Noelle's Golden Christmas Read online

  After several episodes of eliciting little squeals from Shara at a precise moment of crisis, David did the same thing to Noelle. This behavior seemed pretty much in line with something Noelle’s brother would have done to her, so she laughed it off. But Shara acted a little peeved, and James insisted he really needed to sit beside his brother, forcing Noelle to change seats with him. At least the new seating arrangement allowed Noelle’s left arm to get fair treatment.

  *****

  “The movie was so good,” Shara gushed, as the four stood in the theater lobby. “Thank you, David.” She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, her action providing an enhanced view of her long legs as they extended from her way-too-short-for-winter skirt. Noelle didn’t protest when she caught James ogling her a bit longer than he ought to. She expected that sort of thing when Shara was around.

  “I thought it was the worst movie I’ve ever seen,” Noelle remarked. “But the company was nice.”

  “I agree.” David’s expression could best be described as bored, despite Shara’s affectionate kiss. For some reason, that made Noelle feel like humming a happy tune. “That is, I agree the company was nice. I’ve seen worse movies.”

  “Much worse,” James added. “Remember Zombie Zone Six?”

  “Yeah! I wish I could forget that one.” David distorted his face and lifted his hands with crimped fingers. “I… will… eat… your… face…”

  James howled with laughter. “That’s it, Doc. You look just like him.”

  “The worst part of all this,” Noelle commented, “is knowing you guys watched Zombie Zone One through Five.”

  “Oh, we watched Seven, too, but it wasn’t as bad as Six.” David grinned.

  “You can’t throw stones, Noelle.” James shook his finger in her face. “You’re the one who chose the zombie flick tonight.”

  “Shall we grab dessert and coffee at Magpie’s?” David directed the question at his brother, but then turned to Shara. “Does that sound good to you?”

  “I guess so.” Shara seemed annoyed, but David didn’t appear to notice.

  James hesitated. “We… we’re… that is… I thought we might go back to my place and have a beer.”

  David shook his head, and Noelle feared they were in for another showdown.

  “That sounds like it works just fine if a girl plans to spend the night, but this one doesn’t.” David smiled at Noelle as if he thought she’d be grateful for his help.

  She wasn’t.

  “Mind your own business,” she retorted, giving David the evil eye “I can speak for myself.”

  “Yes, but you shouldn’t have to,” David argued. “I’m trying to teach my brother to be thoughtful where women are concerned.”

  “I think he’s very thoughtful,” Noelle defended.

  “Really?” David’s face had skeptical written all over it. But both men had hot written all over their bodies, and Noelle could easily overlook a bit of skeptical for a ton of hot.

  “I think Magpie’s is a good idea.” James conceded before Noelle had much chance to argue the point. “Their Boston Cream pie is out of this world.”

  A short, but cold, walk found the two couples sharing a booth in the window at Magpie’s. They ordered four slices of pie to share—Boston Cream, Hershey’s Kisses, Chocolate Pecan, and some coconut concoction called “Gilligan’s.”

  With the pie’s arrival, each piece was meticulously cut in fourths and parceled out on the respective plates. “Shocked” didn’t even begin to describe Noelle when she saw Shara stuffing down her allotment of the pies. Without hesitating to discuss how many calories were in each slice, Shara inhaled the delectable desserts, washing them down with black decaf coffee.

  Feeling rather suspicious when Shara decided to take a restroom break, Noelle followed a few seconds later and slipped inside the nearly deserted ladies’ room. Washing her hands at the sink, Noelle heard it… retching sounds emanating from one of the stalls.

  At the adjacent sink, a white-haired woman made a funny face, glancing with wide eyes toward the noisy stall.

  Noelle shrugged. “Sorry… that’s my friend.”

  “Is she okay?” the woman asked, looking a little green at the repeated puking noise.

  “She’ll be fine.” Noelle imparted her most serene smile. “But if I were you, I’d skip the Boston Cream pie.”

  “Oh!” Her eyes bulged like a bullfrog. “My husband just ordered it!”

  “Maybe yours will be okay,” Noelle suggested, cocking her head slightly to indicate her uncertainty.

  “Oh!” Her voice rose an octave as she dashed from the bathroom.

  Several minutes passed before the commode flushed and Shara emerged, with red-rimmed eyes.

  “Please don’t tell anybody,” she begged, rinsing her mouth with water from the sink. “Especially the people at the office.”

  Noelle’s heart broke at her wretched expression. “I’m not going to blab to anyone. But Shara, do you have someone to talk to? You know you need help, right?”

  Shara lifted her chin. “I’ve got it under control. It’s not like I do it every day. I usually have more willpower than that. Those pies were just too tempting to resist.” She pulled a small compact from her purse and freshened her makeup. Thirty seconds later, she looked as flawless as ever.

  “Shara, I want you to know—”

  “I’m headed back out there. I don’t want to keep David waiting too long.” Shara strode through the door with her perfect long legs and her perfect thin figure and her perfectly cloaked pain.

  I can’t believe I was jealous of her perfection when she’s obviously hurting so much. Lord, give me eyes to see people as You see them. And love them as You love them.

  ∞ 5 ∞

  “SO THIS IS ABBY?” As she stood just inside the apartment door, Lisa’s fearful expression brought a chuckle to Noelle’s throat.

  “Lisa, she can’t possibly hurt you. She’s got a cast on her leg and she’s still recovering from surgery. Even if Abby wasn’t injured and she could get to you, all she would do is lick you to death.”

  Lisa’s lips pulled back in a grimace that would frighten a small child. “Sounds like a terrible way to die.”

  Bending to give Abby a scratch behind her ears, Noelle was rewarded with a nuzzle and a whack of a wagging tail.

  “She won’t jump on me, will she? This outfit was expensive, and it has to go to the cleaners.” Lisa smoothed her hands over her gray wool pants.

  “All your clothes are expensive. You don’t even own a washing machine, do you?”

  “Of course I own a washing machine.” Crossing her arms in mock outrage, Lisa asked, “How do you think the maid washes our towels?”

  Noelle rolled her eyes. “For all I know, you don’t wash them. I assumed you bought new ones every time you used them.”

  “I would never do something like that. It would be terrible for the environment.”

  “Right. I should have known.”

  “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?” Lisa’s brows drew over her eyes. “I told you I was coming over to hear about your date last night. So cough it up.”

  Noelle produced a series of hacking, choking noises.

  “Very funny.” Lisa tapped an impatient finger.

  “It was fine.”

  “I didn’t drive all the way over to your apartment to hear ‘fine.’ I want details. So spill it.”

  Noelle moved her tea mug toward Lisa, “Okay. If that’s what you really want.”

  Backing away, Lisa held her hands up in defense, but this time she couldn’t suppress a laugh. “You might as well give up. I’m going to fix myself a cup of that tea and sit myself right down here on your couch and wait until you tell me the whole story, with all the nitty-gritty details.”

  Noelle had already resigned herself to the inevitable. No one could resist Lisa when she was on a crusade. They’d always teased her that she was born with a silver scepter in her hand. Still… Noelle didn
’t have to make it easy for her.

  “And what do I get in return?” Noelle held out an empty hand, palm up, rubbing her fingers against her thumb.

  “Hmmm… I promise not to tell Dad you went on a date.”

  “That sounds suspiciously like blackmail.”

  “Would you rather I bake your birthday cake myself, from scratch?”

  “Now you’re threatening me.”

  Lisa giggled. “Or I could throw a big combination birthday-slash-Christmas-Eve party. I know how much you’d love that.”

  “Ahhhhh! Stop! This is worse than waterboarding.” Chuckling, Noelle swept out her hand toward her well-worn couch. “Sit down and rest your little pregnant feet, and I’ll make your tea and tell you the story. But let me warn you, it’s not that exciting.”

  “It’s all about perception and perspective. By the time we’re through discussing it, you’ll remember it as being twice as much fun.”

  “Ha! That’s the truth. When you’re done with it, I’ll probably remember flying to Paris and back.”

  “Via Disneyworld,” said Lisa, sinking into the couch and propping her feet on the ottoman.

  “I went to Disneyworld? Did I have a hot date with Mickey?”

  “My lips are sealed. You know what they say—what happens in Disney stays in Disney.”

  Unable to keep a straight face, Noelle cracked up. “Lisa, you’re crazy. You know that?”

  “Just hurry up with my tea and your story before they haul me off to the loony bin.”

  *****

  Carefully avoiding any reference to Shara’s incident in the restroom, Noelle shared the events of the evening. She felt more than a little guilty, however, as she realized how many details she was withholding from her sister, to avoid her condemnation. To make things worse, she suspected Lisa wasn’t really buying her story. Since they were sitting beside one another on the couch, Lisa could probably feel the nervous vibrations from her trembling legs.

  “Let me get this straight,” said Lisa, pursing her lips. “Doc warned James not to take advantage of you?”

  “According to James, that’s what David said.”

  “Surely Doc—I mean, David—wouldn’t do that unless James had a pretty bad track record. Hmmm…” Chewing on the inside of her lip, Lisa studied Noelle, tilting her head as if she could see through Noelle’s skull and discover the real facts. “Are you sure James didn’t say or do anything out of line?”

  “No.” I’m only stretching the truth a tiny bit.

  “Noelle… You’ve never been able to lie to me. What aren’t you saying?”

  “Nothing,” Noelle barked.

  “Hey, Sis. I’m on your side, remember?”

  With tears stinging the back of her eyes, Noelle felt like the dam was waiting to burst. Maybe she should confess everything to Lisa. “Will you promise not to hate me?”

  “Oh, Noelle…” Obviously stricken, Lisa sat forward, holding both of Noelle’s hands between hers. “I would never hate you. Never. You could tell me you killed someone, and I wouldn’t hate you.”

  “I just… I don’t want you to be disappointed in me.” Noelle tucked her chin down, her hair falling forward to hide her face.

  Lisa’s hand stroked the hair back, tucking it behind her ear. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with tenderness and laced with fear. “What happened, Noelle? I’ll support you no matter what. Did you sleep with James?”

  “No! Good grief, no!”

  “Thank God!”

  Noelle found herself squeezed in a fierce hug and realized Lisa was crying, too. Laughing through her tears, Noelle returned the hug. “I guess the truth isn’t so bad if that’s what you were worried about.”

  “Seriously.” Lisa sniffed, chuckling. “Lay it on me, Sis. I think I can handle it, now.”

  “I think… I’m in lust.”

  As one of her neatly shaped eyebrows arched high on her forehead, Lisa nodded. “To be honest, Noelle, I’m not surprised you’re in lust with James. If I were single, I might have the same reaction. But at least now you’ve admitted it. Just take your own wise advice and avoid being alone with him where you could give in to temptation.”

  “That’s kind of the problem,” Noelle admitted, wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants.

  “What happened?”

  “I kissed James.”

  “But just a kiss, right? That’s not so bad.”

  “It could’ve been really bad.” Before she could stop herself, the entire story was pouring out. “After dessert, James was driving me home… only we went to his house, instead. I knew I shouldn’t, but… it was like my body took over and my mind checked out. I’ve never felt like that before. Not even with Carl.”

  Lisa gave a grim smile and squeezed her arm. “I’ve been there.”

  “And the next part is so embarrassing; I don’t even know if I can tell you.”

  “You can’t say something like that and then not tell me what happened. My imagination would fill in the blanks worse than the truth.”

  Noelle took a deep breath. “We went inside, and it was all innocent enough. James had a beer—just one beer—so he wasn’t drunk. We sat on the couch, talking, and he put his arm around my shoulder. Then he kissed me. It wasn’t aggressive or anything. Not at first. Then I let him kiss my neck, and that’s when I totally lost it. I swear I probably would’ve slept with him right then and there, on his living room couch.”

  “What stopped you? Your conscience?”

  “Not what… but who.”

  “You mean God stopped you?”

  “No. David stopped me.” Noelle’s cheeks burned with shame.

  “David? You mean James’ brother was there?”

  Burying her face in her hands, Noelle muttered, “James was kissing me on the couch, practically lying on top of me, when we heard a banging noise. I looked over and saw David, standing outside, pounding both fists on the glass patio door.”

  “So James stopped? And let his brother inside?”

  “Well, when I saw David, I kind of pushed James off me and he fell on the floor.”

  Lisa laughed behind her hands. “Oh my gosh! You both had your clothes on, right?”

  “Yes, we were dressed. But if David had shown up twenty minutes later, there’s no telling.”

  “So my prayers of protection worked. God sent David to stop you, just in time.” Lisa sported her don’t-worry-be-happy smile, but after a moment, it morphed into a frown. “Noelle? That’s not everything, is it? What else happened?”

  “I’m turning into a slut.”

  “What? No you’re not. A few minutes of hot-and-heavy kissing doesn’t make you a slut.”

  “I kissed David.”

  “What?” Lisa choked on the word, gripping Noelle’s hands so tight her fingernails dug into her palms. Her mouth moved, wordlessly, like something huge was stuck in her throat, cutting off her air.

  “I know, I know. I can’t believe it either. I’m completely mortified. Now I can’t face either one of them.” Noelle felt a surge of sympathy for the medieval townsfolk who were sentenced to public humiliation in the stocks.

  Gasping for breath, Lisa shook her head. “How? How did it happen?”

  With her eyes closed, the scene played out in Noelle’s mind, a clear memory she wished she could forget. “When James slid the patio door open, David grabbed his shirt and pulled him outside, shutting the door again. I could see them arguing, hear them yelling, but I couldn’t understand the words. I thought they were going to kill each other. Finally, James stomped off into the dark, and David came inside and told me he was driving me home.”

  “And he kissed you?”

  “No, he didn’t touch me. He barely spoke to me, all the way to my apartment. In fact, I don’t even know how he knew my address—probably got it from James. When he parked by my entrance, I jumped out of the car and ran. I literally ran toward my apartment door. That’s when I slipped on the ice…”

  “No!
” Lisa’s hand covered her mouth.

  “… and landed on my butt.”

  A giggle escaped through Lisa’s fingers.

  “And then David was there, helping me up. I slipped again and fell against him, and his arms went around me…”

  “And?” Lisa urged, her mouth hanging open.

  “And we sort of stood there like that for a decade or so. When I finally got the courage to look up―he’s really tall, you know―anyway, when I looked up, he kissed me.”

  “And you kissed him back?”

  A grin broke out, despite Noelle’s efforts to be repentant. “Oh yeah, I kissed him back.”

  Lisa fell back against the couch cushions, laughing. “My sister, the slut.”

  The throw pillow was whacking her sister on the head before Noelle realized it was in her hands.

  “Stop!” Lisa squealed with laughter, holding up defensive hands.

  Dropping the pillow, Noelle covered her face with her hands. “Lisa, what am I going to do?”

  As Noelle’s fingers were pried away, Lisa’s eyes peered at her, at once piercing and concerned. “The first step is easy. You’re going to avoid being alone with James or David, right?”

  Noelle blew her breath out between her lips. Calm down. You’re not alone. “Since I appear to lack the ability to use my brain when the hunk brothers are around, that seems like a necessity. Otherwise, you’re going to be an aunt shortly after you become a mother.”

  In response to her comment, Lisa’s hand floated down to her still-flat belly, as a smile played on her lips. “That’s not going to happen, Noelle, because you’re going to figure this out, using your brain and a lot of prayer… not your hormones.”

  “Right. Okay.” This is good. I’ve got a plan. I can do anything if I’ve got a plan. “We should make a list… pros and cons.”

  “Good idea,” Lisa agreed with enthusiasm. “First question… who was the best kisser?”