Page 63 of Saved By Noel
He shrugs a shoulder. “Seemed like the best move for the town. We’ll see how it goes. But if today’s excitement was any indication, it was the right decision.”
“I know it was a hard idea for you to get on board with,” I press, wanting him to understand how I feel about his decision. Abouthim. “I just want you to know how grateful I am. How happy it makes me to be able to be here with you and help.”
A shadow flickers across his face, killing the edges of my smile. He takes another step backward. “I’d do anything for the people of this town. Even if it means the opposite of what past generations of Noel men thought was needed.” He clears his throat, and I hear Chase whine from the truck window. “I’ll let you get some sleep. Let me know if you need anything from me for the advertising.”
He strides away from me, then pulls out of the driveway while I remain frozen on the porch.
Every time I think I’ve figured out the Clark puzzle, that I’ve found the true design hidden behind the Magic Eye camouflage, I find myself back at square one. I was so sure he was opening up more, letting down some of his walls. Now I’m not sure of anything.
Stunned, I just stand there staring at the empty driveway for a few minutes before I open the door. I pull my phone out of my pocket, tempted to call Syd and process through all this Clark confusion with her. But her friendship with Clark has too much back-story, and his relationship with Davis is too important. I can’t bring myself to unload this on her.
I call Madison instead as I make my way to the back porch, plopping down in my rocking chair in the darkness. Just when I think it’s going to voicemail, she answers.
“Clara! How’d the Christmas planning party go?”
“Hey, Mads. It was good. Everyone was excited. And we have a solid plan to execute, so I count that a success,” I say.
“Then why do you sound like Christmas got canceled?” she asks.
I sigh.
“Ah,” Mads says. “I take it Hottie McScrooge is behind the low-key depressing tone. Did he try to cancel Christmas?”
“No, nothing like that,” I respond. “He’s totally rolling with the festival idea, and even seems pretty convinced that it will be worthwhile.”
“Sooo? What is it then?”
“I don’t know. I think that’s the most frustrating part—that I can’t figure him out,” I groan. Madison waits silently for me to continue. “I just . . . I feel all this attraction, this chemistry between us, and I keep thinking that he might be feeling it too. But then he’ll push me back out to arm’s length again. And I’m not talking T-Rex arm’s length—what animal has the longest arm span?”
“Please hold. I’m searching,” Mads replies. A second later, she says, “Humpback whale.”
“Okay, so he pushes me out to humpback whale arm’s length. I thought the whole Christmas festival was a sign that he was opening up to me, but maybe I was wrong.”
“Do you think he’s afraid to get close to people after what happened with his family?” Madison asks.
I hum. “Maybe? I mean, that would make sense. But I think it’s something else, something more than that. Something specifically aboutme. Then again, maybe that’s just me over-analyzing why he won’t like me.”
“You do hate it when people don’t like you. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Nothing, I guess? Just focus on making this Christmas festival the biggest success it could possibly be,” I muse, twirling the ring on my finger.
“That’s fine, Clara,” Mads says. I can hear in her tone that there’s a “but” coming. “But as you’re working on the festival, don’t forget the original reason you wound up at that cabin in Noel.”
“The movie script,” I sigh. “You’re right.”
“Of course, I’m right,” Mads scoffs. “When have I ever not been right?”
“Uh, maybe when you said you were entirely confident that Ivy was the type of person to make a good roommate?”
“Touché.”
The next three months are a whirlwind of Christmas activity. As a girl, I’d always wished that the holiday season could last year-round. Between preparations for The First Noel and slowly chipping away at my movie script, I’m living out all my childhood Christmas dreams.
I reach out to several contacts I have in the journalism sector. Articles advertising the Christmas festival will appear in newspapers based in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, andOklahoma. I also comb through our client lists to find any located in the general vicinity and work short blurbs into the November newsletter issues. It may be an abuse of power, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take in order to get the word out about The First Noel.
My parents accompany me on two of my trips to Noel, offering their logistics expertise to the planning committee, which consists of Clark, Emily, James, and Sydney. Clark’s mayoral office is brimming with boxes of Christmas decor, a mental picture I take delight in projecting any time I need a smile.
Mom knows there’s ambiguity in my friendship with Clark, but she’s kind enough not to bring it up. Which is good because I wouldn’t even know what to explain. The ambiguity only thickens when I watch how polite and borderlinefriendlyClark is with my parents . . . but I’m personally still out at humpback whale’s arm length.
