Christmas with Nick Klaas

Part 14: Gnome Alone

Noelle hadn't made out with anyone in a hot tub for years. It was one of those things that sounded great in theory or looked hot as hell in a rom-com, but when you got down to reality, there was usually too much water dripping everywhere—into your eyes, nostrils, or mouth—to qualify as sexy. Nevertheless, getting breathless with Nick Klaas in a private geothermal cave was definitely the exception.

Even as a perfect gentleman—or maybe in spite of it, since he hadn't even tried to get to second base—Nick was driving Noelle mad with desire. Every part of her body that his lips touched tingled as if hit by fresh snowflakes, but she didn't feel cold. She probably had raccoon eyes from smeared mascara and her hair most likely looked like a bird's nest, but she didn't care. At this moment, Nick acted as if nothing else in the world mattered, but her. And Noelle really needed to feel that.

She hadn't told anyone, but she'd been having a harder time than usual lately. It wasn't because of work. She'd recently been bumped up to lead violinist, which meant more money and gave her the opportunity to be in Lapland. It also wasn't because of her social life. She wasn't interested in a long-term relationship, and casual dating had actually been fun. Friends were friends and family was family. Nothing to complain about there. And yet . . ..

She couldn't explain it. It had come suddenly and without warning. The lack of energy and motivation hit her hard. She got all kinds of advice: exercise more, eat better, meditate. She tried as much as she could (the spoons ran out really fast these days), but nothing seemed to work. And the deeper she got, the harder it seemed to climb out of the self-imposed isolation she soon found herself in.

She agreed to plans with friends, only to cancel at the last minute. She had lofty ambitions for making the most out of her weekends—rearrange her closet, do her taxes, or even go to a film festival she got free tickets for—and then she ended up in her pajamas for two days tooling around the Internet from her living room.

The arrival of the "holiday season" that lately began even before Halloween ended only made things worse. People were expected to be happier this time of year, but all Noelle felt was dread. Dread at the excessive crowds running from store to store to buy that perfect present. Dread at the twinkling lights on trees, houses, and even sweaters. Dread at all the noise from the ten Christmas songs on endless repeat for three months.

But Keskitalvi was different. This town was more embedded in the midwinter holiday than any other place she knew—Nick's dad practically thought himself to be Santa—yet it was all so innocent and charming. There was no rush, there was no pressure, and most of all, there was no expectation. Well, other than the concert she'd play tomorrow. But that was literally another day, and right now, all Noelle cared about was how good kissing Nick was making her feel.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered while barely lifting his lips above hers.

Noelle opened her eyes, wanting to see more of his handsome face, too. But as she looked up, movement behind him caught her attention.

It wasn't simply a trick of the light or a play of shadows. Coming through the opening from the antechamber was a floating coat with three pointy hats above and three pairs of tiny feet below.

"Aaaaaaaaaah," Noelle screamed, making Nick jump back.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked before following her line of sight. Visibly relaxing, he laughed, which made Noelle stop screaming.

"You . . . you see that, right?" she asked, not quite believing it was real. The coat had stopped moving, but the caps and feet were still very much there. Judging by the distance between them, their owners weren't much more than two feet tall.