Noelle's Golden Christmas Page 7

  *****

  At precisely seven minutes past seven on Saturday night, as Noelle lounged on the couch in flannel sleep pants and a sweatshirt with freshly washed hair, her cell phone sneezed. The sound of a short high-pitched expulsion resembled the sound of Noelle’s own sneeze, that being the primary reason she’d chosen the noise for her message alert. Hitting the pause button on her favorite HGTV show, Resale Value, she tugged her bare feet from under the warm Abby-blanket and padded to the kitchen to snag her phone from the charger. It was James.

  r u speaking 2 me?

  Chuckling to herself, Noelle returned to the couch and wriggled her feet back beneath Abby.

  no, not speaking 2 u. texting u. ha ha

  lol r u home?

  yep

  Two minutes passed before the phone sneezed again.

  lol sorry got carried away last nite. won’t happen again.

  She considered the appropriate answer in light of her earlier discussion with Lisa.

  no, it won’t. maybe ur bro was right. : - /

  After almost ten minutes with no reply, Noelle decided she must have offended him. Then came another sneeze.

  bro is quick 2 judge. hope not all Christians r like him.

  God says not 2 judge.

  Five more minutes until the next sneeze.

  ur not judging me?

  NO

  good : )

  As her phone sneezed with James’ last message, a knock sounded at the door, provoking a half-hearted bark from Abby. Patting the dog’s head on her way to the door, Noelle peered through the peephole. James! With his hands in his pockets and his chin tucked down in a hangdog expression.

  Noelle’s hand snaked up, attempting to smooth the damp hair that hung in disarray. Now what should I do? I just got out of the shower, and I look a fright.

  Her cell phone sneezed again.

  i know ur n there.

  not expecting company. hair is wet.

  won’t stay long. can i talk to u? please?

  Sliding the chain to the side and turning the deadbolt, Noelle pulled the door open, blocking the entrance with her body. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.” He blinked his thick-lashed eyelids over those ridiculously enticing blue eyes. Her resolve felt about as firm as a crumb cake.

  “We could have talked on the phone,” she suggested.

  Kicking the ground with his toe, his shoulders lifted and fell. “Maybe I wanted to see you.”

  “James, I don’t think this is—”

  “Aren’t you going to invite me in? It’s kind of cold outside.” He tried to peek around her to the apartment interior.

  Instead, Noelle stepped outside, flinching at the cold concrete on her bare feet, closing the door behind her. “It’s safer out here.” She leaned against the door, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to warm them.

  “You’re shivering. Here, let me warm you up.”

  As James moved toward her, she warded him off with raised hands. “Stay right where you are. Distance is a good thing.”

  “Okay, I’ll be good.” Retreating a step, his dimple appeared, giving him a mischievous look. Mischievous, but adorable. Sigh!

  Noelle decided to take advantage of his awkwardness. “Do you like me, James?”

  “Yeah. Of course I do. Can’t you tell?”

  “Why?”

  “Huh?”

  “Why do you like me?”

  “I don’t know… Because you’re sweet and smart and sassy as heck.”

  The jerk. Why does he have to be so nice now?

  “And you’re beautiful,” he added.

  He’s not making this easy at all. “Don’t say stuff like that. Anyway, I know that’s not true. Especially tonight.” She pointed to her tangled mass of towel-dried hair.

  “You are beautiful,” he insisted, punctuating his words with a frown that did nothing to make him look less attractive.

  “Whatever. The thing is, you don’t really know me—not the real me. We’re just not compatible.”

  “We seem pretty compatible to me.”

  “But I’m a believer and you’re not. That’s a really big thing to me.”

  “It’s not that I don’t believe in God,” he defended, deepening his frown. “I just try to keep the God-thing in balance with the rest of my life—a sprinkle here and there wherever I need it. I don’t let religion take over.”

  Noelle nodded. A sad nod. A nod admitting what she’d been denying all along…. If God was truly the fundamental element of her life, she had nothing in common with someone who viewed Him as a superfluous condiment. Even if that “someone” was a tall, hunky, mouthwatering guy who made her insides melt.

  “That was the wrong answer, wasn’t it? I can see it on your face.” James pushed frustrated fingers through his short, dark hair. “Look, I’ve never met a girl quite like you.”

  “I’ll bet,” she muttered sarcastically, wondering where his conversation was leading.

  “Doc is different since he started going to church all the time, and I was mad at him for changing—messing up a good thing. But, maybe I’d be willing to change, too, if I had someone to change for.”

  “James…”

  “Wait. I’m not saying it right. Let me try again…”

  His pleading expression was so earnest the hard shell of her determination chipped in a few places. “Okay, I’m listening.”

  “This is what I’m trying to tell you…. There’s something about you that makes me want to be a better man, to be someone you respect. Someone you wouldn’t mind inviting inside your apartment,” he added, with a rueful smile.

  “James, there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re a great guy.”

  “A great guy for someone else, but not for you, right?” He stuffed his hands back in his pockets, pushing out a sullen lower lip.

  “Here’s the thing, James… My faith isn’t an occasional extra—an added ingredient to enhance flavor—it’s my whole life. You see, it’s like we live on different continents. You’re willing to occasionally visit my continent, but you’re not willing to live there.”

  In two steps, he closed the distance between them, picking up her hands and holding them securely between his large masculine ones. “Maybe I am willing. Maybe I’m ready to move.”

  At the tingly assault of his penetrating stare, she averted her eyes. “I hope you do that, James, because it’s a great place to live. Give God a try. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. But do it for you, because He loves you. Don’t do it for me.”

  Her hands were lifted and warm lips pressed against them. She battled the urge to sink into his arms.

  “By then you’ll be gone,” he muttered, as his warm breath caressed her forehead.

  Withdrawing her hands from his grip, she looked up to find his pouting mouth within kissing distance, but this time she fought the temptation. “Seriously, James.” She cleared her throat, trying to rid her voice of the breathy tone it seemed to adopt whenever they touched. “I’m twenty-nine years old and still single. It’s not like guys are beating down my door.”

  His lower lip protruded. “That’s probably because they don’t know where you live.” As he turned away, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, a few light snowflakes drifted down. “We can still be friends, right?”

  “I guess so. Friends without benefits.”

  “Right. No benefits.” As his mouth curved upward, warning bells went off in her head. “Let’s have lunch Tuesday. As friends.”

  “Oh… uhmm… I’m not sure what time I finish for the morning.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” He grinned, displaying even, white teeth. “I’m your last patient before lunch.”

  “I see you’ve got this all planned out.”

  “I wish!” His heavy sigh blew a cloud of fog into the frigid air. “You’ve kind of turned all my plans upside down.”

  “Why are you so determined to date me? We only met a week ago, and I k
now you’ve probably got a dozen girls after you all the time. I mean, who could resist that hot bod and movie-star face? I’m just plain old me… nothing special.” She pointed to her face, makeup free, adorned only by the blush from the cold air.

  “You think I have a hot bod and a movie-star face?” His huge grin and waggling eyebrows showed just how pleased he was with her assessment.

  Her face burned despite the freezing cold air. “Out of that entire speech, that’s the only part you latched onto? You didn’t even answer my question.”

  “Sorry… could you say it again?”

  “Okay, fine. Why are you so determined to date me?”

  “No, not that part… the part about my hot bod.” He pressed his lips together, but only managed to hold back his laughter for a few seconds. Then he fell apart, laughing until he couldn’t stand up straight. Finally, Noelle gave up and joined him.

  Not until after she’d sent him on his way did she realize he’d never given her an answer.

  ∞ 6 ∞

  THE WAY NANCY’S MOUTH HUNG OPEN, Noelle was surprised she managed to chew a single bite of food. On Mondays, the two usually had the lunch room to themselves, which had come in handy for filling Nancy in on the events of the weekend, although she kept Shara’s secret as promised.

  “No way!” Nancy exclaimed. “Sexy Tex kissed you, too?”

  “Keep your voice down,” Noelle hissed. “Shara’s at the front desk.”

  “It serves her right, the way she always talks down to you. I bet she was fit to be tied when you showed up with Sexy Tex’s brother. I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall.”

  “I kind of feel sorry for her.”

  “You do? Why?”

  Noelle shrugged. “I don’t know. She seems sort of sad.”

  “I’d be sad, too, if I didn’t have any friends,” said Nancy as she snatched a stick of celery from her lunch sack.

  “You’re eating celery? After all the times you’ve made fun of Shara for eating it?”

  “I don’t quite eat it the way Shara does.” Nancy grinned, pulling out a jar of peanut butter.

  “Aha! That’s my kind of celery,” Noelle joked. “You know what makes celery and peanut butter taste really, really good?”

  “What?”

  “Just leave off the celery.”

  “Ha! That does sound better,” Nancy agreed. “Here’s something even tastier than that.” Nancy dug in her lunch sack, retrieving a bag of peanut butter kiss cookies with festive red and green sugar decorating the tops.

  “Yum. That’s my favorite.” Snagging a red cookie from the bag, Noelle took a huge bite, moaning in ecstasy.

  “You’re not going to complain that they’re decorated for Christmas?”

  “I don’t know. I’m thinking, since I met James at Lisa’s Christmas party, maybe my Christmas bad luck is taking a turn for the better.”

  “I hope so, Noelle. You deserve some good luck for a change.”

  Abandoning her celery stick, Nancy jammed an entire cookie into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as she stared at Noelle. After swallowing, she said, “I’m thinking you should go after Sexy Tex.”

  “What? I can’t do that, Nancy.”

  “Why not? You said he’s a believer.”

  “Yes, but he’s not available. He’s dating Shara.”

  “Come on, Noelle. You know all’s fair in love and war. Shara doesn’t have any claim on him yet.”

  “There are a few other issues with David, the first of which is the fact he kissed me on the same night he had a date with someone else. What kind of person does that?”

  “I don’t know,” said Nancy, cocking her head to the side. “Maybe the same kind of person who would make out with one brother and kiss the other brother the same night.”

  Noelle cringed. I knew I should’ve left out that part of the story. Nancy will never let me live it down. “Touché. But there’s one more problem with David.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He’s not interested in me.”

  Sitting back in her chair, Nancy steepled her fingers. “He kissed you—that’s interested in my book.”

  “If he were interested, he would’ve called me by now.”

  “You gave him your cell number?”

  “Oh… no, I guess I didn’t do that, but he could’ve gotten it from his brother if he wanted it.”

  Nancy lifted her eyebrows.

  “Hmmm… okay, maybe not. Still, I’ve got a feeling that kiss was a fluky thing, probably because he felt sorry for me after I slipped on the ice.”

  “Noelle, I’ve been thinking,” Nancy’s voice dripped sarcasm all over the breakroom table. “If you change your last name, your new one should be Clueless.”

  Noelle chuckled, glancing at the clock. “Good grief! I haven’t set up my room for my one o’clock patient.”

  She raced from the breakroom and made a sharp right in the hallway, slamming straight into a wall. At least, it felt like a wall. But the wall laughed and spoke in that low rumbly voice that triggered all kinds of wild electrical currents in her system.

  “You are quite the reckless driver, aren’t you? I believe you should purchase collision insurance, because I may be making a claim. Either that, or I’ll file charges for battery.”

  Six feet and three inches of take-your-breath-away muscles topped with see-into-your-soul blue eyes were standing millimeters away from her with a smug grin. David! It took a few seconds for Noelle’s brain to kick into gear. Propping her hands on her hips, she gave him her best haughty stare.

  “Believe me, if I wanted to batter you, you’d be hurting pretty bad right now.”

  “Do you want to batter me? Because, I’m game if you are.” Those sparkling blue eyes twinkled, and his lips twitched as if he were about to laugh.

  “I may batter you and throw you in a hot frying pan if you keep it up.”

  “And if I asked you to go to lunch with me tomorrow, would you take me out of the frying pan and throw me into the fire?” Though the tone of the question was teasing, he awaited her response with a fragment of vulnerability in his eyes… a tiny rip in the blanket of bravado.

  His invitation sent her heart into a happy dance, but her euphoria was short-lived. What about Shara?

  Noelle lowered her voice, glancing down the hallway toward the front desk where Shara’s seat appeared to be temporarily vacated. “You can’t ask me to lunch when you’re already dating Shara. Don’t you know that would kill her?” Her mind formed an unbidden image of Shara’s mortified expression as she exited the bathroom stall in the restaurant.

  “We’re not dating,” David objected through clenched teeth. “We went to that movie as friends only, after she hounded me for days. It didn’t mean anything.”

  “Maybe it didn’t mean anything to you, but it meant something to Shara. And she needs that right now.”

  Squeezing his eyes shut, David sucked in a huge breath, releasing it with a groan. “It’s not fair. I didn’t sign up to be her security blanket. I don’t even think it’s healthy for her to read more into this than actually exists.”

  Could David be right? Could Noelle go out with him without betraying Shara’s trust? Such as it was. Although they certainly weren’t the best of friends, Noelle wouldn’t want to feel responsible for sending Shara over the edge because of jealousy. “I don’t know, David. I think I’d feel guilty if we started dating.”

  “It’s not like I asked you on a real date. I just wanted to talk to you about my brother. Couldn’t we have lunch as friends?” With his practical reasoning, David’s face lost its strained look, but a knot of disappointment formed in Noelle’s gut.

  “Of course I knew you weren’t asking me on a real date,” she rushed to assure him, grimacing at the lie. “But Shara would assume it meant more than that if she knew about it.” Why am I such an idiot? He wasn’t asking me on a date. I just made a fool of myself.

  “Then we won’t broadcast it, and it won’t be a pr
oblem.” He cast a worried glance behind him. “I’d better get out of here before Shara sees me and asks me out again.”

  Noelle was surprised when he made his way to the side door. “You came in the back way?”

  He nodded. “Dr. Madison saw me in the parking lot. When I told her I was looking for you, she let me slip in the back with her.” Stopping near the exit, David was all smiles as he handed Noelle a business card. “Send me a text on my cell, okay? I don’t have your number in my phone. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at noon or whatever time you tell me to show up.”

  Noelle clapped her hand over her mouth. “I forgot! I’m having lunch with James tomorrow.”

  David’s sunny demeanor vanished in an instant. “So you’re still dating my brother.” The statement sounded like an accusation.

  “We’re only going to lunch. As friends. I assume I’m allowed to have more than one friend, right?”

  “It’s your life. You can have as many friends as you want.” The twitch in his eye combined with the blood vessel pulsing on the side of his face, told her David didn’t really want James to be one of those friends. After what he’d seen in James’ living room, he probably thought she meant friends with benefits. Suddenly, the need to defend herself to David seemed more important than her pride.

  “David, what you saw Friday night… that’s not what I’m usually like. I mean, I don’t ever do that sort of thing.” She stared at her feet, letting her hair hide her heated face.

  A calloused hand gently tilted her chin upward until her eyes met his. From the intimate vantage point she could see a navy blue ring in the center of sky blue irises, with tiny flecks of gold and green. His heavy-lidded regard exuded a hypnotic effect. She forgot to breathe.

  “I know you don’t do that sort of thing, Noelle.” His words rumbled in his chest, rolled off his tongue, and stroked her mind into a soothing trance. “I know all about you, Noelle Joy Holiday.”

  He brushed a kiss on her forehead, his expression so tender it almost hurt to see it. As his fingers fell away from her chin, she heard a low moan. Was that me? Blood went rushing to her face before she covered it with shaky hands.