17. Catherine
Chapter seventeen
Catherine
M uch as I hated to admit it, I woke up more rested than I had in ages. Having Noah beside me through the night was the best thing I'd done for my sleep in a long time. Hearing his slow, steady breathing had allowed me to fall asleep quickly. I couldn’t even tell if he snored. I don’t think I even curled up, far too exhausted to care about how I ended up on the bed. Even though it would only be last night, part of me was sad that it was a one-night-only deal. I slowly got up from the bed, leaving Noah to sleep for a little while longer, and headed for the bathroom.
Once I was somewhat refreshed for the day – taking a washcloth and soap to the smelliest parts of my body and doing what I could to freshen up the clothing I had worn yesterday – I walked back into the bedroom to find Noah sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
“Did I wake you?”
“No. I had been there for about ten minutes debating whether or not I’d wake you up if I got up,” he revealed. “When you got up, I was relieved that I could finally get up and move around. I wasn’t sure if you were still a light sleeper.”
I smiled a little. That was considerate of him.
“Well, I say we have breakfast and then call a tow truck for my parents’ car,” I said. “The sooner we can make that call, the sooner it’ll be towed out of the snowbank and the sooner we can head back home.”
He nodded as he got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Before I could say anything more, the bathroom door shut. I didn’t think anything of it. There were probably many things he wanted to do to try and freshen up a little now that we were into the next day. I planned to shower as soon as I got home because I wanted to get into some clean pajamas and chill for the rest of the day.
Instead of waiting for him, I headed to the dining room to see what was available for breakfast.
Noah joined me shortly after I got in line, and I was stacking my plate with waffles, fruit, and eggs. I think it was the best part of a bed and breakfast or hotel buffet breakfast. There was plenty to eat, and I was ready to eat as much as I could fit in my stomach.
“I’m glad to see that they have a lot of options this morning,” Noah said as he grabbed a plate. “I was a little worried that last night’s dinner meant they’d been hit hard by the storm and needed more supplies.”
“Well, even if that were the case, I think a bed and breakfast has enough supplies to get through a couple of days,” I said.
We sat down at a table and quietly ate.
While we ate, I couldn’t help but feel this unconscious connection to Noah. Something was stirring that neither of us had said. No use mentioning something the other hadn’t picked up on, after all, but now I wasn’t so sure that he was oblivious to it. The feelings that I thought had long ago died out were springing back to life, and I wanted to do something about it.
But I wasn’t sure what that was. After so many years, I hardly recognized him. He and I had been so out of touch over the last decade because of circumstances that neither of us could have predicted. I had stayed in California to pursue my writing, and he had stayed here to follow his baseball career. That was about all we could have predicted.
The relationships, the job changes, and all that came afterward had been something of a surprise to both of us. I wanted to know how I could break the pattern of hardly talking to him, but to do that, I’d have to talk to him. A silly thing to worry about.
“My wife told me that you two roasted marshmallows last night.”
A new voice interrupted my thoughts, which I was thankful for. I turned and saw a man who looked to be in his seventies. I smiled a little.
“Yes. That would be us,” I said. “Catherine St. James.”
“Noah West,” Noah said.
“It’s nice to meet you, Catherine. I’ve heard a lot about you, Noah,” he said. “I’m John. John Woods. What brings the two of you to The Cozy? Not many locals around here stay here unless they have to.”
“My car got stuck in a snowbank,” I said. “I needed a ride, and Noah here didn’t think it was smart to head home in the storm last night. So, we ended up here for the night.” I shrugged.
“You need a tow?”
“I do. Why do you ask?” I raised my eyebrow.
This could go one of several ways, but I hoped it would end well for me. I just wanted to be able to get home.
“One of my sons has a tow truck that he could use to get you out if you want,” Mr. Woods offered. “All of them are home for the holidays for the first time in years, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind it. After all, we saw how bad the storm was last night.”
“That’d save us a ton of trouble calling a tow truck,” Noah said. “That’d be great. Thank you.”
“Indeed.”
With that, Mr. Woods left to see if he could make arrangements with his son. I smiled a little. That was an unexpected small miracle, but then again, Christmas was just the time of year for that sort of thing. What was I doing each Christmas season if I couldn’t see the miracles or be part of them?
“Well, that was mighty sweet of him to do,” Noah said once Mr. Woods had walked out of earshot.
“Indeed. I hope that he’ll be able to find us some help,” I said softly. “I’d rather not have to call a tow truck, honestly.”
Noah nodded slowly before finishing his breakfast. I finished mine, and we waited for Mr. Woods to return.
***
About two hours later, I was home. Mr. Woods’ eldest son had pulled me out of the snowbank to my most profuse thanks. The rest of the day was uneventful as I simply stayed at home, finishing some of the décor for the season. Chris texted me as I did this, asking how things were going and all of that. He was only a few days away from flying out, which was exciting for me.
I didn’t think I had been home at the same time as Chris for a couple of years, at least. The last Christmas I remembered being home with him, I was dating Alex, but Alex had had to go elsewhere for Christmas. A last-minute case that he needed to travel for or something. I couldn’t remember the specifics. But that didn’t matter now.
That night, I lay down on my bed and had trouble finding a comfortable, warm position. I didn’t want to believe it was because Noah was not lying at my side. However, the time it took me to find a comfortable position told me otherwise. Was it possible that there were more than just rekindled feelings for him? In the short time I had been home, was I starting to fall in love with him again?
Even the loss of the sound of his breathing threw me for a loop as I struggled to find a comfortable spot to lie down. I ended up curled up in the middle of the bed, hugging my body pillow. It reminded me of when Noah would go away for a weekend to play an away game but have to leave earlier than I could. I’d miss him so much those weekends…
I brushed those feelings off, but it didn’t stop me from dreaming of a family with Noah. With Wally included, of course! Pets were family for life, not just for when they were convenient.
The next day, I woke early to the smell of more cinnamon rolls. My mother had had to break up how she was baking the cinnamon rolls, so I walked down to find that she had already made and frosted a large pan for the family to eat. That was great. Tonight was the live nativity, and I hadn’t forgotten that. I was glad I had made it home with the car in time.
“Who all is in the live nativity this year?” I asked Mom as I plated myself a cinnamon roll with a heap of homemade frosting.
“Your dad and I are playing Mary and Joseph this year,” Mom replied. “I think we’re going to have a baby doll because no one has a newborn they’re willing to let us borrow, but that’s all right.”
“That’s exciting,” I said. “Hope you know your parts.”
Mom laughed. I spent the morning helping Mom make the rest of the cinnamon rolls and getting them ready to take to the church. Once she was ready to head out, I made sure Dad and I were ready as well.
Because Mom and Dad had to be there early, I also ended up there early and helped with the last of the set up. This included setting up some borrowed paintings of Christ and the nativity sets that hadn’t yet been set up. One of them was my family’s nativity set, so I could get it all set up pretty easily.
I took a quick break to run out to get some food, and just sit in the restaurant. It wasn’t often I could justify such a break – to sit in a restaurant and enjoy my food without worrying about anyone else being with me – and today, I appreciated it.
I returned to the church building at five-thirty sharp for the live nativity event. The start time was technically six, but I wanted to show up beforehand to beat the crazy crowds. Parking would be a nightmare, otherwise, and only specific cars and people were allowed to start parking so early. Because I had already been here to help set up, I was one of those people driving one of those cars.
I found my parents getting ready for their piece and helped Mom put the finishing touches on her simple costume. It didn’t take long for them to get ready and head out on their own. I remained in the kitchen for a while. Once six o’clock hit, and there were actually people here, I went to see the rest of the nativity sets. The whole multi-purpose room had been filled with these small nativity sets with a large Christmas tree in the middle of the room.
It was all beautifully done up. I took my time meandering around the room, simply appreciating all the art and the time that had gone into this display of the season.
In the crowd, I spotted Noah. He had come with his family, so I was more than intent on just walking right past to let him spend time with his family. We had gotten plenty of time last night to chat and enjoy each other’s company.
Despite my best attempt to slink off to another part of the room, Noah spotted me. Though the crowd was large, he was moving through it as if it was simply the ocean without a tide. And soon enough, he was beside me.