Page 23 of The Naughty List Agreement

He hurried back inside, curious to see if Cora was going to stay or not.

She had moved to Hannah’s vacated seat and the table had been cleared of their dessert dishes. She had a fresh glass of champagne in front of her and there was a pensive look on her face as she stared down at the table. The other diners in the restaurant were laughing and talking but she was a quiet little island all to herself.

“Hannah’s on her way home,” he said as he sat back down.

“That’s good. So … you’re dating her?”

Nick rubbed the back of his neck, wishing he could loosen his tie. He really wasn’t a fan of them. “No, I’m not. We matched on the True North dating app, but we’re better as friends.”

“Most people don’t try to start a new relationship right before the holidays,” Cora said.

“Like yourself?”

“That’s me, year-round,” she admitted. “Not you?”

“No. Definitely not. I need a wife by December twenty-fourth,” he said.

She choked on the sip of champagne she’d taken and forced out a laugh, as though he’d made a joke.

“And Hannah’s the one?”

He shrugged, not wanting to go into detail right now. It seemed to amuse Cora that he was searching for a woman to share his life with.

“Why aren’t you interested in a long-term relationship?”

Cora raised both eyebrows at him. “Not my thing. I mean, after seeing Hannah’s grief, why are you? I’m not sure I believe in love, but she does. She loved her husband deeply and you can see the toll it’s taking on her. I wouldn’t want to go through that.”

“Not every marriage ends that way,” he reminded her.

“Why take a chance? I have a good life by myself.”

“Aren’t you lonely?” he asked her. He was at times. He’d kept himself busy so he wouldn’t have to dwell on it, but the truth was that he was ready to share his life with a woman.

“I’m too busy for that. I have the festival and though it only runs from December first to the twenty-fourth, it takes a full year of work to pull it off.”

“Life is sweeter when it’s shared with someone special,” he said, echoing his father’s words. Nick’s dad had always encouraged him to settle down and find a partner. Nick wanted what his parents had. He needed to find a Hearth Anchor who shared his vision of Christmas and could help him with the Lumen but more than that, he needed a woman to laugh with, someone he loved and who would love him back. Someone to make him forget they were living for an eternity.

This was not something he planned to discuss with Cora. She seemed down on love to begin with. Her first thought was about death as the ending to a love affair. There were numerous reasons why relationships ended, but he chose to think about all the ways his love for a woman would deepen and grow over time. He chose to think about happy endings.

As a last resort, he could use magic. He could go to the fairies and ask for a summoning spell, but that felt like cheating. Love should happen organically, and in its own time.

“What’s wrong? You have a weird look on your face,” she pointed out.

“I’m thinking about love.”

“That explains it.”

“Have you ever experienced it?” he asked.

Her mouth twisted down. “Nope. One of the lucky ones I guess.”

But her body language said otherwise. “I bet that’s not true.”

“You’d be wrong—a condition with which I’m sure you’re familiar.”

He almost cracked a smile. There she was, the Cora he’d come to know. “More times than I like to admit.”

She didn’t respond right away, just looked at him thoughtfully.