Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
NATE
N ate smiled as he typed the password into Juliet’s laptop and watched the screen flicker to life, thrilled by their mutual trust. They may not have known each other for very long, but there was a depth to their relationship that took some couples years to cultivate.
His smile deepened into a bemused, affectionate grin when he caught sight of her cluttered, chaotic desktop. She must have a hundred files and folders scattered across the screen without any discernible system. But what some people might find exasperating, he viewed as merely another one of her endearing quirks.
Although, after a few minutes of unsuccessful searching for the School Christmas Pageant file, he wouldn’t mind if her laptop was a bit more organized. Finally, he spotted a file titled SCP . School Christmas Pageant? The acronym matched. That had to be the right one. He double-clicked, and the document filled the screen.
His gaze immediately registered the name Nick Anderson. Oddly close to Nate Henderson. His brain warned him to stop reading. He’d clearly opened the wrong file—this was a novel, not a play—but familiar words jumped off the page, keeping his attention rooted in place.
On the outside, Nick Anderson loved Christmas. He was a regular Clark Griswold in combat boots. Only, deep down, it wasn’t the bright lights and big, elaborate parties that drew him to the festive holiday. He longed for what Christmas represented—the season for family. The kind of family Nick didn’t have.
Those were his words. Confidential thoughts and feelings he’d shared with Juliet the night of the snowstorm, that he’d never told anyone else.
He scrolled through the document, scanning various lines and phrases, trying to wrap his head around what he was reading.
She’d turned him into a character in her novel. A romance novel, as far as he could tell. Private Nick Anderson looked, sounded, and even had thoughts just like him. Had she shown this to anyone yet? Submitted it to her editor, even?
He suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable, as if his personal wounds had been paraded around the literary world without his permission. His heart racing, he skipped to the last few pages, consumed by a morbid curiosity.
So far, Juliet had copied his life story nearly word for word. But how would she end it?
As Nick stared at the towering pine, draped in ribbons and sparkling lights, a startling truth solidified in his soul. Christmas wasn’t a coping mechanism. Or a to-do list. It was a celebration. A celebration of the life-changing love bestowed in a lowly manger—God’s gift of hope to the world.
A sudden warmth swept across Nate’s chest, spreading to his fingertips. Compelled by the resonance of her words, he kept reading.
In the end, Nick found God’s love reflected in the kindness of others, like the brightest star in the sky guiding him to where he belonged—to the family of his heart.
Nate swallowed, surprised by the lump of emotion constricting his throat. Moments ago, he’d felt exploited, maybe even a little betrayed. But now?
“Hey, what’s taking so long in—” Juliet’s cheerful tone faltered the minute she walked into the room and caught him standing over her laptop, the novel open on the screen. “N-Nate?” Her voice warbled with uncertainty.
He slowly turned, his thoughts whirling, struggling to fall into place. His conflicted emotions must have played out across his face, because Juliet’s eyes widened woefully.
She stood a few feet away from him, her features ashen. “It—it’s not what you think.” She wrung her hands, twisting her fingers together like tangled tinsel. “I’d planned to rewrite Nick’s character before I sent the story to my editor. I would never, ever betray your privacy. Please believe me.”
Her dark eyes glinted like a window to her soul, and inside, he could see her heart breaking.
“Please, say something,” she begged, hoarse and tearful. “I know this looks bad. But I promise, I’m going to rewrite every single word of Nick’s backstory before I send the novel to my editor. When I’m done, it won’t bear even the faintest resemblance to your life story.”
As her words sank in, he believed them. And he knew he should accept her explanation and leave it at that. They could move on and never speak of the incident again.
But he couldn’t let it go. Not after what he’d read.