Page 31 of Saved By Noel
So I do. I tell Sydney all about my first time meeting Clark when he stumbled into the bathroom. I tell her about that odd draw I felt to him the first night and following morning, about me leaving abruptly and Clark taking the plant from me. She has a soft smile on her face as she listens, like she recognizes the man in the picture I’m painting.
Then, I tell her about my misguided expectations for the town and my angry encounter with Clark at the mayor’s office. I tell her about my shock at finding out he was the mayor, my disappointment when he told me to drop the idea of a Christmas festival. Syd has a sympathetic smile on her face, like she also recognizesthisman in the picture I’m painting.
But when I get to the part of the story about Clark crumpling up my list of ideas, Syd jolts upright, mouth in a shocked “O” position. “He what?! He crumpled up the paper?! Okay, Clark can be grouchy, but that’s harsh even for him. Something must havereallygotten under his skin. Not that I’m excusing it.”
I finish the story with our brief phone conversation, Clark’s offer to take care of my plant again, and returning here to find the stored Christmas lights and rocking chair on the deck. “I don’t know what to think. It’s like a Jekyll and Hyde scenario,and I don’t know which version is the real Clark. Or if he’s some bewildering mixture of the two.”
Sydney worries her lip as she regards me, the posture of someone carefully formulating a response. “Clark is certainly a . . . unique character. He truly is a kind, generous, steady man. But he does have a surly side that gets the better of him sometimes.” She pauses to take a sip of coffee, but I’d wager a guess that she’s stalling to think. I wait.
Syd taps her fingers on her coffee mug and dives in. “Clark hasn’t had an easy go. I know you’re from a big city, but try to put yourself in his shoes. The child of a small town’s founding family. A family that has been pretty much in charge of the town across generations. That comes with some certain expectations and pressure that would get to any kid.
“On top of that, Clark always had a strained relationship with his dad. Clark’s older brother, Sam, was the poster child of favored elder sons. Sam was a carbon copy of their dad and opposite from Clark in every way. Clark never could live up to his dad’s expectations of what a Noel man should be—the exact type of guy that Sam was.”
Syd pauses, thoughtful again. “So Clark struggled in his role, in their relationship, even before the accident.”
I blow out the breath I’ve been holding. “What happened?”
“Car accident. Clark’s parents and Sam were riding home together from a conference in Fayetteville, and a drunk driver swerved into their lane and hit them. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Clark was only twenty years old at the time,” Sydney explains sadly.
I draw in a sharp breath.Poor Clark. No wonder you’re so grumpy. You’re hurting.
“Clark moved back here to Noel full time, trying to cope with the loss of his family. Trying to cope with the confusion of losing a family that didn’t love him very well to start with. In someways, Noel rallied and helped him through it. But in other ways, the town placed an additional burden on Clark because of who he is,” Syd says.
“The last remaining member of the Noel family,” I conclude. She nods.
“Clarkhatesbeing the mayor,” Syd comments with a huffed laugh. “When Clark turned twenty-eight, the town voted him in as mayor against his will, and I’m sure they’ll re-elect him this year.”
I shake my head. “Can’t he decline?”
Syd smiles. “Technically, yes. But he still has enough lingering sense of Noel family obligation that he doesn’t. And he truly does want to see the town prosper, wants to see families here thriving. So, when the Byers plant closed last year and people lost their jobs, it was like a gut punch to Clark to see so many families forced to leave.”
“He feels responsible, doesn’t he?” I observe. Syd simply taps her finger to her nose.
I sigh. “Well, that sure explains a lot about why he’s complicated. But that doesn’t un-complicate him!” She laughs in response.
“I’m not saying that Clark wasn’t wrong for treating you the way he did—he was absolutely wrong. Believe me, he heard an earful from me about it. But . . .there are reasons why he is the way that he is. Painful, complicated reasons.”
I silently contemplate everything Syd has told me, staring into my coffee mug.
“Then again,” Syd drawls, a lighter teasing tone in her voice, “I can’t say I’ve ever seen him getquitethis worked up in response to anything. I suspect you might bring out some heightened reactions in him, Clara Sullivan.”
I aim a throw pillow at her as she laughs. I’m surprised at how Sydney has put me so at ease, especially talking aboutsomething so personal, so complex. Sydney’s the type of friend you instantly feel like you’ve known forever. The type of friend youhopeyou’ll know forever.
When Addie’s cry sounds through the baby monitor, we both stand. “I’ll take the coffee mugs to the kitchen while you get her up,” I say.
“This is perfect timing,” Sydney responds. “My parents should be here in about thirty minutes. I’ll help them get dinner set for the kids, and then Davis will be back to pick us up.”
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“There are only two options now,” Syd says. “A pizza place and the bar down by the river are the only restaurants staying open through the winter months this year. We’re heading to Deer River Bar—prepare yourself for the true small-town experience, friend.”
Chapter twenty
Clark
Ipull into the parking lot of Deer River Bar and turn off the engine. Davis invited me to join him and Syd for dinner and wouldn’t take my “no” for an answer. I’d dropped Chase off with Pops for the evening, figuring Pops could benefit from the company as much as Chase would appreciate not being left home alone.
The sinking feeling in my stomach sinks deeper every time I visit Pops. He’s had a defeated air about him ever since we moved his bedroom down to the main floor, even though he tries to hide it. The colder weather combined with the arthritis has him hobbling around worse than ever. Of course, he’s too stubborn to use the cane his doctor suggested.
