Chapter Nine
Noa
Nobody on the island appreciates my Christmas spirit or the system I have developed to get everything done. If they would just trust me, everything would go so much faster, and with a lot fewer arguments about where the lights should go.
“The lights go on the outside of the tent.”
“You said the inside,” Clay snaps.
“I said outside, then inside. It has to be in that order. Outside first, so you can see them from all over the island, and we make sure they look right. Then we do inside, so the guests feel like they get the entire experience.”
Clay gives me his infamous death glare. “You did not say that,” he seethes.
“I most certainly did. You must not have been listening.”
“Noa,” Leni says, appearing beside me with a box of decorations and string lights looped around her arms. “You definitely said inside.”
“I said . . . Fine, I may have said inside, but I meant outside first and then inside.”
Clay takes the lights from Leni and walks away without argument. He should have known since we do this every year, and it’s the one time of year I’m in charge. Christmas is my holiday, and I want everything to be perfect for Valli.
Leni watches Clay walk away and then turns to me. “You are a terrible project manager.”
“I am an excellent project manager. I’m working with people who don’t listen.”
Leni snorts at me. “You have given three different people three different instructions for the lights.”
“Let’s just call it delegating with flexibility.”
She throws her head back and laughs. This year has been more stressful—Cave isn’t here, it’s Valli’s first Christmas on the island, and she has her sister visiting. It’s a lot of stress for one man.
Khodi lingers nearby, which has been entertaining to watch, as he has appeared a few times under various pretexts.
Once to check on the generator for the lights, which is Cipher’s job.
Once to ask Clay something that was not important, and another time to carry boxes that Leni could have carried herself.
Each time he talks to her, she blushes and laughs at things that are not funny.
Currently, Leni is sorting through a box of ornaments, with her back to the tent, while Khodi is talking to Clay, but every few seconds he looks her way.
I walk over to where they stand.
“You know I can see you,” I say to Khodi.
He diverts his gaze to me. “I’m working.”
“You are looking at my sister.”
Khodi laughs. “She isn’t your sister.”
“She is my future sister, and I’m telling you I am watching you, buddy.”
Khodi picks up a string of lights and hands one end to Clay, then ignores me as Clay shakes his head.
Storming off, I head back to Leni, who looks up from the box.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing,” I lie. I like this big-brother thing.
She follows my gaze to where Khodi is now focusing on hanging the lights. “Noa.”
“What? I said nothing.”
She shakes her head. “You have the least subtle face of any person I have ever met.”
“That’s not true—I am extremely subtle.”
She gives me a look, a lot like the one Valli gives me when she is frustrated, and it only makes me smile more. “You win, I’m not subtle at all, but I am still not telling you. Now, get back to work.”
She laughs and goes back to rifling in the box, and I return to making sure everything is running according to plan. The island looks good in Christmas mode. It might not be a winter wonderland, and more of a Halloween Christmas mash-up, but it suits us.
Rue is all over the menu, and I have a taste test this afternoon. Of course, I agreed to it because his food is to die for, and not because I don’t trust him.
Valli is due back from her visit with Cave soon, though I’m still upset I haven’t been able to see him.
Nixie says that Cave listens to Valli and that right now we need no incidents.
It’s not that she thinks it would turn bad if we saw him; rather, we don’t want to overwhelm him.
I get it, but it fucking sucks. I see Cipher breaking on the inside, and I want to help him.
He will never admit anything, though, so there isn’t much I can do.
“Valli is heading back over the bridge,” Clay yells out. I asked Ares to radio him so I could meet her.
I hand a hammer and the wreath I picked up to Leni. “Put these somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere, use your judgment—you’re good at that.”
Leni mutters something, but I am already moving toward the front gate. When I reach the parking lot, Valli is getting out of Nixie’s car. She smiles and runs toward me, throwing her arms around my neck. I love seeing her so happy.
“How was it?”
“Good,” she says. “Actually, it was really good.” She reaches into her bag and pulls something out, holding it toward me.
It’s a scarecrow, about the size of my palm, made from paper torn and folded from a magazine. It has a hat and everything. The legs are slightly uneven, and that makes me smile. I take it from her carefully.
“How cute is it?”
My eyes gloss over and my heart squeezes.
Fuck, I miss him. I never realized just how much I cared until now.
I know now I love the guy. I may not be in love with him, but he is one of my people.
He’s someone I would trust with my life, and I’m sure there are only three of us who would ever say those words about Cave.
I hand it back to her carefully, knowing without a doubt that if I keep ahold of it, I will accidentally crush it and then be mad at myself.
Valli puts it back into her bag, and I pull her in for a hug.
“Thank god you’re back. Your sister doesn’t believe I’m a good project manager, and Clay is getting lippy. And Khodi keeps ogling your sister, plus there is a light situation.”
Valli pulls back and takes my hand, then waves at Nixie.
When we get back to the tent, Leni is standing on a chair, trying to reach the top of the entrance to hang the wreath, and Khodi is holding the chair steady.
The afternoon goes by quickly now that Valli is back, but no one seems to give her any attitude when she delegates the tasks.
Rue sets tables up inside the tent, and staff carry out the food he has been cooking all day for us to try.
People drift in and out, grabbing a bite to eat, and by the time daylight dims, the temperature drops, and people pack up for the day, the tent and most of the main paths are done. I feel good about where things are at.
“It looks great,” Leni says, and I agree.
We only have two days to complete the Christmas transformation, as Nixie closes the island for forty-eight hours and not a second more. It takes long hours and a lot of work.
“Does anyone know where Khodi went?” Valli looks at her sister sideways after that non-subtle question, and Leni smirks back at her. “What? He’s hot and I deserve a little Christmas cheer.”
Valli shakes her head. “He’ll be helping Clay do the final checks for the night, so feel free to find him. I’m sure after the looks you were trading today, he might want to see you too.”
“Are you sure? I would feel terrible leaving you.”
Valli laughs. “Sure you would. But I have my men to keep me company until you get back.”
Valli wiggles her brows and Leni screws up her nose. “Eww, gross. You could have left that part out.”
“Make sure Khodi brings you back to the shed,” I say sternly. “And don’t walk around in the dark, as you don’t know the island well yet. Or call Valli, and I will come and get you.”
Leni nods solemnly. “Yes, big bro.”
I open my mouth, then snap it shut. I actually like the sound of that, and Valli laughs when I smile. Leni wanders away to hunt for Khodi while Valli and I head back to the shed.
Cipher has beaten us back, but Valli tells us she is taking the first shower, kisses him on the cheek, and drops her bag on his workbench before heading to the bathroom.
“Valli told me about the scarecrow earlier,” he says.
Though I hate going through a woman’s bag, I quickly grab it, careful not to touch anything else.
As I hand it to him, he gently takes it, smiling as he looks down.
“I have been feeling bad because I keep wondering if maybe that place may be good for him in a way. Though I know it’s stupid, what if it can help him?
But I love him exactly the way he is. See? Stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. I sometimes wonder if a doctor could fix me. It wasn’t until we met Valli that I realized people could love me for who I am, and you just want the best for him.”
“You’re not broken, Noa, not even close.”
“Look at us having a moment.”
Cipher smiles and shakes his head.
“That has to go on the shelf,” I say, pointing to the mini scarecrow.
“I agree,” he says, putting it on the shelf above his workbench. We both look at it for a while, where it sits between his coffee jars filled with bolts and other random things he might need one day. It fits.
I chuckle to myself. “He is going to hate that it’s there.”
“He will pretend to hate it.”
The bathroom door opens, and Valli comes out freshly showered, her hair wrapped in a towel. Her eyes go straight to the scarecrow, and she smiles. “Perfect spot.”
“We thought so,” I say.
She comes closer and stands between us, resting her head on Cipher’s shoulder.
“You need to tell us how the visit went today.”
She nods and holds my gaze for a moment, then she tells us everything.
Not that there is much to relay from Cave since he doesn’t speak, but at this visit, there was a man named Shawn who filled them in on his progress.
Valli also shares how much tension was crackling between Shawn and Nixie, and we come up with a few theories; ideas we will never ask Nixie about because she will never tell us, but it’s fun to guess.
“I brought back leftovers,” Cipher says when Valli finishes telling us about her day and we’ve brainstormed our conspiracy theories.
We heat the food and sit around the table. “I wonder how late Leni will be,” I muse.
Valli whips her head around to face me. “I would much rather not think about that, thank you. It’s hard to believe my sister is a grownup. I don’t like it and plan to have a little chat with Khodi.”
“Chat or threats?” Cipher asks.
“Both, or maybe we save the threats for when Cave gets back. It will have a lot more impact.”
“I can be scary and intimidating when I need to be,” I say, holding up my fists, which sends everyone into fits of laughter.
Okay, so maybe I’m not all that scary, but if it comes down to it, I know how to dig the perfect hole. It’s just the right size for a body and the best way to cover my tracks. That should be enough to cause concern at the very least.