A Christmas Star

by Judith Keim

  From the corner of her eye, Noelle studied Brett. Though Jakes’ features were sharper, they bore a strong resemblance. Each handsome man carried himself well, with authority. Noelle both liked and was put off by the self-confidence that came from living in their high-powered worlds.

  In the distance, they could see Silas playing with Duke.

  “Silas sure loves that dog,” commented Brett.

  “They’re really good together. It must be lonely for Silas with his father and you gone. Dora is going to be a very nice addition to the household, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah. She’s a great cook too!” He patted his flat stomach. “Gotta love an older woman who knows how to cook.”

  Hearing the teasing note in his voice, Noelle laughed. “You’re awful. Seriously? You have two girlfriends?”

  The smile left Brett’s face. He shook his head. “The last one dumped me. Told me I was never around. That’s the bad part of the hotel business. It’s 24/7.”

  Duke bounded toward them, barking happily.

  “Noelle!” shouted Silas, running toward her on sturdy legs.

  She smiled and held out her arms to him.

  Silas ran into her embrace and clung to her. “I thought ... I thought you weren’t coming back.” Tears glistened in his eyes.

  Noelle got down on her knees and held him tight to her chest. “Listen, Silas. I can’t always be with you, but I would never leave without saying goodbye.” She looked up at Brett, suddenly understanding that this is what had happened with Silas’s mother.

  She steadied Silas on his feet and rose. “I’ve got some pretty interesting plans for the holiday decorations. I think you’re going to like them, especially because it’ll be our secret.”

  Silas’s face brightened. “A secret? Really? Cool.”

  Behind Silas, Brett gave her a smile that warmed her heart. Silas might be a boy left at home with others a lot of the time, but there was no doubt that both his father and his uncle loved him.

  “Guess I’d better head on home by myself,” said Brett. “Sounds like the two of you have a lot to talk about, and I wouldn’t want to ruin your secret.”

  “Please tell Jake that we’ll be back there in a while. We’re going to take a walk along the beach.” Noelle placed a hand on Silas’s shoulder and they walked away.

  Silas all but danced at her feet. “What’s the secret?”

  Noelle gazed at the excitement on his face and hoped she wasn’t wrong about this. “You know how you wanted to do something special for the holiday season? I’ve come up with an idea for a very different kind of Christmas tree. How would you like to have a seashell tree?”

  Silas looked at her and frowned. “A tree made of seashells?”

  Her lips curved. “No, a real, live Christmas tree decorated with seashells and other treasures from the beach.”

  His eyes lit with excitement. “Cool. Things we find together. Right?”

  “Yes. Every day together we’ll collect shells. Then, at Seashell Cottage, where I’m staying, we’ll glue ribbons or strings to them to hang on the tree. How does that sound?”

  “Cool. Very cool.” Silas ran ahead of her, his face turned to the ground.

  “Hold on,” said Noelle. “Looking for seashells is a very careful business. It takes time to find a nice one.” She pulled the tulip shell out of her pocket and gave it to him. “This is a tulip shell.” She handed him the small book about shells. “Look in here. We’ll learn about a lot of different shells together.”

  He leafed through the book. “I know I’ve seen some of these before.”

  “I’m sure you have. We’ve got time to find suitable ones. So, no need to hurry.”

  “But I want lots of them,” said Silas.

  She smiled and ruffled his hair. “Me too.” A warm feeling filled her. She knew working together on this project was the right thing to do. Celebrating with a little boy who needed her wouldn’t be a reminder of Christmases past. It was a new beginning. And maybe this would allow her truly to move on.

  ###

  They spent some time searching for shells. Each time one appeared unusual, they looked it up in the book. After a while, with several shells stowed in her jacket pocket, they headed back to Althea’s house.

  “I’ll get some ribbon and a glue gun so we can make ornaments out of the shells. With permission from your father, you can go with me. Let’s go ask him now.”

  Silas ran ahead of her. She let him go. Observing his legs moving as fast as they could, she was touched by his response to her suggestions. She wondered what it would be like to have a little boy of her own, maybe several. And she’d always wanted daughters. A whole houseful of children. Sadness tugged at her heart and slowed her steps. Those days were still a dream.

  When Noelle knocked on the door, Dora answered it and stepped outside onto the porch. “Noelle, I’m so glad to see you. Silas was very upset earlier when he thought you weren’t coming to see him today. That boy sure does love you.”

  “Yes, we’ve made a wonderful connection. I want him to understand, though, that I’m here only temporarily. I will be returning to Boston two weeks after the New Year.”

  “I see. Well, in the meantime, it’s wonderful of you to take such an interest in him. I know how much it means to him.” Her smile was warm as she patted Noelle on the back. “Thanks for helping me to get this job. It’s going to be a nice one for me.”

  “Brett is already admiring your cooking.”

  Dora laughed. “That man can eat a lot. But by the looks of him, he runs off any fat. In my day, we’d call him a hunk. Now I guess people say ‘he’s a hottie!’”

  Noelle and Dora exchanged smiles and then went inside.

  Noelle found Jake is his office, Silas at his side.

  He waved her inside. “Silas tells me you’ve got a big secret for Christmas.”

  “Yes. We’ve come up with a plan for your Christmas tree.”

  He nodded and turned to Silas. “Run along to the kitchen and ask Dora for a morning snack. I need to talk to Noelle alone.”

  After Silas left the office, Jake got up and closed the door.

  “Please sit,” he said.

  Noelle gave him a questioning look but did as he’d asked.

  Jake’s gaze settled on her, making her shift in her chair. “It’s wonderful that you’ve taken such an interest in Silas,” he said, “but I’m concerned about it going too far. He obviously adores you, but that might only hurt him in the end.”

  “I’m concerned, too. He apparently panicked when he thought I wasn’t coming back. I gather that was something that happened with his mother.”

  Jake’s expression was more than sad; it was one of hurt too. “She dropped dead of a brain aneurysm, so naturally Silas had no chance to say goodbye. It was very hard on him.”

  “I see,” said Noelle wondering why he hadn’t said it was hard on both of them.

  “Silas mentioned going to Seashell Cottage, the house where you’re staying, to help you with the decorations. Is that correct?”

  “Yes, I was going to ask your permission for him to spend some time there alone with me from time to time. Also, I told him I’d ask your permission for him to accompany me to a store to buy some supplies for the decorations.”

  Jake arched his eyebrows. “You’re not going to buy the decorations. I’ll be glad to pay for anything you need.”

  Noelle shook her head. “Thanks, but it won’t cost much. But if you wouldn’t mind buying a small Christmas tree, that would be perfect. We won’t decorate it until later, but with it here you’d at least have the smell of evergreens in the house, and I’d know how many decorations we’d need.” Jake’s expression was full of humor. “And I assume you’d want to come along and make sure I picked the right one?

  The dreaded pink from a blush colored her cheeks. “Only if you insisted.”

  He laughed, spreading light to those gray eyes of his. “I think probably Silas and I will insist on i
t. I know he’d be disappointed if you didn’t come with us.”

  And you? Noelle silently asked, and wondered why she even cared.

  Jake checked his watch. “My call to London can wait until later. Why don’t we go get a tree now? I noticed some for sale not far from here, and it’s important to get one in water as soon as possible. Most of the trees are shipped down here from North Carolina and other states north of us.”

  When Silas heard the news, he took hold of Noelle’s hand and led her outside to the black Range Rover sitting in the driveway.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  In the parking lot of a nearby neighborhood mall, Noelle stood with Jake watching Silas run from one tree mounted on a stand to another, proclaiming each one perfect. She’d forgotten how joyful searching for the right tree could be.

  “Do you think we’re going to find the perfect one?” Jake asked.

  “It might take a while,” Noelle responded, smiling at him.

  He studied her for a moment and then said, “I have a proposition for you.”

  She stepped back. “You’re propositioning me?”

  “What? No. What I meant to say is that I was talking to Dora about Silas, and she had a suggestion that made sense to me. She thought it might be helpful to Silas if he saw the hotel in Miami and my office there. It would help him understand why I’m away so often.”

  “And?”

  “And she suggested it might be useful if you went along to keep an eye on Silas.” His lips curved. “You could call it an adventure.”

  “What length of time are we talking about? Going over in the morning and coming back in the afternoon?”

  “Actually, I was thinking of going over this afternoon and returning sometime tomorrow.”

  “So,” she said. “I’d be your nanny for the day. Is that it?”

  The look on his face was sheepish. “Not really. I didn’t mean it like that. We’d all go to dinner together but then, yes, you’d stay with him while I attended to some business in the hotel.”

  Noelle turned away from him, so conflicted she couldn’t speak for a moment. It would be fun to visit the hotel, but she was being put in an awkward situation again. She observed Silas standing by a tree he thought was perfect, and she knew she wouldn’t turn down the invitation.

  She turned back to Jake. “I’ll do it, but if you so much as even mention money, the deal’s off.”

  Jake shook his head. “I don’t know what it is about you and money, but okay, I won’t mention it.”

  Noelle nodded her agreement. She wasn’t about to explain to Jake that Alex thought his money could buy her and anyone else. As it turned out, his money did work in his favor when he wooed and won the love of his struggling friend’s wife. The hurt and humiliation caused by his actions were something she’d never forget.

  After Jake and Silas had finally agreed on a tree and loaded it onto the roof rack of the Range Rover, they headed back to Althea’s house.

  “Why don’t I drop you off at Seashell Cottage. Okay?” said Jake. Silas and I will pick you up at one.”

  “Where are we going?” Silas asked.

  “On an adventure,” Jake answered, winking at his son.

  “Noelle is coming too?” At the nod of his father’s head, Silas announced. “I like adventures.”

  Noelle and Jake laughed softly. Maybe, thought Noelle, this will be a pleasant excursion, after all.

  ###

  Back at Seashell Cottage, Noelle looked through the clothes hanging in her closet. When she’d been dating Alex, her wardrobe had been full of the high-end clothing their socializing had required. Now, with her work centered around the New Life Assisted-Living Community and her social life all but nonexistent, her choice of vacation clothing was limited. She had brought two dresses, though, and quickly chose the black, sleeveless cocktail dress she loved. Aside from that, her daytime clothing would do. After all, he might have disagreed, but basically her job of this trip was that of nanny.

  She wondered if Jake’s appointments at the hotel included seeing a woman friend, but quickly dismissed that thought as none of her business. If she wanted to date someone in a position of power and prestige, he would be an easy choice. But, once burned, twice shy, as the saying went.

  When Jake drove into the driveway of the cottage, she was packed and ready. She hadn’t been to Miami in years. Three, in fact. And then it had been simply a stop before taking a private cruise in the Caribbean. She’d looked up The Bellingham Miami hotel and found it was located in South Beach. In that atmosphere of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, it was no wonder Jake wanted Silas to have a steadfast guardian at his side.

  Jake loaded her suitcase into the back of the car. “Packing light?”

  She nodded. “No reason to do otherwise.”

  He gave her a thoughtful look and held the door while she slid into the passenger seat in the front.

  Jake slid behind the wheel of the car and turned to Silas. “Ready for our adventure?”

  “Yes!” Silas held up his iPad. “And I can play games on this.”

  “You might want to watch for alligators as we cross Alligator Alley. I thought Noelle might like to see the Everglades.” He turned to her. “Have you visited them?”

  “Not really. We’ve flown over them but that’s all.”

  “We?”

  “A thing of the past,” Noelle said and stared out the window at the passing scenery.

  Jake remained quiet, while Noelle thought of all the exciting things she’d done with Alex. He’d loved to travel and had opened up a world to her of different places and excellent food. She’d thought it would always be that way—discovering new things together.

  Her family had always lived a nice, middle-class life. Her parents loved her and her siblings and worked hard to provide for them. When the four kids were small, vacations were taken sparingly. Some summers, her parents rented a cottage on Cape Cod for two weeks, where meals and snacks could be eaten at home. Her mother was more than an adequate cook who tried to come up with tasty dishes for her growing family.

  Noelle’s memories ended abruptly when Jake pulled into a rest area. “Sorry. I have to take this call and didn’t want to listen to it in the car.” He climbed out of the driver’s seat and stood nearby.

  From where she was sitting, Noelle watched as Jake swiped his finger across the screen of his cell. The relaxed manner of a moment ago was lost as he talked on the phone. His back was straight, he waved his hand emphatically, and looked like what he was—an owner of a small, highly successful hotel chain. Three major hotels would give anyone cause to be uptight from time to time.

  When Jake returned to the car, a scowl marred his brow. He slid behind the wheel and muttered, “Damn lawyers. Can’t live with them or without them.”

  “A nuisance and a necessity,” Noelle agreed. “One step at a time, I tell myself.”

  Jake let out a sigh. “You’re right. With all that’s gone on with my parents’ disappearance, things have gotten crazy.”

  “I can well imagine,” said Noelle. “I’d be heartbroken if anything like that ever happened to mine.”

  Jake was quiet a moment. Then after checking to see that Silas was wearing a small headset while watching a movie on his iPad, he said, “I keep telling myself it never happened, that they’re still here, but then it all comes back. No one holds any hope of finding them alive.”

  “I’m sorry. I really am,” said Noelle, moved by his confession.

  “The one good thing about it is they were together. They were very close and would be unhappy without the other.”

  “That’s so sweet,” Noelle said.

  “Yes. How rare is that?” The disgust in his voice caught her attention. Someone must have hurt him. Claire? She wasn’t about to ask.

  ###

  As soon as Jake pulled up to the porte cochère in front of the large, white-stucco hotel, a doorman hurried to greet them. While he spoke to Jake, another uniformed man opened the passe
nger door for her. “Welcome to the Bellingham Miami Beach. We hope you have a pleasant stay.”

  “Thank you,” Noelle replied, gazing at the expanse of glass on either side of the entrance. Potted palms, and huge brown pots filled with bright-red and hot-pink geraniums softened the front walk and added a colorful welcome.

  Silas stood with her while they waited for Jake to join them. Several pairs of eyes studied her, but she ignored them. She knew her place.

  Inside, the lobby was brightly lit by crystal chandeliers shimmering in the sunlight streaming through the wall of glass that overlooked an outside lounge area and large swimming pool beyond. The sea-blue rug covering most of the lobby floor was accented with swirls of orange, red, and yellow. It was interesting but not overdone. In fact, Noelle thought as she looked around, everything about the hotel was tasteful—from the furnishings to the lighting and to the carved-wooden front desk overseeing it. A large, saltwater fish tank sitting along one of the walls was an added attraction. Colorful fish darted about in the turquoise water, luring both kids and adults to it.

  Jake came up behind her. “We’re all taken care of. Hope you don’t mind, but we’re not staying in the Presidential Suite. At two thousand dollars a night, we need to sell it rather than put us there.”

  “Believe me, that’s no problem.” Noelle and Silas followed Jake into a glass-sided elevator and stood together looking out as the elevator rose to the fourteenth floor, giving them a nice look at the property that sat on the sandy shores of the Atlantic Ocean.

  “We’re here,” Jake said softly.

  Noelle turned away from the glass and smiled. “It’s beautiful, Jake.”

  His lips curved. “Glad you think so. It’s my favorite property.”

  He wrapped an arm around Silas and motioned for her to come with them. They walked down a thick-carpeted hallway whose walls were papered in a subtle gold pattern. The darker gold of the carpet set off the walls nicely and would, Noelle supposed, hide a lot of wear from traffic.

  Jake opened the door to the Heron Suite and motioned for her to go inside. Noelle stepped through the doorway and stopped in admiration. A sea of turquoise carpet met her feet. The palest of gold, almost-white color of the walls led the way to sliding-glass doors that opened onto a balcony overlooking the ocean. In the living area, two overstuffed couches and the chairs flanking them were covered with textured fabrics in white, turquoise, and soft gold. Orange pillows brightened the couches. Photos of decorative shells hung on the wall, and in the center of the glass coffee table between the two couches was a huge glass bowl full of shells of all kinds.