Page 23 of Saved By Noel
I switch my phone to speaker and set it on the counter, not wanting Davis’ bluster bursting my ear drum. I put my bowl into the microwave and start it. Every Sunday I make a big batch of food to eat for dinner all week, and it’s chili’s turn in the rotation.
“What are you talking about?” I ask, though I don’t think I want to know the answer.
“I’m talking about how I—being the greatest, most loyal friend in modern history—didn’t mention anything to Syd about you meeting Clara when she first moved here. And now I’m in the biggest doghouse in modern history,” Davis grumbles.
“Wait, how could you be in the doghouse about not mentioning it unless youhave, in fact, mentioned Clara to Syd?” I narrow my eyes, even though Davis can’t see my expression. Hopefully, he hears the annoyance in my voice.
“Because Syd met Clara for herself today.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah, oh no. And when Syd came home from Noland’s to tell me about it, I made the mistake of not acting like this was the first time I’d heard of Clara.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh is right. It was exactly 3.2 seconds before Syd had pried the whole story out of me. Now I’m being punished for not telling her about something as monumental as a new woman in town turning your head,” Davis yammers.
“She did not turn—”
“Stop trying to deny it, you idiot,” he interrupts. “And to make matters worse, you apparently were idiot enough to be a total jerkwad to Clara, who came into Noland’s looking like she’d been crying all morning, according to Syd.”
“Shoot,” I sigh. Chase whines next to me. I swear he understands every word of the English language.
“So now I get to sleep on the couch, courtesy of my loyalty to you,” Davis finishes.
“Sorry about that, man,” I respond. I am genuinely sorry to be the cause of a fight between Davis and Syd.
“Oh, don’t you worry. You’ll get yours. Consider yourself warned for the next time you see Syd.” Davis adds, “Anything you want to tell me about some dummy I call my best friend being mean to the newest resident of Noel?”
“Clara is not a resident of Noel—she lives in Kansas City and only intends to come here to visit,” I clarify.
“Technicality.”
I growl at Davis. Chase growls at me.
“Good boy, Chase,” Davis calls out. I take the phone off speaker and return it to my ear.
“I have nothing Ineedto tell you,” I say. “But because you’re the nosy type who doesn’t know when to back off, Clara came here expecting the city of No-el to be the North Pole. She got all huffy when she discovered the truth. Then she decided thatherdisappointment was reason enough to justify a complete overhaul of everything the town stands for. She brought me a list of all the ways we could make Noel a Christmas festival destination. I simply informed her that it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Yousimplyinformed her?”
“Ifirmlyinformed her,” I add, annoyed.
“You idiot.”
“You know, for claiming to be my best friend, you’re sure insulting me an awful lot tonight,” I chide, annoyance rising. Removing my bowl of chili from the microwave, I stalk over to the kitchen table but don’t bother to sit down.
“I am your best friend, and that’s why I’m telling you to stop being a moron, Clark. Recognize a good thing when you see it for once,” Davis fires back.
Chase barks twice, apparently not liking the expression on my face.
“See, your other best friend agrees with me,” Davis says, a lighter tease in his tone of voice.
“Need I remind you that you haven’t even met Clara?” I tell Davis. “You can’t be so positive that she’s a good thing without even knowing her.”
“First of all, it’s a short matter of time before I meet Clara, because Syd is convinced that Clara is going to be her next bosom friend,” Davis says.
“Her . . .what?” I interrupt.
