Page 14 of Saved By Noel
Apparently, my reaction only convinces him that he’s hit close to the mark. “I’m just saying, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for a good woman tofinallycatch your eye. You haven’t even dated since high school. You don’t have to get all moody about it.”
I brace my hand on the board and give a firm tug, making sure the rack is now steady. “Whatever you think is going on isnotgoing on. I got a call for someone who needed help, and I showed up to help. Like I do every day for people all over town who need house projects done. Or annoying friends who can’t do basic repairs themselves.”
“Ouch. I’m hurt,” Davis deadpans. But the twinkle in his eye is still there. “You can keep telling yourself that, keep telling me that, but you forget—I’m one of the few people whoknowyou, Clark.”
And I’d like to keep it that way,I think but don’t say aloud. I put everything back in its place in my toolbox and give a loud whistle to Chase as I walk back to my truck.
Davis follows me. “Come on, don’t be like that, man. Is it such a bad thing if I want my best friend to be happy?”
“I am happy.”
He crosses his arms and stares me down.
“I’m completely content. I’ve got Chase, I’ve got Pops to look after, the town to look after. And I’ve made peace with the fact that I can’t get rid of you,” I say with a smirk. “As you might recall from your front row seat to my life, I’ve been conditioned since childhood to be self-sufficient. I’m comfortable relying on myself, and I’m not going to magically change. Idon’tneed a woman to be happy, Davis. Just let it be.”
He’s obviously unconvinced, but wisely drops it. We load the kayaks onto the repaired storage rack in silence. When we’re done, I give Chase a thorough wipe-down with an old towel. I cover the passenger seat of my truck with a blanket that’s stashed for this exact purpose. Chase’s tongue lolls happily out the side of his mouth as he sits perched in the truck.
Davis gives him a scratch behind the ears through the open passenger window as I start the truck. “You know, Clark, it’s okay to be content with what is, but it’s also okay to want what could be.”
I roll my eyes at him. “Thanks for that unsolicited wisdom.”
He grins in response. “Can’t help it if the sage advice flows out unbidden. Syd sure loves it.”
I pull away from Davis and Deer Floats, Chase hanging his head out the window. I don’t know how that dog isn’t freezing. I drive the opposite way I came in, taking a different route home. Proving to Davis that I’m not drawn to the cabin on the ridge, not drawn to Clara.
Maybe I’m still trying to prove it to myself.
Chapter eleven
Clara
I’ve died incrementally every day I haven’t been able to go back to the cabin. It’s all I think about lying in bed each night, trying to fall asleep. My perfect, cozy retreat, the writing desk in the sunroom calling me to take a seat. I’d barely been able to dip my toe into the oasis before reality slammed into me.
The past three weeks have been an exhausting blur of helping take care of my dad after work and on weekends. The handful of days I haven’t gone to my parents’ house have been spent working late into the evening at the office. I had to make up for the time I took off to be in the hospital with my dad and going to follow-up appointments. On top of my dad’s physical needs, I’ve also pitched in to help with the Living Nativity preparation tasks he usually takes care of each November.
Madison repeatedly pushed me to take PTO days and delegate my assignments rather than catching up in the late evenings. But I can’t bring myself to burden other people with my work. I’d rather abandon any semblance of a social life or time to myself.
Except each night, when I let myself replay a mental video montage of the hour of time I spent with Clark. Possibly evenless than an hour of total time in each other’s presence. But something about our interactions, abouthim,just won’t vacate my short-term memory. So I relive it each night, sometimes wondering if I imagined the whole thing.
I’d failed at trying to explain to Mads exactly what it was about Clark that clung to my thoughts. Possibly because I couldn’t quite nail it down myself. Sure, he was physically attractive—incredibly so—but that wasn’tit. Or, at least, not the sum of it.
I nearly asked Dawn for his phone number, since she had to call him to send him to the rescue that night. But Dawn has been unsuccessfully trying to set me up ever since my college boyfriend broke up with me right before graduation. All the dates she’d arranged for me had been massive failures. Come to think of it, failure isn’t a strong enough word to describe the disastrous dates accurately. Furthermore, calling them “dates” is an insult to the concept of a date.
Needless to say I’d never be rid of her meddling if she had the slightest hint of my interest in Clark. I can’t even tell her it’s only to check in on my Tineke. If she knew that I entrusted a plant to him, then she’dreallyclue in to my interest.
So I’ve waited, anxious to know if my plant is dead or not. Although, something about Clark’s competence fixing the door, coupled with the kindness in his eyes when he steadied my elbow, has me believing he’s entirely capable of keeping her alive.
It’s Tuesday evening, and I’m pushing a shopping cart through the grocery store, picking up the final supplies we need for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Overland Park must be full of procrastinators, turning a grocery run into a fight through a battlefield.
My phone buzzes with an incoming call from Mom. I answer, anticipating her adding something to the shopping list.
“Hey honey, what are you up to?” she asks.
“Oh, you know, fighting the hordes for Thanksgiving groceries,” I reply, only half kidding. The woman in the aisle next to me holds up a Mockingjay salute. I give her a smile of solidarity before reaching around someone to get the French-fried onions for green bean casserole.
“I wanted to tell you that your father and I talked about it, and we think you should go back to your cabin next week. Take some time off, work remotely, whatever you need to do. But go back down and enjoy a few days there,” Mom says.
“But Dad’s still recovering—I can’t leave you on your own to take care of him, Mom,” I counter.
