Nick and Noelle

by Kara Lynn Russell

  The men continued to put the lightweight metal shelves together while the women arranged and rearranged them until they came up with a configuration they liked.

  When the last shelf was in place, Noelle declared them done for the day, even though it was only a little after noon. “You can’t spend your whole Saturday at work,” she explained to the kids with a smile.

  She stood at the counter and wrote out a check for Drake. “Thank you so much for your help today, Drake. Deirdre, make sure you mark your hours on your time card.”

  Finally, she turned to Ryan and Kendra. “You two were really good today. I hardly heard a peep out of you.” She handed Ryan some bills. “I want you two to take your big brother and sister out to lunch, okay?”

  The children agreed with enthusiasm and rushed to Dee and Drake.

  “Oh, Noelle, you don’t have to do that,” cried Dee.

  “It’s okay. You deserve it,” Noelle told them. “I was bringing you coffee this morning, but…”

  Nick shrugged. “Sorry, guys.”

  “This is better,” Deirdre exclaimed. “Thank you for including Ryan and Kendra.”

  “You’re welcome,” Noelle assured them.

  There was a happy discussion on where to eat lunch while the kids put on their coats. After the door closed behind them, silence settled over the shop.

  Nick looked at Noelle. He liked the way she’d treated the kids. She’d been kind, without being condescending.

  Noelle cleared her throat, and he realized he’d been staring. He looked away.

  “Thanks for sticking around and helping.”

  “It was the least I could do after…”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “Really Nick, it was an accident. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  “Okay, but send me the bill for cleaning your coat and clothes.”

  “No.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “No?” Feelings of admiration drained away as his irritation built. Did she think he couldn’t afford it?

  “Your work this morning has more than covered it. There’s no way we’d be done this early without your help.”

  He walked over to her. “I didn’t stay to make up for the coffee spill.”

  Noelle took a step back and bumped into the counter. “Then why did you stay?”

  “Because I never got a chance to talk to you. That’s why I stopped here in the first place.” What was it about Noelle that could take him from even tempered to furious in mere seconds?

  “You could have done that at any time.”

  “Well, I didn’t. That doesn’t mean you can count my help as pay. Send me the bill.”

  She lifted her chin a fraction. “No.”

  Nick leaned forward, resting a hand on the counter on either side of her. “Did it ever occur to you,” he growled, his face inches from hers, “that we’d have no problem getting along if you weren’t so stubborn.”

  Noelle folded her arms across her chest. “Did it ever occur to you that you might be the stubborn one?”

  “I'm trying to be nice.”

  “Well try harder.”

  He refused to back up and knew she couldn't as the counter was behind her. “Have lunch with me.”

  “What?”

  “That's what I came in to talk to you about. I wanted to take you to lunch to talk about decorating the church for Christmas.”

  “Lunch?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “Wherever you like.”

  Noelle placed her hands on his chest and pushed. He didn't move.

  "What's your answer?”

  “I didn't know I was being given a choice.”

  “You are. What's your answer?”

  “Really, Ni—”

  “And if 'really Nick' comes out of your mouth one more time today I'll...” He stared at her mouth. She was close enough to silence with a kiss. He was suddenly aware of her palms, still flattened across his chest. For several heartbeats he stood there, incredibly attuned to her nearness, her warmth, the smell of her shampoo.

  Had he lost his mind? Abruptly, he backed away. “Do you want to go to lunch or not? Yes or no this time.”

  “Um...y-yes, I guess. Just let me freshen up first.” Noelle slipped around the counter and into the back room.

  She sounded upset, and it was his fault. Nick considered himself a patient man, but somehow Noelle always pushed him over the edge. He didn't even know of a particular thing about her that did it. It was just...just her.

  He paced while he waited, trying to release some of the energy that flooded his body after their exchange. He couldn’t figure out what it was that goaded him to test his will against hers. It wasn't like there was something wrong with her. She was a nice person. She tried hard to do what was right, being unfailingly kind to other people and taking her responsibilities seriously. Moving back to be with her mother was proof ofthat.

  So what was it that always put him on guard whenever she was near? Whatever it was, he had to eliminate it and make peace with her. Otherwise he'd lose respect for himself. How could he teach the kids in the youth group about friendship and God's love if he couldn't even get along with someone like Noelle?

  He tossed aside his good intentions when she came out of the back room and handed him his coat. “I’m ready,” she announced.

  “Where’s your coat?” he asked.

  “I left it at home, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s my fault you can’t wear your own coat. You’ll wear mine.”

  She was going to argue. He could see it as clearly as he could see a blue sky clouding over before a snow storm. But something in his expression must have changed her mind. She allowed him to help her into the coat. “Now was that so hard?” he grumbled.

  “What?” she looked up at him, confused.

  “Agreeing with me. Was that so hard?”

  She smiled then. “Yes. You don’t know how much effort it takes.” But her tone was teasing, so he relaxed.

  “Where do you want to go for lunch?”

  “Anywhere’s fine with me.”

  “I invited you, you pick.”

  “No, I’m being sweet and agreeable today. You pick.”

  “Sweet and agreeable? That will never last.”

  “So you’d better enjoy it now.”

  With the tension broken between them, lunch went better than he had foreseen. Of course they never got around to discussing the details of their project, but they agreed to meet next Tuesday to go through the decorations the church already owned. And they didn’t have any more arguments. In fact, lunch had been fun. They’d talked over old times, remembering youth group outings and school events. Maybe there was hope for them yet, he decided.

  ****

  “So I heard you and Nick had lunch today,” said Gladys while they were washing dishes that evening.

  How did she hear about that already? “Yes,” Noelle answered. “We needed to talk over our decorating project. We’re going to get together next week to start.”

  “Wonderful. I’m glad to see you two getting along for a change.”

  “Nick and I have always been friends, Mom.”

  “Friends? The way you fight, I thought you were more like brother and sister.”

  Noelle didn’t particularly appreciate that analogy, since her feelings for Nick were far from sisterly. Of course, she’d die before she’d admit that to her mother, especially since Nick evidently didn’t feel the same way about her. The way he’d backed off when he realized how close they were said it all. That’s why she decided not to argue with him anymore. What difference did it make? Now, she just wanted to get this project over with so she could stay as far away from Nick Jensen as possible. It was the only way she would keep her heart and her pride in tact.

  Nick And Noelle

  Chapter Three

  Thanksgiving grew nearer, as did the grand opening for Joyeux Noel. The store was set to open o
n the Friday after Thanksgiving, the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Each evening she could spare, she worked late, and this evening, since her mother was going out with friends, Noelle seized the opportunity to set up a display of a Victorian Christmas Village in the picture window of her shop. As she reached to place a figurine there was a loud knock at the shop door. She almost dropped the delicate piece.

  She set down the figurine and went to the door. Nick stood outside, and he didn’t look happy. What had she done now?

  She opened the door and let him in.

  He pushed past her into the store. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m setting up this display. Why?”

  “Because you were supposed to meet me at the church forty minutes ago.”

  She gasped. “Is today Tuesday?”

  “Yes. It usually comes after Monday, you see.”

  “Oh, Nick, I’m sorry. I’ll just finish up here, and we can go right away.” Noelle rushed around, picking up the empty boxes the figurines had come in and taking them to the back. She grabbed her coat—or rather his coat—and hurried to the front of the store.

  “Are you still wearing that?” he asked incredulously. “I thought you’d forgotten about it?”

  She had forgotten about it—forgotten she was supposed to give it back. She felt herself flushing with embarrassment. “I’m sorry Nick.”

  “You like my coat, don’t you?” It sounded like an accusation.

  “I guess I do. I really didn’t mean to keep it. Here, you take it right now, or I’ll forget again.”

  “Do you have another coat with you?”

  “No.”

  “Then you know what I’m going to say.”

  She bit her lip and nodded. “I really am sorry.”

  She was surprised when he smiled at her. “Why do you like it? It hardly seems to be your style.”

  “Well, it…” She dropped her head and mumbled her answer.

  His hand came up and caught her chin, lifting it so he could see her face. “Could you repeat that?”

  “It smells good,” she answered in a small voice. Her skin tingled where he touched her, and she stepped back to break the contact before he could see how it affected her.

  “Smells good?”

  “Yes. It smells like pine, like your trees. It must be wonderful to wake up to that smell every morning.”

  Nick stared at her and then laughed. “I guess I’ve lived there for so long, I’ve stopped noticing. Thank you Noelle.”

  “For what? For stealing your coat?”

  “No, for reminding me how lucky I am. And let’s just say you’ve adopted the coat.”

  “I’ll buy you another one,” she offered, noting the faded, worn condition of the one he was wearing.

  “I don’t need you to buy me things.” His voice changed from lighthearted to hard in a second.

  “I didn’t say you did, I just wanted…”

  “Can’t you just accept a gift from someone?”

  “But…but you didn’t mean for me to keep it.”

  Nick took the coat from her and held it out for her to slip into. Then he pulled the coat up over her shoulders and lifted her hair free of the collar. His fingers brushed the skin on the nape of her neck, and she shivered. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “The coat is yours now. Let’s go.”

  Deciding it would be easier for them to each drive their own vehicles, Nick followed Noelle to the church. On the way he wondered about Noelle and the coat. If she liked the pine scent, couldn’t she just buy some in a bottle? He knew it was available. She’d probably be selling it in her shop. Could there be another reason she liked the coat?

  Was there a glimmer of hope that she might have some of the same feelings for him he had for her? He squashed that hope quickly, as he thought of how she’d offered to buy him a new coat. She probably thought of him as a charity case.

  Granted, he’d received quite a bit of charity from her parents. Even though the gifts had been anonymous, he knew where his expensive basketball shoes had come from and how Uncle Larry had been able to afford to send him to Washington D.C. with the rest of the National Honor Society kids. Noelle’s father had even set up an account to help fund Nick’s schooling. Maybe Noelle had a reason to think of him as a charity case. But he couldn’t help wishing she could see him as something more.

  While they waited at a stop light, he allowed himself to drift back in time to the one kiss they’d shared. He really didn’t know why he had done it. He hadn’t planned to kiss her. He’d avoided her all night because he was afraid she’d still be mad at him, and he hated it when she was mad at him. But he couldn’t help noticing her. She wore a fuzzy white sweater and had her golden hair piled loosely on her head, reminding him of an angel. Maybe it was just that he hadn’t seen her for so long that her beauty struck him anew.

  He wasn’t the type of guy to go around grabbing women and kissing them. In fact normally, he would frown on that sort of behavior. But, still, he didn’t have it in him to be sorry for kissing her. He still remembered the way she felt in his arms and the scent of her perfume.

  A car behind him blared its horn. The light had changed. He shook himself out of his daydream and stepped on the gas.

  When they arrived at the church, everything was dark. The Christmas ornaments were stored in a windowless room in the basement.

  Noelle shivered a bit as they went downstairs to the basement. “Are you cold?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s just that usually when I’m here, this place is filled with people. It’s so still now. It’s a bit unsettling.”

  He put an arm around her shoulders—a purely gentlemanly gesture, he told himself—and steered her toward the storage room. He unlocked the door with the key Pastor Thorn had provided, opened the door, and found the light switch.

  The light flickered on, revealing a jumble of boxes, odds and ends and spider webs. “Yuck,” exclaimed Noelle. “Let’s find the Christmas stuff and get out of here.”

  “Are you afraid of a little dust?” he taunted her, but she didn’t bite.

  They waded through the cartons until they found the ones marked Christmas. Nick carried the first one out and set it down in the hall. He turned and ran right into Noelle, who was behind him carrying another box. Reaching out he was able to steady her and keep the box from falling.

  “What are doing?” He took the box from her. “These are heavy.”

  “Not that heavy. I can help.”

  “You wait out here. I’ll get the rest.”

  “No way. It will take twice as long then.”

  He wanted to tell her it would take three times as long if she kept arguing, but he knew where that path led and he wasn’t going to go there. He drew a deep breath. “Noelle, please let me do it. I promise it won’t take long.”

  She blinked in surprise. Obviously this was not the response she was expecting. “Okay. I guess I can start opening them up while you do that.”

  Nick went back for the next box. They could do this. They could get along.

  Once the boxes were lined up and opened in the hallway outside the storage room, they began to sort through them. It was not a pleasant job.

  “I think these are the same decorations that were being used when we were kids. The church really needs some new things.”

  Nick picked up an antiquated string of lights. “I think you’re right. I wonder if there’s any room in the budget for new stuff.”

  “Let’s make a note to ask Pastor Thorn.” Noelle looked around for her purse, and found it on the floor next to one of the boxes. She opened it and pulled out a small day planner and pen then carefully entered the note about calling Pastor Thorn.

  “You’re too organized,” he teased.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not organized enough.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I didn’t remember about tonight. I’m sorry Nick.”

  “It’s no big deal. F
orget it.” He leaned over her shoulder and read some of her entries. “Wow, that’s quite a to-do list you have going.”

  She nodded. “I know. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be ready for the store to open by the day after Thanksgiving.”

  “It doesn’t have to be perfect, you know.”

  She stared back at him, shocked. “Yes, it does.”

  “Why?”

  “You wouldn’t understand.”

  “Why not?”

  “You just wouldn’t. Drop it Nick.”

  Her angry tone surprised him. He wanted to snap back, but remembering her response before, he chose a gentler approach. “Explain it to me. I’ll try to understand.”

  She shook her head. He could see tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked them back. He knew she would never give in to such a show of weakness in front of him.

  Surprisingly this made him angrier than her hostile attitude had. Why couldn’t she display a perfectly normal human emotion in front of him?

  He turned away. “Fine. Let’s just get back to these boxes. I want to get finished sometime tonight.”

  Silently, they continued to sort through all the decorations. Any camaraderie they’d established was gone. After a bit, he looked over to see Noelle holding a doll—the very same baby Jesus doll she should have held in the Christmas pageant all those years ago.

  Unable to stop himself, he moved over by her. She hastily tried to put the doll aside, but he took it from her. “I remember this,” he said.

  She nodded. “From the worst Christmas pageant in church history.”

  “You know I didn’t mean to trip you. I felt bad about your nose.”

  “Of course you didn’t mean it. I know that.”

  “You were mad at me though.”

  “I couldn’t help it. I looked like a raccoon for Christmas and my birthday.”

  “At least it healed perfectly.”

  She quickly covered her nose with her hand. “What do you mean? There’s still a bump.”

  “Is there? I can’t see it.” He pushed her hand aside and ran a finger down the bridge of her nose. “I can’t feel it either.”

  She blushed. “You’re just being nice.”

  “No,” he insisted. “I’m not. You have nothing to worry about. You’re beautiful.”