by Jenny Hale
“That was fun, Mom!” Lucas said, winded, as he walked up the hill. His nose and cheeks were bright pink against his white teeth as he beamed. “Your turn!”
Alex got the sled back into position and sat at the end of it, patting the empty spot at the front.
“You can’t take us down as fast as you did with Lucas,” Noelle said.
“She screams on the baby rides at the amusement park,” Lucas said, with a conspiratorial look at Alex, before throwing himself back into fits of giggles.
“You’re in good hands,” Alex said, with a laugh, beckoning her to come over.
“Not too fast,” she repeated.
“Of course, I won’t go too fast.” Alex gave her a look of mock seriousness, causing Lucas to double over.
“I’m serious.” She sat down, Alex’s long legs on either side of her, the two of them barely able to fit. They’d probably weigh the sled down enough to keep the speed to a minimum.
Just as he had with Lucas, he pushed them off with all his might, propelling them like a rocket down the hill. Noelle squealed, feeling as though she’d left her stomach at the top of the hill, her face burning from the icy wind, her limbs feeling loose and tingly from the sensation as if she were falling from a great height. And then, Alex’s arms were around her, holding her, his face right next to hers. “I’ve got you,” he whispered, making her forget all about the hill as they sailed to the bottom.
When they came to a stop, her heart was pounding and she couldn’t decipher whether it was the ride or his words that had caused it. She could hear Lucas cheering from the top of the hill, but Alex’s arms were still around her. They stayed there for just a second. She didn’t notice the cold or the snow falling; she just felt warm, perfect, and she didn’t want that feeling to ever go away.
Alex finally let go and got off the sled, offering a hand to Noelle. She took it and he helped her up, their faces so close that she could reach up and kiss him, but with Lucas looking on, she didn’t make eye contact. By the way his breath came out, she could tell he was amused by it, his warm laughter like a whisper to her heart.
“Ready to go again, Lucas?” he called up, and she finally looked at him. When she did, she couldn’t believe how familiar he looked after such a short time, and she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of that face.
When they’d first left the mansion to drive the tractor, Noelle had noticed Alex madly typing on his phone. He’d put it away when she and Lucas got up into the cab, so she’d figured it was work or something and she’d let it go, forgetting about it completely.
Until they’d gotten back to her and Lucas’s suite.
The furniture and floors had been completely covered in blankets—big, soft, feather blankets—and there were pillows everywhere. In the corner of the room was a popcorn machine that was furiously popping buttery popcorn, the entire glass case full of it. Beside it was a table with paper cups, and more bowls of chocolate bars than she could count. The widescreen television was on, and there was a stack of movies on the coffee table—or at least, she thought it was the coffee table; it was peeking out from under more blankets. In the back of the room, there was an enormous tent, the front tied back to reveal more pillows. Henry was in his crate in the corner, waiting for them, looking out with big eyes.
Noelle turned to Alex for an explanation.
“You said a camp-out, right? Something like this?” He looked over the room.
“We’ve never had a camp-out like this before!” Lucas said, running and diving into a pile of pillows. When he surfaced, he said, “Is all that chocolate for us?”
“Yes, but after dinner,” Alex said, tossing another pillow into his pile playfully. “We’re having hot dogs and hamburgers. How does that sound?”
“Yeah!” Lucas was jumping from pile to pile. Then he came to a screeching halt, plopping down by the fireplace.
Noelle took a few steps over to see what he’d found.
“He told me that he’d finished reading the last of the books I bought him at his grandmother’s house,” Alex said, leaning over her shoulder. “I got him a few more.”
“A few?” Noelle said, turning to look at him. He’d bought Lucas an entire basket of books—so many that it would take him at least a month to get through them all. “You’re going to spoil him.”
With a smile, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, then whispered, “It’s Christmas. Let me spoil the people I care about if I want to.” His words sent a shiver down her arm, and she had to refocus to keep her mind on his words rather than his lips. “I figure that no matter what happens in our lives, we should always have Christmas to show our love for each other.”
“That might be the most perfect thing you could have said.”
He tipped his head toward the other side of the room, where there was a silver bucket of ice containing a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries. “Appetizer,” he said, flashing those pearly whites and clearly knowing he’d done well.
There was a knock at the door and one of the staff rolled in a silver tray full of hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, pickles, ketchup, mustard, relish—all the fixings for a great camp-out meal.
“Lucas,” he called. “Come show me the best way to eat a hot dog.”
Lucas had alternated between playing with Henry and watching the movie, and was now asleep in the tent, the movie he’d chosen still going, but Noelle wasn’t paying attention to it. She’d curled up with Alex on the sofa, under a blanket, his arms around her while Henry, exhausted from all the fun, snoozed in his crate.
“You were very thoughtful tonight,” she said, enjoying the feeling of being next to him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I just wanted to do something nice, but I feel like it wasn’t enough.”
“Not enough?” She sat up and looked at him. “I’d hate to see what too much looks like to you.”
He smiled warmly at her. “I meant it wasn’t enough to show how much you and Lucas mean to me, how much I missed you once I got to New York, how much I wanted to be back here with you.” He looked her directly in the eyes. “You told me not to run,” he said. “You’re running from us just like I did. Stay with me. Live here.”
“I’m not running from anything. I’m trying to make a life for myself and Lucas that’s worth living and I can’t do that if I haven’t found what I was put on earth to do.”
“What do you think you were put here to do, then?”
“I think I need to run Gram’s bakery.” She rubbed her face, the frustration over the possibility of not being able to make it work eating at her. The truth was, even if she went to LA, she was out of money, and she didn’t have enough, even if she saved, to start right away, so she’d be on the same path as she was when she’d lost her job.
Alex pursed his lips, considering this, the skin between his eyes wrinkling in that adorable way. He got up and poured them each a glass of champagne, handing one to Noelle. “What would you need to make the bakery work?”
She took in a deep breath and let it out. “Time. The rest will come.”
“What if I take over with William so you can devote more time to getting it re-opened? It’s only a short while and you’re paid in full for this month, anyway.”
“I could never do that to you or William. You have your work. I’d feel awful abandoning William and adding more to your plate.”
“I’d feel awful taking the coffee shop from you without giving you ample opportunity to make it work. Consider it my Christmas gift to you.” He looked at her almost carefully, as if something else were on his mind.
“What?” she asked, his expression piquing her curiosity.
“Do you… need money for the shop?”
Immediately she shook her head. “No. I don’t want anyone giving me handouts. I can do this, and if I can’t, then it wasn’t meant to be. I’ve never taken money from anyone and I won’t start now.”
“Okay,” he said quickly,
looking down at his glass. She could tell he’d gotten the point. “Time it is, then. I’ll give you as much time as you need. If you want me to watch Lucas, I will—just let me know. And I’ll take care of my grandfather until Christmas so you can get the coffee shop up and running—it’s only a little over a week. Will you try to make it work?”
“Yes.” She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.
He pulled back, his grin fading. “And what if your plan fails? Then what?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Noelle had spent all morning talking to the plumbers regarding the leak in the wall of the coffee shop. They’d turned off the water for now, and, even going as quickly as they could, it would be a stretch to get the pipes fixed and the wall patched in time for the re-opening in two days, they’d said. The small area of wood floors that had buckled with the water saturation would have to be completely replaced. The flooring repairmen were in the process of searching for matching wood so they didn’t have to change the entire floor, to save time, although it was looking like it would require a complete overhaul. They’d said it would be a few days and then they’d just have to put a final finish on the floors. As the owner of the property, Alex had said he’d have it all taken care of, but it still took time to get these things done. With the wall and floors still to do, she had no idea how she’d be able to open on time, but she pressed on, hoping for a miracle.
Phoebe and Heidi had spent all day painting the other walls and woodwork, and Jo had come in several evenings after her own long days at work to finish odds and ends. Pop-pop and her parents pitched in where they could, and Lucas was in charge of making sure everyone had what they needed. One of the glass tops Noelle had ordered especially for the tables had come broken and the company was sending her a replacement. She hoped it would get here today, but she had nothing ready just yet for the tables anyway, so it wouldn’t matter. She also had to run out to buy more baking and coffee supplies if she wanted to be prepared.
“The table top’s just been delivered!” Jo said excitedly, as she wobbled the large box into the dining area. “Moment of truth!” She slid a box cutter under the tape, securing the box, and pulled out the heavy glass, Gus rushing in to help her. “It’s in perfect shape!” Jo and her father set it on one of the tables on top of the magazine articles about coffee Noelle had found. She’d planned to découpage them on but with the time crunch, she decided to just lay them under the glass.
Noelle stopped to take in the progress, trying not to get anxious about the state of the place. She’d decided that all wasn’t lost. She’d get everything she possibly could do done, and as soon as the painting was finished and the floors completed, she was going to reset the dining area and they’d be in business. She could wait on the varnish for the floors. Right now, she just wanted to open the doors on time. With only the plumbing wall to paint and no finish on the floors, she would be ready. She might not sleep, but she could do it. As they completed the day’s tasks, wrapping up and coming to a stopping point, there was a knock at the door. Noelle opened it to find a florist standing in the doorway. “I have a delivery for Noelle Parker.”
“That’s me,” she said, looking over her shoulder at her friends and family, none of them offering any answers as to what this was all about.
The deliveryman handed her a Christmas card and then began filling each of her tables with fresh greenery and berries with little candles in the center. As she pulled the card from its envelope, she noticed that he had started hanging beautiful swags of the greenery on her windows and over her doors outside. She read the card: To show you how much you mean to me, I’m sending the first of my Christmas letters to you. You’ll have to wait to see what comes next.
Noelle flipped the card over in her hand—no signature. “Who is all this from?” she asked the deliveryman. He was arranging a large vase of red roses by the new checkout area, Pop-pop having brought the finished dresser this morning. It had taken six grown men to carry it in—all friends of his who’d said they’d help when they heard about Noelle taking over for him.
“It’s a secret,” he said.
“Do you think it’s Alex?” Heidi asked, taking the card from her sister and peering down at it. Jo raised her eyebrows, looking over at Phoebe with a grin. Heidi handed the card back to Noelle.
Noelle held the card to her heart, unable to keep from smiling, knowing it was.
Alex had denied that he’d done anything when she’d asked him after getting home late last night. She’d been so happy to find him still up, expecting everyone to have gone to bed at that hour. Even Lucas had stayed at her parents’ last night, as she gave it everything she had to pull off the re-opening. She’d gone to bed without an admission from Alex.
But this morning, when she’d arrived at the coffee shop, Heidi was shaking her head in disbelief. “Did you order all these?” she asked, pointing to the entire wall of coffee syrups that had been delivered before Noelle had arrived.
And the floors were done.
“No. We don’t have money for that many,” she’d said, looking at the new floors, the tables already in place, the flower arrangements displayed on each one. But she hadn’t said anything more because she’d noticed another card.
The card said: Okay, so it’s me, Alex. I wanted to get you a few Christmas presents, and here’s another. I hope you can make a lot of coffees with these. And I had the crew patch the wall and finish the floors last night. They painted this morning, so be careful, it’s still wet.
“What’s this box?” Heidi had asked, tugging on the top to open it. It was enormous, sitting on the floor by the register.
When they’d gotten it open they both peered inside, and Noelle gasped. Carefully, she’d reached in and pulled out the most gorgeous mug. It was thick white porcelain with hand painted flowers in vibrant shades of pink and yellow and blue. She’d pulled out another to look at it—the box was full of them, each one unique.
“There’s another note,” Noelle had said, spotting a card in the box. She’d read it aloud. “I thought you’d like these. But they aren’t the big gift. I have one more for you. Can’t wait to hear what you thought about it all. See you tonight!”
Nothing else out of the ordinary had happened, but the big gift had been floating around in Noelle’s mind the whole time as she’d finished painting and setting up the place. They had worked all day, and she and Heidi had settled down in the chairs for a trial cup of their hazelnut latte.
As she sipped her coffee, she looked around at all her hard work. The black surface of the large chalkboard was covered in curly pastel writing, listing all the beverage and pastry offerings, the specials outlined in little flowers. The dark-brick wall was a warm contrast under the champagne-colored lighting from the small lamps she’d installed on every table, each one with its own little white shade, illuminating the festive table decorations that Alex had sent over. The Christmas tree was lit in white lights next to the fire, sparkling onto all the worn books neatly replaced on the newly painted buttercream shelves, a bowl of complimentary pastel bookmarks with the coffee shop’s logo on the side table. The counter Pop-pop had made from Gram’s antique dresser was just perfect, with its spindly legs and pearly-gray swirling granite shining under the candles, little piles of napkins, and a decorative easel with a black-and-white photo of Gram icing a spice cake.
The re-opening was tomorrow. They’d baked, made baskets full of cookies, and they’d gotten all the dishes placed and ready for the crowds.
“This is good!” Heidi said, her fingers threaded through the handle of her cup, wrapping around it for warmth. “Gram’s macaroons would go well with it, I think.”
Before Noelle could answer, there was a knock. Both women looked at each other. Noelle got up to answer it, finding a man at the door, holding a toolbox. “Good evening,” he said.
“Hello,” she returned, looking over her shoulder a
t Heidi to see if there was any recognition on her face. None. She turned back to the man.
“My name is John Perkins. I’m an antiques specialist. I’ve been hired to fix your jukebox.”
A wave of heat washed over her. Put on the spot right then, she wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone to touch Gram’s jukebox.
“Don’t worry,” he smiled gently at her. “I know how much these things mean to people, and Alex has briefed me very well. I won’t disturb a thing while I’m working. I’ll leave all the settings the way they were and I can even keep the records in it while I work. May I have a look?”
She opened the door wider and let him in. He had a kind face, and she knew that Alex wouldn’t have hired someone unless he was trustworthy. She sat back down, her eyes on him as he quietly and meticulously opened the front of the machine. His hands were careful while he checked things over. Then, after a little tinkering, he replaced a few very small pieces.
“Would you like to do the honors?” he said, addressing Noelle.
With anticipation in her smile, she stood up and clicked the button. The first record slid forward, the metal arm grabbing it and spinning it. Then, suddenly, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” sailed out through the speakers. Like clips in a movie, Noelle could see Gram wiping the counter, her hips swaying to it; twirling around in front of the jukebox; laughing as she sat in the chair where Heidi now sat. As she looked around at all the new paint and décor, it was as if Gram were right there with them. All those memories swimming in her head, she blinked to keep the tears at bay, Heidi doing the same from behind her coffee cup as she sat in the chair by the fire with her feet folded under her. Without any warning, Noelle threw her arms around John and hugged him.