Chapter 18
HOPPER
I shook Noel’s shoulder. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
Noel’s nose scrunched up, and he made a quiet sound of complaint. He was curled like a pill bug, hair splayed across the pillow, and it was the stillest I’d seen him be since he’d returned home.
He’d been planning, shopping, and experimenting with recipes ever since he’d agreed to take on that dinner party. And that was on top of two more events he’d set up for the tree farm. We’d all eaten very well as Noel figured out the dishes he wanted to serve, but he was running himself ragged.
Especially when he was staying up late with me every night.
Maybe I should just leave him to sleep. I could pick up the supplies for our Scavenge with Santa and tree-decorating contests coming later this week.
I tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, and Noel’s eyelids fluttered. “Wha’s up?”
I hesitated. The guy really needed more rest. “Nothing. Sleep more. I’ll take care of the supply run.”
His eyes shot open. “I’m awake.”
“I can handle it. You could sleep in.”
He sat up. “Give me ten minutes to shower. I told Kevin we’d meet up so I could give him the menu to review.”
Noel was rolling out of bed before I could offer to deliver the menu for him. Trying to get him to relax was a lost cause. I smiled as he went to the dresser and tugged out a pair of jeans and a forest-green fleece pullover.
“What?” he asked, noting my expression.
I shrugged. “You’re like the Energizer Bunny. I don’t know how you keep going and going.”
“It’s second nature by now,” he said. “You think this is busy? You should see some of the shifts I pulled in restaurants.”
I frowned. “That can’t be healthy.”
“Nope,” Noel agreed as he picked up a small zippered bag of toiletries. “But it has its perks.” His eyes skimmed over me. “None quite as good as you, though.”
With a sexy grin that sent a charge of electricity through me, he slipped out the door and headed for the shower.
True to his word, he was ready to leave ten minutes later. We poured him a mug of coffee and walked out to my pickup.
We buckled into our seats, and I started the engine. “Couldn’t you have just emailed the menu?”
“Yeah, but I want to go over it,” he said. “Make sure they’re really happy.”
I shifted into drive and turned onto the rutted lane that led out to the highway. “If it’s anything like that chicken potato soup you served, they’ll love it.”
“The chowder? I decided not to serve it.”
“What? Why?”
“It’s too heavy. It threw the rest of the menu out of balance.”
“But it was delicious,” I said sadly.
He smiled. “Aw, sorry, Hop. Maybe I can make it again just for you.”
“You think you’re joking, but I’m gonna hold you to that. Consider it my Christmas present before—”
I bit down on the rest of the words that had nearly flown from my mouth. Before you go.
My stomach clenched uncomfortably as a heavy silence settled between us. I cleared my throat. “So, uh, where are we meeting Kevin?”
“Oh! Let me look.” Noel raised his phone and pulled up a text stream with Kevin. They’d exchanged numbers after Noel agreed to hold the party, but judging by how much he had to scroll, they’d talked about a lot more than arranging this meetup.
“Either Kevin is a total diva, which he is, or you two have gotten friendly.”
Noel sent me a small smile. “I guess we have. He’s genuine and funny. I love how he’s unapologetically himself. I wish I’d met him in high school, you know? I might have felt differently about living around here.”
That stung. Noel knew me in high school, and I’d never been enough to win his friendship, much less inspire him to stay.
Noel glanced up from the phone, smile slipping. “Oh, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You relate to Kevin. I get it.”
Noel slid a hand onto my thigh. “If I’d known about you…”
I swallowed. “I didn’t even know about me. I was so consumed with my mother’s illness, our worries about the farm, that I didn’t have space for anything else.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Noel said. “I’m sorry that I never really noticed you were having a hard time.”
“Well, we weren’t really friends back then, and you had your own problems.” I grimaced. “I did a lot of pretending everything was okay. Lots of big smiles so no one would ask questions.”
Noel squeezed my thigh. “That must have been awful.”
I slipped my hand over his, breathing through a tight throat. “So, where are we meeting Kevin? Did you find the text?”
Noel let me change the subject. He glanced back at his phone. “Doughnut shop? I haven’t been there.”
I chuckled. “Well, you’re in for a treat.”
Noel lifted his travel cup of coffee and took a gulp.
“Just, uh, save some of that coffee so you can have some with the doughnuts,” I said. “You don’t want to drink theirs.”
He gave me a strange look. “Okay.”
“Trust me,” I said.
He smiled. “I always do.”
That smile was dangerous. We’d only been hooking up a little over a week, and my connection with Noel was already the strongest I’d formed with anyone in years.
It was going to hurt like hell when he went home.
I took us through town, navigating my way from the highway to Main Street, then cruised past the downtown businesses. Noel had been here with me when we delivered trees, and we’d distributed event fliers since then.
It was just chance that he hadn’t noticed the doughnut shop—or the sign above its large, plate-glass window.
He noticed now, breaking into a laugh as I pulled into an angled parking spot out front.
“Glazed Holes? Really?”
“The owners have a sense of humor,” I said with a grin. “So when downtown revitalized and a lot of the businesses renamed themselves, they did this.”
Noel followed me inside, still chuckling over the name. The scent of sugar, cinnamon, and burned coffee hit us immediately. Kevin hopped up from a table, where he sat with his brother, Hunter, and hurried over, wearing tight, clingy jeans and a black sweatshirt with a hood sporting cat ears.
“Hey!” Kevin said, greeting us. “Thanks for meeting up.”
“Of course.” Noel handed him the menu. “I want to make sure you like everything in the lineup and that there are no allergy concerns. If anything at all doesn’t match your vision for the evening—”
Kevin laughed, looking at me. “He’s kidding, right?”
“He’s not. He wants it to be perfect.”
Noel looked confused. “What am I missing?”
Kevin shook his head, affecting disappointment. “It’s just that you think we’re sophisticated enough to question your judgment when you’re an amazing chef.”
Noel rolled his eyes. “I’m not that amazing.”
“Trust me, you’ve got better taste than me and my brother. My parents will be thanking you profusely for saving them from a dinner made by us.”
Noel laughed at that. “Just look over the menu while we order. Then I’ll answer any questions you might have.”
“Will do.”
We turned to the glass counter, where Miles was waiting, eyebrow quirked up in curiosity. “What do we have here, Hopper? Might he be…” He gasped and raised a hand over his mouth. “A virgin?”
Noel’s eyes widened. “I haven’t been accused of that in a few years.”
Miles grinned. “A Glazed Hole virgin, I mean.” He leaned over the counter. “And if that’s not clear enough, a Glazed Hole doughnut shop virgin is what I mean.”
He waggled his eyebrows.
Noel turned to me. “Just how slutty do I look?”
Miles barked a laugh. “Oh, I like you. So, what will you two be having today?” He pointed to the case. “We’ve got some delish blackcurrant jelly rolls. New recipe.”
“Ooh, sign me up,” Noel said.
I ordered a cup full of their plain glazed doughnut holes. Miles shook his head and clucked. He tossed in a gingerbread cake doughnut topped with molasses. “On the house, so you’re not totally boring.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly.
He looked at Noel, smiling enigmatically. “A new flavor can be fun.”
Noel and I haggled over who should pay for the doughnuts, but I won by reminding him that the dinner party for Kevin was a favor to me.
I thrust my bank card out to Miles.
“Dinner party, huh? You’re a chef.” He glanced at Noel with interest. “Do you have a business card?”
“Oh, no, I’m just visiting town,” Noel said. “My parents own the Grisold Tree Farm on the highway about twenty minutes from here.”
“Oh. Too bad. Jake’s grandma has a ninetieth birthday coming up. Would have been fun to do something special.”
He rang up the sale, then handed back my card. I picked up our bag of doughnuts and followed Noel over to the table where Kevin and Hunter sat.
They made an odd pair of brothers, one a femboy who wore makeup better than most fashion models, his hair highlighted in pink, and rocking glittery nails with little Christmas tree decals, and the other in business-casual attire, a conservative haircut, and a nice layer of stubble over a square jaw.
They had more in common than at first glance, though, because Hunter was happily married to a man.
“Thanks again for doing this,” Hunter said when we sat down with them. “Our parents are going to love it.”
“You’re very welcome,” Noel said warmly. “You reviewed the menu items? I want to make sure you don’t think the sausage apple pies are too provincial.”
Hunter and Kevin exchanged a look, probably as unsure of what he meant by that as I was.
“Who doesn’t love a good pastry?” Hunter settled for saying.
“I’ll bake them in small, individual ramekins. It’ll look elegant, and—”
“They’re tasty as hell,” I interrupted. “Noel has been testing most of these recipes on us.”
“I’m hungry now,” Kevin complained with a pout, even though he had a doughnut in front of him topped with frosting, sprinkles, and marshmallows.
“Eat your sugar,” Hunter said, nudging him with an elbow. “I did have one question about the menu.”
Beside me, Noel tensed. I could tell that even though he was inviting criticism, he didn’t really want any. Who could blame him? He’d created a beautiful menu. If they wanted to swap something out, he’d have to put even more work in, and it was already being done on short notice.
“What is a bacon brie tree?”
“Oh!” Noel laughed a little. “It’s just rolls filled with cranberry sauce, bacon, and brie, but I’ll arrange them to bake into the shape of a tree. Unless you think that’s too Christmassy. I tried to use elements of the season without overshadowing your parents’ anniversary.”
“Oh, that’s so clever,” Kevin said.
“Sounds great,” Hunter said. “We’re fine with a little touch of Christmas. Right, Kev?”
Kevin nodded. “If it’s full of bacon and brie, hell yes.”
Noel laughed. “I could ditch the tree shape, if you’d rather just have rolls?”
“No way,” Hunter said. “My heart is set on this now.”
Noel smiled. “Okay, wonderful. Let me just go over a few more things to make sure there’s no confusion.”
While Noel read out his menu, explaining each dish in more detail, I shoved the gingerbread doughnut into my mouth. It was spiced perfectly, and I hummed happily, not even noticing I’d caught everyone’s attention.
“Sorry,” I murmured. “Carry on.”
Noel smiled. “That’s what I want my food to do for everyone.”
“Trust me, babe, your food is even better,” I said.
Kevin’s smile widened, reminding me of the last time he’d performed as Sassy Solo, his drag queen persona. “Well, it’s like that, is it?”
“Like what?”
Noel shifted. “Uh, you called me babe.”
“I did?” Everyone nodded, Kevin still looking like the damn cat who’d gotten the cream. “Sorry. It just slipped out.”
“Aw, don’t apologize,” Kevin said. “Just appreciate what you’ve got.” He looked at Noel. “Hopper’s a great guy, really. He has the biggest heart.”
“I’ve noticed,” Noel said softly.
Kevin turned to me. “And Noel is way out of your league. Way to go, country boy.”
I scowled. “He grew up at the farm next door.”
Kevin waved a hand. “Yeah, but that was a Christmas tree farm. Totally different. Plus, he’s a chef. That means he has better taste than all of us combined.”
Noel chuckled. “You give me too much credit.”
Hunter had to get back to work, and Kevin had some errands to run, so they said their goodbyes. We finished our doughnuts, then hopped into the car to drive over to Riverton.
We had a whole list of items we needed for our upcoming events at the farm, and it was best to grab them on a day the farm was closed. I drove us to a party store, where we could buy extra decorations, ornament sets for the tree-decorating contest, and more lights for the dinner party.
Next, we stopped by a bed, bath, and supply store, where Noel spent forever sorting through table runners, china, lanterns, vases, candles, and other materials for table centerpieces.
When I grumbled about how he was spending too much on this, he just shrugged.
“We want their night to be perfect, Hop. Besides, you heard Miles. Maybe the farm will host events again in the future.”
My heart missed a beat. “But you’ll be gone. Won’t you?”
He sent me a small smile. “So, you’ll hire in caterers. You don’t need me.”
I wanted to disagree. More and more, I did need him. The idea of carrying on without him ached like a wound in my chest.
“It wouldn’t be the same,” I said gruffly.
“No,” he agreed. “I know.”
Noel finally made his purchases, and we stopped by the larger hardware store to pick up some lumber.
“What do we need this for?” Noel asked.
“Just some signs I’m thinking of making for the scavenger hunt,” I lied.
I had another project in mind, but I didn’t want to share it just yet.
By the time we’d finished our shopping, it was three in the afternoon—and my stomach growled loudly. We’d had doughnuts at ten, and we’d skipped lunch. We could go back to the farmhouse and reheat some of the delicious leftovers from Noel’s menu planning, or…
“How would you feel about going out to eat?” I asked.
He looked surprised. “Oh. Do you want to?”
I shrugged. “You’ve done a lot of cooking for everyone since you got here. Let me feed you for a change.”
His lips spread into a pleased smile. “That might be nice.”