27. Holiday Break
Holiday Break
"You did not!" Lucinda squealed with laughter.
"Yep. I invited that man up to my room." Claire grinned and fluffed the covers.
They were tucked into bed watching a late-night talk show on her wall-mounted TV.
She'd read somewhere that TVs didn't belong in the bedroom.
Something about better sleep or keeping your relationship interesting.
Since neither was a problem for her and her cozy bedroom was the best place for movie night, she'd thumbed her nose at the experts.
With Christmas falling on a weekend this year, they had a four-day holiday to celebrate. Her dad had picked up Lucinda from the airport earlier and taken them both to dinner before dropping them off with a promise to return for breakfast in the morning.
She and Luce had spent the first hour catching up on California friends and sharing the latest updates from their respective workplaces. After crawling in bed to watch TV, Lucinda hit her up for the lowdown on the trip where she'd been stranded with the "hunky, grumpy ops dude."
"Getting bold in your old age, are you?" Luce asked, tossing popcorn into her mouth.
"You do realize you're the only person I'd ever allow to eat in my bed, right? It's bad for you to eat this late at night." Claire grinned when Luce flipped her off, then shrugged at the question. "I was living in the moment."
Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen before flipping it over. It was Noah checking to see if her friend had arrived safely.
Lucinda narrowed her eyes. "What is that look on your face?"
"What look?" Claire tried to school her features into something resembling innocence.
Before she could react, Lucinda reached over and grabbed her phone. "OMG! Are you guys texting now?"
Her face flushed. "Well… yes. And more. We've been video chatting too."
Despite Noah's insistence that they get some distance, he'd checked in after her flight home. Then again the next day. And the next. They'd talked every day this week. The calls usually started with work, but never stayed there for long.
"And?" Lucinda asked, her grin spreading into a full-on smirk.
"And I've learned more about his family and what it was like to grow up in a house full of boys.
How tough it was to move around so much because of his dad's job.
" More importantly, Noah had shared more about his relationship with Julie at the tender age of twenty-two and how he'd felt abandoned by his peers when everything went south.
She'd reciprocated by opening up about her college boyfriends, both of whom she'd parted with amicably.
"What about the time difference?" Another handful of popcorn disappeared into Lucinda's mouth.
"Tricky at first, but turns out he's a night owl." And stayed up far later than she ever did.
"Hmph. That explains the morning grumps."
Claire laughed. She hadn't connected those dots, but yes, that explained his trouble with mornings.
"Be right back. Gotta pee." Lucinda collected her empty bowl and padded out of the room.
Her phone vibrated again. She smiled and texted Noah back, updating him that they'd made it home safely and were watching TV. The clock on her nightstand caught her eye.
Shouldn't you be in bed already? It's really late there.
Three dots appeared while she waited for his answer.
Nah, it's a holiday tomorrow. I'll be having a lie-in, then checking out Tristan's new saw at his shop. Finally able to start the storage project.
Claire's smile deepened. One of her favorite calls this week had been the video tour of his house—the one she'd missed last week.
He'd walked her through his plans for the coat rack in his entryway.
The childlike excitement in his voice was so different from the somber, all-business side she witnessed at work.
In return, she'd shown him her place, proudly highlighting her kitchen. He'd raised an eyebrow at the string of fairy lights draped over her headboard. She thought they made the space cozy. He was convinced they were a fire hazard.
"Okay, got that out of the way. Where were we?" Lucinda flopped back onto the bed. "Oh yeah, video calls." She paused, then added more softly, "You feel safe with him."
Claire paused, considering. "Yeah, I guess I do. We got off to a rough start, but… he's consistent."
Lucinda raised an eyebrow, but didn't interrupt.
"I don't mean boring," Claire added quickly. "I mean, his actions are always consistent. He's up front and direct, but not impulsive. He says what he thinks—good or bad—but he gives it thought first. You never have to guess where you stand with him."
Lucinda nodded. "Mm. Unlike the ass-clowns we worked with—I still work with—at NanoTechwise."
"Exactly."
Applause from the TV drew their attention as the host introduced the next guest.
"Okay, here's why we turned this on," Claire said. She clicked the volume up with the remote.
"I've never watched this show."
"It's based in England. I wanted to catch it because Finley McAlister's making a guest appearance promoting his next film."
"The Scottish dude?"
"Yeah. Oh, I didn't tell you this part. He stopped by the office last week and I met him.
He's engaged to one of our managers. He's even more dreamy in real life.
Kind of quiet, though. I never paid much attention beyond drooling over his abs, but since we have that whole six-degrees-of-separation thing going on, he's way more interesting. "
The actor walked out to take a seat, and Lucinda let out a low whistle. "He's hot."
"Shh," Claire admonished, then added, "Yeah, he is."
They watched as the interview unfolded. Finley kept the host on track, steering the conversation toward his film and skillfully dodging questions about his personal life, despite the guy's persistent nudging.
They laughed at the witty banter, and Lucinda tossed out the occasional snarky comment, earning a shush or a playful jab from Claire.
When the segment ended and a commercial came on, Lucinda shook her head. "Not only good-looking, but smart, too. He totally outmaneuvered that dude."
Lucinda turned sideways, propped her head on her hand, and asked, "Now that I'm allowed to talk again, what's the next step for you and Mr. Grumpy Pants?"
Claire clicked off the TV and mirrored Lucinda's position. "I don't know. He won't be back in Houston for a couple of weeks. He has valid concerns about dating coworkers, so… I guess I'm playing it by ear." She twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "I really like him, though."
She hesitated, then finally voiced the fear that had been gnawing at her since she left England. "I'm afraid when he comes back, we'll go backward. From the beginning, everything between us—work, friendship, whatever this is—has been this weird dance of one step forward, two steps back."
Lucinda smiled, soft and knowing. "Aw, honey… that's what every courtship is like. It's called the getting-to-know-you phase." She rolled over onto her back and pulled the covers up under her chin. "I'm beat. Thanks for not making me sleep on your crappy couch."
Claire smiled, but Lucinda's words echoed in her mind. Courtship. What an old-fashioned word. And yet… the idea that she and Noah might actually be courting—navigating something real, something normal—filled her with a quiet, unexpected wonder.
Noah shivered inside his jumper and pulled his woolly hat lower.
The temperature had plummeted just in time for Christmas, and his brother had decided today was a perfect time to get out in the freezing weather.
Tristan had landed a rush contract for a unique kitchen table and since Noah had a four-day weekend, he'd volunteered his woodworking skills.
And time with his brother was always well spent.
This morning, they were scouting for ideas and materials at a local craft and antique fair.
Each booth displayed wares ranging from smaller decorative items to large furniture.
Unearthing hidden treasures took time and patience, and Noah's youngest brother had come up with amazing finds over the years.
"Noah," Tristan called. "Check this out."
Noah strolled over to the temporary shop the artist had set up. Tristan was inspecting a dining table with the top carved out of an enormous tree trunk. The table's legs were made from petrified tree roots.
"You're doing a round table?" Noah asked.
"No, he wanted an eight-foot-long table, but I like the artistry on this one. Also, that tree was damn big."
Noah looked around while Tristan inspected the underside of the table and spoke to the artist about the materials used.
He spotted a long table at the back and made his way over.
This table's base was a single tree stump and Noah was considering pushing on one end to test the balance when Tristan walked up beside him.
"Ha! This guy never had teenage boys."
They looked at each other and laughed at the shared memory of a disaster at a friend's house where the Raines brothers tested the kitchen table to see if it would hold their weight.
His friend had declared his mom had the strongest table in the world, which, of course, threw down the gauntlet to put the claim to the test. In the end, the Raines boys were right, but all kids involved cleaned up a righteous mess afterward.
And Oliver Raines put his sons to work to pay for the damage done.
"I'm not really seeing anything inspiring here."
"Wasted trip?" Noah asked.
"Nah. I've seen examples of what I don't want, so that helps clarify the big concept. And I've gotten a couple of design ideas for the detailing. Let's head over to Arlo's and find some wood."