Chapter 39 New Year’s Day
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Fredrik
We were up bright and early, watching a leathery older man in swimming trunks lower himself into a hole in the ice and disappear. He reappeared soon enough and was helped up by Larry the Lobstah and a woman wearing a dress that could have featured in a period drama. The crowd cheered.
I hadn’t even known my hometown put on an event like this every year.
I wasn’t sure I needed this in my life, but being with Noelle meant that I stood here, figuratively freezing my balls off as I watched others literally do the same.
She didn’t drag me into every single thing, but so far, if she asked twice, peering at me with those huge brown eyes, I caved.
Whatever the pointless activity, at least I got to stare at her excited face.
Last night at the New Year’s Eve Town Dance, she’d also worn a sexy little dress that made it impossible to keep my eyes on her face even half the time.
I didn’t think I called the event frivolous or pointless even once.
“Ralph looks steadier on his feet,” Noelle remarked. “I heard they altered his costume so he could take bigger steps.”
“His mom took it in around the shoulders and made those slits on the sides,” Felicity confirmed.
She’d joined us, along with Noelle’s friend Grace, who’d decided to stay a little longer.
Thanks to the weekend we’d spent together in my house, my sister had discovered her cleaning background and impeccable work ethic and hired her on the spot.
She was currently living in my upstairs bedroom and insisted on paying rent.
I joked that I’d gotten a two-for-one deal, but in the last week, the actual head count had been higher on most days.
Felicity visited all the time, seamlessly mixing business with pleasure as she oriented Grace to her job.
Jackson also hung around, possibly to bump into my sister.
My mom had taken a keen interest, popping over with the flimsiest excuse to chat with Noelle and Grace.
She didn’t even seem to need me in the room, which suited me fine.
“I can’t believe they just walk around in swimsuits in the middle of winter!” Grace hugged a steaming mug of hot chocolate, visibly shocked.
“It’s tradition,” Noelle said, as if that explained everything. Maybe it did, at least in this town.
“Anyone seen Jackson?” I asked. “He said he’d be here.”
Felicity hid behind her own steaming mug, looking away. “He says a lot of things.”
“Maybe he overslept,” Noelle suggested. “He’ll regret it later, because this is the most epic way to kick off the new year!”
She nuzzled into my side, and I wrapped my arm around her.
I loved her. She changed a little every day, showing more confidence and courage while doubting herself a little less.
The woman I’d met had been beautiful, but this one was gorgeous.
She was less fearful and more openly herself.
Spontaneous and excitable. Curious and clever.
And often unfiltered. But she laughed at herself more and apologized a little less, which I considered progress.
I could only hope I was making progress, too. Not freaking out over the smallest change or withdrawing in the face of conflict. My house was changing, but it was mainly evolving for the better.
The swimmers were escorted away, and the crowd dispersed. We followed Felicity and Grace toward our cars, but I sensed Noelle’s reluctance. She never wanted to be the first to leave.
“Red snappers!” She pointed at a hot dog stand. “I haven’t had these in years.”
“Not what the great Alford family served for dinner?”
She pulled a face. “Imagine if they had!”
“I’m sure it would have been quite the scandal.” Felicity snickered. “You guys go get hot dogs. I promised I’d give Grace a tour of our office.”
We waved goodbye and joined the line at the stand.
Despite the mention of her ex-boyfriend, Noelle seemed relaxed.
I’d decided it was best to talk about her past and the Alfords.
I wanted to share everything, with no forbidden topics or buried secrets.
I was done living that way. The more I’d tried to avoid the painful things, the more they festered and gained strength.
Noelle had shown me a different way. She’d brought everything to the surface.
She’d exposed my deepest secrets to sunlight and helped me move on.
If I helped her do the same, we had a hope of making this work.
So far, Spencer hadn’t sued me or anyone else.
I’d heard through the grapevine (called Felicity) that his business was being investigated for abusing workers’ rights and employment contracts, so maybe he was otherwise occupied.
Based on everything I’d learned about him, I would have bet he was guilty.
People who routinely manipulated their significant others didn’t make the greatest employers.
We bought two red snappers and ambled back to the pier to eat them.
The swimming was over, but Ralph hung around, still in his costume.
He seemed happiest when dressed up as a lobster these days.
Maybe he’d finally found his calling. If only someone paid for his services.
Noelle waved at him, grinning. He waved back, giving me a dirty look, which I deserved.
I’d apologized, but I expected him to hold a grudge for a while, even if the bruise around his eye had already faded.
“Wait! Wait!” a deep, out-of-breath voice called from behind us, and we turned around.
It was Wayne, one of Eileen’s regulars. He leaned his hands on his knees to catch his breath. “You youngsters keep running.”
“I’m sorry! We didn’t hear you.” Noelle peered at him with concern. “Are you okay?”
Wayne looked over his shoulder, confirming we were alone. “I need to talk to you.”
“Me?” I asked.
“No, your girlfriend.”
“What?” Noelle blinked at him, confused.
“Yes. You. The Hideaway Elf. Whatever your name is.”
Noelle’s cheeks matched the pink hot dog in her hands. “What?”
“Don’t you deny it. I saw you on my security camera.” He scoffed.
“Camera? Where?” I demanded, suddenly uneasy.
Wayne yanked up the collar of his coat to shield himself from the cold wind, or maybe my questions. “I was worried about Eileen. A stranger using her tools at night…”
“To make her steps safer,” I clarified. “How is that something to worry about?”
“Well, Eileen keeps leaving that iron scraper outside. It’s for the elf, she says. And even if your girlfriend’s not up to anything unsavory, someone else might not be as nice.”
“What the heck are you implying?”
He was starting to piss me off, but Noelle grabbed my raised hand, smiling like she’d won a contest. “He wants to be the elf,” she told me. “For Eileen.” She grinned at me, her eyebrows doing a silly dance.
Wayne withdrew deeper inside his collar like a turtle. “I’d do it if she let me. If no one else was poking around at night. Be safer that way,” he grumbled. “I’d bring my own tools.”
Noelle nodded enthusiastically. “I promise I won’t go near the café, if you promise you won’t tell anyone it was me.”
“Alright.”
He took Noelle’s outstretched hand and gave her an awkward handshake, then wandered off to where he’d come from.
“So… Wayne and Eileen?” I was gradually catching up.
Noelle sighed in a way that reminded me of Eileen herself. “I know! Isn’t it romantic?”
“What? Him installing a secret camera at her business?”
She laughed. “He had to get rid of the elf so Eileen would need him! Poor guy. If I’d known, I would have never touched those steps.”
“Why wasn’t he doing it before, though? I think you gave him the idea.”
Her eyes sparkled. “You’re right. That’s perfect! I really hope they get together.”
“Really? He’s a cantankerous old fart, and Eileen’s…”
“A sunny romantic?” She looked at me, silently chuckling. “It’s a match made in heaven!”
“Ah.” Just like us. Maybe Eileen could see through that prickly exterior, just like Noelle had seen through mine.
We finished our hot dogs, and I noticed Noelle’s lips were turning blue. As much as she loved the outdoor events, her body had its limits. When she began hopping in one spot to keep her blood circulating, I decided it was time for us to return to the car.
“Can we stop at the bookstore?” she asked as we walked back toward Main Street. “I want to take some photos.”
It was still early days, but Noelle had already begun planning the new store.
She wanted to keep the name but expand its meaning.
Hard to Find would not only stock rare editions of old classics.
It would have lesser-known indie hits, mixed with special editions of bestsellers and exclusive merchandise she wanted to organize with the authors.
It was a good plan. If anyone could pull it off, it was her.
I’d assume a supporting role, as hands-off as possible.
To be clear, I was planning to keep my hands on her, but off the business.
Not that I could help hearing about it, as she rambled on about displays, signings, and mailing lists.
Apparently, I should have been doing about a thousand and one things as a bookseller that had nothing to do with sitting behind a desk and reading.
I parked in front of the store, and she unlocked the door with her master key. She’d officially accepted my job offer and was now officially living in this building. But since Grace had decided to stay, she wanted to stay with her friend, so it made sense that we all lived under the same roof.
I loved having her in my house, but I also wanted her to have her own place. Being with me had to be a choice she made freely, not because she had nowhere else to go.
“I think we should make this the feature wall,” she said, pointing at the back wall. “What about a neon sign… ‘Hard Dicks to Find’ and romance titles featured on little shelves?”
I neutralized my expression. She was not sucking me into this. No matter how out there her ideas were, they’d still be better than my inaction. It took me a few seconds to realize she was kidding.
“Come on! I told you I’m not getting involved,” I said as she doubled over, laughing. “And considering the romance readers in this town, that’s not even a bad idea. I can name several women who’d line up with their credit cards.”
“Fine. I hear you. I’ll think about a… better term.” She hiccupped, framing her first shot.
Uncle Glenn would have loved her, I thought as I walked behind her, trying to stay out of the photos she snapped. He would have been thrilled to know Noelle and happy that I’d found someone who shone where I didn’t.
When she was done with the photos, I pulled her into my arms, noting that my chest no longer twinged in pain. I was healing.
“I’m so glad you bounced into my life,” I whispered into her hair. “With your fluffy baby chick coat and your makeup brush and your cactus.”
She grinned, and her eyes caught the sun, turning it into two glowing stars. “How else was I going to get your attention?”
And she was right. That was what it took for me to look up from my book and take notice. She was exactly what I needed, and she’d burst into my life exactly the way I needed. I might have been one of the few people who knew there was no Hideaway Elf, yet I was the one who now believed in miracles.