Nick didn’t look much older than Noah, and that surprised her. She’d expected someone more . . . mature. But he appeared to be completely competent as he reviewed her application and asked her a series of questions designed to draw her out.
She felt comfortable in this environment, she realized as she sat across from him and told him about getting her English degree over a period of years, taking classes when she could, working around performance schedules. He told her she was overqualified for the position, but it was temporary anyway, just until the end of the school year. That was perfect as far as Meredith was concerned. She’d have the summer to look for something else, possibly a teaching position. Even though she had a degree, Nick explained she’d have to get a teaching certificate as well.
Nick walked her to the outer office, where he introduced her to the two secretaries. Everyone seemed so friendly. Noah was at the copy machine. He nudged Nick. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
Nick tried to ignore him.
“Right about what?” Meredith asked, her gaze moving between the two men.
“I told him you’d be perfect for the job.”
Was Noah psychic? Or had he done his own background check on her? She didn’t want to owe him anything, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about his “help” with getting this job. If she got it.
“He’s right,” Nick said, surprising her yet again. “Even though I very much hate to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. You’ll have to pass the background check, of course. That usually takes a week or so. But there’s no reason for me not to tell you now that the job is yours if you want it.”
“She wants it.”
Meredith frowned at Noah.
“Well, you do, don’t you?”
She decided to ignore Noah and give her attention to Nick. “Thank you. You’ll let me know once the background check is complete?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Noah said.
She didn’t want to be rude to him in front of the others, so she allowed it.
“We could celebrate,” he said. “School’s out at three-thirty. I’ll buy you coffee.”
She turned to him. “Don’t you think you’re being just a tad overbearing?”
He seemed genuinely confused. “In what way?”
“First you sell me a house. Then you find me a job. What’s next? A marriage proposal?”
“Who told you?”
His delighted grin defused her annoyance. She couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Why did he have to be so cute? And helpful? “I’ll take a rain check on the coffee. See you around.” She pulled the door open and walked away.
“I like the haircut, by the way,” he called after her.
She stopped and turned around. “Thanks.” She was virtually certain that he stayed there and watched her walk all the way to her car. With that same grin on his face.
Chapter Five
Noah was filled with anticipation the following week. Just the thought that Meredith would soon be part of the office staff, that he’d get to see her every day, made him smile. She’d seemed so outraged by the thought that his next move might be a marriage proposal. Of course, it was premature, but amazingly, it seemed like it might be a done deal to him.
The heck with “look before you leap.” He knew, deep inside, that Meredith Clark was the woman for him. It might take a bit of convincing to get her to see it his way, though. That was okay. He liked a challenge. And working near her every day would give him multiple opportunities to wear her down.
In his attorney’s office, they signed papers, and Meredith handed over a bank check. He gave her the second set of keys and knew a tiny moment of sadness. His grandmother’s house was gone. It belonged to Meredith now.
Their business concluded, he walked her out. “Now we’ve got two things to celebrate. You never did let me buy you that cup of coffee.” He pointed to the corner. “The Grind is right there.”
“Maybe another time. I’ve got furniture to shop for and a few calls to make. But thanks.” She held her hand out to him, and he took it. He was always going to like the way her hand felt in his, he decided.
“Congratulations.”
She tugged her hand away.
“Call me if you have any problems,” he called, as she walked to her car.
“Oh, I will,” she assured him. She ducked inside, then she was gone.
Meredith couldn’t believe it. She was a home owner. Excitement bubbled inside her. No more roommates. No more fussy landlords who flipped out if you so much as put a nail in the wall to hang a picture. She didn’t have to ask for permission to paint a bedroom or change the window blinds.
She’d already browsed the couple of furniture stores in Greenburg, and she’d also done some preliminary shopping online. She’d bookmarked a number of sites and pages with items she liked and thought would be perfect in her new space.
Meredith drove directly to the house after the closing at the attorney’s office. She walked the rooms one more time, consulted the notes she’d jotted down and double-checked the measurements she’d made using an old yardstick she found in the garage. Then she went shopping.
She wasn’t really sure what she was going to do with the second bedroom. She didn’t really need a guest room. She didn’t have any family, and the few friends she had in Vegas weren’t really the type who’d come visit her in Nashville, Kansas. Had she moved to the Nashville in Tennessee, the chances for guests might have been higher, but realistically, Meredith knew even that was probably unlikely. They just weren’t those kinds of friends.
She’d always been a bit of a loner, she supposed. But here, in the small-town environment, maybe it would be easier to connect with people. The pace of life was certainly a bit slower. And much less competitive. She promised herself she’d be open to new opportunities to meet people and make new friends.
Like Noah? She smiled at the thought. We’ll see, she told herself. She wanted to get to know her new home better, settle in to her job, maybe meet some of her neighbors. She wasn’t going to rush into anything. Not with Noah, if that’s what he had in mind. Not with anybody else, either. For a little while, she was just going to be.
In Hudson’s Furniture in Greenburg, she tracked down the salesman who’d given her his card when she’d been browsing at the store earlier. She’d decided the sectional sofa she liked would be perfect for the living room.
Next she stopped at Gayle’s Home Furnishings and Interior Design. She had her eye on a table and chairs for the dining room and also a pair of end tables. She lucked out. They were having a sale.
After that, she stopped at Mattress Outlet and chose a queen set. She’d decided to order a sleigh bed she’d seen online. But until it arrived, she’d have the mattress. No more sleeping bag.
Pleased with the results of her shopping spree, she stopped to stock up on groceries and headed home.
Home.
It had a ring to it that it never had before. Because it seemed like, in some way, she was really going home.
* * *
Meredith couldn’t believe how quickly she’d settled in to her new life in Nashville. The job in the office at the high school was the perfect beginning. She discovered she liked getting up early, preparing for the workday and having a set schedule. Everyone was friendly and helpful to her, especially the two office secretaries. They were happy to have the position filled as they’d had to do the extra work when the previous aide had to relocate after her husband changed jobs.
Meredith had never worked in an office before, but she quickly got the hang of it after only a week or so. She made copies and entered grades into the computer system for the teachers, covered the phones and the front desk when needed, kept track of the supplies and ordered them when they ran low. She also had a set of keys to let the maintenance people in and out of the areas where they needed to work. Basically, she did whatever needed to be done for whoever needed it to keep the sc
hool operating as efficiently as possible.
“Your turn to pick a name for the gift exchange.” Janet, one of the two secretaries in the office, stood next to Meredith’s desk and held a Christmas gift bag aloft.
“I can’t reach it if you’re going to hold it way up there.”
Janet lowered it a few inches. “Okay. But there can be no peeking. I think we all know what you’d like for Christmas. Or should I say whom.” She winked at Jessica, the other secretary.
Meredith reached over her head and plunged her hand into the bag. There weren’t very many names left. “What’d you do? Leave me for last?” She pulled out a tiny piece of paper. “And what do you mean you know whom or what I want for Christmas?”
It was just the three of them in the office at the moment. Meredith liked both of the ladies she worked with a lot. They were warm, good-natured, and easygoing. Janet had worked in the office for almost twenty years. Not much got by her, and nothing seemed to faze her.
“I’m not taking one of those kittens you keep showing me pictures of,” Meredith warned Jessica for the umpteenth time. “If that’s what you’re talking about.” Jessica fostered kittens for the local animal shelter until they could be adopted. Every day it seemed she had her cell phone out to share photos of her newest wards.
“Oh, we’re not talking about a kitten,” Janet assured her. Again, there came that knowing look between her and Jessica. “But since you mentioned it . . .” Janet tapped her phone and held it out in front of her so Meredith could see the screen. “Just in case you know anyone who’s looking for a Christmas kitten.”
Meredith peered at the screen shot of a fluffy gray kitten with big blue eyes. Perched on top of its head was a tiny red and white Santa hat. The little creature was adorable, and she hoped it found a good home. Just not with her. “Darling,” she told Jessica. “I’ll keep it in mind if I meet anyone who’s looking to adopt.”
Meredith glanced down at the piece of paper she’d just drawn, shielding it so that she could read it but Janet couldn’t. She hoped her blush didn’t give her away when she saw whose name was written on it. “Good,” she said, hastily refolding the slip of paper and rejoining the ongoing conversation. “I’m a dog person. At least I think I am. I’ve never had a pet, actually. Although I always wanted a puppy.”
She’d been thinking about it more and more. She’d learned she could fence in the backyard, which was certainly big enough to accommodate a dog. She could see herself walking some gangly mutt on a leash when the weather was nice. It would be good exercise, and she’d have him for companionship.
“Ah, yes. Puppy love. Ain’t it grand?”
Meredith eyed her coworker. “Janet, what is up with you? Have you been drinking or something?”
Jessica giggled. “Come on, Meredith. We’re talking about Noah.”
“Noah?” Meredith felt her cheeks grow hot again.
Janet swatted her with the gift bag she still held. “He’s been following you around like a puppy since you got here. Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed.”
Meredith stared at her desk. She hadn’t realized anyone else had picked up on Noah’s interest in her. She wondered if he’d recruited these two ladies to further his agenda. “Did he say something to you? About me?”
“Noah?” Janet asked, slightly outraged. “He would never. Not a word. We just can’t figure out why you keep shutting him down.”
“I . . . don’t want to rush into anything.” Even to her own ears, that sounded like a lame excuse.
“What? Like having a cup of coffee with him? That’s not exactly rushing into anything.”
“It’s not like you have to marry the guy next week,” Jessica put in gently.
“I know. I guess I came here on sort of a whim. I bought a house. I got a job. It all happened so fast, and even though it all feels right, like everything’s falling into place just the way I hoped, at the same time, I want to slow down a bit.”
“I guess it has been a lot of change for you to absorb all at once,” Janet agreed. “New town. New job. Maybe a new guy isn’t what you need right now.”
“A new hot guy,” Jessica said. “No woman needs that.”
The outer door opened, and Nick walked in with two of the teachers. Janet scooted back to her seat behind the counter, and Jessica picked up the phone. Meredith turned back to her desk and unfolded the piece of paper again. Noah. She was pretty sure she knew what he wanted. But she had absolutely no idea what to get him for Christmas.
Chapter Six
Ever since her conversation with Janet and Jessica, Meredith had been second-guessing herself. Certainly, she wanted to look before she leapt any further and created even more change for herself, but every time she looked at Noah, her instincts told her he would be good for her.
She’d decided she had the perfect gift for him. The next time he asked her out for coffee, she’d say yes. She knew for certain that was something he wanted. He’d made it crystal clear. And it would be her treat.
There was only one problem with her plan. Noah had stopped asking.
A thick, cream-colored envelope dropped onto her desk. As if she’d conjured him just by thinking about him, Noah stood next to her chair.
She picked up the envelope. “What’s this?”
“Open it.”
She did. It was an invitation. “Please join us at our Holiday Gathering . . .” She skipped down to see who had issued the invite. Of course, she didn’t recognize the names. The only people she knew were the office staff and the few teachers she’d met.
“I have no idea who this is.”
“George Macabee’s the head of the Latham County School Board. He and Mrs. Macabee throw what used to be called a Christmas Party but is now the much more PC Holiday Gathering. They invite everyone connected with the county school system. Janitors, the maintenance guys, all the teachers and staff.”
“But I don’t know them. I’ve never met them.”
“Doesn’t matter. They don’t know they invited you and won’t remember you were there.”
“That’s . . . hospitable of them.” Meredith couldn’t suppress a giggle.
“The Macabees are loaded,” Noah explained. “It’s their way of giving back. They open up their house. Hire a band and caterers. It’s a good time. I promise. You don’t want to miss it.”
Meredith looked at the card again. “There’s no way to RSVP.”
“No need. They just factor in a certain percentage as no-shows. Makes things easier on the caterer.”
“Well . . . great. I guess I’ll see you there.”
Noah grinned. “I guess you will.”
* * *
The Friday before the Christmas break began, everyone on staff at the high school brought in a dish for potluck. Meredith and Jessica assembled them as neatly as possible on a long table in the teacher’s lounge. There was a festive air as everyone looked forward to the holidays and an escape from school. Meredith secretly wasn’t sure who was more excited about the break—the kids or the staff.
There was a round table in the corner covered with a red tablecloth. Those participating in the gift exchange, which seemed to be everyone, had placed their gifts either on the table or underneath a miniature artificial Christmas tree.
All of the gifts were required to have “to” and “from” tags on them. Since not everyone had the same lunch period, if you missed the recipient, he or she could still pick up the gift. But many were on hand to exchange gifts in person.
Meredith didn’t have a set lunch period. Usually, she coordinated her breaks with Janet and Jessica so that at least one of them was in the office to answer the phone at all times. Likewise, Noah and Nick, since they weren’t classroom teachers, chose their own lunch schedules, often heading to the cafeteria or the staff lounge at the same time.
Meredith had spent what she considered an excessive amount of time trying to figure out what to give Noah. She knew what he wanted, of course. His numerous invitation
s to join him for coffee had made that perfectly clear. It had almost become like a game between them. He asked, always, it seemed, with a good reason behind it. A celebration. Noah, it seemed, found cause for celebration in everyday life. He’d wanted to celebrate her buying the house. And getting a job. When it snowed for the first time, he offered to buy her a hot chocolate if she didn’t want coffee. “It’s officially winter,” he’d said. “We should celebrate.”
The cold weather and not actual snow, in Meredith’s opinion, officially made it winter, but she had refrained from telling Noah that. She’d looked out at the few swirling flakes of snow that would leave no more than a dusting, which likely would be gone by the next day if the weather report was even close to being accurate, and said, “Tell you what. When it snows for real, I’ll let you buy me a hot chocolate.” And maybe I’ll pay him back with a kiss, she thought, but no way would she verbalize this. Yet.
“That’s real snow out there.” Noah had jabbed a finger in the direction of the window. “It’s just not very much.”
“Exactly.” At that moment, Meredith wasn’t even sure she’d ever agree to coffee or hot chocolate with Noah. She’d begun to enjoy the push and pull of these encounters so much she didn’t want to give them up. Even though, on some level, she knew deep in her heart that she would. She’d give in. They’d go for coffee. And then, the next time, maybe for a drink. Then dinner. A movie. They’d start dating. Be in a relationship. Something else she knew: it would be a serious relationship. Because Noah was not the kind of guy a girl dallied with. He was relationship material. Long-term relationship material.
But for now, he didn’t seem to mind the chase. And she had to admit, she liked being chased.
Noah’s eyes had narrowed. “So what’s real snow? Does it even snow in Las Vegas? Have you ever seen snow?”
Meredith had pretended outrage. “Of course I’ve seen snow, Noah Kennedy! It snows in Las Vegas.” She giggled at Noah’s look of suspicion. “But usually it melts before it hits the ground.”
Winter Wishes Page 3
