Page 66 of Saved By Noel
That night, I’m lying in bed, wide awake for hours. Chase has a dog bed on the floor, but at 1:00 a.m., he stands and whines next to me. He nuzzles my hand with his nose.
“You think I need some attention, huh?” I ask, scratching him behind the ears. He reaches a paw up, whining again. “All right,come on up. Just this once.” He jumps into bed and lays down next to me, head resting on my stomach.
I absentmindedly stroke his fur, mind refusing to calm down.
I’m anxious about how this festival is going to go.How many people will come? Will they love it and tell others to visit? Or have we missed the mark? Is this enough of a boost to keep the town going until the pet food facility finally opens up?
What if it fails? What ifI’ma failure?
Clara’s face also competes for space in my anxious thoughts loop. I close my eyes and picture her dancing blue eyes. The way the wind catches her strawberry curls. The freckles like constellations across her cheeks, begging to be memorized. The way her full, rose-pink lips twitch when she’s trying not to smile at something I said.
My mind wants to replay a montage of every moment I’ve been near her. From the first day I stumbled into her bathroom, to sitting shoulder-to-shoulder ordering bulk Christmas decorations online last month.
No!I shout to that persistent part of my brain that won’t let her go.It won’t work. We can’t do it.
Frustrated with my lack of control over my thoughts, I abandon my attempt at sleep. Chase follows me as I pad into the living room, pausing to throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave. His ears perk up at the sound, and he preemptively jumps onto the couch to wait for me.
I dump the popcorn into a bowl and join Chase on the couch, turning on the TV. I find the Heartmark Channel, ready to watch another cookie-cutter version of the same sappy love story. In the name of festival research.Notbecause it makes me feel connected to Clara.
Deciding to make an exception to my “no people food” rule, I hold out a piece of popcorn to Chase. His tail wags, but he considers me with those confused doggie eyebrows. “Go ahead.It’s okay.” He eagerly takes the piece of popcorn from me, then another. “But only this once. Don’t get used to it,” I add sternly.
I watch as a man and womanobviouslyin love repeatedly deny their feelings for each other. The man finally professes his love and kisses the girl at the end of the movie.
I rub my hand across my chest, heart physically aching as the invisible string tightens.
Chapter thirty-seven
Clara
My body is practically vibrating with anticipation as I drive into the Noel city limits. The First Noel is finally here, and I’m equal parts thrilled to experience it all and terrified that I talked Clark into something that will epically fail.
As I drive through town, I see the transformation of Main Street from sleepy city street to event destination space. There are temporary booths, photo ops, portable restrooms, traffic signs—all the evidence of a well-planned event. And Christmas decor galore, of course.
“This looks like a real festival!” I exclaim out loud to myself.
I swing by my cabin to drop off my duffel bag before meeting Sydney and Becky in the center of town to go over a final readiness checklist. We walk through the various booths, making a list of any last-minute items missing.
We meet Davis, James, and Clark at the bar for dinner, prematurely toasting to a successful three weeks for the town. After eating, the two couples have to return home to their kids, and I gear up to head back to my cabin.
“Would you want to walk around and see everything all lit up?” Clark surprises me by asking as we walk out into the crisp night air.
“You’re turning the lights on tonight?” I ask.
“Yep. Want to walk through and make sure everything is working before tomorrow,” he replies, sounding perfectly practical.
“Of course, I do!” I reply, bouncing on my toes. I swear a smile flashes across Clark’s face, but he rubs a hand across his beard before I can confirm.
We walk to the center of the action. The temperate climate in Arkansas may not make for picturesque white Christmas scenes, but it’s ideal weather for an outdoor Christmas event. I’m perfectly warm walking around with only a light coat. As we near the main festival square, Clark pulls out his phone.
“I have everything plugged into smart devices that I can control from an app,” he says, then angles toward me with a smirk on his face. “Maybe you’ve heard of this genius invention that allows you to control power switches remotely?”
I roll my eyes and shove him hard. Which only serves to throw me off balance, not Clark. I huff. We stop walking, and he asks, “Ready?” I nod, and he taps the button on his phone.
I gasp as we’re instantly surrounded by the soft glow of thousands of twinkling lights strung from poles, tacked onto buildings, wrapped around trees. I turn a full circle, taking it all in. Strung over Main Street is a huge “Merry Christmas” light display.
The Becky’s Brews stand is decorated with whimsical pink and purple tinsel trees, with her hand-painted menu sign prominently displayed. The Ladies Who Bake stand has a three-foot gingerbread man figure holding a chalkboard list of baked goods for purchase. Traditional greenery and crimson bows aredraped under the counter. There’s something for everyone’s taste in Christmas decor.
Although there are no items filling the tables tonight, Santa’s Workshop looks as though Clark enlisted the help of Buddy the Elf to decorate. I can picture crowds streaming through the covered but open area, then making their way to purchase drinks and treats. They’ll be able to take their food down the path bordered by string lights to the picnic area set up along the river. It’s like I’m standing on set of a Heartmark movie.
