by Judith Keim
A battle took place inside Noelle. She wanted to help Silas, but she disliked the idea of being part of a holiday she was trying to forget.
“Isn’t that so?” Jake asked her.
She tried for a casual response. “I’m not celebrating Christmas this year. A lot of bad memories.”
His eyes seemed to reach inside to the part of her that was quaking. Please, she thought, don’t ask any questions about it.
“That’s odd. I would’ve taken you for the sort that would go all out for Christmas.”
Noelle didn’t know if that was a compliment or not.
“Well, now that you’ve more or less placed yourself in the household, I’m asking you to help Silas out. He’s been struggling with a lot of things lately—adjusting to life without his mother, then my parents’ plane crash. These are life issues even adults would have trouble coping with. Perhaps having Christmas become a true holiday will make things easier for him.” His mouth twisted with distaste. “My wife used to love this time of year.”
They stared at one another for a few seconds in a silent agreement not to ask further questions. Each obviously had a history they were not about to share.
“Is everything settled now?” Jake asked. “I’ve been informed that you would like to interview prospective nurses. I’ll observe but leave that in your hands.” He rose, signaling an end to the meeting.
Noelle got to her feet wishing she’d had a chance to have a cup of coffee before talking with him. Her tattered nerves needed a big boost of caffeine.
###
Noelle was straightening Althea’s room when Brett walked in. “Guess you and Jake got everything straightened out, huh?”
She shrugged. “I guess. I’ll interview the candidates for new nurses and hang out with Silas now and then.”
“Yeah, he’s real excited about Christmas this year.”
Noelle held back a groan. She’d wanted to talk to Silas about maybe doing other things, but now it was out of the question. Everyone seemed to think she’d do this for Silas. And ... well ... she guessed she would. She couldn’t let him down. Especially now that she knew there was another story behind Christmases past. From the look on Jake’s face, they hadn’t been that great except for his son.
“Now that Jake is here, I’m going to pack up and leave,” said Noelle. “We should be able to find a suitable nurse if only for a temporary time. Jake has lined up two interviews for this afternoon.”
Brett cocked an eyebrow at her. “You’re giving Jake the master suite?”
“Yes. My being in that room was all your fault, something you did to annoy your brother. Did you always fight as kids?”
The smile on Brett’s face left. “Jake was a very good big brother to me, not always willing to get into trouble. But when I needed him, he stood by me.
Remembering how her brothers acted, she understood. Josh, her oldest brother, was the serious one. Rick, two years younger, was the typical middle child, and Mike, the youngest, was a clown seeking attention from his brothers and trying to take attention away from her.
“Hey, look,” said Brett. “I know I’ve been teasing you a lot. Truth is, I’ve never met anyone quite like you. I feel as if I’ve known you a long time.”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Is that one of your standard lines?”
Brett held up his hands and backed away. “No, I promise. Not this time.”
She studied him. “I would think someone like you wouldn’t need a line like that. I bet you have girlfriends in every city.”
His grin was sheepish. “Just two.”
Noelle shook her head. The Bellingham brothers were dangerous in so many ways. Vowing to be careful, she left him to go upstairs and pack.
As she was packing, Silas came into her room.
“Dad says you’re moving out, but will come and see me every day. Right, Noelle?”
She set down the sweater she’d just picked up and turned to him. “Yes, I will. And if you like, I’ll show you Seashell Cottage, where I’m staying. You’ll see it’s not far from here.”
“Are you leaving now?”
“I’m just taking my things back to the cottage and then returning. Your father and I are going to interview nurses to help your Nana.”
“Oh, okay.” Silas kicked at the carpet with a sneaker and then gazed up at her. “Dad told me not to tell you, but he really likes that you’re in charge.”
Noelle’s eyes widened with surprise. “He does, does he?”
“Not all the time,” Silas quickly said. “Just with the nurses.”
“Oh, that sounds more like it,” said Noelle.
Silas nodded emphatically, bringing a chuckle to her throat.
###
The first nurse she and Jake interviewed was very competent but with no personality. When Silas was brought in to say hello, she almost recoiled. And that was that.
The second nurse held more promise. Short and round-bodied, her pleasant face lit with tenderness as, with an easy laugh, Dora Williams talked about her grandchildren. A widow now and tired of the shifts at the various hospitals, Dora had decided to do private nursing. The only problem was she wouldn’t spend more than four nights a week away from her home. But her credentials and references were perfect. And when Silas immediately went to her for a hug as Dora suggested, Noelle and Jake exchanged hopeful glances.
Jake rose to his feet. “Dora, if you don’t mind waiting here a minute, Noelle and I will discuss your candidacy in private and return to you shortly,” said Jake, signaling Noelle to follow him out of the room.
Dora nodded and smiled. “You go right ahead. Silas and I will get acquainted.”
In the kitchen, Jake turned to Noelle. “What do you think?”
“She’s perfect for the job. But now you’ll have to find a night nurse.”
His gray eyes filled with pleading. “Would you be willing to cover for the three nights Dora can’t be here this next week or until we find someone to fill those spots?”
Noelle gazed at her surroundings and wondered if she’d made a huge mistake by being caught up in this family. Then she heard Edith Greenbaum’s voice in her head. Move on with your life. If you don’t do it for yourself, at least do it for us. We’re stuck here. But you’re not.”
“All right. I’ll do it,” Noelle said. “But I don’t know how much more help I can give. I’m here just until the middle of January. Then I need to get back to my life in Boston.”
“Okay. That’s a deal.” Jake held out his hand, and Noelle took it, admiring the silvery gleam of pleasure in Jake’s eyes. It had almost been worth it to agree to do the work just to see the change in them.
When they returned to the office, Dora and Silas were chatting happily.
“All right, Dora,” said Jake. “I think we have a plan we can all work with thanks to Noelle’s agreement to fill in until we find more help. Silas, will you go get Uncle Brett, so he can meet Dora?”
After Silas left the room, they quickly agreed on a schedule and payment for Dora.
Smiling broadly, Dora stood. “Okay, when do you want me to start?”
Noelle and Jake exchanged glances.
“How about now?” Noelle said. “I’ll show you to the small suite that will be yours, here on the first floor.”
As Noelle led Dora out of the room, Noelle turned back.
Jake was studying her with a thoughtful expression.
CHAPTER SIX
Noelle walked into Seashell Cottage, plunked down her suitcase and canvas carrying bag, and let out a long sigh of happiness. She was back in her own space again. It felt wonderful.
As she placed her things in the bureau of the room she was using, she realized it might be a smart idea to set up an emergency bag of items she’d need if she was unexpectedly called to help the Bellinghams. At first, the thought of living in two places was unsettling, but being at Seashell Cottage already meant she was living like a traveler.
Noelle poured hersel
f a glass of wine. Brett had asked her to stay for dinner, but Noelle had opted to come home to the cottage. Dora, it turned out, was a fabulous cook, and Noelle wasn’t needed.
The wind had died down, and the setting sun sent enticing colors through and around the clouds at the horizon, like a rainbow playing hide and seek. Bundling up, Noelle took her glass of wine out to the front porch. She needed the peace of the water’s movement and the swirling cries of the birds to settle her thoughts.
The Bellingham brothers were handsome and rich, well-traveled, sophisticated—everything she wanted to avoid in any new relationship with a man. Been there once, she thought. She tried to control the acid rushing into her stomach. Alexander Cabot had been just like them—handsome, rich, and polished. And, it turned out, unfaithful. Even now she wanted to shout and scream at the cruelty of his leaving her at the altar for an old girlfriend, the wife of one of his friends. Social media had had a field day with the news, making her seem like a social climbing gold digger—someone Alex was lucky to escape. Especially to those in his social circles, people with money and power. The gossipy news was picked up by people in other states and had even made a blurb in one of the popular, lurid, national magazines.
The trouble, she thought, was that people like Alex and the Bellingham brothers had the means to satisfy their every whim, making them totally selfish.
Her thoughts turned to Silas. He was a dear little boy—eager to be friends and to be loved. The thought of his hiding from Betty Wickstrom made her nauseous. If, during her short vacation she could make a positive difference in his life, she’d try. She still didn’t like the idea of being thrust into preparations for Christmas, but she’d think of something that might help them both.
###
The next morning, Noelle awoke with a headache. She went to the window and looked outside. Gray clouds scuttled across the sky, moved along by the wind that had kicked up in a stiff, onshore breeze. Another good day to stay inside and lay low, she thought. Barefoot and still in her pajamas, she padded into the kitchen for a cup of hot tea.
She’d had such terrible dreams in the night—dreams of her wedding day mixed with a bizarre chase through a hotel by a black dog that was really a black bear that morphed into a spider. Even now, the thought of that giant spider sent her stomach whirling.
She took a seat at the kitchen table with a sigh. Why did things have to be difficult? She should have kept on walking when she saw Silas playing with his dog. But she knew she’d done the right thing by getting rid of Betty Wickstrom, even if it was out of line for a stranger to do it. And then she had no choice but to see the situation through.
She’d just put butter and some blueberry jam on a piece of toast when her cell phone rang. She checked caller ID and smiled. Edith Greenbaum. Of all the women she was close to at New Life, Edith was the person she most loved. Some thought of Edith as being too brusque, too outspoken, but Noelle adored that about her. They could talk about real issues openly. Noelle learned that Edith, like others in the community, had no one to assist her through the process of aging and had agreed to help her in any way necessary.
“Good morning, Edith. How are you?” Noelle said, making her voice sound upbeat. Edith was in her late seventies. Her husband and only son had both died, leaving her with money, but no other family.
“We miss you here in Boston,” said Edith. “We’re calling to see how you are. Hazel has put you on speaker phone.”
“Hello, everyone!” Noelle said.
A quartet of replies answered her.
“It hasn’t been long we know,” said Rose Ragazzi, “but Dorothy had a dream about you meeting some man, and we decided to call you together.” Rose had just turned seventy-two and was the most physically active of the group. Unwilling to live with any of her three daughters and sons-in-law, she’d secretly made arrangements to move into the New Life community before anyone could stop her. With her short, gray hair, dark, intelligent eyes, and trim body, she looked more like sixty as she jogged through the complex in the yoga pants she loved to wear.
Noelle knew they couldn’t see her, but she wagged a finger in the air. “You know miracles don’t happen overnight. I’m not likely to meet any man I’d be willing to date. I haven’t so far.”
“You will. I’m sure of it. Just remember to enjoy every moment you can,” said Dorothy Adams. “And if he looks like the man in my dream, you’re in for a nice time.” Dorothy, in her early eighties and the oldest of the group, had been widowed at an early age. Of medium height and size, she dressed provocatively young for her age, colored her hair, and carefully applied makeup every morning. Noelle loved her flamboyance. Dorothy’s only child, a son, lived nearby but was busy with his own insurance company and didn’t spend much time with her. Dorothy loved gossip and news about movie stars and talked about them like they were family. She, more than the others, was determined that Noelle find a decent, handsome man.
“When you least expect it, you’ll find someone. A pretty, young girl like you isn’t meant to be alone,” added Hazel Vogel. Hazel was a prim seventy-four and was easily offended by bad language or bad manners. The only one of them who had never married, she talked of her nieces and nephews as if they were her own, though they’d all moved away from Boston and seldom saw her. Sweet in nature, she was the worrier of the group, keeping track of everyone.
“If something exciting happens,” said Noelle, “I’ll be certain to let you all know. How’s everyone up there?”
“Same old thing,” said Edith. “The young waitress we all liked has left and the new one seems to be lazy. But the chef made a delicious meal last night, so we’re all happy about that.”
“How about the bridge competition. Are the four of you still in the lead?”
“Oh, yes,” said Edith with a note of pride. “I don’t think any other foursome can beat us.”
Noelle smiled. “The Three Musketeers Plus One” they sometimes called themselves.
“I’m glad to hear things are going well up there. I’d better let you go. It’s time for your morning coffee meeting. Thanks for calling. I’m sending each and every one of you a big hug from me.”
“And back to you!”
“’Bye, honey!
“Have a nice day, Noelle!”
“Talk to you soon, I hope!”
Smiling, Noelle clicked off the call. Edith and her cohorts had buoyed her spirits over and over again. She’d be forever grateful to them.
As if by magic, a ray of sun broke through the clouds, a sign of good things to come. Noelle took a deep breath and decided to take a walk along the beach. She was feeling better already. No more would she take on any unnecessary burdens, she vowed. This was her vacation. She’d see Silas now and then as she’d promised. The rest of the time she’d totally relax—something she seldom ever allowed herself.
Dressed in a light-blue sweater, blue jeans and sneakers, Noelle pulled on a pink windbreaker and went outside. Instead of going south along the beach past Althea’s house, Noelle headed north.
The tang of the salty air filled her lungs and soothed her mind. It was all good, she decided. She’d wanted a different kind of holiday season, and she was getting it. She noticed a shell riding the edge of a wave that had just landed on shore and hurried to pick it up.
A tulip shell, she thought, pulling her small book on shells from her jacket pocket. She stood a moment to study the photographs inside the book and confirmed that it was a tulip shell. A nice one. She carefully placed the shell in one pocket of her jacket and the book in another.
Suddenly she knew exactly how to solve the problem of a Christmas tree for Silas. Satisfied with her plan, she headed south.
She heard the sound of feet slapping the sand behind her and turned to see Brett running along the beach in running shorts and a tank top.
When he realized who she was, he slowed and stopped. “What are you doing out here on this windy day?”
She smiled. “’Thought some fresh air
might do me good.”
He studied her. “Your cheeks are all pink.”
She couldn’t stop herself from brushing at her cheeks with her fingertips. Her mother had the same sensitive skin.
“It’s all right. It’s cute,” Brett said, gazing at her with interest. “I understand you and Silas are going to decorate a Christmas tree at Nana’s house. Thanks for doing that. Neither Jake nor I have the time or inclination to take care of it. But Silas needs his Christmas. I get that.”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve come up with an idea he and I can work on together. Something different.”
“Jake told me you didn’t want to celebrate the holidays this year. What’s up with that?”
Noelle shrugged. “A sad story. Nothing more.”
“So, what’s your Christmas idea with Silas?” said Brett, thankfully not pursuing her comment.
She grinned at him. “That’s going to be our surprise. No peeking, either.”
He held up his hands. “Deal. By the way, I’m going back to Miami this morning and then I’ll head to New York and London. Jake will be working at Nana’s for most of the month.”
“Really?”
Brett nodded. “Yeah. Jake felt terrible about the treatment of Nana and Silas by Mrs. Wicked, as Silas called her. Hope you don’t mind having him there. Jake can sometimes be tough to deal with, but after all that’s happened to him, who could blame him for being that way?”
“You mean all that’s happened with your mother and father?”
Brett shook his head. “No, it’s more than that. It’s all the problems with Claire.” He stopped talking and took a deep breath. “Hey, look! You never heard anything from me. Got it?”
“Okay,” Noelle said, wondering what he couldn’t say to her.
“If you’re headed to Nana’s house, I’ll walk you there. I’ve had a great run.”
“Thanks. I want to talk to Silas.”
Aside from a brief comment on the weather, there was no talk between them as they walked along. But it was a comfortable silence for two people who didn’t really know each other.