more people to keep track of.”

Leo laughed, pleased Nick had already seen an uptick in signups for his services in the past few days.

“So what about the caroling?” Nick asked.

Leo snickered. “It sounds fun to watch but no one wants to hear me sing. I sound like a bag of cats being tortured.”

“No cat torturing, got it,” Nick said with a grin. “Jelly will appreciate that.”

“Jelly?” Leo shot Nick a quizzical look.

“Oh, uh, my cat.”

Leo suppressed a laugh. “You have a cat named Jelly?”

Nick’s face went soft. “Her name was Lily when Nicole and I got her but the first morning we had her, she jumped on the table and stuck her whole face in the jar of jelly. It stuck.”

“Her face or the nickname?” Leo asked with a chuckle.

“Both. Though, thankfully, she wasn’t hurt.”

“Good!” Leo leaned in. “Have any pictures?”

“Of that incident? No.”

“Of the cat in general,” Leo clarified.

“Oh, yes.” Nick sat back, reaching into his pocket for his phone. The gesture showed off the long line of his body and the way his light gray sweater clung to his chest and stomach.

Don’t be a creep , Leo reminded himself. He’s straight. He’s a grieving widow. Don’t make it weird, dude!

To distract himself, Leo focused on the food in front of him, snagging a rosemary fry. God, it was so good . He could eat a whole basket of them if he wasn’t paying attention.

“Here’s Jelly.” Nick held out his phone and Leo took it.

“Aww, look at that face! She—” He glanced up questioningly and Nick nodded. “She’s adorable!”

“Yeah, she knows it too,” Nick said, but there was a fondness in his tone he didn’t even try to hide.

Leo handed the phone back, their fingers brushing.

“So, you like pets?” Nick said, clearing his throat.

“Yeah, I love animals,” Leo said, brightening. “I grew up on a farm.”

“Really?” Nick looked surprised. “So you’re not originally from Chicago?”

“Ha. No. Not even close. My parents have a dairy farm in Wisconsin.”

“Yeah?”

“Yep. They have about three hundred Jersey cows and sell milk, cheese, and other dairy products.”

“I have to admit, I have no idea what a Jersey cow is.”

“It’s the breed.”

Nick laughed. “I figured that much. I just mean I don’t know what they look like. Are they the big black and white ones?”

“No, those are Holsteins. Jerseys are smaller. They’re a soft brown color with big eyes and dark noses. Very cute.” Leo pulled his phone out and pulled up some pictures of the farm he’d taken the last time he was home.

He held the device out to Nick. “Swipe to the right to see more. I promise, none of my naughty pictures are in that folder.”

Nick coughed, setting down his beer and pounded his fist against his chest. “Good to know.”

He took the phone and swiped through the photos, his eyes crinkling as he stared at them. “Aww, they are cute. Can you pet them?”

“Sure,” Leo said, amused. “We pet them all of the time. I mean, they’re livestock but we do bond with them. Not me so much anymore, but when I grew up, I helped raise them from the moment they were born until they were retired as milkers.”

“But you didn’t want to become a farmer for a profession?” Nick asked, handing the phone back.

Leo chuckled. “Not so much. I like going home and being on the farm and helping out but it’s not my passion. Not the way it is for my parents or my older brothers Adam and Jason.”

“So how’d you get into web development?”

“When I was in high school, Fenner Dairy needed a new website,” he said with a laugh. “My parents were trying to build one and if you thought you were bad at it, they were a thousand times worse.”

“Hey!” Nick protested, but he was laughing too.

“So I watched a bunch of tutorials and pulled something together. It wasn’t the best, but it was a place people could contact them and learn about the farm and what products they offer. I’ve updated it a couple of times since then and I’m extremely happy with it now.”

“Cool. I’ll have to check it out sometime. Are your parents happy with your career?”

“Oh, yeah, they’re super proud of me,” Leo said. “It helps that Adam and Jason are there to carry on the farm but we all knew it wasn’t the right life for me. Don’t get me wrong, there are gay dairy farmers in Wisconsin too, but it isn’t the easiest way to meet people, you know?”

“Yeah, I would imagine,” Nick said, taking a sip of his beer. “So, this is great, I think I have a few ideas of who I could match you with.”

“Okay,” Leo said, surprised by the sudden shift in conversation. “Wow, you move fast.”

Nick shrugged. “Well, you said you thought some of the festival events would be perfect for dates and a ton are coming up that I want to take advantage of. I’ll speak to the guys I have in mind and see what their availability is. Do you have any days in the next few weeks that are booked?”

“Not really,” Leo said with a little hum, checking his calendar on his phone. “I’m generally done with work around five or six in the evening on weekdays but I can be a little flexible if I need to be. Oh, I’m doing Thanksgiving with Hayden and Joel next Thursday. Otherwise, my schedule is pretty clear, to be honest.”

“Perfect!” Nick beamed, holding up his glass. “Here’s to finding you the perfect date!”

Leo clinked. “Here’s hoping!”