by Jenny Hale
“Thank you,” she said.
He laughed, clearly startled. “Merry Christmas,” he returned.
Chapter Thirty-Six
The high ceiling in the old stone house was full of silver helium balloons, their strings made of white ribbon streamers, dangling above the heads of all Noelle’s friends and family. Hope and Sugar Coffee House was packed with familiar faces this morning, who’d come to celebrate what Gram had started and the transition to Noelle’s new coffee shop.
Noelle had organized a slideshow of black-and-white photos, set to music, of Gram and Pop-pop in the early years of the bakery: Gram rolling dough, her hands covered in flour, Pop-pop putting the angel on top of an early Christmas tree, Noelle’s father as a child as he chased a spinning top on the floor—so many moments. The slideshow had ended with photos of the shop now, all the hard work that had been done, and then they’d all had a celebratory cake and the coffee bar had been opened for free drinks.
Lucas was playing checkers at one of the tables with Pop-pop and her parents, Francis Evans from the bookshop was there, Noelle’s neighbors she’d known growing up, Phoebe, Heidi and her husband, Jo and hers, Gram’s younger sister who’d come up from Georgia on the train, and a ton of regulars from the bakery had been invited. Even William and Alex were coming by that evening after Alex flew in—he’d had a last-minute meeting with some investors in Chicago.
Gram’s jukebox played “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as the fire that Pop-pop had made in the fireplace before opening this morning cracked and sizzled, warming the small area by the bookshelves. All the side tables had Alex’s flower arrangements of greenery and berries he’d had delivered. Mr. Santori had dressed as Santa Claus and was seated in one of the chairs by the fire. The whole place smelled of minty pine and the rich aroma of coffee, the warm buttery scent of cookies filtering in occasionally as everyone chattered excitedly, oohing and aahing over their coffee and cake. The window boxes full of berries and holly outside were white, the snow falling again, stark against the warm yellow light of inside. Noelle looked around at all those familiar faces, still in shock that they’d actually gotten it done.
“The place looks absolutely adorable,” her mother said, putting her arm around Noelle and squeezing her tightly. “You are amazing.”
Noelle smiled at her mother. “I couldn’t have done it without all of you.”
“Ready?” Heidi asked, her face full of anticipation as she held the shop’s window sign in her hand. It was hanging from a hook in the window, with “Closed” in a swirling purple font on one side and “Open” on the other. With dramatic flair, she turned it over so the word “Open” was now facing the outside of the shop. They both stood behind the counter, peering through the new glass-paned door they’d had to install once the flooring was finished. Heidi had taken a few days off to help Noelle at the counter, and then she’d go back to her regular job, but Noelle had planned to ask her to run it with her if it was successful. And now, a week before Christmas, they were going to see.
Noelle had placed a few small ads in the local papers, she’d called three of the area radio stations to put out announcements, and she’d set up social media pages, putting out ads on those. Beyond the preparations for the re-opening party, she and Heidi had packaged all kinds of delectable goodies and their coffee selections were plentiful but still within budget.
“I wonder if the snow will keep people from going out?” Heidi worried aloud, as they both got the last of the macaroons ready in the kitchen, placing each one in a single cellophane bag with curly red-and-white striped ribbon while Pop-pop sat behind the counter until they returned.
“I’d think it would make them want a warm spot to sit and a good cup of coffee. And passers-by will see the amazing crowd we’ve assembled and want to stop in and check it out.”
As they came back out front, the opening party winding to a close, their friends offering hugs and warm wishes, a woman walked by, turning to look in, and both Noelle and Heidi did a little spring forward, but the woman kept going, out of sight, and Noelle found herself still looking up the street through the window.
“That was definite interest,” Heidi said, raising her eyebrows and nodding happily.
They’d had three people stop in to the coffee shop so far today.
Three.
“I just sold one of your favorite cookies,” Noelle said, with a smile, to Lucas. “The gingerbread one with the red icing.” She didn’t make eye contact with Pop-pop, for fear that she’d see worry on his face at the small number of patrons, and she wanted to keep a positive atmosphere for the opening guests that remained, but she wondered if they’d all noticed that they’d been the only ones there for the most part.
“I knew you should’ve made those!” Lucas was beaming as he slid one of the checkers pieces across a square. “King me!” he said to Pop-pop. They’d started up another game since she hadn’t needed any extra hands behind the counter in a while.
Noelle busied herself at the cookie display, trying not to think about the less-than-stellar opening they’d had so far. The crowd of friends and family warmed her, forcing her to take it all in and enjoy all the wonderful support she had. She didn’t want to think about sales right now.
Finally, after a lot of her friends had left, the bells on the door still for ages, no one coming in, someone walked through the door. “Hello,” she said, looking around. “Are you open?” She pulled her wallet out and peered up at the chalkboard.
“Yes,” Noelle smiled, standing up straight behind the counter. “For a few more hours. What can I get you?”
As the woman ordered, two more people came in, taking their places in line as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Noelle sent an excited glance over to Heidi.
She took their orders and they sat down at the tables. One woman read her book while the other two talked over the top of one of Alex’s flower arrangements. Noelle watched in awe, delighted to see strangers sitting there, filling the space.
A few minutes later, the bells on the door jingled again and two more women walked through. “Have you just opened?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” she said, trying to keep herself from giggling uncontrollably. In the last few minutes, she’d had more people come in than she’d had all day! She filled their orders as they settled in by the fire. They’d brought their cross stitch. They were all doing the ordinary things that people do when having a cup of coffee, but she saw something else when she looked at them: just like the name that Gram had chosen so many years ago, she saw hope, and the sweetness of that was intoxicating. Hope and Sugar.
The situation kept playing out in her head as she wiped down tables and served more people—could this actually work? Someone mentioned she was glad that there was a coffee shop on this end of town now. The steady stream of people with their Christmas packages and gift bags from shopping had been thrilling to see, but the slow day ahead of this surge was still a little worrying. The more she thought about it, however, the more she knew that this was where she belonged—business or no business. She wanted to see all these faces every day, she wanted to have dinner with her family and play with Muffy. She wanted to sing karaoke with Jo and drink cocktails on girls’ night. But most of all, she wanted to see Alex. She missed him, and she couldn’t wait to see him.
She grabbed her phone and texted Phoebe: I can’t go to LA, she said. I know I’ll be staying for a guy, but I just realized something: I feel about Alex the way you feel about acting. I need to take the risk to see if it could be something spectacular. She hit send and set her phone back on the counter.
Before she knew it, the place was packed and she felt like Gram had given her this moment, full of laughter and chatting, people drinking her coffees and eating cookies made from Gram’s recipes. Noelle stood there, mesmerized by it. She couldn’t base the coffee shop’s success on an hour, when the rest of the time, business had been nearly nonexistent, but it sure was nice to see how things could be
.
Another group of people came in the door and Noelle took their orders.
The door swung open again, and, this time, Alex came bursting through it, trailing snow behind him as he walked toward the counter, a huge smile on his face. He commanded attention, clearly not coming in to just say hello.
“May I have everyone’s attention?” he called with purpose, silencing the room.
Noelle questioned him with her eyes, but he kept going.
“I found myself running through the airport to get to this woman right here. She has completely changed my life. And she might leave. But I want her to stay because I can’t see my life without her and her little boy.”
One of the cross-stitch ladies let out a loud “Aw,” throwing her hand to her heart. Heidi gasped from the doorway of the kitchen, and Pop-pop and her parents were staring at Alex wide-eyed. Lucas ran up to him and threw his arms around him, Alex giving him a cuddle.
“And she makes a darned good cup of coffee, am I right?”
A few people were nodding and smiling. Lucas ran back over to Pop-pop excitedly, nearly bouncing all the way.
Alex turned to Noelle as she came around the counter. “Noelle, will you stay?”
“Yes,” she said. Before she could even catch her breath, his arms were around her, lifting her up, the ribbons from the balloons dancing on top of them. The crowd clapped, and she caught a glimpse of Pop-pop, who’d broken out into an enormous smile. She slid down into Alex’s arms and he looked at her.
“I missed you,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning upward. “I can’t let you go to LA. I’m in love with you and I want you to stay.”
She smiled up at him. “I already texted Phoebe and told her I couldn’t go. There was this guy I’d rather see…”
Alex looked as though he’d explode with excitement. He put his hands on her face, stepped nearer to her and kissed her, the crowd erupting into chatter and applause.
When they finally pulled away from each other, Noelle’s phone lit up over on the counter. With a big smile, she turned it toward Alex. Phoebe had texted, Go get him, sista!
When everything had calmed down a bit, she said to Alex, “I’m not sure the coffee shop is doing all that well. We’ve had a busy hour but the rest of the time it’s been dead.”
“You don’t have to worry,” he said. “It’s doing great! I’ll bet on your route here, you come up Thompson Street and park at the end, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“Well, there were two downed electrical poles from all the snow, and they’d closed off a bunch of streets. No one could get here. Half the town was blocked. It took the crews until now to repair it. I know this because it affected the power at a number of my buildings. There’d been a detour, and it bypassed Hope and Sugar Coffee House, so the only people who could find it were the ones coming up from the opposite direction. I think you’ll be fine from here on out.” Then he took his first look around. “It’s amazing in here.”
“I couldn’t have pulled it off without your gifts. You did a lot for me,” she said. “I can’t possibly repay you for all you’ve done.”
He looked into her eyes. “You already have. I’m not going to New York. I can’t stand to be away from you. The office there will stay open, but I’ll run it from home. You’ve ruined my work ethic,” he teased, with a smile that gave away his fondness for her. “You’ve given me a future that I never knew could exist, and I’m going to spend every day showing you how much that means to me.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Starting with Christmas.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Alex had been gone all week, getting the office in New York up and running so he could come back for good. He’d returned very late Christmas Eve and Noelle couldn’t wait to see him. She and Lucas had stayed awake for his arrival. Alex had told them that it was difficult for Santa to get in and out of such a large house, and they should camp out in the grand living room. When they’d gotten there, Alex had a giant blow-up bouncy castle for Lucas inside the room. He’d also set up two camping air mattresses with tons of pillows and bedding for them, with strict instructions to stay there for the night.
When they’d finished jumping, the bouncy castle had been dismantled and removed, leaving the large room nearly empty. So Noelle and Lucas had pushed their mattresses over to the enormous windows and she and Lucas had watched the stars until they’d both fallen asleep.
Noelle woke up this morning to the sound of quiet holiday music coming from the radio, and, with a giggle, she looked down at the pajamas she was wearing. They’d been laid out on her bed when she’d gotten home from working at the coffee shop. Lucas had the same pair—red with little reindeer and holly all over them. She couldn’t believe that Alex had gotten them without even knowing their family custom. Gram had started it with her father, and then Noelle’s mother had carried on the tradition. Now it would continue with her and Lucas.
But that wasn’t what had made her laugh this morning. What had made her giggle was the memory of Alex wearing the same pair when he’d come in to tell them they should sleep in the living room. He’d been holding a plate of cookies and a glass of milk to leave for Santa, looking adorable. Then he’d given Noelle a Christmas kiss and told her to get her rest for a big Christmas Day tomorrow.
Noelle noticed Lucas wasn’t on his mattress. Stretching and running her fingers through her hair, she stood up and made her way to her suite to find him. When she got there and opened the door, she blinked her eyes to clear them and make sure that what she was seeing was correct, or if she was still asleep and dreaming. The entire room was full of red roses—hundreds of them. They were in silver vases, filling the end tables and the floor along the walls, on stands, shelves, the mantle—everywhere. She grabbed a small note on a side table, barely visible under all the roses. It read, Merry Christmas! Go to your room.
Lucas, who’d come out of his room, took Noelle by the hand. “Come into my bedroom,” he said breathlessly.
They went down the hall together and the scene was similar in Lucas’s room: there were giant dinosaurs, the walls had been covered with replicas of the solar system, there were books literally everywhere—so many she knew she wasn’t seeing every single one. Covering the floor were puzzles, brainteasers, science kits, and even a huge volcano in the corner.
“Alex must have left some really good cookies for Santa,” she said, still looking around, the note in her pocket. Then she forced herself to focus on Lucas. “I got a note that said we need to go into my room. Should we see what’s there?”
Lucas nodded, shock all over his face.
When she saw it, Noelle could hardly keep the tears from clouding her eyes. On the dresser, leaning against the wall, was an enormous canvas in black and white with the image of hers and Lucas’s faces in the snow. The grays and whites were so vivid, the little flakes falling all around them, making them appear to be in some kind of winter wonderland. She turned to Lucas, but he hadn’t seen it yet. He was reading another note. “Go to the tree in the living room,” he said, running past her. She followed, and by the tree that she hadn’t noticed with all the flowers in her view, there were more toys and science experiment kits, a real laboratory coat in Lucas’s size with his name embroidered on the pocket—he already had it on by the time she’d gotten there.
Tied to the tree, she noticed another note. It read: Open the door. She walked over to it and turned the knob.
On the other side, Alex was in a tuxedo, his hair perfectly combed, holding another sign that said: Look up.
She tore her eyes away from him and tipped her head out the door to view the twenty-foot-tall dome in the ceiling of the hallway. A single cranberry-colored ribbon dangled all the way down to just above where she was standing and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before now. She walked over to it, recognizing something immediately, causing her to gasp, her heart slamming around in her chest.
Tied to it was William’s diamond ring.
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“William told me,” Alex said. “I asked him if I could have it. He said that he couldn’t think of anyone better to wear it than you.”
Lucas had come over and was standing beside her, looking up at it.
“I want to ask if you’d consider wearing it as a token of my love for you. William and I talked for quite a while. I wanted to hear his side—why he gave it to your grandmother—because you always believe in him, and I trust your heart. All I could think about while he was telling me was that your grandmother and my grandfather had a love that was so big it spanned generations, and now it finally gets to have its day—with us.” He stood up and untied the ring, holding it in his fingers. It shone brightly in the light of Christmas morning. Gently, he took her hand, and slid the ring onto her finger.
It occurred to her how incredible it was that it didn’t have to be sized at all, as if it were meant for her finger. It was a perfect fit.
Just like the two of them.
Epilogue
Alex had worked diligently to secure flights in secret to get Phoebe to the Harrington mansion without any of the press finding out. She’d become quite the celebrity, her show topping the charts and now in its third season. Jo had arrived this morning and was puttering around the kitchen with Noelle, pouring them both a glass of wine as Christmas music played, the festive mood filling the mansion. Noelle had been so busy at the coffee shop that she’d hired a small staff, and both she and Heidi could be off today.
To make matters more exciting, one of the old warehouse buildings near the coffee shop had been converted into apartments, and it was full of young professionals who loved to set up their laptops in Hope and Sugar and binge on her honey-cream lattes while they worked. Word had gotten around and Hope and Sugar had become quite the hotspot.