Page 7 of Meeting Mr. Christmas
Noel screened out the Mayor’s words of welcome. The noise of the crowd hemming him in faded. The faces of the townsfolk became shadows, as all he could see was Jed’s arm snaking around Cora’s waist; Jed’s soft stroke, following the curve of her hip; Jed whispering something, making her laugh, a prelude to lips meeting lips. A long, slow kiss, and Jed’s eyes dropping closed… The longing of all the years weighed down on Noel, crushing him and stealing his breath, mesmerized by a kiss hewould never taste and savor, eyes that would never, ever, flutter closed for him.
Arms encircled Noel’s waist.“Reckon those two need to get a room. That’s a fine show your friends are putting on.”
He and Kent weren’t the only ones to notice. A small woman wrapped in a multi-colored poncho, a matching hat pulled down low, and a baby carrier strapped to her chest prodded Jed on the back.
“Jed Mason, put that young woman down and show some respect for the Mayor. Francine and Hank brought you up to behave with some decorum in public.”
“Hey, Geraldine?—”
“Don’t youhey Geraldineme. You should know—” Geraldine’s views on public decency were drowned out by screechy yapping as the carrier writhed against her chest.
“My god,” Kent said, “what’s with her chest moving like that? It looks like the Alien’s about to burst out of?—”
“You’re right, otherwise known as Barkasaurus Rex, her flea-bitten mutt that thinks it’s a Bichon.” Noel shuddered. He loved animals, but Barky who should really have been called Bitey as the faint scar on his hand could attest to, was the devil in disguise.
A small, furry head broke free, wild-eyed, snarling, and with drool dripping from its chops. But then, it was hardly surprising if the Alien had been strapped up close and tight to Geraldine.
“Barky! Barky! Look what you’ve done, Jed Mason, you’ve upset my baby. Bichon’s are very sensitive. Come, my precious one, we’ll go to the front where Kandi can give you a little kiss…”
“And get her face chewed off,” Jed muttered as the crowds fell back for Geraldine — and away from Barky’s snapping jaws.
CHAPTER SIX
Kandi bowed and blew kisses to the crowd that responded with polite applause and a half-hearted cheer.
“She sounds kind of different live… Her voice was a little higher than I was expecting. I thought she’d sound more like Dolly. But she didn’t.” Cora looked confused. And it was no wonder, as Collier’s Creek’s home grown talent had turned out to be not so very talented after all.
To further applause, whipped up by a panicked looking Mayor, Kandi counted down the seconds before pressing hard on a big red button. All around them, the crowd gasped as the tree lit up with softly flickering multi-colored lights, the star at the very top in stark contrast as it pulsed diamond white.
Noel’s heart was heavy and dense as he dragged his gaze from the tree to Jed. He swallowed hard. Jed stood with his arms straight by his sides. Stiff and wooden, his profile still and expressionless, giving away nothing about what he was thinking or feeling. Cora cuddled up to him, but even if he knew she was there, he didn’t show it. The arm that tightened around Noel’s waist felt wrong and constricting, as if it had no right to be there, and without thinking, he pushed it away.
“Noel? Are you okay?” Kent’s question, whispered in his ear, sounded far away. Noel’s insides twisted into a million knots. No, he wasn’t okay, and he never would be, not when the only man he’d ever wanted stood just feet but a million miles away. He forced a smile onto his face as he turned to Kent.
“Of course I am.” He tried to smile some more, but his lips weren’t playing.
Kent stared down at him, before his eyes flickered over to Jed before coming back to rest on Noel. He shrugged and looked away, his lips pursing as his brow creased in a frown.
“Hey, guys, you wanna get some hot spiced cider?” Cora beamed, pointing to the beer garden on the side of the square. “And it means we don’t have to listen to the high school choir,” she added, grimacing as an out of tune rendition of Silent Night wobbled to a start.
“That would be great. Noel, do you—” but it was as far as Kent got as the crowd surged, taking both Kent and Cora with it.
Noel stumbled, but Jed tugged him back hard and he fell against him. Jed, using his size, forged a path through. They got as far as one of the stores, which was closed for the evening, and Jed dragged Noel into the recess by the door.
“Let it thin out first, then we’ll join them.” Jed plunged his hands into his coat pockets and looked out towards the tree.
Noel licked his lips. Something about Jed was off, had been all evening. Jed’s smiles were too bright, too wide. Too forced. There was a brittleness to him that was making Noel feel off kilter and unsteady, as though he were fighting to keep his balance. Whatever it was that was getting to Jed, he couldn’t make it out. Or maybe it just all came down to Jed being more embarrassed about the screw up that, this year, was the tree ceremony and the double dating disaster than he was making out.
“Jed, what’s?—”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jed said quietly, turning to Noel. A smile twisted his lips, not happy, but not sad… Noel groped for the word. Wistful, maybe.Regretful. It exploded like a bomb in his brain. “I’m sorry. For tonight.” Jed dipped his head towards the beer garden. The crowd had thinned enough for them not to be swept away, but neither of them moved. “This was always our thing. Should have kept it that way, I guess. Plenty of other nights we could have double dated.”
That’s right, Jed, this was always our night.Always. The sudden, violent urge to pummel his fists against Jed’s chest made Noel ball his hands and wrap his arms around himself. The tree lighting, the fierce but good natured competition to find the ugliest Christmas sweater to wear, it’s what they’d done since they were kids. But they weren’t kids any longer.
“Cora’s nice. And very pretty. She’s just your type. You look good together.” Noel dragged out the words he only wanted to keep buried.
Jed’s lips twitched in a humorless smile. “She is. She’s real nice. So where did you find Ken? On the dating app?”
“Yes. And it’s Kent, Jed.Kent.”
