Christmas on 4th Street (Fool's Gold #12.5)

The trip back to town took less time than she would have thought. Once they got to the main road, he was able to drive quickly. In Fool’s Gold, the houses were covered with snow, as were the lawns. But the sidewalks were shoveled and the streets clear.

Gabriel pulled into her driveway and helped her inside with the cats. It took a few trips and then the family was safe. The mother cats and older kittens started exploring right away. She walked Gabriel to the front door.

“I’ll go to the pet store,” he told her. “Get what you need for the next few days. Food, litter, some dishes.”

“That would be nice,” she said. “Thank you. I’m going to take a shower, then call around and find someone who can check on them while I’m at work.”

They were strangers exchanging information, she thought sadly. It was as if the past two days had never happened at all.

“Just tell me why,” she said impulsively. “What happened? Why are you different?”

His dark gaze settled on her face. A muscle twitched by his mouth. She waited, hoping he would say something—anything—because that would give them a chance. If they could talk about it, they could fix it. Or at least deal with it.

“Everything is fine,” he told her. “We’re back. We have things to do.”

“All right,” she said quietly, knowing there was no point. Gabriel had to be willing to meet her halfway. Obviously, he wasn’t.

She took her shower and dressed for work. Gabriel returned with the promised supplies, and she set up two litter boxes in the laundry room, then put out dishes of water and dry food. After making sure all the windows were securely closed, she left for work.

The store was exactly as she remembered. Bright and warm, with all things Christmas. Just walking inside lightened her spirits. She didn’t know if she was going to see Gabriel again and tried to tell herself it didn’t matter. When she realized she was lying, she told herself that whether or not she saw him, she would recover. That this was only ever going to be temporary and she had survived much worse.

A little before ten Melissa arrived, her younger sister, Abby, in tow.

“I can’t believe you got snowed in,” Melissa said, hugging her. “That’s so scary. But you’re okay?”

“We were fine. We had electricity most of the time. Hey, Abby.”

The fifteen-year-old smiled at her. “I heard about the kittens. I can go by and check on them, if you’d like.”

“Thanks, but shouldn’t you be in school?”

Abby grinned. “It’s a teacher day. Those are my favorite.”

“They were my favorites, too,” Noelle admitted.

She gave the teen a spare key and they set up a schedule with Abby agreeing to stop by Noelle’s place right after school. They were discussing payment when the phone rang. Melissa answered it.

“That was Gabriel,” she said a couple of minutes later. “He’s not going to be coming in.” She drew in a breath and looked at Noelle. “So, we were wondering if Abby could work here. She’s really responsible.”

“I’d still look after the cats,” Abby promised, her fingers clenched and her eyes bright with anticipation. “Mom said I could work a few hours after school, but only through Christmas break. Once the new semester starts I have to focus on my studies.”

“Having you around would be great,” Noelle told her, ignoring the sense of being hit in the gut. He hadn’t even told her goodbye himself. Weak-assed jerk. Only calling him names didn’t make her feel any better.

“I’ll show you where to put your stuff,” Melissa said, leading her sister toward the back room.

Noelle walked to the front door and turned the sign to Open, then she unlocked the door and greeted her first customer.

* * *

Gabriel went back to his vacation rental and tried to sleep. When that didn’t work, he drove his brother’s truck up to his place and got his car, then went back to town. He passed by the store several times, but didn’t go in. He didn’t have to, he reminded himself. He’d called to say he wouldn’t.

Only that didn’t seem to matter. All he could think about was Noelle. He missed her and wanted to be with her. Only he couldn’t because he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

He waited until close to six, then parked where he could see her lock up and head home. She greeted several people as she walked the familiar streets, pausing to look at the window display in front of the sporting goods store.

Gabriel swore and pounded his fist against the steering wheel. The window, he thought. The whole point of their trip up the mountain had been to get the perfect tree for the windows. Because she wanted to win that stupid contest. Only somehow that had been forgotten.

The judging was in the morning. There wasn’t time to— Or was there? He reached for his cell phone and dialed.

* * *

“Dad, be careful,” Gabriel said, watching the older Boylan stretch up on a tall ladder.

“If I fall, you can patch me up,” his father said cheerfully.