An Evergreen Christmas (12 page)

Noel motioned for Holly to stand. Applause echoed in the auditorium. Holly stood, turned around to face her colleagues, smiled, and nodded to them, and then faced Noel, giving him an extra bob of her head. He grinned back at her and concluded his presentation.

The crowd rose from their seats and milled about, chatting with one another. Noel pumped down the stage steps and strode over to Holly. He raised his hands as if to embrace her, but stopped short.

“How did I’d do?”

He gazed at her, his eyes searching hers for approval.

She straightened his tie and smiled. No one was looking anyway. They were busy in their own conversations. “Excellent.”

Noel’s face pinked. “I’m good in the O.R., but I stink at knotting ties.”

“You looked fine. She waggled her finger at him. “And you didn’t tell me I’d make it to the big screen!”

Noel winked. “Surprise. You deserved the credit.”

Holly shifted in her shoes. “Thanks.”

Noel took her hand. “The drug reps brought pizza. Let’s go get a slice before the med students devour every pie.” Despite colleagues lingering after Grand Rounds, Holly didn’t pull away from Noel’s grip.

They stood in the long line with other docs, a slice of pizza sometimes being the only meal they’d get on a busy night on call. Holly and Noel walked to a corner of the reception room, balancing their paper plates with pizza hanging over the edges. Noel stuffed the gooey cheese tip into his mouth and bit off a hearty chunk while Holly nibbled at the apex of hers, patting her lips with a white paper napkin between bites.

“Hey, Green. You better get going on that pizza. You do remember that I’m picking you up at six tonight?”

Holly took a more substantial bite. She could hardly wait to find out what Noel had planned, and teasingly kept secret from her.

Noel trotted over to the table and grabbed an empty paper plate. Returning, he covered her pizza plate with it. “Check out rounds are done. Your patients are fine. Go home. Finish your pizza. I’ll see you at six.”

“But.”

“But what?”

“But” was the only word she could get out of her mouth today.

Noel placed his hand onto her upper back and gently prodded her toward the door. He waved to her. “Bye.”

“All right. I’m going. I hope Mrs. Shale is doing well.”

Noel sighed and smiled. “Holly, has your aunt called you?”

She shook her head.” No.”

“So there you have it. They’re fine. Probably flitting about town. You worry too much. Go home. Get ready.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Darn! He still wasn’t going to tell her.

She arched her eyebrows. “Another surprise?”

“Why? Is there a quota?”

Holly laughed softly. “No. I’ll be ready at six.”

***

Holly swung into the parking space right in front of the jewelry store. She leapt over a snow bank and rocketed inside. Her heart sank. Mr. Moretti had already left for the day, but the woman behind the counter handed Holly the special gift Mr. Moretti had promised her. Clutching her chest, Holly happily sighed and wished the woman a Merry Christmas. She gently slid the small red box into her tote. Now to rush home and get ready for her mystery date with Noel. She eyed the pizza left over from Grand Rounds on the passenger seat. A quick dinner is exactly what she needed.

Pulling into the driveway, Holly spotted tire tracks in the snow leading out to the street. Aunt Mae’s car was gone. Noel was right. They were indeed flitting about the town. Carrying her care package pizza in one hand, Holly unlocked the front door. Stomping the snow from her boots, she strode into the kitchen and set her post Grand Rounds pizza onto the kitchen table. Returning to the doorway, she slipped off her coat and boots, hanging her coat on the coat stand and lining her boots in parallel beneath it.

“Mrs. Shale,” she called, just in case her aunt had gone on a solo errand.

Holly waited a few seconds. No response. Her Aunt Mae had hijacked her guest. She shrugged, climbed the stairs, and pattered in her stockings to her bedroom where her bunny slippers awaited her. She slid her feet into them. “Ah!” Holly reached inside her bag and pulled out Noel’s present. She arched a brow. She’d stash it inside her mom’s old hatbox. Holly kept it on a shelf in her closet hidden behind her hats and scarves. It still had her mom’s scent mixed with faded shades of “Shalimar” perfume, her mother’s favorite. Holly couldn’t part with it.

Noel’s gift safely stored, Holly plopped down the stairs, shuffled into the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of soda. Sitting at the table alone, she drummed her fingers on the wooden table. Burump, Burump, Burump. Her tapping fingers were the sole sound in her empty home. With no one around to see her, Holly slurped the rest of her pizza, washing it down with the soda.
Where are they? It
’
s dark already
. She’d become the parent, her Aunt Mae and Mrs. Shale her wayward children. She’d just thrown the paper plate away and put the empty glass into the sink when she heard tires crunching over the snowy driveway. Pressing her lips tight, Holly marched toward the front door, stopped, and jabbed her hands to her hips, waiting to scold Aunt Mae and Mrs. Shale the second they strolled inside.

Aunt Mae pushed the door open, clutching a shopping bag with its sides bulging. The women quit giggling.

Holly narrowed her gaze. “Where have you been?”

Her aunt blinked. “Out.”

Holly rolled her eyes. “I can see that. Mrs. Shale just got out of the hospital and you’re traipsing her around town.” She shook her head. “I called you to help get her settled.”

Aunt Mae cocked her head. “And I’m doing that. I fixed us lunch. She took a nap. And then we went to the quilt shop for a whole 30 minutes. We’re planning to spend a nice evening in quilting while you and Noel go out.” Aunt Mae glanced at the overstuffed bag. “And yes, I carried our purchases.”

“We were only gone a half hour,” Mrs. Shale said. “I feel fine, dear, honestly. You worry too much.”

“Another one telling me I worry too much.”

“You do,” the women said in unison.

“Come on, Maureen. Let’s put this bag in your room and let Holly get ready for her date.” Mrs. Shale waved and left for her room. Aunt Mae stroked Holly’s cheek. “Relax. Have a wonderful time with Noel. She’s okay. It’s good for her to keep busy, her husband, Martin, gone and all. You know how it is. But the two of you need to move on.”Holly quirked her lips. “Don’t be like that. And Noel has such a nice evening planned for you.”

Holly exhaled. “Okay.” Aunt Mae was right. She had to move on, and Noel was thankfully slowly inching her forward. Baby steps. That’s exactly what Holly needed. Baby steps.

“I’ll tend to Mrs. Shale.” Her aunt pointed at her. “And you tend to yourself. Noel will soon come a calling.”

Holly giggled at her aunt’s old fashioned, but quaint, quips. “Come a calling?”

“Yes. That’s what they called it in my day, but regardless, romance hasn’t changed.”

Holly grinned. “So, is someone going to be calling on you?”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“Ooh, tell me more. What secrets have you been keeping?”

“None of your bee’s wax.” Aunt Mae flicked her fingers. “Now scoot.”

***

Holly pulled up the hem of her black sweater, yanked it over her head, and tossed it onto her bed. She had grabbed it out of her dresser out of habit. “No black tonight,” she muttered. Rummaging through a drawer, she chose a deep red one instead. The next thing to go was her ponytail. She slid the hair tie down her restrained strands and shook her blonde hair free, glancing at her new look in the mirror. “Hmm. Not bad.” She shimmied into a pair of thermal underwear and slipped her jeans over them. Noel did tell her to dress warm.

She had just zipped up her jeans when headlights flooded into her room. He was here. Holly jogged down the stairs, her woolen socks muting every hurried step. She paused at the bottom with one hand on the banister not wanting to seem anxious. Taking a deep breath, she slid her hand off the banister and walked coolly into the living room. Aunt Mae had already let him inside.

“Hello, Noel.”

Aunt Mae arched her eyebrows, her signal for, “Who are you fooling?”

The corners of Noel’s eyes crinkled upward. “Hi. I expected you in black, but wow, you’ll definitely stand out on the ice in that red sweater.”

Holly blinked. “Ice?”

“Surprise! We’re going ice skating, that is after burgers and fries at Callahan’s Pub.”

Her pulse bounded beneath the turtleneck of her sweater, her red sweater in which she’d have nowhere to hide in a crowd. She hadn’t skated since her teens and the last thing she wanted was to be noticed at Callahan’s, the place brimming with hospital staff she had taken great pains to avoid. Definitely back to black.

“I’ll be right back, Noel. I’m just going to change.”

“No,” her aunt and Mrs. Shale cried out.

Aunt Mae shot her finger at Holly. “Stay here.”

Holly pulled on her boots. “What’s going on?”

“You’ll see.” Noel said, a gleam in his eyes. A suspicious gleam, Holly thought.

Holly jabbed her hands onto her hips. “Why do I get the feeling I’m the only one who’s not privy to this evening’s plans?”

Noel shrugged. He lowered her hands from her hips and held up her down jacket. She threaded her arms into the sleeves and zipped it up. Noel plopped a knitted cap onto her head and handed her a pair of mittens. “Now you’re ready.”

“Noel, I don’t have a pair of….”

“Here they are. I found them,” Aunt Mae called. She tottered into the living room hugging a pair of ice skates.

Holly’s mouth dropped. “Mom’s,” she whispered.

“Take them,” Aunt Mae said.

She held the ice skates out to Holly. Holly stood frozen, her arms plastered to her sides.

“Take them,” her aunt repeated, shoving them closer to Holly. “Yours don’t fit anymore.”

Holly stared at the silver blades, shiny as the day she stashed them away in the attic. Her mother had polished them dry that last time they skated on Putney’s pond, hanging them neatly in the hall closet.

“
Holly, clean your skates before putting them up,
”
she called.

“
Yes, Mom. I
’
m going over Amy
’
s house.
”

“
Be home for supper.
”

“
Yes, Mom.
”

It was the last time they had skated at the pond that winter. Thirteen and on holiday break, she had no time for her mom. Her best friend, Amy, had new skates, an “accidental” premature Christmas package pillage. All the kids would be at the pond that Saturday. She had bolted onto the ice, ditching her mom for her friends, save to mention to her how much she wanted a pair just like Amy’s.

Holly’s eyes burned. She bit her lower lip, restraining the tears. If she had known that her mom would never return to Putney’s Pond, she wouldn’t have acted like that. But if her mom was hurt by her daughter’s self-centeredness, she didn’t show it. Dad gone for the day, Mom skated alone, smiling and waving ever so slightly so as to not embarrass Holly in front of her teenage entourage. Up until last year, they had always skated together, mitten to mitten. Her mom had taught her to skate the minute she could walk. The clink, clink, clink of her choppy first tries had matured to rhythmic swooshes and whirs. Her mother would clap.
“
Hooray! Hooray! That
’
s my girl. Spin. Spin. Cross your arms in tight. Spin. Spin.
”

She didn’t deserve these skates!

Aunt Mae took Holly’s hand. “Your mother would be thrilled for you to wear these. She was so proud of you.”

Holly shook her head. “No. I treated her so poorly that last time.”

“You were thirteen. Your mom understood that. She never loved you less. Please.”

Holly cradled the ice skates.

Aunt Mae pushed her and Noel towards the door. “Now go and have a good time.” She winked at Noel before closing the door.

Holly cocked her head. “What was that all about?”

She could tell he was stifling a grin.

Noel shrugged. “Beats me.”

Chapter Nine

Holly took a healthy bite of her burger.

“Glad to see you’re enjoying your dinner. It’s not Chez Jacques, but Callahan’s has the best burgers in New England. And I’ve downed a lot of hamburgers in my days.” Noel arched his brow. “I guess as a surgeon, I shouldn’t admit that.”

She patted her lips with a paper napkin. “I’ll forgive you this one time.”

Noel stuffed a French fry in his mouth. He chewed it with happy vigor and swallowed. “After tonight, I’m switching to salads.”

“It’s the holidays, Noel.” She waggled her finger at him. “And who brought me cookies?”

“Okay. After the holidays, I’ll make it my New Year’s resolution.” Noel chomped on his deluxe burger. After swallowing, he leaned across the booth’s table toward Holly. “So, what resolutions are you going to make?”

She hesitated. “I don’t believe in resolutions.”

“I know you’re not keen on Christmas, but New Year’s too?”

Holly bit into a French fry. “Yep.”

Noel propped his elbow onto the table and plunked his chin into his palm. “That’s tragic. Who am I going to kiss at midnight?”

She grinned and shrugged.

He leaned closer. “There’s always mistletoe. You better be careful where you step.”

“I’ll be safe. I’ll be at the hospital on call.”

Noel stole one of her fries and waved it in front of her. “I wouldn’t count on that because I’ll be on call also.” He bit into the fry.

Holly plucked a fry from his plate. “Then I’ll have to be extra careful.” She snapped the potato slice in two, eating one half and feeding the other half to him.

“Boy, it’s going to be tough giving up fries.”

The door to Callahan’s Pub squeaked open ushering a burst of winter air. The pub buzzed with the boisterous chatter of the gaggle of Granite State Medical Center staff. Holly peered from the booth’s edge. Nurses and doctors she knew hugged and high-fived one another.