Noel

by Madison Stevens

  Haley looked at the Christmas card she’d gotten in the mail.

  “I don’t know,” she said, frowning. “It came in the mail yesterday. No address or signature. Might be my great aunt. She’s getting up there and sometimes does off-the-wall stuff like that.”

  She shrugged. Last year she’d received a box of glue from her great aunt for her birthday. And earlier this year she’d sent Haley ten cans of dog food. Too bad she’d never owned a dog.

  Haley opened her mouth to say something more to convince him to stay, but the words wouldn’t come out. And like that, he was gone. Out the door and nearly running to get away from her.

  She sighed and sat back down on the couch. The two glasses of lemonade remain untouched.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Noel scrubbed a hand across his face as he pulled into the grocery store parking lot. He’d slept like shit. Thoughts of Haley filled his head all night long, both good and bad.

  If he wasn’t thinking about the damn card, he was remembering her soft fingers as they trailed down his face or her look as she ran them along his distorted skin. His stomach twisted at the look on her face, as if it pained her to touch him.

  That’s what he was setting himself up for, the hurt over and over again as she found new spots where the flesh had been so badly damaged no one would want to have anything to do with him.

  She may have expressed interest in him before, but that was because she hadn’t realized just how bad his scars were. No woman couldn’t help but find him disgusting once they were close to him, especially once they touched him.

  He pushed the thoughts from his head and focused on the task at hand. Things were getting serious. The card she’d received had matched the one sent to him. More than ever, he needed a reason to watch over her. One that didn’t involve him bringing her to his bed.

  Riley pulled into the spot next to him and climbed out.

  “Is it done?” Noel asked.

  Riley nodded to Haley’s beat-up car, which was parked not far away.

  “It’s done,” Riley said with a sigh. “Are you sure it wouldn’t be easier to just take her to your house?”

  Noel shook his head. After yesterday, there was no way that would work.

  “Well, maybe I should step in,” Riley said.

  Noel’s blood ran cold at the thought of another man stepping into his place.

  “Back the fuck off,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Riley held up his hands. “Whatever,” he said. “Finn just wants to make sure she’s safe, and so that’s all I’m doing.”

  Noel snorted. He doubted that. Riley had never really had a problem with fucking and leaving. There was no way he’d let him get his hands on Haley.

  “Tell Finn I’m taking care of it.”

  With that, Noel locked his car and made his way inside the store.

  * * *

  Haley stared down at her list and sighed for about the millionth time. Singles shopping sucked. No one wanted to be reminded that they were alone. Going to a store to buy ingredients for one only served to do a great job of just that.

  She grabbed the pasta from the cold foods section. Fresh noodles were always her favorite, and tonight was for sure a night for pasta.

  Without paying much attention, she turned from the cold section, pasta in hand, and face-planted into a wall of muscle.

  Haley stepped back and rubbed her bruised nose.

  “I’m so sor—”

  She stopped when she realized the owner of the muscles.

  “You should really pay more attention,” Noel said, his voice as tempting as it had been yesterday.

  She frowned. Maybe she would have been paying attention if he hadn’t thrown her off yesterday, only reminding her of her very single status.

  When her mind caught up with things, he’d already moved down the aisle and around the corner.

  “What was that?” she whispered to herself and shook her head.

  Maybe he was still angry over yesterday. She hadn’t meant to piss him off. All she wanted to do was touch him.

  Haley huffed loudly. Pasta and a slice of cake. Hips be damned.

  * * *

  Despite herself, she glanced around as she made her way through the checkout line. She’d seen him from a distance a few more times in the store. Not that she was keeping track, but it was just hard to miss a man of that size. But now he was nowhere to be found. Figured.

  The line moved slowly. And the longer she stood there, the more certain she was that he would come up at any moment. By the time she’d made her way through and was paying, she’d all but given up.

  Haley rolled her cart through the lot and unloaded the bags into the trunk of her car. The one bonus of having an older car was the spacious trunk. She smiled at the old car as she slid into the seat. It had been a good buy considering how long she’d had it.

  She slipped the key into the ignition and turned. The engine sputtered on, and pop music drifted from the radio. She grinned as a song filled the car and lifted her spirits. Nothing like a good tune.

  After a moment, she jumped at a loud thumping knock. Haley looked around to all the windows, but the source of the sound eluded her.

  She turned off the radio. The knocking continued. She frowned as she listened. It was so weird, like the noise was originating from inside the car.

  The car sputtered violently. Smoke poured from the dash.

  “Shit,” she shouted and shut off the car.

  Coughing, she opened her door and took in deep breaths of fresh air.

  “Need some help?”

  She turned and was surprised to find Noel had pulled up beside her. He was driving a standard Finn special: black nondescript SUV.

  Haley nodded as he stepped out of his car. She watched as he walked over and popped the hood on her poor car. Maybe it hadn’t been such a great buy after all.

  Smoke billowed out from underneath, filling the air above like a smoke signal.

  He leaned over the hood, and she wondered if he ever got hot wearing jeans in the middle of summer. She couldn’t stand it.

  Pretty much all through summer she was either in a dress or shorts. Today she’d opted for a pretty green sun dress. It was supposed to help lighten her mood, and at this point, she was sure she could use it.

  Noel walked over to his car and pulled a water bottle from the middle console. She watched as he poured water into one of the holes. The splash of water on the ground under the car was not lost on her, and though she was far from a mechanic, she was sure this wouldn’t be a good thing.

  “Cracked radiator,” he said.

  Haley groaned. There went her savings.

  He looked at her, hesitating for a moment.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I know a guy that could fix it for cheap if you don’t mind the wait.”

  Haley struggled a little. A longer wait would mean more days she wouldn’t be able to finish the work she had to do at the school.

  “I’m sure Finn will help you with rides,” he said.

  Haley knew he was right. Finn was always offering to help. More than once he’d tried to get her out of her house. Or hovel as Finn liked to call it.

  Still, saving that money would be good. It wasn’t like she had a ton saved up. No one went into teaching to get rich.

  “That would be great,” she said.

  Noel nodded and made his way to the trunk of the car. He flipped it open and grabbed two large paper bags.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  Noel walked to his car without stopping.

  “Loading your groceries.”

  With ease he balanced both sacks with one arm as he opened the back hatch to the SUV.

  Haley moved to the back and grabbed a bag.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  She placed the bag in the back and watched as he loaded the last two into the car.

  He ushered her to the front and opened the passenger-side door.

/>   Haley climbed in and turned to look at him as he stood in the door.

  “Your car key?” he said and raised a brow.

  She pulled out her keys and took the key off the ring. It seemed strange to leave her car like that, but it wasn’t exactly like someone could drive it off, given its condition.

  Noel closed the door and placed the key in the ignition. She watched as he pulled out his phone and made a call. She couldn’t tell what he was saying, but it didn’t take long before he’d hung up and climbed into the car.

  “They will be here in ten to get the car,” he said.

  Haley frowned as he started the car and put it in drive.

  “Shouldn’t we wait?”

  Noel shook his head. “No point. They know what to do. They’ll call when it’s ready.”

  She nodded slowly, still a little weirded out by her lack of control over the situation.

  They drove off in silence.

  After yesterday, she wasn’t really sure what she was supposed to say. ‘Sorry for hitting on you’ didn’t really seem to cover it all.

  When they pulled up to her house, she searched for something. Anything.

  Haley climbed out and circled around back to help unload the food.

  “Thanks for helping me,” she said and gave him a shy smile.

  Noel grunted in reply, grabbing two of the bags from the back.

  Haley opened the door and made her way into the house. She dropped her keys in the bowl by the door and put the bag on the counter near the fridge. Noel placed his next to hers.

  “I’ll get the other two,” he said, not looking at her as he spoke.

  She worried her lip as she watched him walk away. It was the kitchen. He was still bothered by what had happened yesterday. It couldn’t be like this between them. He might not want a relationship, but they should at least be able to be friendly.

  Noel came in with the last two bags and set them down.

  “Well, I guess—” he started.

  “Stay for dinner,” she said quickly, cutting him off.

  His brows shot up in surprise. “What?”

  “As a thank you for yesterday and today.”

  He opened his mouth. She knew a no was coming.

  “Please,” she said. “I just want to thank you.”

  Noel looked from the sink to her and sighed.

  Inside her head she did a little happy dance. Maybe if she could show him they could be friends, the touching incident wouldn’t be so weird.

  “Okay,” he said.

  Haley gave a wide smile and ushered him into the living room.

  “You just relax while I start cooking,” she said, thrusting the remote into his hand.

  She’d nearly made it to the door before she thought about his shopping.

  “Oh, your groceries,” Haley said and turned to look at him on the couch. “Do you need to keep anything cold?”

  Noel glanced at the front door then shook his head.

  “Nothing cold this time,” he said.

  “That’s lucky.”

  Before he could change his mind, she scurried back to the kitchen. As she unloaded the food, she heard the TV click on and the quiet murmur of some sports program. Haley smiled as she worked. Knowing he was there with her made it all seem so different. Better.

  She pulled out pans and grinned. No depressing dinner for one tonight. She’d take it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Haley took a final taste of the cream sauce and smiled. It was perfect. Or as perfect as she was going to get it.

  She tossed the pasta with the sauce and poured it into the serving bowl. Then she slid the sliced chicken breast over the top. The salad was all ready to go. She sighed at her handiwork. All she could do now was hope that Noel liked it.

  She sipped her wine and picked up the other glass for him. In truth, she didn’t even know if he liked wine, but it was all she had, so she hoped it would work. It wasn’t like she’d probably get another chance like this anytime soon.

  The room was quiet when she entered. Although the game was still on the TV, she hadn’t heard a peep out of Noel since she’d started cooking. Admittedly, Noel wasn’t exactly a loud sort of guy, which was a little surprising considering his size. But that was just his way.

  She paused in between the dining area and the living room. His body lay slumped on the couch, his head resting on the big pillows on the back. Haley watched the heavy rise and fall of his chest.

  She couldn’t help but smile. He must have been tired to fall asleep so easily there. She couldn’t imagine that he ever slept all that soundly, especially given how he reacted the last time she’d woken him up.

  Carefully, she set the glasses on the table and made her way back to the living room. The last time she’d ended up on her ass and could still feel the bruise from it. And as nice as it had been to have him pressed against her, she wasn’t naked or drunk this time.

  Haley walked over to the TV and switched off the game. When she turned around, he stared at her, his eyes still slightly unfocused, his expression still groggy.

  “I learned from last time how not to wake you up,” she said with a grin.

  Noel sat up and ran a hand along some of the stubble on his head. He looked away from her.

  “I didn’t mean to before,” he mumbled. “It’s more instinct than anything.”

  Haley smiled at the cute way he said it.

  “I know.” She walked over to the door to the kitchen. “And I didn’t say it was all bad.”

  She grinned when he raised a brow and stepped into the kitchen to get the food. When she turned around, she was surprised to find him close behind her.

  “Can I help?” he asked.

  It wasn’t really the question but the way he said it that made her heart thump wildly in her chest.

  Without saying a word, Haley handed him the bowl of pasta. She followed behind with the salad.

  They sat at her little four-seat table. It wasn’t much, but in this instance, she liked its intimacy. He sat next to her. She could feel the warmth of his leg as it came dangerously close to her own.

  Haley placed some salad on her plate as he filled his with pasta. She was glad to see that he seemed to at least like this kind of food. He placed a little salad on his plate and glanced up at her.

  “Um,” he sputtered for a moment. “This looks good.”

  “Good,” she said. Haley put the other glass of white wine in front of him. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Noel gave her a funny look but nodded. He took a drink and raised a brow, then scowled a little.

  “I’m not really a wine guy,” he said.

  “Oh. I can get you something else. I’ve got juice or water or—”

  “No,” he cut in. “This one isn’t bad. I like it.”

  Haley blushed and then cursed herself. It wasn’t as if she had personally made the wine. All she did was pick up a bottle. Hell, she didn’t even look at the brand. All she knew was that it was a Riesling and that meant it was on the sweet side.

  She picked up her glass and took a couple long drinks off it. This was her chance. There was never going to be a better time, and if she was going to make the most of this meal, she had to make it mean more than just dinner. She had to make him understand how she felt, that they could be something together.

  Haley set her glass down and stared at him. Noel looked up after taking a bite of the pasta. From the look on his face, she could tell she’d done well. He might not be a man of many words, but he did have a few expressions that could tell it all.

  “Can I ask you something?” she said, still staring at him.

  Noel swallowed the delicious food in his mouth. A lump formed in his throat as he continued to stare back at her. This was not going to go well.

  Sure, having Riley sabotage her car to give him a reason to stick around worked perfectly, but now he was having a rather intimate dinner. He resisted cursing. It was basically a date.

  He shrugge
d, not really sure he wanted to hear anything with a look like that.

  “What are you parents like?” she asked.

  Noel nearly choked on a mouthful of pasta. He swallowed and took another drink of the sweet wine.

  “Why do you want to know?” he asked and narrowed his eyes.

  Haley shrugged. Her pretty auburn locks slipped past her shoulders, exposing more of the skin there. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed her sun dress but more that he was trying not to acknowledge that it even existed. The situation was already more than a little uncomfortable.

  She stared at him expectantly, and he knew he wasn’t getting out of this without a story. He leaned back in his chair.

  “They’re dicks.”

  She raised her brows so high he thought they might touch her hairline.

  “I’m not sure either of them ever really wanted a kid, but I was convenient,” he said and stared at the glass of wine. “Or I was convenient for a while.”

  “What do they do?” Haley said.

  Noel raised a brow. “Are you sure you really want to know?”

  She nodded.

  “They deal guns.”

  She frowned a little. “Like a shop? That’s not so bad.”

  “Sure, they have a shop, too.” Noel gave a harsh laugh. “But it’s more like, ‘Come to my warehouse, and I’ll show the latest illegal guns we’ve got.’”

  A few worry lines creased her pretty face. “And they had a child playing at a place like that?”

  “No,” he said and leaned forward. “They had a child working at a place like that.”

  Haley picked up her glass and took a drink. He could see she was upset by his confession. Well, good. Maybe she would learn that some things were better left in the past.

  “Then how did you end up here?” she asked.

  “Finn,” he said and took a bite of the pasta. It was too good not to eat while it was still hot. It wasn’t often that he got a real home-cooked meal. “Finn came with his father to visit. I was maybe six at the time. We hit it off, and the next thing I knew, I was leaving with them to live here.”

  Haley grinned. “So you aren’t even American?”