Page 39 of Not Another Christmas Movie

“This has some magic carpet vibes,” Annie marveled, taking Nick’s hand.

“Do you trust me?” Nick asked, offering his best Aladdin impression.

“I do, actually,” Annie admitted, settling into her seat. Throughout all of this, Nick had been just as trustworthy as he had been as a kid; it was so familiar and wonderfully comfortable to her.

“We have room for two more,” Felix offered. “Grant! Come on up,” he said after spotting him in line. “Chipperton!” Felix hollered out, clocking the guy at a nearby hot chocolate stall. “Join us!”

“This guy’s trying to be a matchmaker, huh?” Annie smirked at Nick, who was unexpectedly flustered at the suggestion.

“Take a seat,” Felix smiled, tucking Nick and Annie into the same side. “I know how you city folk have a harder time with these cooler temperatures.”

“Oh, um—” Annie said, about to say she didn’t need a blanket, and she questioned how many people had used the thing and if it had ever been washed … even still, she wanted it. Grant and Perry reached the carriage and were stepping in when Felix turned his head to her and winked.

Grant and Perry avoided eye contact and both crossed their arms, turning as far as they could in a small carriage seat. Annie narrowed her eyes, curious to read the vibe unfolding here.

“Textbook forced proximity courtesy of lingering tension,” Nick whispered in explanation.

“Is this the G-rated equivalent of the ‘only one bed’ trope?” Annie asked.

“I think so,” Nick smiled approvingly, impressed with Annie’s connection. “Classic unresolved feelings stuff …” Nick trailed off, lightly patting the blanket between them. “This blanket reminds me of the one my mom always brought for us to sit on during fireworks,” Nick said, studying the item. His thigh pushed into Annie’s, sending a wave of tingling heat she tried to extinguish. Rationally, she knew she should be strategizing her almost-kiss with Chris, but it seemed each time she tried to focus, she’d be distracted by Nick or yet another remembrance of her grandfather at Christmas. “I’m sure we used it for a Simsbury Celebrates when we were growing up,” Nick smiled, speaking of the yearly town event that actually did feel straight from a made-for-TV Christmas movie. Traditionally, crowds of people walked along Hopmeadow Street, securing their spot to watch the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Company showcase their decorated trucks, and kids would wait to catch candy tossed into their eager fingers. Afterward, there would be a fireworks spectacular launched from Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center. The event always heralded the holiday season and had been a treasured tradition for all the kids in their neighborhood to attend together. “You always made sure I got the same amount of candy as the older kids,” Nick said fondly.

“I don’t remember that,” Annie laughed, craning her neck to Nick.

“You did, you were always in front and would pass candy back to me if I missed some.”

“Are you sure I wasn’t just giving you the non-chocolate pieces I didn’t want?” Annie asked.

“I wouldn’t have cared about that. You were always sharing with me, making me feel included. It meant a lot,” Nick said, his cheeks rosy. “Did you go to Simsbury Celebrates this year?” Nick asked, finally making eye contact with Annie again.

“Um, no,” Annie said with a laugh, though she was unable to remember what she had done the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving when Simsbury Celebrates was scheduled. Most likely, it had involved her couch and reality television.

“Maybe next year,” Nick said, admiring the night sky. The wind whooshed at them as Felix took a turn, sending Annie closer to Nick and Perry closer to Grant.

“I’m sorry,” Perry said.

“You keep saying that,” Grant replied.

“What’s going to resolve this?” Annie asked Nick, gesturing to Perry and Grant.

“A partridge and a Perry,” Nick joked. When Annie ignored him, he went on, “Continued involvement in some sort of community activity?”

“Hey, Chipperton,” Annie said, jumping on the chance.

“You can call me Perry,” Perry said.

“Nah,” Annie brushed him off. She knew she’d likely never have the chance to address a Chipperton again, and she wasn’t going to waste it. “I wanted to say how nice it was that you volunteered to help with the play since you’re snowed in here too and all.”

Annie saw Grant take the bait and give Perry a kinder, quizzical look of interest.

“I wanted to lend a hand, or a foot really, with choreography,” Perry started before turning to Grant and lowering his voice. “Maybe you’ll see I don’t hate the holidays after all … and that I can be more mindful of the more delicate items in town.” Grant gave Perry a nod as they engaged in meaningful eye contact.

Annie grinned as a gust of wind made its way through her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment to fully appreciate the sound of the horse’s hooves rhythmically meeting the road. When she opened them again, Nick was smiling back at her, equally enchanted by the wholesome experience. And with his warm frame beside her, it somehow blissfully silenced the thoughts in her head. Annie wanted to ask Felix to go around the path a few more times but knew better than to show Santa blatant naughtiness toward her neighbors; she eyed the older woman she had confronted outside the snow globe store, sending pointed stares her way.

When their ride concluded, way too soon for the four of them, Grant and Perry walked off together, and Chris greeted Annie to offer a warm side hug as a goodbye, already carrying a sleeping Holly in his arms. Not quite the almost-kiss she was looking for to check off her to-do list, that’s for sure, and yet the evening had been surprisingly fulfilling in other ways.

Annie mentally twisted her brain, desperate to recall that intense desire to make out with Chris again. The stark clarity that she couldn’t summon even a fraction of the passion she had felt wanting to bang Nick in that shed left her dizzy and breathless. Annie assumed she must be doing something wrong, allowing made-for-TV movie hormones to cloud her judgment. Wasn’t she supposed to want to be engaged to this version of Chris?

All the way back home, Annie picked at the problem, unable to uncover what was standing in her way. Why wasn’t the idea of being with Chris giving her any sense of hope or joy? What was missing here, considering he now had everything she had wanted before? Was this why Marsha had shown up on the scene? So she could be the “voice of reason” or whatever Nick had said?