Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
EVIE
The loud rap at the door startled me.
I opened the door and was surprised when a member of The Plaza staff wearing a Santa hat stood there with an ice bucket and a bottle of champagne.
‘Happy holiday delivery for you, Miss Green.’
‘Thank you.’
Behind her was another member of staff, this one in a reindeer costume with a pile of boxes in his hand.
I held the door open as they trooped in, followed by two more staff members, one at the head and the other at the bottom of a large Christmas tree. After them came another couple of staff with more boxes and then finally, Noah.
I burst out laughing at the sight of him in fairy wings and a string of tinsel wrapped around his forehead.
‘And who might you be?’ I asked.
‘I’m your Christmas Fairy Godmother.’
‘What’s going on?’
‘I thought we could decorate a tree together,’ he said, as the trail of people began exiting the room.
I turned and looked back into the lounge area, where the tree had been placed in the window. My eyes blurred a little.
‘A tree.’
‘Yes. I thought you might like one.’
I couldn’t get the words past the big lump lodged in my throat.
Noah closed my door, and I walked up to the tree and was immediately wreathed in the smell of pine. I reached forward and touched the coarse needles on the nearest bough.
‘A real tree,’ I said for want of anything else to say, because I really was a little choked and overcome.
‘Yup, although not chopped down by me, I did go out and choose it.’ He rattled off the words, as if he was trying to make out it was no big deal.
I gave him a startled glance.
‘When?’
‘As soon as we got back.’
‘You went back out in the snow?’
He nodded. ‘Yeah, I’ve obviously spent too much time in the UK.’
My heart swelled in my chest and for a moment it felt as if the floor beneath my feet swayed. I was completely out of my depth. While I’d been reclining in a hot bath thawing out and breathing life back into my frozen and aching feet, having insisted we walk off our lunch, he’d gone out again.
I stared at him, unable to remember the last time anyone had done anything for me. I blinked, not wanting him to see the rush of emotion on my face. I’d been on my own for so long. Although I had to wonder now if I’d deliberately pushed people away.
I turned away from him and summoned up inner reserves. I wasn’t going to melt all over him, even though I wanted to. I was so used to being self-sufficient, it was hard to lower my barriers.
‘And what about all this?’ I asked, my voice brusque, pointing to all the boxes and bags.
‘You’ll have to wait and see. You can open them in a minute, but first we have to put the lights on and open the champagne to toast the tree. That’s part of the Christmas tradition.’
‘What Christmas tradition?’ I asked, still admiring the tree which was slightly taller than I was.
‘Yours, now,’ he said. ‘Christmas can be anything you want, but this feels like a fresh start for you. I think you’ve been hiding from Christmas since your mum died. Maybe now it’s time to start embracing it and making your own traditions.’
I shot him a quick look, surprised by his acute perception. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘Yes, you do, Evie,’ he said, so gently that it brought tears to my eyes, because he knew me.
I sniffed them back and he smiled at me before simply picking up one of the many bags, although I noticed the logo on the outside, Christmas Cottage. From it he withdrew a large plastic box and handed it to me.
Inside was a tightly coiled string of fairy lights. My mouth dropped open. They were the pretty warm gold lights I’d admired in the shop.
‘Lights always go on first,’ said Noah.
‘Is that a Christmas rule?’ I asked.
‘No, it’s just common sense,’ he said, and I laughed.
‘Here, plug them in, make sure they work first.’
I plugged them in and then spent a couple of minutes playing with the numerous different settings.
‘Disco or calm?’ I asked, trying to sound calm myself, except my pulse was leaping about all over the place, totally overcome by Noah’s kindness.
‘You’re the one who has to live with it. You decide.’
He had a point. While I loved the exuberant flashing, it would get old quite quickly.
We switched the lights off as we wound them round the tree, or rather Noah did. He quickly took over because there was a technique, apparently. So I stood back lending a hand and every now and then he weaved the strand of lights in and out of the tree branches so that the green wire was hidden.
‘You’re a bit of a pro at this,’ I teased.
I’d have just laid the lights on top of each layer of branches and wouldn’t have been half as painstaking as he was, but the careful concentration on his face was cute.
When he’d finished and we switched the lights back on, I could appreciate his care.
The sparkling lights peeped from in between the branches, just like the fireflies I’d imagined before.
‘It looks so pretty.’ I grinned at him, feeling light-hearted.
‘Now the toast.’ He opened the champagne and poured two flutes.
‘Do you know I’ve never drunk this much champagne in my life?
I could get used to it,’ I said. Although I knew it would be back to the prosecco when I got home – if I could afford that.
There was still no word from my editor following my suspension.
I was hoping to be reinstated soon. But I wasn’t going to think about that now. It was out of my control.
‘To the Christmas tree,’ I said raising my glass.
‘To Christmas, whatever it may bring,’ said Noah, chinking my glass before taking a sip.
‘You take this Christmas thing seriously,’ I observed.
‘Yes, it’s always been a special family time. Especially in the last few years when it’s the only time we all get together. It’s weird, this year, my family being away. I kind of understand how difficult it must be you being on your own.’
‘Not really,’ I said glibly. ‘I usually avoid it. On Christmas Day I work in my godmother’s restaurant.
It’s always fully booked, so it’s a busy day.
By the time it gets to the evening, I’m so knackered, I just collapse in front of the telly with a pile of leftovers from the restaurant and a bottle of wine. ’
‘Sounds lonely,’ said Noah.
‘Well, it isn’t,’ I said with a sarcastic smile.
Noah stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips. ‘You can admit to being lonely, you know.’
‘I can, but I’m not going to,’ I said, my bravado shrinking by the second, my heart completely won over by that quick, careful kiss. ‘Now, what else have we got?’
Noah put down his glass and sat down on the floor next to the table and dug into one of the bags, handing me a tissue-paper-wrapped bundle.
‘Here you go. This is for you.’
I unwrapped the tissue paper and this time my eyes really did fill up. It was the little yellow New York cab ornament from Christmas Cottage.
‘That’s … thank you. Sneaky. I didn’t know you’d got this.’
I held it in the palm of my hand, watching the light reflect off the silvery surfaces, my heart swelling with … I wasn’t sure I could put a name on it.
I glanced at Noah who was watching me with a gentle smile on his face, but he didn’t say anything, just let me absorb my feelings. I really liked him for that, not trying to step in and ask if I liked it, looking for approbation and making it about him.
I turned away to the tree and sized it up carefully, wondering about where it should go. High up. Where I could always see it. I fastened it to one of the upper branches and smiled at the sight of it.
It was the thing that broke me. I had enough of fighting against my feelings, trying to protect myself from emotions.
I went over to Noah, held his face in hands and kissed him on the mouth.
‘Thank you, I love it.’
‘My pleasure,’ he said and the warmth in his eyes brought a rush of heat over me. I didn’t know how to react around him. My normal MO was to dive in and see where things went without a second thought. But Noah had already demonstrated that wasn’t his style.
‘Next,’ he said holding up a box of medium-sized gold ornaments.
‘Aren’t you going to help?’ I asked and gave him a couple.
Together we hung them at random, but my gaze kept straying back to the little taxi and I couldn’t help smiling.
‘There,’ I said stepping back and exchanging a grin with him.
‘Looking good. Here’s another one.’ From the plastic bag he handed me another tissue-wrapped parcel.
Inside this one was one of the Big Apple decorations, the red fruit topped with skyscrapers.
‘Do I get another kiss?’ he asked as I held it up to the light.
‘When it’s hung to my satisfaction,’ I said haughtily.
I put it near the top again.
This time the kiss was of the lingering variety and my fingers weaved into his hair at the back of his neck. ‘Thank you, Noah.’
‘I should have bought the whole store,’ he said and tugged me to him, giving me another kiss. ‘However, there’s more.’ He pulled away and handed me a box of large red glass baubles and a couple of strings of tinsel in silver and gold.
It took a while before I was happy with the placement of the tinsel, and he rearranged a couple of the baubles because I’d bunched them all together and there were too many at the top, apparently.
‘You need to save space for the special ornaments. These are the fillers.’
‘Oh,’ I said.
‘So, here’s a special one.’ This parcel contained an Edge snow globe ornament.
‘When did you get that?’ I asked, my voice pitching in surprise.
He shrugged. I put my hands on his shoulders and kissed him again before turning to place the ornament on the tree.
As soon as I turned round again, he handed me a hot-dog ornament, which made laugh, reminding me of the hot-dog cart we’d visited.
Then he handed me another box.
‘You really have been very sneaky,’ I said. He had, he’d sneaked into my heart and for tonight I was done fighting it. ‘I had no idea you were buying any of this stuff.’
‘Good.’ He grinned.
This time I almost burst into tears. ‘Oh, Noah.’
I lifted the pretty crystal angel from Bryant Park and held it up by the thread between two fingers, the light sparkled through the pale mauve glass. ‘It’s beautiful. You shouldn’t have.’
‘There’s more.’
I delved into the tissue paper and this time withdrew the tiny scarlet glass dragon I’d admired so much. ‘You bought me this?’
‘You liked it,’ said Noah simply.
‘I do. I love it.’ A tear spilled down my face and I caught my bottom lip in my teeth.
He lifted my chin, kissing me on the forehead.
For some reason the gesture almost floored me.
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him.
He held me, my head tucking into the crook of his neck and the world slowed.
I felt the seismic shift inside. I could love this man.
For a moment I clung to him, savouring the feeling of coming home.
I felt him kiss the top of my head. I couldn’t let go, even though I knew I’d have to, eventually.
‘There’s more,’ he said sheepishly and produced a couple more packages.
‘I’ve probably gone a bit over the top but…
’ I unwrapped each one to find an owl just like the one on the tree in the library, a little ice skater in a red dress and red boots which reminded me of watching the skaters at the Rockefeller Center, and finally one of The Plaza, topped with a wreath.
‘Noah, this is brilliant.’ I hung each one and then stood back to admire the tree. I could see that there was a souvenir of everywhere we’d been together in the last few days.
He came to stand behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. ‘I wanted you to have a Christmas of your own to remember.’
Noah had officially unearthed my heart. I turned around within the circle of his arms. When his mouth lowered to mine, I leaned into his lips pouring all my hope and longing into the kiss.
It was Noah who pulled back, with a rueful smile. ‘I think we should switch the lights on and finish the champagne before it gets too late. I’ve got an early start in the morning.’
‘Early start?’
‘I’ve got a training session in the morning. My agent fixed up for me to go out to Orangeburg to do some drills training with New York City Football Club.’
‘Wow, that’s great.’
‘Mmm,’ he said, tracing my lips with his thumb in a way that made my knees weak.
I patted his cheek and tried to hide my disappointment, even though I should have been feeling relieved that he was the one slowing things down.
‘Oh, the trials of being a professional athlete,’ I said flippantly, trying to hide that I was in danger of turning into an uncharacteristic puddle of mush.
‘It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to do it.’ His smile was quick, and we both knew that this was merely a raincheck, and the anticipation of what was to come was a rather lovely thing to hold onto.
.