Chloe had started to talk about Beth more than her mother. Another danger to avoid.
He stared at the wood he’d cut. All he could do for the moment was make Beth happy. The show had to succeed for Gram. Beth was something he’d have to deal with along the way.
Right now he had an appointment to inspect a house before he picked up Chloe at Beth’s studio. Thank God for his inspector’s job. It was the one time he could honestly say he didn’t think about Beth. But the minute he stopped working, there she’d be again.
He really needed to get that under control before he ended up falling for her again.
* * *
Beth turned off the music and faced her students. “Good job today, ladies. I can’t believe how quickly you’re learning.”
Hannah giggled. “That’s ’cause it’s so fun. I like you better than my other dance teacher.”
Chloe nodded, a big smile on her face. “You’re the best teacher ever.”
Abby gave Chloe a friendly shove. “She’s the only one you’ve had, silly.”
The girls giggled as they gathered up their things. A horn honked, signaling that Julie had arrived to pick up Abby and Hannah, who lived next door to each other. “Remember, ladies, point those toes.”
Abby and Hannah linked arms and chanted as they walked away. “Point your toes. Point your toes.”
Chloe was standing at the barre trying to get her leg up on it, which made her look like a very awkward ballerina. The child was determined to learn, pushing for more and more new steps. Beth had to constantly remind her to be careful of her knee. “Chloe, why don’t you practice your demi pliés while you wait. You might hurt yourself otherwise. I’ve already asked my brother to install the lower barre for you girls to use. It should be done by next lesson.”
Chloe sighed and nodded, grasping the barre and placing her heels together.
Beth’s cell chimed, and she hurried to pick it up from the back room. “Hey, Noah.” Her heart fluttered at the sound of his voice.
“Could you take Chloe home for me today? I’m on a job site, and I won’t be able to get away for another hour or so.”
“I’d be happy to.”
“Gram has a garden club meeting today and isn’t answering her phone. I appreciate this. I’ll make it up to you.”
“No need. Friends help each other out.”
There was a long pause before he responded. “Right. Thanks again.”
Beth changed quickly into street clothes. Chloe talked nonstop on the way home. Evelyn’s car wasn’t in the drive when they arrived, so Beth went inside to stay with Chloe until she returned. She didn’t have long to wait.
“What a nice surprise.” Evelyn gave her a warm hug. “I was going to call you when I got home. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“The show?”
“No, something else. Let me fix you a glass of tea and we’ll sit and talk.”
Beth joined Evelyn in the small sunroom at the back of the house. “I’ve been telling my friends how you’ve helped Chloe, and we were wondering if dancing could help some of us with our arthritis and other issues. Phoebe—she lives next door and we’ve been friends since high school—mentioned some chair dancing that she’d read about online? She’s in a wheelchair now, but she used to dance and she misses it.”
Surprised at the request, Beth took a moment to consider it. “Dancing can be a huge benefit to older women. I’m sure I can do a little research and come up with something that would be fun for you.”
“And my friends?”
“Of course, but my studio is small. There’s barely room for me to work with the girls.”
“Phoebe suggested we could meet at the senior center. There’s plenty of room on the second floor, and we all spend time there off and on anyway.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll look into it and see what we could set up.”
Evelyn smiled and patted her hand. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you came home to Dover. You have a lot to offer this town. I know you miss your career, but you could do so much here.”
“Thank you. I’m still trying to figure out how to move forward without my dream, but I’m truly grateful for you getting me involved in the Christmas show. It feels good to be working again, even if it is on the other side of the stage.” She rose and moved to the door, Evelyn close at her side.
“You know dear, the good Lord doesn’t give us only one dream for our lives. He has a whole mountain of dreams and gifts He wants to give us. You simply have to hold out your hand to receive them.”
She was starting to believe that. A few weeks ago she had despaired that nothing could fill the void left by her dancing. But now she woke up each morning looking forward to teaching others to dance. Was this the new dream the Lord was giving her? Or was she settling for what she could get?
A sudden desire raced through her to call Jen and talk things over the way they used to. It had been a long time since she’d had a real friend to share with. The women in the troupe were nice and she had made several friends, but the atmosphere was too competitive for really deep and lasting relationships. It was a part of her life that had become barren over the years, and she hadn’t even noticed.
But even though she and Jen worked well together at the theater, and it felt as if they’d never been apart, she couldn’t ignore the differences in their lives. Jen was a happily married working mother. How could she possibly understand the position Beth found herself in now? The thought brought tears to her eyes. Her past and her future were colliding in the present, and she didn’t like it one bit.
* * *
Noah waited as Beth made her inspection of the moveable staircase he’d built. He’d painted and stained the steps and railing, but he’d leave the nativity backdrop in the hands of Eric Dobbs, the high school student who was the set designer and artist.
“Noah, it’s perfect. Exactly like I imagined it. Thank you.”
His shoulders eased with relief. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted her to like his work. He wanted to please her. “Good. I’ll start on the tree dolly next, but I wanted to finish this first since it took longer.”
She smiled and lightly touched his arm, heating his skin and causing a miss in his heartbeat. He started to lay his hand over hers, but Jen joined them and he stepped back.
“This is awesome, Noah. It’s going to make a huge statement in this number.”
“It was all Beth’s idea.”
“I’m not surprised. This show is going to be so much better. You are a real blessing. I’m so glad you came home.”
“I’m happy to help.”
“Could I impose on you two to get us a bigger tree? Noah, I know you’re building a dolly so we can move it, but that tree needs to be at least ten feet, don’t you think?”
Beth nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
Jen frowned. “Do you have a truck? An artificial tree that large, even boxed up, won’t fit in a car.”
“I don’t, but my brothers do. I’ll get one of them to take me shopping this weekend.”
Jen shook her head. “Is there any way you could go sooner, like tonight or tomorrow? The clock is ticking, and we don’t have much time to get these new changes in place.”
“Why don’t Beth and I go over to Sawyer’s Bend tomorrow afternoon and pick one up?” Noah suggested. “I’m sure one of the big box stores will have a tree that size.”
Noah studied Beth’s expression. Apparently she wasn’t too fond of the idea of going with him on the errand.
“You don’t have to drive me. Linc and Gil both have trucks I can borrow.”
Her hesitance spurred his amusement. “Nope. I’m the property guy, remember? But I need your artist’s eye to pick out the right tree. Unless you don’t want to go.” He
watched her internal debate reflected in her eyes and knew the moment she decided to accept.
“I do. Thanks for offering.”
“Good. We can grab a bite to eat on the way.” He felt like he’d just won a battle. For what, he didn’t really know.
The soft look of longing in her eyes struck a chord. Did she long for the old camaraderie the way he did? He’d told himself to keep his distance, that renewing their old relationship could only end badly. But he found himself looking for ways to be close to her. Apparently he was incapable of learning some lessons.
“That would be nice. Like old times.”
A cold rush of reality doused his good mood. Old times that had ended in heartbreak. The memory of when he realized she had cut him out of her life was like a thorn that never left his side. She would leave again. Maybe not today or next month, but she would, and he’d be left behind again. Only this time his child would be hurting, too.
“Not like old times. Those are over forever.”
The look of hurt that flashed through her eyes tightened his throat, but he forced himself to walk away. He couldn’t avoid Beth, but he sure could keep his protective shield in place.
* * *
Noah opened the door of his Silverado the next afternoon, placing his hand under Beth’s elbow to steady her as she climbed into the large vehicle. As she settled into the cab, she suddenly realized that she was trapped in a small space with Noah. Not the ideal situation, given the tension between the two of them. She watched as he slid behind the wheel and fastened his seat belt. It was a good-sized cab, but cozy enough that she could catch a whiff of his aftershave and sense the warmth of his body. Yesterday this had seemed like a good idea, but now she realized she should never have agreed to this excursion.
Noah started the engine then glanced over at her. “I checked online, and it looks like Cost Saver Market should have a ten-foot tree. We’ll stop there first.”
“I appreciate you doing this.”
He grinned, his blue eyes filled with a friendly glint. “I like shopping for Christmas trees. It’s my favorite time of year. I’d prefer a live tree, but that wouldn’t work for the show.”
“No.” At a loss for topics to discuss, she clasped her hands in her lap, listening to the strains of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” coming from the truck’s radio.
“You’re doing a great job on the show. And it looks to me like you’re having a good time.”
“I am. It’s more fun than I expected.” Another lull in the conversation lasted for nearly a mile. They used to never lack things to talk about. Now, every subject threatened to open up an old wound or a door better left closed. She started when Noah suddenly spoke up.
“Can I ask you something? What did you mean the other day when you said you didn’t think I’d care if you left town?”
She stared out the window. This was not what she wanted to discuss, especially trapped in a vehicle with no way to escape. Then again, maybe it was time to face the past and clear the air. “Because that’s how I felt.”
“Why would you think that?”
The memory of that day and the humiliation burned inside. How could she explain that he’d broken her heart without admitting she’d been in love with him? “You made your feelings very clear when I came by your house that afternoon. I knew you were embarrassed by my gift. You tried to let me down easy, but I was so humiliated I just wanted to run back home.”
“What are you talking about?”
She sighed and closed her eyes briefly, fighting the old pain that was reforming inside. “The graduation gift I gave you that afternoon.”
“You mean that key ring with the odd shape?”
He hadn’t even noticed the symbolic nature of her present. He was rubbing salt into her open wounds. “It was a stylized heart. I had it engraved on the back.”
“You did? I don’t remember seeing that.”
Beth jerked her head to look at him. Was that possible? Had he not read the words that had taken her hours to compose, words that revealed her deepest emotion? “Then why did you act so nervous and uncomfortable?”
“Because I didn’t have your gift ready. We weren’t supposed to exchange them until that night in the gazebo. I hadn’t wrapped your present and I was still working on my speech. You threw me a curve when you showed up without warning in the middle of the day. Wait. You had that thing engraved? What did it say?”
Beth bit the inside of her mouth. She couldn’t tell him now. It would put them both in an uncomfortable position. She tried to choose her words carefully. “It was just a BFF kind of sentiment. You were leaving for Mississippi State the next morning, and we wouldn’t see each other much over the summer. I wanted to make sure you didn’t forget me. Our friendship was very important to me. But after your reaction, I thought you were anxious to leave Dover. And me.”
He glanced over at her, his brow furrowed, his blue eyes clouded. “No. Never. I cared about you very much. I was worried we’d drift apart, too, so I was writing a speech to give you along with your gift. I just never got the chance. You were gone the next morning, and I had to no idea where or why. When I found out you’d joined the Forsythe Company and never bothered to tell me, I figured...” He stared straight ahead, his jaw flexing. “It doesn’t matter what I figured.”
Beth studied his profile, outlined by the truck window. He’d never read her heartfelt message, and she’d misinterpreted his reaction to her gift. They’d cleared the air, but nothing had really changed. She’d still left without telling him and shut him out of her life. He would never know she’d offered him her heart, and he’d never said he cared for her beyond friendship. The damage had been done.
What now? Could they rebuild their relationship? Could he accept it was all a misunderstanding and forgive her? She’d hurt him deeply, and she couldn’t go back and fix that mistake. And it wasn’t just her abandonment that he’d endured. Yvonne had further dismantled his belief in women and in love. All he’d ever wanted was a family, and his dream had been shattered.
“I’m sorry, Noah. I waited too long. I didn’t mean to cut you out of my life.” She held her breath, hoping for some words of encouragement, a peace offering.
“We can’t go back and change the past. But we can learn from it.”
What did he mean? “Can we call a truce? For the good of the show.” She watched a muscle in his jaw flex.
“Sure. Why not? For the good of the show.”
Any hope she might have had for their relationship floated off like a feather in the wind. His cold, flat tone of voice spoke far more than his words.
* * *
Beth pressed closer to the glass in the front window of the real estate office, straining to see all the activity taking place around town. Trucks with elevated buckets and platforms carried men who were attaching lights to the facades of every old building. Others were hanging Christmas drapes across the streets while a crew scurried around the courthouse square setting up the traditional nativity and other lighted shapes. The entire downtown was filled with workers. “I had no idea there would be so many lights put up around town.”
“There are twice as many this year. I get giddy just thinking about it. I know you weren’t here long enough to see what Gemma accomplished last Christmas, but I think in a few years Dover might become one of the must-see holiday attractions in the state.”
“I have to admit, we’re both looking forward to the big lighting ceremony.”
“We?”
Beth cringed. She’d have to watch her tongue around her mother. She gave a nonchalant shrug. “Noah and I were talking about it on the way home from buying the tree yesterday. The streets were blocked off so we had to take the back way to the theater.”
“How nice. Maybe you can watch the grand lighting together. It’s really quite spectacula
r.”
Time to change the subject. “Do you know where Tori keeps her holiday decorations? I think I’ll put up a tree this year and maybe string some lights along the balcony.”
“There’s storage space in the back of the guest bedroom closet, but you’ll need help getting it out. Maybe Noah can help you.”
Absolutely not. “I’m perfectly capable of getting stuff out of a closet.”
“Normally I would agree. However, some of the boxes are heavy, and you don’t need to be putting extra stress on your knee. It wouldn’t hurt to have a pair of strong arms around.”
No, it wouldn’t hurt, but those arms wouldn’t belong to Noah. They’d been getting along nicely since their truce had been declared, but while he’d lowered his wall, it was still far too high for her to climb over.
“I think we should go all out for the storefront-window decorating contest this year, too. I did the bare minimum last year, and Noah’s office was vacant. Maybe you and Noah could come up with something to coordinate both windows.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “Mom. Don’t try to play matchmaker. I’m not looking for any kind of relationship, and I’m sure Noah isn’t, either. Especially with me.” She muttered that last part under her breath.
“Well, I don’t know why not. You two were thick as thieves in high school. Besides, he’s a very attractive man, in case you missed that. Evelyn swears women stop in their tracks and stare at him when he walks by. But he never even notices.”
Beth had no doubt about that. With his broad shoulders, touchable, wavy dark hair and those blue eyes that could melt your insides with one glance, he was the ultimate masculine package. The icing on the cake was that he had no idea he was handsome. She felt sure that in his mind, he was still that skinny, geeky kid no one paid any attention to. It was a trait that made him all the more appealing.
Beth shook her head to dislodge the thought, but her gaze drifted to the office window next door. She stopped and caught her breath. Chloe had her arms wrapped around Noah, her head pressed against his chest as he patted her back. Beth moved to the door to get a closer look.
A Mom for Christmas Page 8
