Page 20 of The Naughty List Agreement

Hannah was nice enough. Most of her stories involved her kids or her late husband. Nick had encouraged her to talk about him, but it quickly became clear how much Hannah had been burying since her husband’s death. The more she talked, the lighter she seemed. The underlying sadness was still there but Nick could tell how much she missed him. She didn’t seem ready to embark on a new relationship.

Focusing on Hannah gave Nick a good excuse to keep his attention at the table and away from the bar where he could sometimes glimpse Cora out of the corner of his eye. She began to talk about how much she was looking forward to setting up her booth at Winter Wonderland to display her soft toys for under-threes.

“I’m not sure I can handle the manufacturing all by myself. This is my first time at the festival.”

“I can help out with that,” Nick offered, knowing his elves could handle the output easily.

“Really? That’s amazing, thank you. I really needed a night out with someone who didn’t know me or Sam.”

Sam had been her husband.

“It sounds like he was a wonderful person,” Nick said.

“He was. I mean, he had his faults too. Lord knows that man didn’t know what a laundry basket was and thought giving the kids candy before bedtime was a good idea, but he was good.”

“I can tell. I’m wondering why you’re dating again? Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t seem like you’re ready for it.”

“I’m not. The moms in my mom group all thought it might help me,” she said. “They mean well but it’s hard for them now that I’m not in a couple. We used to do this date-night thing as a group and get a sitter for all the kids. Lately I’ve just had all of our kids at my house while they go out…”

Nick put his hand over Hannah’s. It reminded him of when he’d do the same to his sister. If he needed further confirmation that this date wasn’t going to lead to anything but friendship, this was it. He sensed that Hannah felt the same.

“If you need a date, just as a friend, I’ll happily go with you next time,” he said.

“I appreciate that, Nick. You seem like a really good guy. But … you are looking for someone, right?”

Taking his hand back he finished off his drink. “I am. I want to get married. I’ve been too busy with work lately, but I need someone in my life.”

“A partner would bring you balance. Did you have other matches on the app?”

“A few. I think maybe my parameters were too wide. I’m getting matched with a lot of interesting women but so far no spark.”

“A spark is very important. Maybe you should put some more specifics in your profile that really showcase who you are and what you’re looking for. Hockey was the only thing on your list of interests and now I know there’s much more to you than that.”

Nick leaned back in his chair as he contemplated Hannah’s suggestion. If he tweaked his profile what would he add?

Cora Quill dancing around his store singing “All I Want For Christmas” sprang to mind. “I’m looking for someone who knows who she is.”

“Okay, well, that’s off-putting. Most women know who they are.”

“Yes, of course, I just mean that I’m looking for someone who embraces all of who they are, even the flaws. Like, owning being a bit pushy or bossy, unapologetically. You know?” He looked up and met Hannah’s gaze.

“That’s not an easy ask, and it won’t make you very popular.”

“Does popular matter?” Nick asked.

“Does it matter to you?”

He hadn’t meant to start this conversation but now they seemed to have agreed to be friends, it felt right. “Not really. I think I like that in a woman. Someone who’s making the right decisions for themselves.” It was just coincidence that he’d described Cora to a tee.

“Well, that sounds like progress, Nick. Try putting that on your profile.”

Hannah was right. He was never going to find Mrs. Claus by Christmas Eve with his current approach—being vague and blanket-dating every available woman on the app. He needed to home in on what he wanted and find a woman who could match him toe-to-toe.

“Thank you for that.”

“No problem. Figured one of us at least should find what we’re looking for.”

“You’ll find someone when you’re ready,” he said reassuringly.