10. Nolan
10
NOLAN
T hey left Aunt Edna to her date with Drew and headed out to his place. In no time at all, he had the tree positioned in the corner of his living room, near the window. Laney said it would look good from the outside, and who was he to argue? Everything she touched looked magical.
Laney had disappeared into the kitchen, promising to make him one of her favorite Italian peasant meals she’d learned during her time there. While she bustled around the kitchen making adorable noises with the pots and pans and sometimes singing along with the Christmas music playing through the built-in speakers, he set to work stringing the lights onto his tree. He could get used to her being here in his house, making it feel like a home. He turned on the gas fireplace and breathed in the scent of the fir needles, happier than he’d felt in a long time.
Soon, he had the ornaments unpacked and had strung the lights on the tree. He wandered into the kitchen to check in with his date. Laney was just opening a bottle of wine. “Would you like a glass?”
“I’d love some.” He sat on one of his stools at the island, watching her as she poured the burgundy-hued wine into glasses.
He breathed in the delicious aroma of simmering tomatoes and herbs. “That smells really good.”
“Chicken cacciatore is one of my favorites, even though it’s not considered fancy or anything in Italy. Cacciatore means hunter-style, which reflects a rusty, hearty type of cooking associated with the countryside. In southern Italy, it includes red wine, tomatoes, and whatever else people happen to have. Olives. Peppers. Onions.”
“I can’t wait to try it. I could get used to having you around cooking for me.”
“There’s almost nothing I love more. And this kitchen is so much fun to cook in. I’m having a blast. I hope you don’t mind how I’ve taken over.”
“I can’t say that I do.”
“What’s a typical night like for you?” Laney asked.
“You mean when I don’t have a gorgeous woman cooking for me?” He thought for a moment about how to answer. “It’s quiet. I usually just make something simple, then watch a little television or sports and then read in bed until I fall asleep. I’m pretty boring.”
“I like boring.”
“What about for you? Before you came here, that is.” He wanted to understand everything about this amazing woman. Her past. Her present. Hopefully a future. With him.
“I rented an apartment in Brooklyn for the last five years. My work with various small businesses let me to work from home, unless I was meeting with a client. At night I liked to go out with friends for a meal or a walk. The last few years, I’d be out to dinner with Josh a couple of nights a week. I fall asleep reading every night too.”
“Did you and Josh live together?”
“No. That’s not for me. No judgment against others, but I wanted to be married before we moved in together. That was actually a bone of contention between us.”
“How so?” He sipped his wine, watching her, curious about her relationship with Josh. How the man had ever let her go was beyond him.
“I was raised in the church. He was not. So, we didn’t always see eye to eye. Obviously. Since he was carrying on with my best friend behind my back.” She said it lightly, but a hint of hurt was evident by the way her voice grew huskier.
“You’ve handled all this really well. Most people would still be curled into a ball under their covers.”
She tugged the lid off the pot and stirred the sauce with a wooden spoon, her hair falling over her face for a second so that he could not read her expression. “I think there’s a reason I’m not.”
She spoke so softly that he found himself leaning forward. He never wanted to miss one word this woman uttered. “Yeah? What’s that?” Nolan asked.
Tossing her hair over her shoulders, she looked directly at him. “You. I can barely remember what Josh looks like.”
“That can’t be true,” Nolan said, laughing.
“It is true. But I know what you look like. You’re seared into my brain.” She tapped her temple.
He warmed from the inside out. How was she still so sweet and innocent after all that had happened to her recently? She hadn’t changed much at all from when they were fourteen. Did she think the same of him?
Laney returned her attention back to her pot of steaming sauce, her cheeks flushed from the heat and steam. Such creamy skin. And those eyes.
“You’re going to have to teach me how to make this,” Nolan said, trying to distract himself from how badly he wanted to set her on the counter and kiss her.
Laney glanced up with a grin. “It’s not at all hard. In fact, it’s a very forgiving recipe.”
“Sounds like the perfect meal for me then.”
She placed the lid back on the pot and came around the island to sit next to him. “What a great day this has been. Thank you for spending time with me. I thought the holidays were going to be awful, but they haven’t been. Because of you and Aunt Edna and this special town. I’m feeling very blessed.”
“I’m sorry for what you’re going through, but I’m only too happy to be the lucky one who gets to spend time with you.” He hesitated, a lump forming in his throat. “Like I said earlier, since Dylan died, I haven’t enjoyed the holidays much. Since he was killed at the beginning of December, it made the holidays rough that year, obviously. Unfortunately, it’s been like that ever since. I find myself faking it through most of the festivities. But not this year. Because of you.”
“I’m glad.” They smiled at each other, knees touching. “But that kind of loss changes a person forever. There’s no way around it. For the rest of your life, December will be the month your friend died.”
“Will it be the month you didn’t have a honeymoon?”
She laughed. “No, I don’t think so. The longer I’m here, the more I know it was all meant to unfold the way it did. I’m lucky. I got away from him, and now I have a chance for a whole new life.”
“And love.”
“That’s right.”
They looked into each other’s eyes. How was it that he didn’t want to look away? He didn’t feel the need to hide his feelings around her, and that amazed him.
Laney gave him a quick peck before jumping from the stool. “I’m going to mash the potatoes, and then we can eat.”
Nolan set the table for two while she finished up their dinner and plated their food. A few minutes later, they were seated.
“Is it all right if I say a prayer?” Laney asked, flushing.
“Please do. My mother will love that about you. She chastises my brothers and me when we just start eating before we give thanks.”
They bowed their heads, and Laney thanked the Lord for the food and the company. Then they dug into the savory dish. He grunted in appreciation, enjoying the Italian herbs and garlic paired with the tangy tomato sauce. The chicken was so tender he cut it with his fork.
“I could eat this every night,” he said, tearing off a piece of a baguette to soak up more of the sauce.
“What’s your favorite Christmas memory?” Laney asked out of nowhere.
“What makes you ask?”
“I don’t know. I want to know everything about you.”
“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” Nolan said. “Okay, let’s see. Favorite memory? There’s a lot of them. My mother always made the holidays special. But one stands out. When I was eight, my family went Christmas caroling with our church. We weren’t great singers, but it didn’t matter. We sang our little hearts out, going from one business to the next and ending up at the gazebo. You know, in the square.”
“Sure.”
“Like it is now, it was all lit up. And we’d just started singing ‘Silent Night’ when I noticed a man dropping to one knee in front of his girlfriend. He proposed right there. When we finished the song, the entire town square started clapping and cheering for us and the couple. It touched my romantic soul, even at eight years old. I always imagined I would propose to someone special that same way.” Nolan paused. Should he reveal so much so soon? What the heck. This was Laney. She would understand. “Later, after that summer we spent together, I often imagined it was you to whom I proposed.”
Her eyes flew open wide. “Really? Oh, that’s so romantic.”
“Or pathetic, depending on how you look at it.”
Laney rested her chin on her hand, studying him. “There’s nothing pathetic about it. The truth is, we bonded in a way that summer that wasn’t easy to forget. I know I never did. There were times over the years I thought about asking my aunt for your number, but then I’d chicken out. I assumed it was only me who had trouble forgetting the way we’d felt about each other.”
“You weren’t.”
“Do you think it’s fate that brought me back here?” Laney asked.
“I could make a good argument for it. Maybe we were never meant to walk away forever?”
“We had to go live a little first. Grow up. And then find our way back to each other.” She sipped from her wineglass. “That day, after I threw a shoe at Josh’s head as he was running out of the bride’s room, I got down on my knees and I prayed to God, asking him what I should do. And I swear, clear as day, he told me to go with Aunt Edna. She hadn’t even asked me yet, but it’s what I knew I should do.”
“Amazing.”
“I know. And then, my first shift at the store, in you come.”
“It’s hard to explain it all away as coincidence,” Nolan said.
“There is one minor thing that could disrupt all of our holiday fun. My mother and father are coming for Christmas. Aunt Edna said it was okay.”
“Is something worrying you about it?”
“Yes. To be totally honest, I’m anticipating my mother being very difficult. She’s not going to understand any of this.”
“By this, do you mean me?”
“You. Staying in Sugarville Grove. Buying out my aunt and taking over the bookstore. And I’m going to have to fight my natural tendencies, which is to please her. I’ve been thinking about it since I got here—my people pleasing syndrome is out of control. In the past, I haven’t been able to tell what I want versus what I know others want. The last few days, I’ve connected with what I want, who I really am. And that person and the choices I’m about to make are not going to make any sense to my mother.”
“But you have to do them anyway.”
“That’s right. I have to be strong. I talk a good game now but the minute she gets here, I’m terrified I’ll crumble.”
He really hoped, for his sake, that she found it in herself to stand up to her mother. If he lost her now—again—he would be devastated.
“The good news is that I now know what I want,” Laney said. “It’s what I’ve always wanted. To live in Sugarville Grove and marry Nolan Hayes.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that.”
“I’m glad you did.” His heart soared higher and higher until he thought he might burst from joy. “I want the same thing.”
“No one will get this,” Laney said.
“You’re right. They’ll think we’ve lost touch with reality.”
“But we know the truth, right?”
“That we belong together?” Nolan asked.
“Don’t you think?”
“I do. I do absolutely think we belong together. And we’re going to have to make a pact that no matter what my family or yours says, we know the truth.”
They finished dinner, talking more about their dreams for the future and all of the memories they could make together. By the time they were finished, both of their plates and glasses were empty. But he felt full in a way food never could fill a person, of life and love and the possibilities for the future.
“Shall we decorate that tree?” Laney asked. “And do the dishes later?”
“Yes. Let’s do it.” He poured them each another glass of wine. “Lead the way.”
He’d lined all the ornaments up on the coffee table, except for the balls, which were still tucked into their packages.
Laney held up the carved wooden reindeer. “The craftsmanship on some of these is exquisite. So much better than some generic ornaments you could find anywhere.”
“As far as I know, the ornaments sold out at the tree farm are all made by local artists.” Nolan stepped back to look at the tree. “My mom buys a few every year, usually ones that represent something that recently happened.”
“We should do that.” She tugged on her earring. “I mean, you should do that.”
If he had anything to do with it, she would be right here by his side at this time next year.
Nolan picked up the snowy cabin ornament from the coffee table. He turned it over in his hands, the painted details catching the light. “This one reminds me of Sugarville Grove.”
“Me too. I love it. This commemorates the first Christmas I spent in Sugarville Grove. With you.”
While he hung the cabin, she reached for the fox ornament. “When we look back on this, we’ll remember this was the year I bought Clever Fox Bookstore.”
He grinned, never happier with any words spoken ever. “You have a deal.” He picked up the brass bell. Its small clapper made a soft chime as he held it up. “What do you think? Does this one have a meaning we can tie to the year?”
Laney’s eyes lit up. “Hmm…wedding bells?”
He must have made a face, because she laughed. “Not the ones I didn’t have but the ones I might have,” Laney said.
“Do you mean it?” He reached for her, brushing her hair away from her face. “Do you really want this? It’s not just something you’re getting yourself wrapped up in as a way to get over your broken heart? Because if that’s true, it might permanently break me.”
“It’s not true.” She cupped his face in her hands. “We both need to have a little faith. In each other as well as whatever fate has in store for us.”
Laney turned her attention to the wooden snowflakes, picking up one and holding it against the light to admire its intricate design. “These will remind us of the early snowfall this year.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Nolan said, handing her a few more. They worked together to scatter them evenly, each snowflake adding a rustic charm to the tree.
When they came to the red velvet ribbons, Laney paused. “I’ve always wanted ribbons for my tree.”
“How come you didn’t have them before now?”
She blinked, looking at him. “You know, I have no idea. Probably because my mother wouldn’t like them, so I just went along with whatever she thought.”
“Did you have a tree in your apartment last year?”
She shook her head. “No. I went to my parents’ house and didn’t have the energy to deal with a tree of my own. Work had been really busy, and I had this permanent eye twitch thing going on, and I was so stressed out. Gosh, I was tired a lot back then. I didn’t even realize how much.”
“But not now?”
“I feel alive. Like really alive. Do you know this morning I woke up with a little flutter of excitement in my gut, thinking about the day I was about to have. I can’t remember feeling like that since I was fourteen.” She grinned.
He pulled her against him. “Has it been as you hoped?”
“Better. Absolutely better.”
Reluctantly, he let her go, returning to the task at hand. As the tree filled out, they added the remaining ornaments and silver bulbs for a touch of shimmer.
Finally, Nolan picked up the silver star tree topper. “Shall we finish this off?”
“Do it.”
He carefully placed the star on the highest branch, adjusting it until it sat perfectly straight. “What do you think?”
Laney stepped back, her gaze sweeping over the tree. “I think we did pretty great. There’s room for more, but we’ll have to collect them each year until every branch is filled.”
They stood admiring the tree for a moment, Christmas music playing softly in the background.
“The tree lighting in town is happening in a few days,” Nolan said. “I haven’t been since Dylan’s death. But I’d like to go this year, if you’ll go with me?”
“I would love to,” Laney said.
“It’s a big thing here in Sugarville Grove. There’s a snowball fight beforehand, but I suggest we skip that.”
She nodded, grinning. “I think that’s best. I’d prefer not having a black eye for Christmas.”
“Dance with me.” He held out his hands.
Laney blinked, then laughed as she took his hands. “Right here?”
“Is there a better place?”
Her mouth stretched into a mischievous grin. “I can’t think of one.”
“Hold on,” Nolan said, releasing her hands. “Let me pick a good song for us.” He scrolled through his phone before choosing a soft, classic Christmas tune—a slow, crooning version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
He turned back to her, holding out her arms. “My lady, may I have this dance?”
Laney smiled. “I’d be honored.”
He pulled her against him and wrapped both arms around her waist. They swayed together in front of the fire, with the twinkling lights making it all seem like a wonderful dream.
“You’re a good dancer,” Laney said, glancing up and into his eyes.
“You make it easy.”
Laney rested her head against his chest. “I can hear your heart beating.”
Did she know it beat for her?
He was pretty sure she did.