Page 19 of Saved By Noel
My heart stings.
Blinking rapidly, I try to prevent Clark from seeing the watery hurt in my eyes. I pretend to pick lint off my robe.Gosh darn it—why didn’t I take the robe off before I answered the door?!
I skirt around him to open the front door. “Thanks again for taking care of my plant. Goodnight, Clark.”
For a moment, he looks as though he might say something more, but doesn’t. He murmurs, “G’night,” on his way out the door, and I lock it behind him.
There’s no explanation for the salty tears streaming down my cheeks, for the ache in my chest. Clark and I barely know eachother. There’s no reason for me to care this much about his rejection of my offer to help. There’s no reason to care this much aboutanyof his thoughts.
An idea cuts through the ache like a spotlight through the night sky.
I’llshowhim how I could help, how great it could be. I smile and give my hands a small clap before springing into action.
My eyes are slow to open the following morning. I stayed up far too late rewatching my favorite Heartmark Christmas movies, taking meticulous notes about every detail of the perfect Christmas festivities pictured. Then I did some Internet sleuthing for real-life Christmas towns, noting all the best and most feasible ideas to implement in Noel.
I may not have slept enough, but I have a compelling case to present to Clark now. Real evidence of what’s possible. A vision of what could be.
After a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee, I take a short bath, only long enough to wash my hair and freshen my curls. I dress in dark jeans and a deep turquoise sweater—no leggings today for my business proposal.
I break down and text Dawn to ask if she still has Clark’s number, making up an excuse about something needing to be fixed. I cross my fingers that she won’t read into it. I’m relieved when she sends the number back shortly later without any commentary.
Thinking confident, breezy thoughts, I send a text to Clark’s number.
ME
Hi, Clark, this is Clara. I was hoping to talk to you. Where might I be able to find you today, since it’s not a Monday between 10—11 a.m.?
I stare at my phone to see if he’ll respond right away, nervous when he doesn’t.Maybe I shouldn’t have made the office hour dig?I walk to the sunroom and stare out the windows, sit in my oversized chair, stand up and rearrange things on my desk, walk circles around the room.
Ping.My phone finally sounds.
CLARK
I’ll make an office hours exception and meet you there. 15 min?
ME
Sounds good!
I take a moment to review my list, twirling the ring on my finger.Maybe I should have typed it up instead of giving him a handwritten note?I dismiss the doubt and stand in front of the bathroom mirror.
“You can do this, Clara,” I tell my reflection. “You are the queen of helping people. You can help this town.”
Fifteen minutes later, I walk from my car back to the mayor’s office—Clark’s office. I open the door, and the dog comes barreling toward me like he remembers our short encounter yesterday.
“Chase! Settle down,” Clark admonishes, but I squat down to give Chase some proper love.
“He’s fine—more than fine, he’s a sweetheart,” I say, slipping into that baby voice everyone uses talking to adorable childrenand animals. “Aren’t you the sweetest boy?” In response, Chase’s tail switches into high-gear windshield wiper mode.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Clark asks, interrupting my moment with Chase.
I pull the file folder from under my arm and take out my list. “I stayed up last night doing research. Here’s a list of easy things the town could do to create a small but inviting Christmas festival. I looked up events held by other cities with similar demographics to Noel, to get a realistic comparison.” I even pronounce Nole without choking.
Clark accepts the list from my outstretched hand, but doesn’t look at it. He maintains steely eye contact with me as he says, “I thought I told you to drop it.”
My heart manages to drop to my stomach and simultaneously clog up my throat. Nothing in his hazel eyes is sparkling right now. Chase nuzzles my hand with his nose, and I absentmindedly stroke the soft fur between his eyes.
“Clark, I . . . I want to help. I thought if you saw an actual plan, you might see how amazing it could be. I even have screenshots to show you to see the vibes of the—”
