Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Once she was inside and buckled in, the heat blowing directly on her hands as she held them in front of the vents, Brady got in and backed out of the spot. “Did you have a good day?” he asked.

“Not really,” she admitted. “I mean… Mom brought me lunch, which was nice. But we got some new kittens, I’m worried about them.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, his tone conveying he truly meant that. “I spoke to the council members about the Christmas events, basically one at a time today. While there was some pushback from Bob, and I’m not sure about a couple others, I think we have the votes. We’re going to call a special session for tomorrow night.”

That sounded like good news. Noelle couldn’t help but smile to hear it. “Mom will be happy to hear that.”

“I think she already knows.” He laughed. “She left me a voicemail a while ago telling me how proud she was of me for not backing down.” He stopped at a stop sign, but when it was clear that there was no traffic he continued.

“I think we will have enough knitted animals to auction off that we can raise a good deal of money for Goldie’s bills,” she said, remembering another positive experience from the day.

“That’s great,” Brady said, turning to smile at her. “I know that’s been worrying you.”

“Yeah, it has,” she said with a nod. They drove through a part of town where so many people had Christmas lights out, it looked a lot like she remembered the downtown area looking like when she was younger. She couldn’t wait to see what her mother did with that. “It’s so beautiful here,” she mumbled.

“It is,” Brady agreed. “I spoke to Jennifer today, and she said that the real estate company has plenty of Christmas lights and decorations we can borrow for the events.”

Unable to believe her ears, Noelle turned and gaped at him. “Get out of town!” she said, shoving him playfully in the arm before she remembered she was sort of upset with him and maybe shouldn’t touch him. Still, she was shocked to hear that. “Really?”

“Yeah, I know. I was really excited, too.” He looked a little embarrassed about the playful poke, but he didn’t say anything. “Anyway, I think we’ve got the ingredients for a great experience here, as long as everything continues to come together.”

“Awesome,” Noelle said, unable to keep from smiling. While the kittens were still worrying her, she was happy about all of the other news he’d filled her in on. “Where are we going exactly?” she asked as he turned into the oldest neighborhood in town. These houses were mostly built back when the town was originally founded, well over a hundred years ago.

“Like I said, I spoke to Jennifer today,” he said, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. She could barely see it by the dim light of the dashboard, but she knew Brady well enough by now to know when he was about to break into a wide grin. “I want you to see something.”

“What is it?” she asked, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled into the driveway of a large Victorian home.

Noelle looked out the window. “I know this place,” she said, staring at the beautiful two-story home. “I’ve always thought this was one of the most gorgeous houses in all of Holiday Hills. When I was little, it used to be decorated so beautifully for Christmas. There were lights and garlands everywhere.”

“Yeah?” he asked. “It’s amazing on the inside, too.”

Noelle turned and looked at him, her forehead creasing. “You’ve been inside?”

Brady nodded as that smile took over, the one she’d been expecting. “Jennifer gave me the full tour.”

“Jennifer?” Noelle stared at him, puzzled, but then turned and looked at the yard. Seeing the sale sign for the first time, she spun back to look at him. “Did you… put in an offer?”

With a rich chuckle, Brady nodded. “I did. I couldn’t resist. It’ll still have to pass inspection and all of that, but if it goes through, this will be my house in a matter of weeks.”

“Oh, wow! Brady! That’s so amazing!” Noelle said, grabbing hold of his shoulder and squeezing. If they weren’t in the cab of his truck, she would have hugged him. “Oh, you’re just going to love it here! Think of all the decorating you can do for Christmas.”

“I know. I can hardly wait. Of course, I don’t know for sure if I’ll be able to get in before Christmas this year, but next year…. Anyway, I might be getting ahead of myself. The bank accepted my offer right away, but like I said, we’ll have to do inspections and all of that.”

“The bank?” Noelle asked, slightly confused. “What happened to the owners?” She remembered the older couple who lived there before well. Her mother had known the woman. She used to pass out homemade popcorn balls on Halloween. She was a sweet soul, though Noelle couldn’t quite remember her name. Her husband’s name was John, that much she remembered, because it was such a common name.

“Well, Jennifer said that the woman who owned the house recently passed away. Her husband died a few years ago, and she was quite elderly and no longer able to take care of herself, so she moved into one of the apartments on the other side of town. When she passed, there was no next of kin, so the bank took the house. She didn’t owe much on it, and they just wanted to sell it quickly and wash their hands of it, so I got it for a great price--though not under the happiest of circumstances.”

“No, that is really sad,” Noelle agreed. “But at least the home will be in good hands.”

He agreed with a nod. “I am sure there is some work that needs to be done, but for what I’m paying, I can afford to do some repairs. Anyway, I just wanted you to see it.” His smile shifted slightly to a meek, sheepish grin. “I’m really sorry that I took off on you so quickly yesterday, Noelle.”

“That’s okay,” she said, even though it hadn’t seemed okay at the time--or for all of the hours ever since. “I was worried about you, though.”

Brady blew out a deep breath. “If I’m honest, Noelle, it’s because… I didn’t want to get hurt.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean?” Was he talking about her?

“Pooch,” he said, shaking his head and shrugging. “I know it sounds silly, but, I really like that dog. But now that you know for sure that he isn’t going to be claimed, he can be adopted, right?”

She nodded, understanding now where he was going. “You’re afraid of getting too attached to him and someone else coming in to claim him.”

“Exactly,” Brady said, running his hand along his jaw. He took in a deep breath and ran his fingers across the end of his scarf. “My mom made this scarf for me--a few Christmases ago. Right before she was diagnosed with cancer.”

Noelle’s eyes widened. “Oh, Brady. I’m so sorry.”

He nodded. “Thank you. By the time we found out she had it, there wasn’t much we could do. She didn’t make it to Easter.”

Her heart ached for him. She’d had no idea. Noelle put her hand on his shoulder. “That’s terrible.”

“It was,” he agreed, looking down at his lap. But then, he drew in air, shook his head, and looked at her. “Anyway, when Pooch took this scarf, I felt like he was ripping my heart out of my chest. I couldn’t just let it go. I had to catch up with him. I didn’t realize at the time, he was stealing my heart in other ways, too. It’s not easy for me to open up to people, Noelle. I’m not close to a lot of people. Pooch is like a person. I guess, I’m afraid to let him in. I need to keep him at arm’s length because… I don’t know when he’s going to be gone.”

Noelle swallowed hard, understanding then, that he wasn’t just talking about the dog now; he meant her, too. He was afraid she was going to walk away from him. Giving him an encouraging smile, she said, “Sometimes it can be hard to trust, Brady. But we have to believe that what’s meant to be will be. Maybe Pooch stole your scarf for a reason--because he’s meant to be with you.”

“Maybe… but Noelle, I won’t have this house for a couple of weeks at least, and I can’t take him home with me now. So, unless by some miracle, he isn’t adopted by the time I close on the house, he’ll never be mine. And we both know, the second you announce that dog is available--assuming you haven't already--he’ll be gone.”

She couldn’t argue with that. “I know,” she said, sliding her hand down from his shoulder to his elbow and squeezing it before she let it go. “And I can’t keep putting off listing him. As much as I hate to do it, it’s my job.”

Brady nodded. “You have to do what you have to do, Noelle. Like you said, if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen, right?”

“Right,” she said, but in this case, it was hard not to try to control the situation by putting it off. She needed to believe her own statement though. If Pooch was meant to be with Brady, then that’s where he’d be. One way or another.

Couldn’t she say the same for herself?

“Well, I guess I should get you back to your car. I’m sure you want to get home.” Brady shifted the truck into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

Noelle sat in silence, staring out the window at the Christmas lights, praying that somehow everything would work out in the end. Brady deserved a family that wouldn’t leave him--so that he could learn to trust. But if this went sideways, he might just lose his faith forever.