A Christmas Star

by Judith Keim

  “Okay. This is your night off. If Jake doesn’t make it home and I have to sleep over, I’ll try to be aware of that. Thanks for telling me.”

  Dora placed a hand on Noelle’s shoulder. “Silas has taken quite a fancy to you. He told me he wants you to be his new mother. I told him I didn’t think that was possible. I didn’t know what else to say.”

  “That’s the truth. Jake and I are only friends. It’s not possible to be more than that for so many reasons. I have my life in Boston, and I’m about to embark on some new things—cooking, travel, and other activities I’ve been putting off.”

  “Good for you. We don’t want to allow Silas to get hurt by wishes that can’t come true.”

  “Exactly,” agreed Noelle, wondering why a pang of disappointment pinched her insides.

  ###

  When Jake called to let Noelle know that he’d be late getting home, Noelle informed Dora and left Althea’s house to go to the cottage to pack her overnight bag. If keeping Dora meant she’d have to stay the night a couple of days a week, it was worth it. Dora was a prize they all loved. Althea never looked happier and seemed much more alert without the abundance of medications she’d previously been given. Dora also supervised the house cleaners during the days they were there and continued to cook delicious meals.

  As she packed her things, Noelle thought of the days ahead with Jake’s parents and added a skirt and blouse to the suitcase on top of her jeans and sweater.

  Back at Althea’s house, she bid Dora goodbye and quickly settled into Dora’s room behind the kitchen. Clean sheets had been put on the bed and fresh towels hung in the bathroom for her. Dora was so thoughtful that way.

  Even more thoughtful was the beautiful casserole Dora had put together for their meal. Later, as she served it, Noelle made careful note of the ingredients for the chicken and noodle meal and decided to try it on a smaller scale for herself.

  Noelle helped Althea get ready for bed, and made sure Silas had a bath and brushed his teeth before she sat and read a book with him.

  With Silas asleep, she went downstairs. Noting the late hour, she brushed her teeth and rubbed skin cream on her face. As she prepared to pull on her pajamas, she heard a car pull into the driveway.

  She hurried to the back window and peered out. Jake was climbing out of a limo.

  Noelle turned on the outdoor lights to greet him.

  He entered the kitchen, saw her, and smiled. “Hi! Glad to see you! I guess Dora is off tonight.”

  “Yes. A well-deserved break for her. Can I get you anything? Coffee? A drink?”

  “How about sharing a glass of wine with me? I haven’t had a moment to celebrate my parents’ return with anyone.”

  Understanding his need to talk, she nodded. “That sounds nice. We can sit in the living room where no one will hear us. Both Althea and Silas are sound asleep. Althea seemed so happy to know about ‘her boy,’ your father.” She smiled. “She can’t wait to tell Jacob.”

  He looked startled and then nodded. “Right. In her mind, he’s still alive. Sad.”

  “Yes, it’s hard to see the disease progressing. It’s awful for the family and sometimes terrifying for the patient.”

  Jake let out a sigh. “Well, tonight we have something to celebrate. Though they’re both battered and bruised, they’re going to be all right. Dad always kept himself in shape, and that’s what saved his life and my mother’s. He has a broken leg, a few broken ribs, and a broken wrist, and yet he half-carried my mother more than two miles to a cabin hidden away in the woods. The authorities don’t know how he managed to find the cabin, much less get them there. He’s a real hero.” Jake’s face flushed with emotion. “He’s always been a hero to me. They both have. My mother suffered cuts to her face and her head and sprained both ankles. They helped each other to survive. I’m told the cold was a help to them, that if it had been hot and buggy, it would have made things even more difficult. My mother packed her ankles with snow, melted the snow for water, and used it for their survival. There was food in the cabin, but not much. Apparently, she made the food last by adding water and making it into thin soups.”

  Noelle reached out and touched his arm. “You must be so proud of them. I’m delighted for you that they survived.”

  “Me too. I wish the pilot could have made it. He died on impact.”

  Noelle gathered two glasses while Jake retrieved a bottle of wine from the special cooler in the pantry.

  After the bottle had been opened and the wine poured, Jake lifted his glass. “Here’s to happy endings.”

  “And miracles,” Noelle said, tapping his glass with hers.

  They went into the living room and sat down at either end of the couch.

  Following a few moments of quiet, Jake turned to her. “Thank you for being such a good friend to the family. We’re still searching for a night nurse, but right now Silas needs you.”

  “I know how busy you are with everything, but sometime, sooner rather than later, we need to talk about him. He’s confused and, I suspect, frustrated by the fact that his grandparents have seemingly come back to life and his mother hasn’t.”

  “Really? I’ll talk to him about it. These last couple of months have been hard on all of us.” He ran a hand across the hair at the back of his head. “Poor guy. I’m going to set up an appointment for him with a psychologist I’ve heard about in Miami.”

  “I think that’s a wise idea.”

  Jake stared into the distance and then faced her. “You know, Claire and I never talked like this, searching for ways to make our marriage work. After a while, neither one of us cared, and then she found someone else.”

  “It’s smart to talk things out.”

  “You really have a way with people, don’t you?” Jake gave her smile. “Old and young.”

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Not always. Some people have called me bossy, among other things.”

  Jake laughed. “Guess Brett and I were a little overwhelmed by someone coming into the house and taking charge. We’re usually the ones in charge.”

  “Yes, I know. It’s a good thing you’re used to it and can make quick decisions like hiring a jet to take me to Boston. The ladies at New Life were so impressed. Me too.”

  He reached over and clasped her hand. “I was happy to do it.” He glanced at his empty wine glass. “Care for another?”

  Noelle shook her head. “No thanks. I’ve had enough.” She got to her feet. “I’d better head into bed.”

  He rose and faced her. “Someday a lucky man will have you by his side.” He bent down and kissed her cheek. “Good night, Noelle.”

  With her cheek on fire, Noelle could only manage a nod and a fluttering of her fingers in a little wave to him. More than the softness of his lips on her skin, the look of desire in his eyes had shaken her to the core.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The next morning as she was zipping up the back of the casual dress Althea had chosen to wear, Jake knocked on the door. “I need to ask you for another favor. I just finished talking to Dr. Heard in Miami. He can see Silas late this afternoon. Will you please come with us? After listening to my description about what was going on, he thought it was a smart idea. Dora will come in a little early.”

  “And we’ll return tonight?”

  “If you don’t mind, I thought we’d stay the night and return tomorrow around noon. That will give me a chance to take care of a business meeting Brett was supposed to run. Are you okay with that?”

  “I’m fine with it as long as I don’t have to deal with Liz Connors and her online gossip column.”

  “Fair enough. Don’t worry, I’ll see that you won’t have to.” His grin was sly.

  She shot him a suspicious look. “What are you going to do?”

  “You’ll see.” He winked at her. “Bring that nice dress of yours.”

  Her nerves went on high alert. He’d looked exactly like his impish brother. He must be up to no good.

  ###
<
br />   The ride to Miami was relaxing. Jake drove fast but demonstrated easy control of the car. Silas was once again content to play games on his iPad while Noelle enjoyed reading a book on her iPad.

  When they got to the hotel and were escorted inside, Noelle felt more comfortable with the attention. She felt the smile on her face as she watched Silas solemnly shake hands with the hotel manager. Whether he knew it or not, Silas was being prepared one day to become part of the family hotel business.

  After they were settled in one of the luxury suites, Jake told Silas about the appointment with Dr. Heard.

  “You’re coming with me?” Silas asked, giving him a worried look.

  Jake nodded. “Yes, I’ll be there, and Noelle too.”

  Silas moved closer to her and gazed up at her uncertainly.

  “There’s nothing to be worried about,” she told him. “It’s just a chance to talk things over with a very kind man. He’ll probably want to ask us all a lot of questions.”

  “Okay,” said Silas.

  Jake gave her a grateful look. “We’ll take a limo there.”

  ###

  Dr. Jerold Heard was a short, bald man whose fringe of white hair on his head and twinkling blue eyes made Noelle think of Santa Claus. He spoke in a quiet voice and studied them openly as introductions were made.

  “Well, young lad, I’m always happy to meet someone who likes seashells. Your father told me you have a book about them.”

  Silas’s face brightened. “You like seashells too? Noelle and I are finding lots of them.” He looked at Noelle and then said to Dr. Heard, “I can’t tell you more. It’s a secret between Noelle and me.”

  Dr. Heard glanced at Noelle and then nodded to Silas. “Some secrets are good. Others aren’t. But this sounds like a good one.” He straightened. “Why don’t all three of you come into my office while we talk briefly. Then I’ll speak individually with Jake and then Silas. Is everyone okay with this?”

  Noelle nodded along with Jake. “I know it’s unusual to have me present in a situation like this because I’m not family.”

  Silas frowned at her. “Noelle saved me from Mrs. Wicked,” he announced to Dr. Heard.

  Only the slightest lift of his eyebrows indicated Dr. Heard’s surprise. “Mrs. Wicked, huh?”

  “He means Mrs. Wickstrom, the caretaker I discovered abusing his great-grandmother,” Noelle quickly said.

  Dr. Heard’s forehead smoothed out. “I see.”

  “Noelle has saved our family in other ways by helping out with Silas and my grandmother,” Jake said.

  Dr. Heard studied her. “Mmm.”

  He waved them into his office, and after they’d taken seats, he said, “I understand you, Noelle, are here in Florida for a holiday vacation. Any intention of staying on?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m the health director at the New Life Assisted-Living Community west of Boston.”

  He turned to Silas. “You and Noelle have become great friends in a very short time. Do you understand she’ll be leaving Florida after the holidays?”

  Silas took a deep breath and said softly, “I want Noelle to be my new mother.”

  “Oh, honey, no ...” Noelle uttered at the same time Jake said, “Sorry, buddy.”

  In the awkward silence that followed, Dr. Heard said, “It’s clear to me that it’s not going to happen. Silas and I will work on that.”

  “Do you need me to answer any further questions?” Noelle asked him, unable to stop the heat flooding her cheeks.

  “No, I don’t think so. Perhaps later, you and I can discuss some strategies for handling this situation and others. Why don’t you and Silas sit in the waiting room while I talk privately with Jake.”

  Relieved, Noelle rose to her feet. “C’mon, Silas. Let’s take a little break.” She held out her hand, and he took it.

  In the waiting room, they sat together on the only couch. Silas bowed his head and when he lifted it there were tears in his eyes. “Why can’t you stay in Florida?”

  “Because I have a family and a job at home in Boston.” she said quietly. She took her cell phone from her purse. “Look! I’ll show you some pictures of the place where I work and some of the people who live there.”

  Noelle aimed her phone at Silas. “Smile. We’ll send those women your photograph so they have an idea of what a handsome young man you are. They already know that you’re a special friend of mine.”

  He hammed it up with a funny face, but anyone could see from the photograph how adorable Silas was. Noelle sent the photo to each of the so-called Three Musketeers Plus One.

  “There, now let me show you their pictures.” As she showed Silas the photographs, she talked about each of the women.

  “What do you think?” Noelle asked.

  “They’re awfully old,” said Silas. “Well, maybe not as old as Nana. Dad said she was as old as Thusla.”

  “Methuselah?” Noelle laughed softly. “That’s very, very old.”

  “I know,” said Silas.

  Jake appeared. “Your turn, Silas. Remember, you can tell Dr. Heard anything you want. Have fun.” He walked Silas inside Dr. Heard’s office and returned alone.

  “How did it go?” Noelle asked.

  Jake sighed. “It’s good that we came. He’s going to help both Silas and me.”

  Noelle remained quiet as he got up and stared out the window. He turned back to her. “Considering all that’s happening with my parents, he’s agreed to meet with Silas tomorrow morning so he has a better understanding of everything including losing you.”

  She clasped a hand to her chest. “I’m sorry, but I’ve always said I have to get back to Boston.”

  “I understand.” He studied her a moment and turned to the window.

  Again, Noelle remained quiet. She didn’t know what Jake and Dr. Heard had discussed, but Jake seemed very subdued.

  A while later, Silas emerged from Dr. Heard’s office smiling and holding a brown, soft, stuffed dog. He held it up for them to see. “This is King.”

  “What a nice dog,” said Noelle.

  “May I see you for a moment?” Dr. Heard asked her.

  “Sure,” Noelle said automatically, though she wondered why he’d want to speak to her alone.

  She entered his office and took a seat in a leather chair opposite him.

  “I felt I needed to let you know not only how fond Silas is of you, but how much he trusts you. This secret project of yours—is it something I should know about? I’m working with Silas on being free to say anything he wants, but even with all my probing skills, he’s remained firm in keeping the secret he shares with you.”

  Noelle grinned. “He almost spilled the beans once. I’m glad to see he’s keeping his word. It’s an idea I developed as a means for him to celebrate Christmas in a unique way. He wanted to decorate a Christmas tree because he remembers how much his mother loved them. We are now collecting seashells to hang on the tree as a special Florida Christmas.”

  “A nice idea,” commented Dr. Heard.

  “After hearing about some of his concerns, I’ve thought that maybe we can use those decorations to make wishes or write messages to remember this time. We’d write them on small pieces of paper and either glue them where we can or attach them somehow. I’ve done something similar with residents of New Life, where I work. What do you think?”

  Dr. Heard was quiet and then nodded. “That’s another great idea, and if there’s any information you think would be helpful to me, will you please relay it to me privately?”

  “Yes, of course. I have a feeling Silas will share a lot of the things he’s worrying about, but, of course, if he asks me not to tell or I sense he doesn’t want me to say anything about it, I won’t. I can’t break the trust between us.”

  “Absolutely. Though you’re not his doctor, you’re a most trusted friend. The dog can be used as a prompt when you see him struggling to say something. I find it a great means of allowing young patients a safe way to speak.”
He smiled. “The dog, of course, can’t reprimand, or scold, or represent any fear to the one speaking to it.”

  “Mmm. I’ll have to remember that for some of my people at New Life.”

  “Thank you. You certainly have done a nice job with Silas so far. He adores you, which might be a helpful reason for him to talk to me after you’re gone.”

  “I’ll work with you on that,” Noelle said.

  Dr. Heard got to his feet, ending their discussion.

  ###

  On the trip back to the hotel, it was quiet in the limo. Noelle brushed away the guilt she felt knowing how hurt Silas would be by her leaving to go back home.

  Later, Noelle sat by the hotel’s swimming pool watching Silas play and swim in the water. It had been an emotional day, and she was tired.

  Jake approached her. “I’ve arranged for a babysitter to stay with Silas. He already knows I’d planned to do it, and it’s okay with him. Besides, it’s been a long day and I have a feeling he’ll drop off to sleep pretty early.”

  “All right,” Noelle said, wondering what he was up to.

  His smile sent a sparkle to his gray eyes. “I’ll pick you up at the suite at seven o’clock for dinner.”

  “But ...”

  Jake held up a hand to stop her. “It won’t be in the hotel restaurant, so you won’t have to deal with Liz.”

  She watched Jake walk away and observed the looks of interest on the faces of the women sitting poolside as he strode by. Some even turned to study her. She knew she was no match for a lot of the young models who loved South Beach and enhanced the beaches and pools with their long-legged beauty. But Jake seemed not to have noticed.

  Noelle turned away from the prying eyes. The last thing she wanted was another blurb in any online society column associating her with Jake. It might end up hurting Silas. And what a stir it would cause with the women at New Life. They’d never stop nagging her about it.

  “Hey, Noelle! Look!” Silas waved to her from the pool and then did his best to do a somersault.

  When his face emerged from the water, he gave her a questioning look.

  “Great!” Noelle said.