by Jenny Hale
Pop-pop’s eyes were glassy, his hands folded in front of his lips hiding a smile. “Your gram would adore this—everyone coming together.”
By the time she left the bakery, it was evening. Noelle’s notepad was full of scribbled plans, ideas, and possibilities to update both the interior and exterior of the coffee shop for the grand re-opening she planned to have. She had a to-do list a mile long: find a new coffee supplier, research exterior sign designs, new furniture layouts, advertising options…
Even though it was Saturday, and she’d had the day off, she and Lucas went straight to William to check on him. She actually missed him when she wasn’t with him for the day.
“How was your meeting?” William asked, coming in from his bedroom, leaning heavily on his cane for support. Distracted momentarily, he leaned down toward Lucas. “Hi, young man,” he said.
Lucas smiled but then said “Hi” and Noelle wondered if it was because Lucas knew William’s eyesight was failing him.
“It was great!” Noelle said. “I was with my family creating a plan to save my gram’s bakery.
“Oh?” He sat down into a chair and leaned his cane against the nearby side table.
“It turns out we’re renting from Alex and things haven’t been going well. But he said if we could come up with a plan, he might let me keep it going.” She could hardly contain herself, her smile widening. “I’ve wanted to run Hope and Sugar Bakery my whole life and I can’t wait to move forward with it.”
William’s face dropped pensively, his breathing speeding up. There was a hidden panic lurking in his features, but he kept pushing it back, his breathing not slowing.
Suddenly, Noelle realized that if all this went through, she wouldn’t be able to care for William anymore. Caring for him had been just a stop on her way to where she belonged, but looking at him, she wondered if he didn’t see it as just a stop. Perhaps he had been hoping she and Lucas would stay. She hadn’t meant to seem insensitive and now she worried about who would look after him. She didn’t know what to say.
Whenever things were uncomfortable and complicated, there was one thing that Gram knew would get her through it: baking. She watched William, thinking. Then she turned to Lucas. “William has never experienced Casa Grande.”
Lucas’s eyes got big and she could see the wheels turning in his own head.
“I think we should show him.”
“When?” he asked excitedly.
“Tomorrow. We can make it for all the staff for Christmas.”
William snapped out of his thoughts, turning an ear toward them. “What are you two planning over there?” he asked suspiciously.
Noelle giggled with Lucas. “You’ll have to wait and see!”
Chapter Twenty-One
Alex walked in, eyeing the contents filling the enormous kitchen counter, his brows furrowing in that way of his and making it very difficult for Noelle to focus on anything but his face. She turned toward the line of crystal bowls and the rainbow of colors inside them, the smell of gingerbread saturating the air.
“What is all this?” he said with a grin.
The entire counter was full of candy: Skittles, lemon drops, Jolly Ranchers, peppermint twists, Runts, citrus slices, licorice, fruit sticks, candy canes, M&Ms, mini chocolate bars, gummy bears… “The ingredients for Casa Grande,” she laughed.
“Casa what?”
“It’s the name my sister and I gave to the gingerbread house that we used to make with my gram. It all started with an order from the old toy store downtown. They wanted a gingerbread house the size of a small playhouse. Gram had to bake bricks of gingerbread because an entire wall wouldn’t fit in the oven. Then she literally built it, keeping each brick in place with icing. We helped her decorate the outside with candy. After that, we made slightly smaller versions of it every Christmas.”
“And you’re making it today?”
“Yes.” She smiled excitedly. “The staff is very excited. I told them they could eat it when we’re all done.” Then, as she picked up a bowl and stirred the green icing, she said, “Why don’t you help us?” She knew she was omitting the fact that William had been invited as well, but there was something electrifying about planning the changes to Hope and Sugar Coffee House, about renewing her purpose, that made Noelle feel like she could do anything—even make William and Alex talk to each other.
He picked up a tube of white icing and contemplated. “What time?”
“Three o’clock.”
He hesitated and shook his head. “No good. I’m meeting with the moving company at three.” He set the icing back down on the counter and the buzzer on the oven went off.
“Moving company?” Noelle asked, maintaining eye contact while she grabbed the potholders and opened the oven door, sliding one large, perfect piece of gingerbread out and replacing it with an uncooked one. She set the steaming piece on the cooling rack.
“I’m planning to have my things moved to New York before Christmas so I can spend the holiday there. That way I can be all moved in and settled by January.”
She felt her mouth drop open and she had to work to snap it shut. What was all that talk about making her happy for if he planned to move? She remembered William mentioning it, and she knew it was a possibility in the future, but right now? It hit her like a ton of bricks. She wanted to say, “What about us? What about Lucas?” but she had no right. She didn’t have any claim to him.
She set the potholders down and faced him. “Don’t you want to be here for Christmas? What about going to see your grandmother? Don’t you want to do that?”
He stared at her, clearly trying to keep his thoughts from her, but she could tell that he wanted to say something.
You know what? Noelle told herself, I need to practice what I preach. I told him to be honest with me… “What was the point in our date at the arena, going to karaoke, and asking me to visit your grandmother if you were just going to leave anyway?” She willed him to come up with some sort of explanation that would prove he cared about her, because right now it felt like she’d been the very last person he’d considered.
He stood slightly stunned, his lips parting ever so slightly, and his shoulders dropped. “I acted hastily. I’m sorry. I don’t usually act on impulse but you make me feel like I can do anything. I didn’t consider my move to New York when I asked you out. But if things progressed between us, perhaps I could visit more often or you could come to New York.”
“I hate New York.” She hadn’t meant the words to be harsh, just true. She didn’t like the idea of all that hustle and bustle. She hated rushing around just to climb to the top of some high-rise for a moment’s peace. She didn’t want to live in a place where every door looked the same and every home behind each door was miles away from a yard full of flowers, a walk down a country path, or a visit to a shop owned by someone she’d known her whole life. She preferred a more laid-back, relaxed atmosphere where people took time to get to know one another, where they shared things about themselves.
Alex had looked startled by her comment but then pensive. He nodded in understanding and took a step toward her. “I don’t know how to do this,” he admitted. “I’ve said it before. I’m not that great at it.” He stared straight into her soul, his eyes so honest and vulnerable.
His confession caused her resolve to slip. “Then let me show you,” she said. “We’ll do the gingerbread house at four instead of three. Will that give you enough time?”
“Yes.” Those eyes that had been so intent lightened and he smiled, causing an electric current through her chest.
“Great. Now hurry up!” she teased, trying to lighten the mood, turning him around and pushing him playfully toward the door, making him laugh. It gave her that flutter again and she had to remind herself that her heart was on the line. She’d better be careful.
“Come with me,” Lucas said, pulling Alex by his hand. “You’re going to love this!” Lucas had been itching to get Alex out of his office and Noelle had
n’t let him until four o’clock on the dot. The very second the hands changed on the clock, Lucas went sliding in his socks all the way to the office. The two of them walked toward her across the expanse the Harringtons called a kitchen, the white surfaces gleaming despite the cloud cover. Flurries were falling outside, giving the area by the kitchen table a cozy feel as the flakes fluttered past the large picture window beside it.
Alex was smiling, looking adoringly at Lucas.
The whole of the kitchen table was covered in decorations for the gingerbread house and the construction itself—Casa Grande—sat just behind the table in the corner. Noelle had worked for hours, making the chocolates and icing. The rest, she’d run out and taken from the bakery.
“Sit here.” Lucas pointed to one of the chairs. “Beside me.”
Alex took a seat as he glanced over at Noelle, and he looked so relaxed and content that she wanted to freeze the moment. “It’s started to snow quite a bit,” he said to her.
“I know. I love snow so much. We have fun when it snows, don’t we, Lucas?”
“Yes!” Lucas was on his knees in the chair beside Alex, sitting extra close to his new friend. “We go to the park and sled down a gigantic hill. It tickles my tummy!”
Noelle was glad to see Lucas’s excitement about sledding. It made her happy that she’d created memories that resonated with him. She decided then that he needed both types of experiences: the kind Alex could offer and the ones she could. “Maybe the snow will pile up and we can go out in it,” she said.
“Would you come with us, Alex?” Lucas asked, leaning toward him, bouncing a little on his knees.
“I’d love to—if it’s okay with your mom.”
Their conversation came to a halt, Alex’s smile fading to a questioning look. Noelle turned around to follow his gaze as William entered the room. The only sound was the tapping of his cane as he made his way to the table, his eyes squinting toward Alex and a wary look on his face—he knew it was him. She remembered then that she’d failed to warn either of them that they’d be decorating the gingerbread house together. It was probably best, given that they’d managed to avoid each other the entire time William had been there, and judging by the looks on their faces now, that she hadn’t said anything.
“Was this some big ploy to get me in the same room as my grandson?” William snapped through pursed lips.
“It only occurred to me a couple of hours ago,” Noelle said. She hadn’t meant to cause an awkward situation. She’d only wanted to give the two of them a place where they could be together without worrying so much about the past. She turned to Lucas. “Tell them how much fun it is to make gingerbread houses. It’s fun, isn’t it?”
“It’s so much fun,” Lucas said. “But if you and Alex are having trouble being friends, you don’t have to share the candy dishes. There are enough for both of you to have your own.”
Both men smiled despite themselves.
“Thank you,” Alex said seriously, for Lucas’s benefit.
Lucas slid two bowls toward Alex. “These can be just for you.” Alex reached in and grabbed a shiny red piece of hard candy. He tossed it up in the air and caught it in his mouth, making Lucas giggle. The harshness in William’s look withered a bit.
Noelle shook her head, amused herself, and grabbed the large tube of icing. “I think we should get Alex to reinforce the roofline. He’s tall enough and he probably has a steady hand. Plus, we need to get him away from the candy before he eats it all.” She gestured for him to meet her at the gingerbread house and, with a laugh, he stood up and followed her over, grabbing one more piece of candy before he left the table. She pointed to the crack between the wall and the roof, where the two pieces of gingerbread met. “We’ll want to pipe some icing in right there.”
Alex squeezed and a blob of icing bubbled out, dripping down the gingerbread. “Oops,” he said, making a face at Lucas.
“That’s okay.” Noelle wiped it off with her finger and cleaned her hand with a kitchen towel that she had nearby. “Alex just dribbled the icing,” she told William. Then she turned back to the house. “Try again.”
William looked toward them, and, even though she knew he couldn’t see well, she was suddenly keenly aware of her movements with Alex: the way she smiled up at him, the proximity of her arm to his, the lack of personal space in general between them. She wondered what William must think.
Alex squeezed once more, and this time the icing shot out all over the roof in a big splat. Lucas giggled again.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Did he not do it? It’s a straight line, son,” William said, standing up and tottering over. “Give it to me. I can’t see and I’ll bet I can do it.” With a wobbly hand, he took the tube and tried to line it up, using his other finger to find the gap, unsteadily squeezing until a tiny dribble came out, filling the space just slightly before pumping out air because he didn’t have enough pressure behind it. It made a splat of air and icing.
“See?” Alex said with a laugh. “You think you know it all, but it’s hard to do, isn’t it?”
“Let me show you,” Noelle said, delighting in the ever so tiny bit of banter she was seeing. She took the tube from William, squeezed the end until the icing had filled the front of it, and pressed with all her might, trailing a perfect line of icing just under the roofline. Alex and Lucas both glanced at each other, Alex in awe, before looking back at her. She continued piping, drawing little arcs across the roof for shingles and lining the pieces with more icing. “You all can start sticking the candy on, if you’d like,” she said.
Alex stood behind her. “May I try again? You make it look so easy that I just can’t sit back and accept the fact that I couldn’t do it.” Gently, he put his hand on the icing tube. “Show me.”
Wrapping her hand over his, Noelle showed him just how to work the icing from the bottom of the tube, and she drew their hands along the edge, creating a neat line, while William and Lucas pushed candy into the icing.
“I think I can do it now.”
She let go and Alex piped one of the windows she’d drawn on prior.
“Perfect!” Lucas said, clapping his hands.
As they started placing more candy on the house, Noelle caught Alex pinching a piece of chocolate between his fingers, taking a small bite. She’d seen him get one a few minutes ago and now he was going for seconds. It made her smile. “Caught you!” she said, causing him to look over in surprise.
“Sorry,” he said. “This chocolate might be the best I’ve tasted.”
Interested, William reached over and felt around the table until he could get a piece, popping it into his mouth. With raised eyebrows and a frown of contemplation, he nodded his approval.
“My mom made it,” Lucas said proudly. “It’s my favorite too.”
“You made it?” He put the whole piece in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “It’s delicious.”
“Thank you. It’s a caramel truffle. It was my gram’s recipe.”
“We should make cookies for the neighbors!” Lucas suggested. “Like Grandma does.”
Alex smiled at Lucas, noticeably pleased to see Lucas’s delight in his mother’s work. “It’s quite a long way to the next neighbor,” Alex said. He was sitting at the table, his chin in his hand, that gorgeous happiness on his face. He ate another chocolate.
“Have you ever met your neighbors?” Noelle asked.
“No.” Then, upon seeing her reaction to his answer, he added, “How could I? They’re at least a mile away.”
“So?” she said in playful defiance. Alex picked up another of the chocolates but she snagged it from his fingers and popped it into her mouth.
Alex watched her eating it, amused by her audacity. “Have you met them, Grandfather?” he asked William.
William frowned and shook his head.
Noelle clasped her hands together, the gesture making one single clapping sound, a smile on her face. “Then we definitely need to make cookies for them.” She tugge
d on Lucas’s sleeve affectionately. “We should show these two guys how we do it! That is, unless they’re scared to spread a little Christmas spirit…”
“Is that a challenge?” Alex teased.
“Absolutely.”
“Challenge accepted, then.”
They all turned to William.
“Will you help us, William?” Noelle asked.
With a shrug and a smile, he said, “Sure.” He cleared his throat.
Noelle had the same excitement that she felt whenever she and Gram made Christmas cookies to stuff in the stockings on the mantle that they filled for kids in need. She also felt that same excitement when she was baking with her sister, when she and her mother filled the trays of cookies that her mom kept on the counter during the Christmas season.
“We’ll need to get some ingredients,” she said. “We’ve got a ton at the bakery. We’ll go tomorrow after school. Alex, will you meet us there to help us choose what we’ll need? It’s clear that you have your favorites already but you might want to have a few taste-tests to decide what we should bake. Tell him why, Lucas.”
“Because the best part about making cookies for the neighbors is that we get to eat all the broken ones.”
Alex laughed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Noelle, Jo, and Phoebe raced through the corridor, pushing past throngs of travelers, Jo simultaneously running and flipping her wrist over to keep them abreast of the time. Noelle’s day had started with a trip to the airport to take Phoebe to her audition after she’d called before sunrise and said she was feeling too jittery to drive. They plowed on, underneath the enormous Christmas wreaths hanging from the terminal ceiling, Phoebe’s bags trailing behind them.