Page 54 of Joy to Noel
“What are we going to do?” Clara asks from the passenger seat. I’m sitting in the back seat, an enthusiastic Chase crowding my lap and licking my face every few seconds. I rub my hand over his golden fur, which increases the speed of his wagging tail.
“We can’t do anything to get the power lines restored, but we can clean up limbs so the electric company has better access to the roads. And generally get the town back into shape,” Clark says. “Justwatch—we’ll get to Main Street, and there will already be a crowd gathered to get to work.”
Sure enough, when we pull into the parking lot of Noland’s, Davis is already standing on his truck bed, talking through a bullhorn to organize work parties.
“All of the power should be dead, but if you notice even a hint of a power line being live, stay away and call the electric company to report it,” Davis says as we step close enough to hear. “Those without chainsaws buddy up with people who have them to haul away the cut branches. Let’s get our town cleaned up!”
A cheer rises from the crowd of townspeople, and everyone quickly disperses into small groups. I turn to Clara and ask, “What should we do? I wouldn’t mind manning a chainsaw.”
“Absolutely not,” Clark states, zero nonsense in his tone. I glare at him. “There’s a group that’s going to assemble some sandwiches for lunch inside the grocery store. Why don’t you two help with that?”
Popping my hands on my hips, I tell Clark, “You can’t tell me what to do. I grew up on a farm. Maybe I’m great with a chainsaw.”
He mimics my intimidation pose, but his twelve extra inches of height make his stance a little more threatening than mine. I fake a sigh and say, “Fine, fine. I’ll just pretend I’m back on lunch duty for harvest.”
In no way should anyone trust me with a chainsaw today. Not when I’m mentally on edge after last night with Liam.
Sydney and Becky are already inside of Noland’s organizing an assembly line. Syd greets Clara with a hug, and I’m caught off guard when Becky does the same to me. “Hey heyyy,” Syd says. “Emily is off doing mayor stuff trying to get the town up and running again. But she gave me free rein to pull food supplies from the store as long as we keep records.”
“Good thing they have a generator here too,” I say. “I didn’t even think about backup generators until Liam mentioned the factory having one.”
Clara and Syd exchange a look as I pull on food service gloves. “Stop those looks. I’m allowed to say Liam’s name without it meaning anything. We are roommates, after all.”
“Yeah, he did seem super pleasant when he dropped you off this morning,” Clara says. Syd perks up and gives me a suspicious look.
“He didn’t want me driving over to Clara’s in case the roads were unsafe after the storm. He just dropped me off on his way to the factory. No biggie.”
“Sure, okay,” Syd says, and Becky chuckles.
Maybe Liam had a point about small-town gossip.
“Maybe you should invite Liam to join us on the float trip the first weekend of June,” Clara says innocently. “He might enjoy a little time off experiencing the town’s scenery.”
“Yeah, invite him!” Syd agrees. “I’m sure the guys would love to grill him a little more on his grand plans for the factory.”
A protective lion roars to life in my chest. “No grilling.”
Everyone pauses in the middle of assembling sandwiches to look at me. I soften my tone. “They could just be friendly without grilling him about the factory. I’m sure he deals with that enough from corporate.”
“Good point, Mads,” Clara agrees. “I promise I’ll make Clark be nice.”
I level her with a stare, and she amends, “Well, I’lltryto encourage him to act friendly. Ish.”
“Don’t worry, Davis can balance out Clark’s grump factor. And Beau would be there, so Liam would have a familiar face, at least,” Syd says. “I mean, no pressure, but feel free to tell him he’s welcome to join.”
“I’ll talk to him about it,” I mutter, slamming the top piece of bread down on the turkey and cheese. Because itwouldbe good for Liam to see how great people can be. To experience what real friendship looks like among some of the best people I know. To get a peek into the sweet side of small-town life.
I’m just not sure how well my heart could handle it if he actually lets his guard down again. Vulnerable Liam captivated me. But I don’t want to be a captive if the guards shoot back up.
Clara changes the subject, filling us in on the movie script she’s currently writing for Heartmark. This one won’t be produced until next year, as she already has one in production for this upcoming Christmas. I’m so proud of her for grabbing hold of this dream, Icould burst.
As people start trickling into the store to grab food and take a break, I’m surprised when I see Liam come in alongside Davis. In a sea of men bedecked in flannel or T-shirts, Liam sticks out like a sore thumb in his pale blue polo. But his jeans are covered with specks of sawdust, a sure sign he’s been assisting with the limb removal.
He’s listening intently to whatever Davis is saying, that laser-focused look on his face. When Davis pauses mid-step to turn toward Liam with a huge smile on his face, Liam breaks into a laugh. Davis slaps Liam on the shoulder, howling with laughter at whatever story he just told.
My heart is twisting itself into funny knots at the sight of Liam and Davis laughing together, just in time for Liam to look up and make eye contact. I drop my attention to the bags of chips in front of me, rearranging them for the people coming through the food line.
“Hmmm,” Clara hums next to me, not saying anything else.
