“I thought Noelle was going to be with us,” whispered Ryan to Nick at one point, as he grabbed another cookie off the tray Nick was passing around.
“So did I, buddy,” he replied. “But we had fun anyway, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” answered Ryan, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice.
That did it. It was one thing for Noelle to neglect him, he didn’t expect anything else from her, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with ignoring the kids.
He went over to where Austin had Noelle cornered and handed him the tray of cookies. “Hey, Austin, do me a favor and pass these around. I need to have a word with Noelle.”
The other man looked unhappy at the interruption, but he couldn’t get out of it without appearing rude. Reluctantly, he took the tray and waded into the crowd. Nick took Noelle’s arm and dragged her into the kitchen.
Before he could give her the chewing out she deserved, she turned to him, a look of relief evident on her face and said “Thank you for saving me.”
What? “Um. You’re welcome.”
“I can’t believe my sister would stoop to this. What business is it of hers who I date or even if I date? She’s crossed the line this time. I don’t care how late it is when I get home, I’m going to call her and…”
“Noelle.” Nick had to put his hand over her mouth to stop the tide of angry words. “What are you talking about?”
She blinked, and then pushed his hand away. “I’m talking about Natalie calling Austin and telling him I needed a date for caroling.”
“She did what?”
“You heard me,” Noelle huffed. “She fixed me up on a date without even telling me.”
“So, you’re saying you didn’t want to come with Austin tonight?”
“No. And he’s been monopolizing me the whole time. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone without him breathing down my neck.”
“Are you going out with him again?” It seemed like a silly question, but he had to be sure.
Noelle glared at him. “Aren’t you listening? Of course not! Did you know his fiancée broke off their engagement because he was seeing someone else behind her back?”
So she did know about that. This changed everything. Nick began to relax as his anger ebbed away.
“Natalie better start getting her facts straight if she wants to continue matchmaking—and she’d better find herself a different guinea pig because I’m through.” She crossed her arms, leaned back against the counter, and scowled at him.
Strangely, Nick felt better. Of course he shouldn’t feel good that Noelle was so upset, but it was infinitely better than finding out that Austin was the new love of her life. And Noelle was pretty funny, all worked up like this.
“Through with getting help from your sister or with dating in general?” he asked.
“With dating in general,” Noelle responded. “Through with dating, romance and men. I give up. There’s no one out there for me and if there was, he wouldn’t need Natalie to point the way.”
Nick’s amusement ebbed away. “Don’t say that. Of course there’s someone out there for you.”
The sound of the kettle whistling distracted them. It had been left on the stove in case more water was needed for hot chocolate. With a sigh, Noelle pushed away from the cupboard and went to turn off the stove. Then she moved the kettle off the hot burner. “Frankly Nick, I don’t care anymore. The single life looks good to me.”
Nick turned her around to face him. “Honestly, you’re too good a person to spend your life alone. Don’t give up”
“You’re a great one to talk. I haven’t seen you with a date since I moved back. Why don’t you follow your own advice?”
There was a challenge in her eyes that he couldn’t look away from. “So you want to try your hand at matchmaker? Who should I go out with?”
“Hmmm. Let me think.” Nick’s heart sped up as she slid her hands up his arms, pulling him closer. He leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of her. She lifted her face and…Pain seared his hand. Jumping back with a yelp, Nick realized that he’d placed it on the still-hot burner.
Noelle grabbed his hand. Her cheeks had gone pink with embarrassment. “Nick, I’m so sorry. Let’s get some cold water on that.”
He felt like he was about two years old as she led him to the sink and bathed his hand in icy water. When she turned off the faucet, he snatched his hand away. “Thanks, it’s all right now.”
She began opening cabinet doors. “I think we have some burn ointment in one of the cupboards. Let me look.”
“You don’t need to. It’s fine.”
Noelle paused in her rummaging. “Let me see it.”
He held his throbbing hand behind his back. “No.”
“Nick, don’t go all macho on me.” When she went back to searching, he started to back out of the room.
“I don’t need you to tell me whether or not I’m fine.”
“Aha.” She held up a jar. “Now give me your hand.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Nick Jensen, if you leave, I’m coming after you and the whole youth group will know what a big baby you are.”
Big baby, was it? More like a huge fool. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
Nick studied her face. She wasn’t joking.
“Oh, all right. If it makes you feel better, you can put some ointment on my hand.”
“Thank you. I’m sure it will make me feel better.” She bit her lip, and he had the feeling she wanted to laugh at him.
He held out his hand, the palm still red from the burn, but not blistered. He’d survived worse.
She opened the jar of ointment and scooped some out. Then she took his hand in hers and smoothed on the salve. Her touch was gentle and soothing and even beneath the burn he felt a tingle of awareness.
She looked up at him, eyes wide, her sweet mouth turned down with concern for him. “Is that better?”
How could it not be?
The door swung open and one of the moms came in, saving him from making a fool of himself. “Someone said there was more hot water in here.”
“Yes, in the kettle,” Noelle told her.
“Thanks, Noelle. By the way, Austin’s looking for you.”
“Oh. Thanks. I’ll be right out.”
The woman nodded, grabbed the kettle and went back to the lounge.
Nick pulled his hand away. “Do you want me to tell him to get lost? I can take you home.”
She shook her head as she closed the jar of ointment and put it away. “You have the kids. I can make it from here to my house with him.”
“If he tries anything…”
She smiled at him, but her eyes were sad. “I’ll know who to call. Good night Nick.”
She left, and he stood wondering. Did he imagine it, or had Noelle almost kissed him? He must have been dreaming, because he couldn’t think of a single reason why her feelings towards him would have changed.
Maybe it was a reaction to Natalie and her matchmaking, a sort of “I’ll show her” type of thing. Yes, that must have been it, so it was a good thing she hadn’t actually kissed him. It looked like no matter what, he’d been destined to get burned tonight.
****
Noelle thanked Austin for taking her, and with a few quick moves managed to evade his hands and lips, making it into the house unscathed. She should call Natalie. In fact she would call Natalie, but it could wait until tomorrow. Right now, her heart felt so heavy, she wondered how she could still stand upright. She dragged herself upstairs, knocked on her mother’s door and told her she was home. Then, she went to her bedroom. It was still covered with wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and unwrapped presents, and she began to pick up everything.
She’d tried to kiss Nick, and it had ended in disaster. Reserved by nature, she didn’t normally initiate kisses with men she wasn’t dating—and certainly not at a function she was attending with a different man. O
f course, going with Austin had not been her choice, but still. A tear splashed onto the piece of wrapping paper she was folding.
It had been incredibly daring for her even to try to kiss Nick. Why would she think she could pull it off? Maybe it was a good thing he’d burned his hand and stopped her. It had saved her from the humiliation of his rejection.
Of course he’d offered to get rid of Austin and take her home himself, but that didn’t mean anything. Nick thought it was his duty to look after her. It was hard being someone’s unwanted responsibility when you really wanted to be his girlfriend.
In an uncharacteristic fit of anger, Noelle swept everything off her bed and onto the floor. Then she stretched out across the mattress, buried her face in her pillow and let the tears come.
Nick And Noelle
Chapter Ten
On the night of the dinner, Noelle drove out to Nick’s. The clouds of the day had rolled back to reveal a brilliantly starry sky. There was still no snow on the ground, but Noelle was hoping for a white Christmas. She loved the snow and the way it blanketed everything and made it sparkle.
She wanted to help the kids get ready for her Mom’s big dinner. She’d brought them new clothes for the holidays and took them all to get haircuts. Ryan was relieved to have someone other than Deirdre to cut his hair. Noelle could understand why.
While the other kids finished dressing, she showed Deirdre how to apply some light makeup. When they were finished, she turned to Noelle. “It will all be over soon.”
“What will?”
“Staying with Nick. All of us kids staying together. Christmas is almost here, and you haven’t found anyone to take us.”
“Well, not yet.”
“I know you did your best.” Deirdre gave Noelle a hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“But we failed. You just said it.”
“But you tried. You and Nick tried your best for us, and that’s more than anyone else has ever done.”
“So…So you’re not mad at me?”
“Mad? How could I be mad at you? These last few weeks have been the best of our lives,” Deirdre exclaimed. “And I know if we have to be separated, I can count on you and Nick to help me keep in contact with my brothers and sister.”
Noelle’s heart warmed. “Dee, I think your thanks is the best present I’ve ever received.” She hugged the girl who had become such a good friend, in spite of the difference in their ages.
When everyone was ready, Noelle and the girls left in her car. Drake, Ryan and Nick followed in the truck.
When they reached Noelle’s house, Deirdre looked over at Noelle nervously. “Are you sure your Mom will like us?”
“She’ll love you,” Noelle assured her. All of the kids were jittery though. They stood clumped on the walk, looking at one another.
“Hey,” said Nick “you can’t all just stand there like deer in someone’s headlights.”
The kids laughed, and the tension lifted slightly. Gladys opened the front door, and the light from inside poured across the walk and fell on them. “Come in, come in” Gladys called. “There’s someone here who wants to see you.”
The kids looked at each other in confusion. “Who could that be?” wondered Deirdre. “Y—you don’t think your mom called s-social services, do you?”
Noelle felt a stab of pain in her heart when she heard Deirdre’s stutter return. “No, of course not. My Mom wouldn’t do that.”
Drake had that look in his eye, as if he were ready to bolt. In desperation, Noelle shot Nick a pleading look.
“The only way to find out who wants to see you is to go in.” Nick began gently herding the kids toward the door. They stepped into the entry way. Beyond that they could see the living room and the lights shining on the Christmas tree. Gladys took their coats and the kids shuffled into the living room.
A small, white haired lady sat on the sofa. When they came in, her face lit up with a smile.
Deirdre gasped. “Grandma? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me.” She stood out and held out her arms. “I’ve been so worried about all of you.”
Deirdre and Drake rushed to hug her, followed by Kendra and Ryan. Soon they were tangled in a group hug. “Why didn’t you come to me when your father left?” she asked.
“We thought you were sick,” said Drake.
“I was sick, but I’m better now.”
“We didn’t think you’d want to be bothered with us,” added Deirdre. “Or that maybe you…you wouldn’t want…”
“Of course I want to be bothered with you,” their grandmother insisted “with all four of you. It doesn’t matter if Ryan and Kendra aren’t blood relations to me; they are to you. That makes them my family, too.”
Noelle was so shocked she couldn’t get a word out. Nick spoke for her when he said to Gladys “How did you do this? How did you find her?
“Just a coincidence, I guess. Marsha worked for me as a cleaning lady a while back. I remember her telling me about her daughter and her twin babies. There couldn’t have been too many Drakes and Deirdres in our area. So I looked Marsha up. I was delighted to find out she was the children’s grandmother.”
It didn’t matter what happened the rest of the evening. Gladys could have served dirt for dinner and everyone would have happily eaten it. The joy radiating from the newly reunited family was overwhelming.
As Noelle watched Deirdre and her brothers and sister interact with their Grandmother, she realized that all the gifts she’d given them were nothing compared to the gift of having their grandmother. She suddenly saw the meaning of family in a new light. She thought of Mary and Joseph with that new baby, and then of how God sent that baby to make the whole world a part of his family. That’s what it’s all about; in the Kingdom of God we’re all family.
Nick And Noelle
Chapter Eleven
Unfortunately, even after evenings like that, you still had to get up and go to work the next morning. After working nonstop all day, Noelle was looking forward to doing as little as possible that evening, but just as she walked in the door the phone rang. It was Pastor Thorn.
“The church looks great, Noelle,” he said. “It looks like you and Nick really came through for us. And you proved that you could get along. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you about it sooner. You know how busy this season is.”
“Thank you Pastor Thorn,” Noelle responded. “We both wanted everything to turn out well.”
“There’s only one thing I’m puzzled about.”
“What’s that?”
“Why is there no tree topper on the tree in the sanctuary?”
The star! Noelle had forgotten all about it. “Sorry, Pastor. That was an oversight. We’ll get it fixed right away.”
Noelle finished her conversation with Pastor Thorn and called Nick’s house. There was no answer.
She knew Nick wouldn’t like it, but she was going to put that star up tonight. She felt so bad that they had forgotten that she didn’t want to wait.
Noelle explained to her Mom where she was going and quickly left. She would stop at the shop and get the star and then go to the church.
****
Nick pulled into his yard and shut off the truck. His house was dark. He had gotten used to coming home to lights and supper and people. Now that the children were gone and Uncle Larry was still in Florida, his house felt unbearably lonely. He remembered walking into the kitchen and seeing Noelle taking that tray of cookies out of the oven. Substitute a pot roast for those cookies, and that would be something to come home to. With a sigh, Nick climbed down from his truck and went inside.
The message light on his answering machine was blinking, but when he played it all he heard was the click of the phone being disconnected. So he checked the caller ID - Noelle.
Nick picked up the phone and dialed. Gladys answered and Nick asked for Noelle.
“I’m sorry Nick,” she said “but Noelle left a few minutes ago. Pastor Thorn called and
asked why the star was missing from the tree in the sanctuary and she went to put it up.”
****
Noelle entered the dark church. The strange stillness bothered her as it had the last time, and she was sorry Nick wasn’t with her. She shook her head. No more of that. She wasn’t going to waste her time mooning over someone who kissed her and then wished he hadn’t.
Noelle found the tall step ladder in the custodian’s room. It was heavy but she managed to half carry it, half drag it into the sanctuary and set it up. She shook it and thought it seemed fairly sturdy.
Taking a deep breath, Noelle tucked the star under one arm and climbed to the top of the ladder.
It didn’t feel quite as steady from the top. She held her breath and leaned over to put the star on the top branch of the tall tree. It hung crookedly, so she adjusted it until was just right.
Noelle leaned back. Suddenly the ladder wobbled. She tried desperately to regain her balance as the ladder swayed beneath her. Then just as quickly as it had starting tipping, the ladder came back to rest on all four legs.
Noelle sighed with relief. Then she looked down. At the foot of the ladder, holding it steady, was a very angry Nick.
“Come down here,” he growled at her.
Noelle’s heart, its rate already accelerated from balancing on the shaky ladder, skipped a beat. She’d never seen him this angry. His scowl was darker than a threatening storm cloud, and even from her lofty perch she could see the pulse beating in his throat. Noelle sat down on top of the ladder, keeping her gaze fixed on him and said. “I’m not sure if I want to.”
“Stop kidding around.”
“I think I may be safer up here.”
“You’re wrong.”
Deciding that it wouldn’t help to antagonize him, she slowly descended the steps. When she came within his reach, Nick grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ladder. She tried to back away, but he held on to her.
“You promised you’d wait for me to do this.”
Nick and Noelle Page 8
