This story started out a bit confusing at first. I thought it was a Scrooge "bah humbug" story. It was a twist on that story but in a way that was written so poignantly, at one point my heart broke for Nicky. Nicky is so insecure that he's constantly afraid of being let go. I can understand his fear and I feel badly for him. While it's true that Charles as a top should know what is going on, how can he when Nicky is so good at serving and keeping quiet? I'm glad the Christmas spirit of the past was able to show Charles what was going on in Nicky's mind. I like this series and would definitely read more about it. I'm glad my friend Dee gave it to me for Christmas. :) She's the bomb!