by Jenny Hale
She laughed. “Yes. They are.”
He faced her. “Thank you for thinking of me, but why would you get a tree for my suite when I’ve told you that I don’t need one?”
“Because you do need one. You need to celebrate Christmas. And that takes a little planning sometimes. Think about the best plan you’ve ever made for Christmas. Have you ever wanted to do something huge for someone just to show you care?”
He didn’t answer, and she wondered if he hadn’t ever done anything for anyone, but then he sat down on the sofa and beckoned her over, as he said, “I have a secret.”
“Oh?” She sat down beside him.
“Remember those letters I’d had you start reading? I’d like you to get the purple envelope, please.”
She got up and went into his bedroom, opened the drawer in the nightstand, and retrieved the purple envelope as instructed. When she returned, she found him twisted around, looking toward the tree. “That was the kindest gesture anyone has ever made for me,” he said, as she sat down again.
“I just thought you needed a little Christmas spirit.”
He smiled. “It did something to me because I feel like I need to share this secret with you, and I’ve never shared it with another soul in this house.”
“Wow. I’m honored.” She set the letter in her lap and focused on his hands, which were shaking again.
“I need you to keep this a secret,” he said, his voice low. “But I know I can trust you. You have an honest, caring way about you that’s undeniable.”
“Of course.”
“You asked me if I’d ever made a huge plan at Christmas…” He turned away from her and it seemed as though he was upset with himself. “I did something that I’ve regretted my entire adult life. That loose brick in the wall that surrounds the property… After she wrote me, and I left my response behind the brick, I knew she’d check again.” He shook his head. “Even now I can’t believe what I did.”
“What?” The suspense was killing her.
“I didn’t lose my mother’s ring—the family diamond. I put it in the wall behind the loose brick. In a moment of blind love and weakness, I told the woman from the café that I would never love anyone as much as I loved her and if we couldn’t be together, I wanted her to have the ring. It was Christmas and I wanted so badly to show her how I felt about her. It was the most reckless thing I’ve ever done.”
“Oh my gosh.” Elizabeth’s hunch was right. Noelle felt the weight of this secret already because Alex had said if William had given it to someone else, he’d never forgive either of them.
“Yes. ‘Oh my gosh,’ indeed. She tried to refuse it, leaving it with a letter, but I responded and said that if she didn’t take it, I’d leave it there behind that loose brick forever, so she’d better take care of it for me. I never told her it was in our family for generations. I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on her. I only told her it meant everything to me, just as she did.”
“Does she still have it?”
“I have no idea.”
“We could get it back from her!”
“It’s hers. I gave it to her.” He fluttered his fingers in the air. “Read the letter,” he said.
With a steadying breath, Noelle opened the envelope and peered down at that looping handwriting.
“My dearest, I cannot accept a gift of this magnitude. However, I do feel the love you share by giving me this ring. I will protect it as you wish as a symbol of my own devotion to the feelings I have for you, but please know that I am only the guardian of it and if you ever want it, I will return it to you. It is in safe hands until then.”
“Why didn’t you get it back when you met Elizabeth?” she asked.
He closed his eyes. “I hate to admit this, but I was afraid to see the woman again, to see the love again in her eyes, or worse, the judgment that I’d chosen my inheritance over love. She held me in such high regard that, either way, it would kill me. Even after I married Elizabeth, I couldn’t bear to be here for fear that I might run into her, so I stayed away. Elizabeth begged me to leave New York and live here, but I thought if I worked myself to death that eventually she’d give in and leave this house behind. I loved my wife so much that I wanted to give her all of me, so in a very unhealthy way, by staying away from here, I was trying to give myself wholly to her.”
Noelle slipped the note back into the envelope and took his shaking hand. The trembling was worse than she’d ever seen it. “In the end,” she said carefully, “it was just a ring. It can’t go with us when we’re gone. But love can. You were very kind to show that woman the depth of your feelings. But now, you need to show Elizabeth. Remember those notes she left on your pillow? She missed you. She probably misses you now. You should see her.”
He was quiet, obviously thinking. He closed his eyes again. “I’m exhausted. I think I’d like to rest now.”
She nodded and then left him with his thoughts.
Chapter Fifteen
It might be nice to do a little karaoke to take my mind off things, Noelle thought as she climbed into Alex’s car. To appease Phoebe, who’d blown up her phone all evening, she’d asked him if he wanted to go, and right away, he’d agreed. Phoebe had squealed like a schoolgirl when Noelle had told her he was coming. Then she made both Phoebe and Jo promise not to bring up the bakery tonight. It was neither the time nor the place, and she just wanted to enjoy herself.
“Will I meet your friend Phoebe?” he asked, glancing over with a grin as he pulled the car around the half-circle drive toward the road. “That should be entertaining. I can’t wait.”
Trying not to let herself break out into a rash of hives at the sight of his smile, she turned and looked out the window. She’d already decided that tonight would be about her and her friends, like it always was, and if he wanted to tag along, that was fine. It would give Phoebe something to talk about for the next five years at least.
The rest of the journey was quiet, the seat warmers keeping the chill off her as the car glided down the wet roads, a mist in the air, teasing them, dangling the opportunity for a white Christmas in front of them but not allowing them to have it until Mother Nature was good and ready.
They parked the car, Alex opening Noelle’s door for her, helping her over a puddle and onto the curb outside Charlie’s. She spotted Phoebe and Jo’s cars in the lot, a prickle of anxiety crawling down her limbs as Alex took her hand and led her to the door.
When they entered, Phoebe waved from the bar, her eyes as round as saucers, but she seemed to be trying to hide the expression with an enormous, open-mouthed smile. She got up to meet them, tugging on Jo’s sleeve and bumping her drink.
Noelle led Alex through the dark room, the karaoke stage illuminated with blue-and-white lights, a few tables of people holding cocktails and bottles of beer, the music pounding in their ears. “Hi,” she said loudly over the music when she reached them. “This is Alex Harrington. Alex, this is Phoebe and that’s Jo.”
He shook their hands. “Nice to meet you both,” he said, stepping toward them to ensure they could hear him.
They settled into their little spot at the bar. Charlie was madly wiping it as if he could somehow buff the finish into gold.
“Want a drink?” Phoebe asked as she stared at him, star-struck. “What do you like?”
“What do you suggest?” he asked, his brows pulled together as if he’d just asked a nuclear physicist her views on particle physics, his face serious and focused on her, clearly trying to be polite.
The corner of Phoebe’s mouth twitched just slightly and she raised an eyebrow to Charlie, who was gawking at them while wiping a glass with a towel. He set it down, popped the top off a bottle of Budweiser, and slid it down the bar toward Alex. “We wouldn’t want you to stand out,” Phoebe said, with a smirk toward Noelle.
“I’ll have the same,” Noelle said quickly, feeling protective of Alex all of a sudden. He could’ve dismissed her and Lucas when he’d met them, but, no mat
ter what was happening with the bakery, he’d been kind to them, and she wanted to make sure her friends were kind as well. He wasn’t just some hot local celebrity with a lot of money; she was starting to believe he really was a decent person.
Charlie slid another bottle of Budweiser Noelle’s way.
“Shall we find a table?” Alex asked, handing Noelle her beer.
She turned toward the now-crowded room; the only open spot was directly in front of a large table full of squealing girls, obviously there for a birthday party. The birthday girl was wearing a shirt covered in candies. Noelle thought back to the date Alex had planned at the arena, watching the ice skater, and insecurity swelled within her. She wanted to show him a good time, and this was a lot of fun for her. She just hoped he’d like it as much as she did.
They made their way over to the table, the mass of girls quieting just slightly to pose for photos. One of them had a camera with a large flash and a zoom lens. Noelle noticed Alex’s interest immediately.
“Would you like me to snap a few photos of everyone?” he asked them, setting his beer on the table beside Noelle’s.
The girls giggled, clearly having already had plenty to drink. The one with the camera handed it over to him.
“Why don’t you lean your forearm on the table,” he said to the birthday girl. “The rest of you, come around on either side.” He leaned in and scooted a few of the newer drinks into the shot and slid one of the brightly colored presents into view. “That’s great,” he said, his eyes already behind the camera as he viewed the shot. “On three: one, two, three.” He snapped the picture. “I’ll just get a few other things for you.” He took a couple of stills at attractive angles of martini glasses, the presents, a pink boa hanging from one of the chairs, the girls together in pairs, and the stage. Then he turned the camera around and showed them. Their reactions were similar to Noelle’s when she’d seen the photo he’d taken in his office that day. The girls gasped, thrilled with his work.
Noelle liked watching his thoughtfulness. She enjoyed seeing him delight in taking the photos. There was nothing in it for him, and he certainly wasn’t trying to win anyone over. He just saw an opportunity to do something nice and he did it. Exactly as he had with Lucas. She pulled her eyes from him, focusing on the tiny silver Christmas tree on stage, trying to calm the excitement in her chest.
“Are you a photographer?” one of the girls asked, swirling her drink with the little straw that had come with it.
“No.” He handed the camera back to its owner.
“You should be!” the birthday girl said. “You’re amazing at it!”
Clearly, they were just tipsy enough that they didn’t seem intimidated by the fact that they were talking to Alexander Harrington. Noelle couldn’t help but laugh.
“I got our names in early,” Phoebe said, pointing to a large screen with the list of singers in order of performance.
Noelle was up next with… Her mouth hung open. “Phoebe, I always do Beyoncé!” She blinked to try to clear her vision just in case she wasn’t reading it correctly. “Does that say ‘Let’s Get it On’ by Marvin Gaye?”
Alex laughed, nearly choking on his beer. When he’d recovered, he said, with fondness in his expression, his gaze lingering on her, that adorable smile on his lips, “I think you should do it.”
For an instant, she was paralyzed until she realized he meant that she should sing the song, not get it on. She tipped her beer up and drained it.
“I’ll do it,” he said, challenge in his eyes.
All three ladies stared at him, speechless.
He turned around and raised a finger to Charlie, who appeared at their table as if he’d been drawn over by some invisible magnetic pull.
“I’d like a shot of tequila and two more beers, please,” Alex told him. “You two ladies okay for drinks?”
Phoebe and Jo, still silent, nodded, their drinks full in front of them.
“Great. Thank you so much. What do I owe you?”
“The first hour is on me,” Charlie said.
“How kind of you.” Alex reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet, pulling out a credit card. He held it up with two fingers. “After that, put the rest for this table on a tab and I’ll pick up the total.”
Charlie hurried away and, with lightning speed, returned with the shot and two beers. Alex downed the tequila in one swig, tapping the shot glass on the table as he set it down. “There’s one catch,” he said, turning to Noelle. “You’ve got to go up there with me.”
It was already their turn.
He got up and held his hand out to Noelle. Reluctantly, she took it and they climbed the stage stairs. The white spotlight shone directly on them and, to her surprise, he ran back down the stairs, asking a group of people at the front if he could take an empty chair from one of the tables. He set it on the stage and offered it to Noelle as he took hold of the microphone. She sat down, her heart hammering.
The beat started and Alex zeroed in on the lyrics running across the screen. His voice poured through the microphone; he was a beat ahead and off key but he put everything into it, serenading Noelle as if he were Marvin Gaye himself. She threw her head back and laughed as he walked around her, dragging his finger along her shoulders. Phoebe stood up and whooped. Jo had her hands over her mouth, and Noelle could tell she was laughing. Noelle didn’t notice his bad singing or the other people in that room. What she did notice was that he was letting her know that it was all okay, that he could do this world too, and while it made her relax a little, it clouded her judgment even more. When she was with him, he made her forget about everything else. She was trying to hold back her feelings, but in the short time they’d had together, she was already falling completely for Alex Harrington.
Chapter Sixteen
“Mom’s crying,” Heidi told Noelle on the phone as she walked out of her suite to get a cup of coffee. Her sister had called ridiculously early, before the sun had even risen.
Noelle had been out with her friends far longer than she’d planned, so Lucas had stayed at her parents’ house. Her head was pounding when she’d woken up, her mouth dry, but she’d had one of the best nights of her life. Alex had been fantastic, and they’d all talked and sung songs until Charlie had literally turned the lights off on them. Gram had always given Noelle a cup of vanilla coffee to help her clear her head after nights like that and now she had a lot on her mind, so she hoped it would help.
“She’s awake at this hour?”
“Yes. She’s upset with Dad. I think we should go over there to be with her.”
Noelle tiptoed down the hallway, worried about being on her phone in the echoing corridors. The house was so large she felt as if she was in public—it was like a really quiet shopping mall. “I know he’s been upset with all that’s been going on.” She walked into the kitchen.
“I’ve never seen Mom like this, Noelle.”
“Are you okay?” she heard a voice say from behind her, making her jump.
The phone still to her ear, she faced Alex. “You scared me.”
He was up early, already wearing a casual sweater—gray with little flecks of colonial blue in it.
“Sorry,” he said, so many thoughts behind those gorgeous eyes. “I couldn’t fall back asleep this morning.” He smiled just a little, and she wondered if he’d had as much fun as she’d had last night.
Heidi was still talking through the phone, confused and asking how she’d scared her, so Noelle stopped her for just a minute and looked back at Alex. “It’s my sister,” she said, holding out the phone and wiggling it in the air. “She says my mother needs us.”
Alex had a folded newspaper in his hand. He set it on the counter and walked closer, looking down on her with concern. “Melinda’s on vacation and I’ve let Jim off for the day… I can check on my grandfather and take care of his needs once he’s up until you get back. How long do you think you’ll be?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t ever ask you to do
that.”
“Why not?” His face was kind as he waited for an answer. The lamp on the side table and the light above the restaurant-sized stove were on, giving his skin a warm tone.
“I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
“You won’t. I don’t mind at all.”
“Oh my gosh!” came a squeal from her phone. “Is that Alex Harrington?!” Noelle put the phone under her arm and pressed it to her body to mute her sister, her cheeks burning. She really needed to keep her phone away from Alex. Why did everyone lose their mind around him? When she looked up, all she saw was him. The real man. Nothing else.
“Go,” he said with a smirk, having obviously heard her sister. “It’s really fine.”
With relief, and a little bit against her better judgment, she put the phone to her ear. “I’m on my way,” she said, and then hung up. With a promise to be lightning fast, she headed out of the kitchen to get herself ready.
When Noelle arrived, the whole house was lit up for Christmas, in the dim light of morning, giving her a nostalgic feeling. She sat in her car under the gray sky to take it all in. The white lights on the railings of the front porch were glowing, the candles on in the windows, a wreath made from fresh spruce they’d gotten at the Christmas tree stand in town hanging on the door. Gram had taught them how to make wreaths, and they’d continued the tradition every year. Her mother always got up first thing in the morning and turned all the lights on. They stayed on until they all went to bed. Even though she was upset now, her mother had still turned them on.
Heidi waved from the living room window so Noelle got out of the car, and went inside. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table with a box of tissues, but she’d clearly been trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying for Lucas’s benefit. She brightened at the sight of Noelle. Noelle came in and hugged Lucas, who was up despite the early hour.