“If you could just put aside your hurt pride and look at this rationally, you’ll see that I’m right. Aiden needs to be with his grandparents this Christmas.”
An inferno of heat flushed over Noelle’s cheeks as she tightened her grip on the handle of the shopping buggy. “Hurt pride?” Her voice rose to a screech. “Did you really just say that to me?” Her outburst caught the attention of a woman walking past in the aisle. Noelle offered a tight smile to the wide-eyed woman before lowering her voice, her words spilling out in guttural bursts through clenched teeth. “After everything that your son has done to me? I can assure you, Dottie, that this goes way beyond hurt pride.” She reached for a box of pasta and plunked it into the buggy. Her pulse was roaring like a jet engine propeller against her temples.
“Is it so wrong of me to want to have my only grandson with me this Christmas?” Dottie’s voice held a wounded tremble.”
“Noelle rolled her eyes. Her former mother-in-law was a master at playing the martyr to get her way. Well, it wouldn’t work this time. Noelle sucked in a breath, willing herself to calm down. “We’ve been over this a dozen times. Aiden and I went to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, and we’re spending Christmas here with my aunt and her kids.” Noelle hoped the finality in her tone would get the message through Dottie’s thick skull. Thanksgiving had been brutal. Her ex-husband, Kyle, had the nerve to bring his latest conquest to the gathering, Tiffany Wade, a twenty-year-old bombshell actress who was ten years younger than Kyle. Noelle had to watch him pawing all over the naïve bubblehead while picking at her turkey, which was bone dry and tasteless. Kyle’s affair with Tiffany had been the last straw in a long line of betrayals. It was what gave Noelle the impetus to dump his butt and move back to Franklin.
“I have an idea. Let Aiden go with us to Tybee Island for Christmas, and you can stay there and spend time with your aunt and her family.” Dottie’s voice was cashmere soft.
“No, that won’t work. I’m spending Christmas with my son,” Noelle countered as she looked at Aiden’s chestnut curls, bouncing in synch with his movements as he skipped along, staying a handful of steps in front of the shopping buggy. At five years old, Aiden was a bundle of energy. Noelle couldn’t take her eyes off him for one second without fear of him getting into something.
He glanced back over his shoulder. “Can we get some Popsicles?” His dark eyes lit with eagerness. Aiden was the spitting image of his father Kyle with his wide smile and curly locks. There was a cute smattering of freckles splashed across his nose and he was missing one of his front baby teeth. It was the first one that had fallen out.
Noelle nodded as she moved the phone away from her mouth. “If you’re good.”
He threw her such an adorable, cherubic smile that Noelle couldn’t help but grin. “It’s a good thing you’re cute, you little stinker.” He’d already caused her grief today.
“Is that Aiden?” Dottie asked. “Put him on the phone.”
“We’re in the grocery store,” Noelle countered.
“I don’t understand why you felt the need to move so far away,” Dottie sulked.
How many times was Noelle going to have to keep repeating the same conversation? “Franklin is my home. It’s where I grew up.”
Dottie’s voice grew pleading. “Your home is here with us. If you could just give Kyle another chance.”
A chortle rose in Noelle’s throat. “I’ve given him plenty of chances.” If Kyle were here, she’d punch him in the nose and then kick him in the groin.
“This thing with that kid actress is a passing fancy,” Dottie spouted. “Kyle is just going through a rough spot.”
“Really?” Noelle hurled out through clenched teeth. “What was his excuse for the other affairs?”
“T—that’s not fair,” Dottie blustered as her words rushed out. “I knew it was a mistake for you to go to work. If only you’d been home more, cooked regular dinners, paid attention to Kyle’s needs.”
A disbelieving laugh rose in Noelle’s throat. “Says the woman who lives off of takeout.” Dottie was delusional. No wonder Kyle was such a putz. He’d been coddled his entire life. Noelle was getting disgusted and weary with this ridiculous phone call. What about her needs? Dottie never even considered that Noelle might have feelings. What about commitment, love, fidelity? The only reason she’d even answered her phone was because Dottie had called several times already and left two messages. The woman was relentless.
“Come home, Noelle,” Dottie pled. “You and Kyle can work this out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Not this time.”
An edge crept into Dottie’s voice. “Stop being selfish. Aiden needs his father and grandparents.”
Noelle felt like a dozen firecrackers were going off simultaneously in her head. “I’m being selfish?” Her voice was loud, but she no longer cared. She tightened her hold on the cellphone. “You know what Kyle’s problem is? Other than the fact that he can’t keep his zipper up. You and Trent make excuses for him. He’s the selfish one!”
“Calm down,” Dottie urged in a superior tone.
A hard laugh riddled Noelle’s throat. “You started this.”
“I was just trying to get through to you.” Dottie’s voice broke. “What’s it gonna take to get you to come home?”
“I am home,” she growled. Coming back to Franklin was not something Noelle thought she’d ever do. Being here was hard. Everything reminded Noelle of her mother. She couldn’t count the number of times they’d come to this same grocery store when she was a kid. They’d walked these very aisles, their feet likely treading the exact spot where she was now. Her chest squeezed. Sometimes she missed her mom so badly that she could hardly breathe. It was especially hard during Christmas, her mother’s favorite time of the year. Noelle’s very name was indicative of how much Joleigh Abernathy adored Christmas.
Noelle swallowed the lump in her throat, willing herself to be strong. The longer she lived here, the more the pain would lessen … she hoped. It wasn’t just her mom’s death that had Noelle’s nerves in a jumble. It was also Holden. She wondered if he even realized that she was back. What must he be thinking? Would he feel sorry for her that her marriage hadn’t worked out? She straightened her shoulders, her expression going hard. She couldn’t tolerate his pity. The festive Christmas music playing in the background was a stark contrast to her darkening mood. It was Christmas time. She should be happy. She needed to keep her eyes focused on the future rather than dwelling on the past. Hadn’t she prayed for help and direction? She’d felt prompted to come home to Franklin. And then when her aunt Birdie offered her a place to stay, the deal was sealed. She’d gotten a job at Viv Salon, which was a few doors away from Birdie’s dress shop. She had so much to be grateful for. The key was to create new memories so they could help fill the sadness in her soul.
Noelle pulled herself out of her thoughts. Dottie had been talking a mile a minute, outlining all of the fun “adventures” that she and her husband, Trent, had planned for their Christmas in Tybee Island. Of course, Dottie made sure to highlight all of the activities that would be expressly for Aiden, should Noelle allow him to go.
Aiden had gotten farther ahead of Noelle. He rounded the corner. Before she could catch him, an older man came the other direction with his buggy and inadvertently blocked her way. It seemed to take forever for him to shuffle past. The second she could, Noelle whipped her buggy past the man and hurried to catch up with Aiden.
“Are you still there?” Dottie asked irritably. “You haven’t said a word for the last little while.” She sniffed out a laugh. “I’m beginning to think you’re a mute.”
Noelle pushed out a hard breath. “I’m here, although I’m not sure why I’m still talking to you,” she muttered under her breath. She wished she could cut ties with her former mother-in-law and the rest of the Staleys, but that wasn’t going to happen. She would always be tied to her ex-husband and his parents because of Aiden.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that last part.”
“Never mind.” Noelle spotted Aiden at the far end of the cookie aisle. He was sitting on the floor, his feet sprawled out as he ripped open a box of wafers. A mother and her teenage daughter were watching the scene—the mother’s face registered disapproval, and the daughter had her hand over her mouth, sniggering.
Noelle wished she could crawl under the buggy. Instead, she lifted her chin and strode past them, pushing her buggy with a vengeance. The woman looked vaguely familiar. Noelle was sure she probably knew her from somewhere. Perhaps she belonged to the same church as Noelle’s mother. At any rate, Noelle didn’t want to make eye contact with the woman. She didn’t need the woman to recognize her right now, in the midst of Aiden’s antics. Just before Noelle reached Aiden, he pulled out a fistful of wafers, stuffed them into his mouth, before making a disgusted face and spitting them out. “Aiden,” she exploded as the frustration from the day engulfed her. “What’re you doing?” She looked at the glob of half-eaten wafers.
“What’s wrong?” Dottie demanded. “Is Aiden okay? He needs structure, supervision, and—”
It occurred to Noelle that she was still on the phone. “I’ve gotta let you go.” Noelle ended the call in the middle of Dottie’s tirade.
Aiden’s eyes turned wider than two full moons, and he had a busted look written all over his face. “You’re in trouble, mister,” she seethed, her hand going to her hip. “You need to pick all that up right now!” She needed a napkin, or something. She glanced around, hoping to catch sight of a store employee.
A daredevil defiance streaked through Aiden’s eyes. “Don’t even think about it,” Noelle barked. Whenever Aiden got in trouble, his first inclination was to run from the situation. Noelle wished she could run away from her situation—leave the hurt and regret behind.
Her warning fell on deaf ears as Aiden threw the box down, jumped up, and took off sprinting like a football player going for the end-zone.
Noelle didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She threw her phone into her purse, left it in the buggy, and bolted after him. She reached Aiden a couple seconds later. She went to grab his hand, but he darted out of her grasp with a giggle, as if they were playing a game of tag. Her rubber soles caught on the floor, causing her to trip over her own feet. She went sprawling headfirst into a large display of canned hams stacked in a pyramid formation. Successive pings of metal hitting the cement floor rang in her ears. At the same time, she heard a man grunt in surprise. It raced through her brain that the man had been standing on the other side of the pyramid. Noelle hit the ground as sharp pains stabbed through her hands and knees. She sat up in a daze as she looked around. A guy was on the floor beside her. A hot panic suffused over her. She’d knocked him down.
A crowd gathered. “Are you okay?” an elderly woman asked, her lined face etched in concern.
Noelle looked down at her hands.
“You’re bleeding,” the woman said.
“It’s just a scratch,” Noelle said casually as she clutched her hand. Her body was throbbing all over. Her knees were burning. She figured that beneath her jeans, her skin was scraped and bleeding. She looked over to where a guy in his early twenties was standing. He was wearing a store apron indicating that he was a store employee. He was holding Aiden’s hand. “Does this one belong to you?” he asked.
Relief swept over Noelle, realizing that Aiden was okay. “Yep, he’s mine,” she answered dryly, giving Aiden a sharp look. His expression was one of remorse and fright. Ever since the divorce, Aiden had been acting out. Today was his first day of kindergarten at his new school. It had been a disaster, with the teacher calling Noelle to report in a put-out tone that Aiden had pushed another kid off the slide during recess. Noelle had no idea what to do about Aiden’s outbursts. Right now, however, she had bigger fish to fry. “Are you okay?” she asked, turning to the guy beside her. “I’m so sorry,” she began, but then got a good look at him. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Holden?” she uttered. Of all the people in Franklin to knock down, why did it have to be him?
For weeks, she’d fretted over how she would react when she saw him again, wondering if the old feelings would resurface. Holden had always been easy on the eyes, but the years had done him well. Handsome in a way that screamed super fit football coach, his features were more rugged, more masculine than she remembered—a man transformed from a boy and coming into his own. Their gazes locked. She felt the old familiar flame rise up between them. It had always been that way between them, as if some invisible magnet were pulling them together. Holden grew up in the house next door to Noelle’s. The two played together as kids, were the best of pals. They became arch enemies during their turbulent, awkward preteen phase. By the time high school rolled around, they could no longer deny their feelings for one another. Everyone assumed they’d end up together, but then the unthinkable happened, changing everything. She thought she might have caught a trace of regret in his deep brown eyes, but it vanished before she could tell for sure what he was feeling. Was Holden remembering everything they’d lost? She sure thought about it often enough. They’d had such high aspirations for the future.
A crooked grin lifted a corner of his mouth, showcasing his deep dimples. She remembered pressing her finger in them when they were kids. She used to call them black holes, saying that the entire world could get lost in them. “Hey, Noe,” he said softly. “Welcome home.” She was fascinated by the faint creases around his eyes. They hadn’t been there before. His lean jaw held a slight stubble. It was sexy. Over the years, she’d thought of him more often than she wanted to admit, even dreaming about him a few times. It was interesting to synch the memories of her past with the real-life, breathing hunk of man sitting beside her. Amusement lit his eyes, making her realize that she was staring at him.
Heat blowtorched over her face as she gurgled and then coughed. “Hey.” He didn’t look surprised to see her. She wondered if Birdie had told him she was coming home. Or maybe he’d heard the news from someone at the salon. The only thing that traveled faster than the speed of sound was gossip through the Franklin grapevine. Her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as she took a quick snapshot of his cut muscles, the outlines visible beneath his gray long-sleeved shirt. Yep, she could certainly tell he was a football coach. He probably lived in the gym. Football was a religion in Franklin. According to what Birdie had told her, in addition to teaching high school history, Holden was one of the most sought-after coaches in the tri-state area of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. He would no doubt be a king in Franklin.
Holden arched an eyebrow. “Noe, you’ve always been notorious for making a grand entrance, but you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Anger came on suddenly, roaring through her like a freight train. She was about to come back with a snarky retort when she saw his playful glint of admiration. A begrudging smile tugged at her lips. “I own up to my mistakes when the situation warrants, but I was helped a bit with this one.” She made a point of giving Aiden a reproving look. He ducked his head behind the arm of the store employee.
“So, this is the little man that I’ve been hearing about,” Holden said as he looked at Aiden.
Noelle startled. “Who’s been talking to you about Aiden?” Even as the question left her mouth, the answer came in a flash. “Birdie.”
“Yep,” Holden grinned.
Birdie thought Holden was the greatest thing since pumpkin pie. She would always joke about Holden being her adopted son.
Noelle looked at Holden’s palms. One was creased from landing on the edge of a can. “Your hand.”
“It’s nothing,” he said casually, much the same as she’d done when the older woman pointed out her injury.
“Well, well,” a female voice jeered, “it looks like Miss Beauty Queen is continuing her path of destruction.
Noelle looked up to see Meredith Sims. Her arms were folded over her chest, her sculpted eyebrow arched in disdain. Meredith was the daughter of Noelle’s new boss, Vivian Sims, the owner of the salon. Meredith worked there also. Meredith was a few years younger, so Noelle didn’t remember her from high school. However, it only took Noelle a single day of working at the hair salon to realize that Meredith was a diva. The path of destruction Meredith was referring to was a highlighting job gone terribly wrong. When Noelle removed the highlighting foils from Mrs. Smalley’s hair and went to rinse her out, she was horrified when Mrs. Smalley’s highlights, which should have been blonde, turned out purple. Noelle couldn’t believe she’d goofed on her first day. She’d gone over the formula with a fine-toothed comb and followed every step to the letter.
The only explanation Noelle could come up with for the fiasco was that Mrs. Smalley had recently started taking some new medication. Of course, Mrs. Smalley expected Noelle to fix it. Noelle put a dark rinse on the older woman’s hair. She wasn’t happy, but there was nothing else that Noelle could do. The disaster didn’t bode well for Noelle on her first day on the job. “You’re lucky that you’re a former Miss Georgia Royal and that your beauty pageant title will bring in lots of new clients,” Vivian had snipped, “otherwise, I’d fire you on the spot.”
Meredith turned her predatory eyes on Holden. “I wondered where you’d gotten off to,” she sniffed. “Then, I heard the crash.”
The words snapped through Noelle’s brain. Were Holden and Meredith together? Meredith was certainly beautiful enough to capture any man’s attention with her glossy dark hair and willowy figure, but she didn’t seem like Holden’s type. The Holden Noelle grew up with wouldn’t put up with the likes of Meredith Sims for one minute, much less date her. He’d say she was way too high maintenance for him. Or at least that’s what he would’ve said back in the day. The point was driven home that Noelle didn’t know who Holden Hunt was anymore.
Noelle felt a curious sense of loss and had to remind herself that it didn’t matter whom Holden Hunt dated. He was part of her past, not her future. Holden got to his feet. He reached down to help Noelle up. “Thanks, but I’ve got it,” she said quickly as she stood. She was caught off guard at how wobbly her legs were. She teetered slightly before Holden caught her arm in a steadying grip.
“Easy,” he cautioned.
She felt the warmth of his fingertips shooting straight into the center of her core. Or maybe it was a trick of her over-heightened senses. Yeah, it had to be that. No way could Holden Hunt still have such a strong effect on her. For years, she’d lived her life independent of him and had done just fine. She could keep doing the same now.
“Everything’s okay,” Holden said to the curious onlookers. “Nothing to see here, folks,” he grinned. “You can move along.” He spoke with the congenial authority of one used to dealing with intrusive town folk.
“If you say so, Coach,” a man said.
As the crowd dispersed, a heavy-set, balding man ran up to them, his arms flailing. “What happened?”
Noelle read his name tag. Mac Warner, store manager. She cringed inwardly as she took a mental assessment of the scene. There were at least twenty damaged cans. She looked around for a sign that would indicate how much each can of ham cost. She figured it had to be at least ten dollars a pop. The least she could do was offer to pay for the damaged merchandise.
“How ya doing, Mac?” Holden said easily with a friendly smile.
Mac nodded, his features softening a fraction. “Coach Hunt,” he acknowledged with a respectful nod. He motioned. “How did this happen?”
Holden rubbed his neck, flashing an apologetic grin. “I’m afraid I tripped and fell.”
Noelle frowned. “No, that’s not what happened. I’m the one who fell.”
“That’s what I heard,” Meredith inserted. “That it was her fault.” She shot Noelle a malevolent glare.
Noelle had been asking herself all day why Meredith took such an instant dislike to her. She assumed it was because Meredith was used to being the queen bee and didn’t want any competition. However, now Noelle wondered if Holden was playing into the mix. Meredith would have no doubt heard about Noelle and Holden’s history together.
Mac pointed. “You’re bleeding.”
Noelle couldn’t tell which the store manager was more concerned about—the state of her wellbeing, or that her injury could be a liability for the store.
Noelle looked down at her hand. “Yeah, I guess so.” In all the commotion, she’d forgotten about it. Her hand was washed in blood. Thankfully, none of it had dripped onto the white polished stone floor.
Mac looked past them. “Can someone get the first-aid kit?” he asked loudly, but it was more of an order than a request. Noelle presumed that he was speaking to one of his employees.
“This really is my fault,” Noelle asserted. “I was trying to get to my son, and I tripped.” She looked at Aiden. The store clerk was still holding his hand, but Noelle could tell from the way Aiden was swinging his arm back and forth that he was growing impatient. Aiden couldn’t stay in one place for long.
“Look at her, trying to take the blame.” Holden tsked his tongue as he shook his head. “It’s a kind gesture, but this one’s on me.” He threw Noelle a cavalier wink. “For old time’s sake.” He turned to Mac. “I’ll pay for the damaged goods.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Noelle blurted. While she appreciated Holden’s gesture, she didn’t want to be in debt to him. She wanted to start her new life in Franklin fresh, with a clean slate.
“Of course you can,” Holden said smoothly, giving her a challenging look. “I won’t have it any other way. Just smile and say thank you,” he directed.
Startled laughter gurgled in Noelle’s throat as she caught the reference. On one occasion, Noelle’s mother had sat her and Holden down at the kitchen table and taught them the grace of learning how to take a compliment. Noelle could hear her mother almost as if she were speaking. “You don’t protest or deflect the comment with a self-deprecating remark. You simply smile and say thank you.”
“There’ll be no need to pay for the hams, Coach,” Mac said. “You already do so much for the town. This one’s on the store.”
“You sure about that, Mac?” Holden asked.
“Yep.”
A young girl wearing a store apron rushed up to Noelle, holding out a box of Band-Aids. “Thanks,” Noelle said. “I’ll go to the restroom and get cleaned up.” Her eyes rounded. “Shoot. I left my purse in my buggy when I went after Aiden.”
“Which aisle?” the girl asked.
“The cookie aisle.”
The girl nodded. “Aisle eight. I’ll get it for you.” She hurried off.
“Thanks for taking care of Aiden,” Noelle said to the store employee.
At that, Aiden broke his hand free and ran full speed at Noelle, throwing his arms around her waist. She hugged him with a laugh, making sure to keep her bloody hand from getting on him. “You’re a stinker,” she said affectionately.
“We should go.” Meredith stepped close to Holden and slipped her arm through his.
Noelle was taken off guard by the sharp ping of jealousy that darted through her.
Holden caught her gaze. “It’s good to see you, Noe.”
Meredith’s eyes flashed.
“Good to see you too. Thanks … for everything.” For a split second, the years fell away. Holden had been such a large part of her life. Losing him had cut Noelle to shreds. It hurt much, much more than Kyle’s infidelity or the divorce. Holden had been her soulmate. She couldn’t help but wonder how different things might have been, were it not for the accident. The emotion came on without warning, causing her eyes to mist. With a start, she averted her eyes, blinking fast to gain control of herself.
The girl returned pushing Noelle’s buggy. “Here you go,” she said cheerily.
Noelle marveled that her purse was intact, just as she left it. One of the perks of being in a small town. “Thank you.” She pressed her lips together. “Um, I’m sorry about the mess on that aisle.”
“Mess?” Mac asked, raising an eyebrow.
Heat warmed Noelle’s cheeks as a shaky laugh issued from her throat. “I’m afraid my little guy got into a box of wafers.”
Holden grinned broadly. “You always did know how to make an appearance,” he said appraisingly, catching Noelle’s gaze.
“Amen to that,” Meredith snapped, giving Noelle a look that could kill.
Of one thing Noelle was sure, she’d certainly made an enemy out of Meredith Sims. So much for her good intention to make new friends.
