Chapter 37
Noelle
“You ready to go?” I asked, tying a ribbon around the last bunch of kindling and attaching it to a bag of wax-coated pine cones. “We should drop these off before we go shopping.”
We were all up well before sunrise, having barely slept, and still had a lot to do before our families arrived for Christmas Eve dinner, including baking more pulla. Grace leaned on the kitchen island next to me, making a shopping list.
We’d somehow managed to warm up the cones in his oven so they opened and melted the wax without destroying anything, but the general mess was still evident all around us.
“Are you adding a note?” Fredrik asked, admiring the row of pretty packages.
I shook my head. “Why?”
He smiled like I was being funny. “What if they’re not home? They won’t know it’s from you.”
“You can use these.” Grace handed me a stack of gift tags.
I let out a nervous laugh. I was so used to doing my good deeds in the dead of night that it felt more natural that way. Putting my name on a card felt icky, like I was expecting something in return: recognition, praise, something.
“It’s okay.” I scrunched up my nose, feeling awkward. “I’ll just write ‘Happy Holidays’ or something.”
“Or…” Fredrik leaned across the island, a subtle smile on his lips. “You could write ‘Happy Holidays from the Hideaway Elf.’”
My eyes flew wide open. “The… what?”
Grace giggled. “I think he knows your secret.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “But… how?”
Fredrik took one of the gift tags, turning it in his hands. “Remember how I had the whole town on the lookout, reporting to me on your whereabouts?”
“Yeah. But I didn’t do anything in the last two nights.”
“No, but your friend did.”
I exchanged a look with Grace, who shrugged. “He’s not too dumb, this one.”
I folded my arms. “How do you know she wasn’t just playing the copycat elf on behalf of whoever the mysterious person is…”
“The mysterious person who has insomnia from sleeping in terrible beds and falls asleep in the middle of the day? Who really loves this town and constantly goes the extra mile trying to make everyone happy?”
I hid my face behind my hands. “You knew?”
“I had my suspicions.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know,” I whispered.
He circled the island, grabbed my wrists, and gently pulled them away from my face. “I know everyone loves a good piece of lore around here, and your elf has given them endless enjoyment, but you don’t have to do good things in secret. We all want to know you. I love knowing it’s you.”
I blinked away tears, feeling like I’d just stepped into bright sunlight and was burning to a crisp. Yet I was okay. I was okay to be seen by him.
“Please don’t tell anyone else,” I asked. “I’ll sign the cards as the Hideaway Elf, and we’ll let the kids enjoy thinking there’s an elf walking around at night. What’s the harm in that?”
“No harm.” He smiled, placing a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll go get the car ready. Unless the elf put a blanket over the windshield last night because I forgot.”
I smiled back. “The elf may have also forgotten, sorry.”
We drove around for the rest of the morning, sneaking to people’s doors to drop off Christmas gifts without being noticed.
Good thing it was still dark outside. When the sun finally rose and the shops opened, we headed to the town center to do our shopping.
Last-minute shoppers buzzed up and down Main Street, the scents of hot-buttered rum, peppermint, and gingerbread filling the air, and carols played in every shop.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I asked as I set my handmade centerpiece in the middle of his dining table.
“It’s a table,” he said. “I don’t care what you put on it.”
“No, I mean this whole thing. Inviting my family. And your family! They’re going to meet, you know?”
He laughed. “Yes, I’ve considered that possibility, given that we gave them the same timeframe and address.”
It was Christmas Eve, and Fredrik’s house had been transformed into something festive and homey. Grace had worked with me all day, preparing the bedrooms and ensuring we had enough chairs, linens, dishes, and toilet paper. Felicity had helped, lending extra items and her favorite cleaning cloths.
Uncle Glenn had obviously been an entertainer, and we discovered many items in his old storage shed. Fredrik knew little about the contents of his own house but told us we were welcome to use anything we found.
Time was running out, so I had to take him at his word, even if I still felt nervous about changing his environment.
But I couldn’t help but feel the excitement building as I found the missing pieces, and the house began to look more and more welcoming.
I was enjoying myself, swept up in the sights, sounds, and scents of the Christmas season.
I had easy access to decorations, and since Fredrik had given his blessing, I couldn’t resist completing the makeover with some lights and tinsel.
I’d thought it was too late to get a tree, but Felicity had scored a small one at the last minute from Pine & Dandy, a Christmas tree farm run by her friend.
Kailee decorated it while Grace and I baked more pulla and Finnish gingerbread—another recipe from Grandma that my sister had kindly sent me.
Fredrik’s mom and Felicity had insisted on bringing the dinner.
Holly sent updates on the way, assuring me our parents didn’t seem angry with me but rather relieved and happy we’d all be together for Christmas.
Grace’s phone pinged, and I glanced at the screen.
Holly: Stopped at the lookout. This town is so cute!
Fredrik had already ordered me a new SIM card from another phone carrier. Apparently, other people in town at least got a signal every now and then, and there was no reason for my life to be extra difficult. I was so used to difficult that I barely noticed, but I had to admit it sounded nice.
“My family is at the lookout,” I told Fredrik. “How far is it? Twenty minutes?”
“Maybe thirty in this weather.” He peeked out the window.
His voice was calm, but I could see the tension in his freshly shaved jaw.
Maybe it had been there all along, under the scruff.
Earlier, he’d asked what he should wear, but I’d refused to play stylist. I just wanted him comfortable.
In the end, he’d settled on flannel and jeans.
Snow was falling again, covering the freshly cleared driveway under a white blanket. It was late afternoon, with a couple of hours of daylight left.
“The rooms are ready,” Grace announced from the doorway, with all the efficiency of someone who regularly handled thirty cabins per day on a cruise ship. “And I wrapped our presents. They’re under the tree.”
“Oh my God! Thank you!” I’d forgotten about the elves I’d created and other last-minute presents we’d scored from town.
Grace hadn’t done any crafts, but she’d bought gifts for everyone.
I’d told her not to worry about it, but she wouldn’t listen.
I understood. She felt like she was imposing.
I’d begged her to stay, for my sake. I needed my friend, and I hated the idea of not seeing her for the next eight months.
She was the reason I was here in the first place.
I had Grace to thank for my life being the way it was right now.
Instead of lying to my family and hiding over the holidays, we’d be together, celebrating.
I could tell Grace was warming up to Hideaway Harbor.
She loved the coffee at the Sip, whoopie pies from the bakery, and the herbal teas from The Wilde Kettle.
Apparently, the specialty blend Astrid made had instantly cured a rash on her hands.
I suspected her hands were simply healing on their own now that she’d left her restaurant job and was no longer married to an industrial dishwasher.
But she seemed happy and loved exploring the shops, which might have been why our hiding-in-plain-sight plan had been so unsuccessful.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I told my friend, joining her by the beautiful Christmas tree and giving her a side hug.
She glanced over her shoulder at Fredrik, who was moving toward the door.
“I’ll… check something.” He nodded at the hallway and left.
My stomach twisted. “Does he look really uncomfortable?” I asked Grace.
She looked nonplussed. “Kind of. But he also looks at you like he’s captured a unicorn—”
“And doesn’t know what to do with it?” I finished for her. “Do you think I’m crazy for even thinking of staying here? I’m supposed to be independent and build a life for myself, not get tangled up with another guy.”
Grace gave me a long, compassionate look.
“I don’t know what went down with Spencer.
You never really told me. But I got a sense that you were ashamed or scared.
I don’t know. All I know is that you didn’t talk about him like people talk about exes.
Something was weird about it, like he had this hold over you.
And I get that you felt safe on the ship, but you weren’t really moving on.
You never wanted to talk about the guys there or meet up after work.
You just sat in the cabin with your Kindle. ”
“Wait! What do you mean? We worked long hours! You didn’t go out either.”
“I tried to, but you had zero interest in anything, so…”
“I thought you didn’t, either. Ship goggles and all that.”
“I know! It’s terrible. But I always wondered why you didn’t have a crush on anyone. I wondered what that Spencer guy had done to you.”
I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead as the realization took hold. I hadn’t been open to anything. I hadn’t allowed myself to even look at someone else.
“I’m sorry I was such a lame friend.”
Grace let out a bubbly laugh. “I’m not mad at you! You saved me from a lot of embarrassment. I saw Eric in Bar Harbor last week, and he’s not nearly as cute as I thought he was on the ship! I’m so glad we didn’t go out that one night.”
“But it’s true! I was such a bore. I never did anything with the crew.”