33. Addison
33
Addison
A ddison’s parents and friends were doing their best to keep her too busy to fall apart, but there was nothing to hold back her misery at night, alone in her little guestroom, surrounded by the happily-ever-after couples in her collection of books that lined the walls. But every morning, she got up, applied a little extra foundation to hide the circles under her eyes, put on something colorful and cheerful, and went out to face the day.
She had no choice. After she got Noel’s text, her parents had given her all of Monday to come undone. They’d even agreed to let her skip May’s Monday Movie Night at the drive-in theater, even though Addison had been so looking forward to taking them to the community event. But that had been when Noel was going to be part of the party.
Tuesday morning, however, her mother had practically dragged Addison out of bed, her father had fed and caffeinated her, then they loaded her into the car and they’d gone thrift store shopping all day. They’d returned to the apartment on Larkspur Lane tired and grungy, but with a trunk full of treasures, and after showers all around, Carl whipped up an enormous batch of spaghetti—“Nothing better than leftover spaghetti!” he insisted when Addison asked him why so much—while Vivian and Addison perused what felt like hundreds of options before agreeing on a British detective series to binge watch.
They spent Wednesday morning sightseeing around Autumn Lake on foot, much the same way she and Noel had done that first Saturday they’d toured the town together, and it took all of her willpower not to think about how much she’d enjoyed herself that day. “I’m making new memories,” she kept telling herself again and again. She wanted so much for her parents to love her little town; she wasn’t going to mope around in misery and ruin things for them.
They sat at the counter at Juno’s Coffee Bar for lunch, and Juno served them her signature roasted peppers and beef sandwiches, to which both Carl and Vivian gave their resounding stamp of approval. Then they headed over to The Cracked Spine for a surprise book signing and interview that Claire had somehow managed to orchestrate on such short notice. She’d let Addison in on her plans, but Carl and Vivian were surprised and delighted by the warm welcome they received upon entering the shop.
“I don’t know how you pulled this off,” Addison said to her friend as she watched her parents engaging with the small crowd that had come to see them. There were even folks from as far away as Indianapolis up north and Nashville to the south.
“I have my connections,” Claire told her with a wink. Then she added, “But really, your parents pull in a crowd on their own. I just sent out a mass email with a flyer to every bookstore and library in a hundred-mile radius, but people are here because they want to meet Carl and Vivian.”
That evening, they headed to Patsy’s Pizza, and by the time they climbed the steps to Addison’s deck, they all agreed that it had been a lovely day. Even Addison.
But alone in her room, she gazed out at the star-splashed night sky and wondered how everything had gone so wrong with Noel.
Thursday was another glorious spring day, so the Wedgewoods packed a picnic lunch and headed down the boardwalk toward the lake shore and joined several other families who were soaking up the sunshine and braving the chilly water. Addison made a hearty lentil soup that evening, and they finished the rest of the season of the detective show they’d started. Addison couldn’t remember the last time her parents had seemed so relaxed. She really hoped they’d take time off like this on a regular basis; she loved seeing them this way.
On Friday, Addison and her parents headed out of Autumn Lake to spend the day wandering around Evansville. There were some wonderful sights to see, among them a haunted library, the only operational World War II-era naval landing ship in the United States, and the Angel Mounds, one of the best-preserved, pre-contact Native American sites in North America.
Carl and Vivian both brought cameras, but to Addison’s surprise, her parents spent the day taking selfies of the three of them, rather than documenting the landmarks. “We’re here to see you, honey,” her father explained when she asked what else they wanted to see that day.
She knew how lucky she was to have parents like hers, and it broke her heart to think of Noel growing up with a father like the one she’d seen that night at the mines and then losing his mother so young. “I wish Noel could have had parents like you,” she admitted to them as they meandered the brick-paved streets of historical downtown Evansville.
“Maybe he will one day,” Vivian said, putting her arm around Addison and giving her a quick squeeze. “I don’t think we’d mind one bit, would we, Carl?”
“You guys are too much,” Addison said, although she secretly acknowledged that she wouldn’t mind having him join their family, either. Not a single, tiny bit at all. But right now, such a thing just seemed like wishful thinking.
They stopped in at the eclectic River City Coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up, and after perusing the Evansville-inspired products the shop carried, they purchased matching Evansville t-shirts, which they wore proudly the rest of the day.
The day in the city ended at the Gerst Haus, an iconic German restaurant famous for its fresh wiener schnitzel and bratwurst, as well as their fishbowl goblets of German amber beer. By the time they got back to Autumn Lake, the sun was setting spectacularly over the lake, so they parked down by the boardwalk and sat on the shore to watch the show.
“Thank you for being here,” Addison said in a hushed voice. The glorious sky demanded reverence, and she sat there between her parents, overwhelmed by gratitude.
As darkness fell, the night air grew chilly, and a breeze ruffled the water of the lake, nudging them into action. They drove the few blocks to Larkspur Lane, but as they pulled into the alley, Addison took her foot off the gas and let the car slow to a stop several yards away from her parking space.
Noel’s car was parked in the only other spot behind the Quill and Ink.
“Oh, my,” Vivian said from the passenger seat.
“Hm,” Carl added from the back seat.
“What do I do?” Addison asked, turning frantically to look at her mother.
“Well, I’d start with pulling in and parking, darling.”
“Then you can get out of the car,” her father said, leaning forward between them and resting his elbows on the front seat console.
Vivian snickered. “So helpful, love.”
“Thank you.”
“You guys,” Addison squawked. “You’re not helping at all!”
“Park your car, Addie,” Vivian said. “Start there.”
Addison took her foot off the brake and angled her car into the open spot next to Noel’s. She was half afraid to look over at it, so she made a big to-do about turning off the ignition and setting her emergency brake.
“He’s not in his car,” Carl said from the back seat.
“He must be upstairs already. Have you given him a key, darling?” Vivian asked.
“Mother! No, I have not given him a key to my apartment.”
Vivian raised both hands in surrender. “It was just a question.” When Addison just sat there, both hands gripping the steering wheel, her mother poked her in the ribs. “We’re home. Get out.”
“Oh. Right. Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at her father. “What do I say to him, Daddy?”
“Nothing,” Carl replied almost flippantly. “Let him talk. I’m assuming that’s what he’s come to do.”
“But—but then what?”
“Addison Wedgewood. Get your backside out of this car and go listen to whatever that man has to say. Now.” Vivian held out a hand to her, palm up. “And give me your keys.”
“Why?”
“Obey your mother.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d like your father to take me for a moonlit ride without you in the car with us. It’s a very romantic night out there, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Ew. Gross. Here.” She started to take her housekey off the ring, but her mother snatched the whole set from her before she could.
“Nope. If this is a kiss and make up session, you two need to stay outside. I know all about what kiss and make up sessions lead to.”
Addison rolled her eyes. “Oh, really?”
“How do you think you came about?” her father asked from the back seat.
“Oh, my gosh. You two are so disgusting.” Addison pushed open her door and reached back inside to grab her purse. “Scarred for life, here,” she quipped.
“You asked,” her mother said, handing the bunch of keys to her husband, who slid out of the backseat and gave Addison a hug.
“Go get ‘im, Tiger,” her father said, patting her gently on the cheek.
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“We’re rooting for you both!” he added in a very loud voice, his head tilted up toward the deck above them. Then he climbed behind the wheel and backed out of the parking space, practically peeling out on the gravel in his hurry to be gone.
Addison just stood there, watching the taillights of her car disappear around the corner. Taking a deep breath, she finally looked up at her deck. Nothing. There was no sign of life up there. No handsome man leaning out over the rail to see her, no footsteps on the stairs as he came down to greet her. Great. And now her parents had driven off with her house key and she was going to be stuck waiting outside, all alone, while they were off doing something scandalous, no doubt, that Addison really didn’t want to know about. She released a disappointed sigh, then turned toward the steps.
A movement above caught her eye, and she paused with one foot on the first step. A silhouetted form moved languidly against the bars of the deck railing, its tail flicking lazily with each step. The cat—no, it was a kitten, she realized—let out a scratchy little, “Mew.”
“Kitty? What are you doing up there?” Addison called out, a bubble of delight bursting open inside her chest. Was she dreaming? She scrambled up the steps, almost tripping halfway up, and dropped to her knees to greet the furry little feline. It was all one color, a smokey gray, except for a white patch just between the ears and white socks on all four feet. “Oh, my goodness. Look at you,” she cooed, her voice high, her heart racing, as the kitten traipsed over and started batting at Addison’s fingers. “You look like you stepped in a puddle of starlight. Where did you come from, little one?”
Noel leaned forward on the wrought iron loveseat where he was sitting. “Addison.”
“Oh!” Addison jerked in surprise, tipping backwards onto her backside, and surprising the kitten, who jumped into the air, then scampered away from her to hide behind Noel’s legs. “I didn’t see you there.” Embarrassed, she scrambled to her feet, then stood facing him, not sure what to do with her hands. “How—how long have you been up here?”
Noel rose, but he didn’t come any closer. The cat attacked his pant leg, snagging a tiny claw in the hem of it, then mewling loudly when it couldn’t get loose. “Hey, buddy. Come here.” Noel reached down and gingerly plucked the claw free, then brought the kitten up to hold against his chest. “We’ve been hanging out watching the sunset together,” he said. “Addison, meet Cat. Cat, meet Addison.” He leaned in close to the kitten’s ear, but he kept his gaze locked on Addison. “She’s that amazing woman I was telling you about.”
For a moment, Addison wasn’t sure her voice would work. What had her father said? Let him talk . Okay. That’s what she’d do. “Nice to meet you, Cat.” She didn’t look away from Noel, either. “It’s good to see you, Noel.” Then she closed her mouth and leaned against the railing.
Noel cleared his throat, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a crumpled pink bow. “She was wearing this when we first got here.”
“Cat’s a she, then,” Addison acknowledged, trying not to let herself get too excited. Was the kitten a gift? For her?
“She’s a she, and since I know you’d be a great cat mama, she’s yours if you’ll have her.”
Addison felt the telltale prickling at the bridge of her nose that told her she’d be crying before long. “She's really mine?” she managed to say, her voice small and breathy.
Noel nodded, bringing the kitten up higher so that he and the little furball were almost cheek to cheek. “She’s really yours.”
Addison let her purse drop to the deck and she took a step toward him.
“On one condition,” Noel said.
“Oh yeah?” Addison stopped where she was and crossed her arms, barely able to contain the urge to pluck the kitten out of his hands. “And what is that condition, pray tell?”
“Addison,” Noel said, his tone suddenly no longer playful. “I’m sorry for running the way I did. Twice now. I didn’t even realize I was doing it, but apparently, that’s been my go-to method of dealing with uncomfortable or tough situations.” He chuckled ruefully. “By not dealing with them. By running from them.”
Addison shifted her weight, wanting to go to him, but hearing her father’s voice in her head. Let him talk. “I understand, Noel. I forgive you.”
“And I’m sorry for doubting you the way I did. I should have known better,” he said, shaking his head. The kitten reached up and batted at his nose, making Addison giggle. “Hey you,” Noel gently chided, tucking the kitten into the crook of his arm and cradling her against his heart. “I should have believed you when you said that you were on my team. That you believed in me. It’s not an easy thing for me to do, believing in people, I mean. I tend to forget that I’m not alone in this world, but that’s no excuse, and I’m sorry. You’ve never given me any reason to doubt your friendship.”
Addison’s heart stuttered, and she took a tiny step back. Friendship? Was that what he wanted from her? She found that she was holding her breath.
“I’m in the rather painful process of learning some not-so-great things about myself,” he continued. Even without the porch light on, she could easily make out the raw honesty and vulnerability in his expression. “I’ve been living in a haze of negative thinking for a long time now. I’m cynical about anything good and I’ve gotten really good at expecting the worst from people around me. It’s unproductive and destructive, I know.” He grimaced, but pressed on. “I really do see it for what it is, Addison, and I’m sorry. I’ve already taken some pretty big action steps toward changing how I think, which is a big part of the reason I’m here tonight. Me and Cat, both.” The kitten, it seemed, had found the sound of his voice or the beat of his heart soothing, and her little round head nodded forward until her nose rested against Noel’s palm. She blinked slowly, twice, then her eyelids drifted shut, bringing a soft smile to Noel's face. After a moment, he met Addison's gaze and continued. “I’m really hoping that you meant what you said in the message you left me Sunday night.”
She looked at her feet, glad for the dark, as her cheeks flamed with embarrassment. She wanted to ask which part he meant, but she couldn’t bring herself to be so direct. The part about not recognizing him before that moment? In hindsight, her reaction toward her mother showing him This Land is Our Land sure made her claim look suspicious, even to her. Or did he mean the part about—.
“Did you mean it when you said you loved me, Addison?”
Well. That answered that.
Addison’s breath released in a rush. “I—I did. I mean, I do,” she mumbled, feeling flustered and foolish and completely exposed. “Yes,” she added after a beat.
Then Noel was there, standing directly in front of her, the kitten still clutched to his chest. With his free hand, he gently cupped her cheek, and she lifted her gaze to meet his. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear it,” he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I believe you, Addison, with everything in me. Even the scared boy—the one you crossed paths with all those years ago. That beat-up little kid who still lives inside of me believes you, too.”
“I—I’m glad,” she whispered as she uncrossed her arms and settled her hands at his waist. Her gaze drifted to his lips, and an urgency rose up in her to just lean forward and press her mouth to his, to kiss away all thoughts of doubt and shame and regret. Let him talk , her father insisted yet again.
“I love you, Addison Wedgewood. And I’m not running anymore. I want to be here for every moment of this… this amazing thing that’s happening between us.”
Addison nodded, afraid to speak lest she say something silly, mix up her words. But she wasn’t nervous. Not anymore. She was so ecstatically happy that whatever words she could pin down in her head right now hardly even made sense to her. “Amazing. Yes,” she managed to get out.
“I want you on my team, Addison, and I want you to know that I’m on your team, too.” Noel rested his forehead against hers. “From here on out, I’m yours. If you’ll have me. And that’s my condition, by the way. You have to take me if you take Cat.”
Addison thought her heart might just explode at that moment. “I couldn’t imagine having one without the other,” she said, happiness making her feel weightless. “And I’m not calling her Cat, just so you know.”
The kitten stirred and stretched, yawning so widely that she let out a squeaky little yowl that startled her awake. She looked up to find them both smiling adoringly down at her and meowed softly.
Addison could no longer resist. “Come to mama, sweet girl. What shall we call you, hm?” She reached for the kitten, who came willingly, loose-limbed and languid and still half asleep. They stared at each other until the cat’s eyelids started to drift closed. Addison kissed the white patch between her ears and said, “You have a star on your head, missy. I’m calling you Stella.” Then she tucked the little creature up under her chin where it curled into a ball and began to purr. “Oh, Noel. Oh, my goodness. I’m in love,” she said on a sigh, lifting shining eyes to his. “I can’t believe she’s mine.”
“Wait a minute,” Noel said, leaning back a bit. He was frowning, but she saw the humor in his eyes. “When you said you were in love, did you mean with her? Or me?”
“Both?” It came out a question, so she said it again, this time as a statement. “Both of you. I’m in love with both of you.”
Noel rolled his eyes. “Great. My competition is a cat.”
“In very different ways, though,” Addison quickly clarified. Then she slipped her free hand around the back of his neck and drew him down so that their eyes were inches apart. “Want to kiss and make up?”
They were in the process of doing just that when someone cleared their throat on the stairs behind them, and Addison and Noel jerked apart in surprise. Her parents had come up without them even realizing it.
“Um, Carl. Vivian. Uh, hey,” Noel stammered, and Addison ducked her head so that he wouldn’t see her laughing at him. “We were—I was just—”
“Yes, yes,” Carl nodded. “I know exactly what you were just doing to my daughter.”
“Daddy!” Addison exclaimed, but it came out on a laugh. She turned so that her parents could see what she was holding. “Look who Noel brought with him. This is Stella. Isn’t she the sweetest thing ever?”
Inside the apartment, Noel dished up the warm apple cobbler he’d brought with him from the Lux Solaris while Carl added generous scoops of ice cream to each plate. “I know it doesn’t even compare to yours,” he said to Addison over his shoulder. “But that’s why I brought it. It’s one more piece of evidence that my life is better with you in it.”
“Oh, you’re good,” Carl hooted. “And he brought your favorite dulce de leche ice cream, Vivian.”
“Dulce de leche is your favorite?” Noel asked in exaggerated surprise, grinning mischievously at Addison. He’d remembered, she thought with a smile. Of course, he remembered.
“You have just won me over completely, young man,” Vivian called from the living room where she and Addison were playing with Stella. “If I had any doubts about you before, they have simply poofed out of existence.”
Addison watched Noel as he bantered back and forth with her parents. It was like having her wishes come true all in one night. A girl couldn't possibly get any luckier, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, she recalled that all might be well in her little world, but Noel had the whole situation at Carpe Diem he was dealing with, and she hadn’t even thought to ask him about it. She pushed to her feet and crossed the room to wrap her arms around him from behind. She rested her cheek against his back and said, “I’m a terrible girlfriend, Noel. I didn’t even ask you about your job.” She released him and stepped back. “How are things going over at the resort?”
Noel handed Addison two loaded plates. “Here you go,” he said, kissing her on the nose. “And take this one to your mother.”
Carl put the ice cream in the freezer, then the two men joined the women in the living room.
“Okay. Obviously, something’s happened,” Addison said, sending Noel the stink-eye. “You’re acting way too nonchalant about everything. And I’ve already told my parents about poor John so you don’t have to go back and explain things.”
Vivian made a dismissive snort. “Poor John, my patootie. That man sounds like a bully.”
Addison pointed her spoon at her mother. “He is a bully, Mom. But you always told me that hurt people hurt people.” She and Noel were sitting on the floor on one side of the coffee table while her parents sat in the love seat. She nudged him with her elbow. “Someone somewhere in his life must have hurt John pretty bad for him to want to hurt someone as lovely as you are, Noel.”
“Oh please,” Noel countered. “I’m not that lovely. Remember how this whole thing started? I basically asked him if he wanted to fight me.”
Vivian chortled gleefully. “Good for you.”
“Mom,” Addison admonished, but she applauded Noel for standing up for himself, even if it hadn’t happened in an HR-compliant manner. To Noel, she said, “So, come on. Tell us what’s going on. You still have a job, don’t you?”
Noel took his sweet time chewing the enormous bite he’d just taken, then chased it with a swig of coffee before he finally told them what had happened since he’d returned to Autumn Lake.
His eyes shone brightly as he said, “You prayed for miracles, Addison, and that’s what we got. In fact, I’ve been getting hit by miracles left and right all week, probably thanks to you. You didn’t stop praying for me even though I took off, did you?”
She was shaking her head before he even finished. “Nope. In fact, I doubled my effort when you sent me that mean text on Monday.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Noel said, leaning toward her, his expression sincere. “Forgive me?”
“Yes,” she whispered, then jumped when her mother clapped her hands in front of them.
“We’re still here,” Vivian said drolly.
“Right. Yes. Where was I?” Noel laughed and began again. “Thanks to your prayers, Miss Wedgewood, I came back to Autumn Lake to learn that Paula Swinton, John’s numero uno sidekick, had changed her mind about supporting him. Remember, I told you what she said about needing the job?”
Addison nodded. The secretary had, in so many words, admitted to Noel that John was in the wrong, but that she would stand by the man to ensure that she kept her job.
“Well, she reached out to my attorney and asked if she could speak with us.” He made air quotes and added, “Off the record.”
“Off the record?” Vivian shot him a skeptical look.
“Right. So, Joyce and I met with her when I got back to town yesterday afternoon.”
“And?” Addison prompted. “Why are you dragging this out? I’m dying here.”
Noel chuckled. “Paula came prepared to negotiate for all three of our jobs. She explained to Joyce the same thing she’d told me about needing the job because of her son and having a history with John. She also said that she didn’t want John to lose his job, but nor could she live with herself if she didn’t do the right thing. So, Joyce asked her what she thought the right thing to do was, and Paula turned to me and said, ‘I’ll talk to John about dropping this charge, and I’d like you to forgive him for the way he’s treated you. That way, we can all keep our jobs.’”
“Wow,” Vivian murmured respectfully. “She sounds like quite a woman.”
Noel chuckled and shook his head. “That was the surprising thing about all of this. She’s always seemed uncomfortably subservient. Very old-school, the-boss-is-always-right kind of secretary. It was a little scary how cool as a cucumber she was.”
“What did you all decide to do?” Addison asked, forgetting about her half-eaten dessert on the coffee table in front of her. She couldn’t imagine either of the men would be too thrilled at Paula’s suggestion.
Noel took her hand. “It wasn’t much of a decision for me,” he said, his voice softer now. “God—and my Aunt Gigi—had been working on me all week, and I’d already decided to forgive him, no matter how things ended.”
“I can’t wait to meet your aunt,” Addison said, her heart swelling with gratitude for the woman who’d remained such a steady influence in Noel’s life.
Noel grinned. “Oh, you will. She’s already making plans for your first visit. And she’ll love you almost as much as I do.”
“How did John take it?” Carl asked, his brows furrowed in concern. Her kindhearted, compassionate father couldn’t comprehend bully mentality; it just wasn’t in his nature.
Noel shook his head. “He flat out refused to consider it.”
Addison grimaced. “Yikes.”
“Yeah, yikes. Well, to make a long story short, Paula took her written statement to HR, and HR asked Joyce what my intentions were. Joyce assured them that I wasn’t interested in pressing harassment charges, and suggested that HR give John the chance to rescind his accusations against me and leave the company with a halfway decent severance package.”
Vivian eyed Noel doubtfully. “Please tell me the man took it.”
“Yes, he was smart enough to take it. And that’s it. He’s gone. Security ushered him out of the building this afternoon. Not because he was in trouble or causing a scene or anything,” he explained. “It’s just protocol when someone is laid off.”
“Wow.” Addison clapped in celebration. She could hardly believe it. “That really is a miracle, Noel. And just like that, it’s over.”
“Just like that,” Noel echoed.
“What’s going to happen to his position?” Vivian asked. “Is that something you plan to step into?”
“No.” Noel shook his head. “I’m happy where I am. They’re going to start interviewing for the position next week. In the meantime, I’ll fill in where I’m needed, but Paula Swinton, I’ve quickly come to discover, is something else. I have a feeling she could run the whole department on her own if she wanted to. Which she doesn’t. She’s less than four years away from retiring with full benefits, and she’s really looking forward to it.”
“So, Noel. You’re here to stay,” Carl said, that ever-present twinkle in his eyes, but his tone was far more serious than usual. It wasn’t really a question, Addison realized.
“I’m here to stay, sir,” Noel replied without hesitating. “For as long as your daughter will have me.”
Addison rested her cheek against Noel’s shoulder. “I’ll have you forever and ever,” she declared happily, then reached over and scooped up Stella, who was sprawled, belly up, in a little blanket nest on the floor beside her. She cuddled the kitten to her chest and softly cooed, “I’m keeping both of you forever and ever.”